Yesaya 42:1-25
Konteks42:1 1 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 2 for the nations. 3
42:2 He will not cry out or shout;
he will not publicize himself in the streets. 4
42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,
a dim wick he will not extinguish; 5
he will faithfully make just decrees. 6
42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed 7
before establishing justice on the earth;
the coastlands 8 will wait in anticipation for his decrees.” 9
42:5 This is what the true God, 10 the Lord, says –
the one who created the sky and stretched it out,
the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, 11
the one who gives breath to the people on it,
and life to those who live on it: 12
42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you; 13
I take hold of your hand.
I protect you 14 and make you a covenant mediator for people, 15
and a light 16 to the nations, 17
to release prisoners 19 from dungeons,
those who live in darkness from prisons.
42:8 I am the Lord! That is my name!
I will not share my glory with anyone else,
or the praise due me with idols.
42:9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; 20
now I announce new events.
Before they begin to occur,
I reveal them to you.” 21
42:10 Sing to the Lord a brand new song!
Praise him 22 from the horizon of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and everything that lives in it, 23
you coastlands 24 and those who live there!
42:11 Let the desert and its cities shout out,
the towns where the nomads of Kedar live!
Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully;
let them shout loudly from the mountaintops.
42:12 Let them give the Lord the honor he deserves; 25
let them praise his deeds in the coastlands. 26
42:13 The Lord emerges like a hero,
like a warrior he inspires himself for battle; 27
he shouts, yes, he yells,
he shows his enemies his power. 28
42:14 “I have been inactive 29 for a long time;
I kept quiet and held back.
Like a woman in labor I groan;
I pant and gasp. 30
42:15 I will make the trees on the mountains and hills wither up; 31
I will dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn streams into islands, 32
and dry up pools of water. 33
42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; 34
I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. 35
I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,
and level out the rough ground. 36
This is what I will do for them.
I will not abandon them.
42:17 Those who trust in idols
will turn back and be utterly humiliated, 37
those who say to metal images, ‘You are our gods.’”
42:18 “Listen, you deaf ones!
Take notice, 38 you blind ones!
42:19 My servant is truly blind,
my messenger is truly deaf.
My covenant partner, 39 the servant of the Lord, is truly blind. 40
42:20 You see 41 many things, but don’t comprehend; 42
their ears are open, but do not hear.”
42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice
by magnifying his law and displaying it. 43
42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits 44
and held captive 45 in prisons.
They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;
they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” 46
42:23 Who among you will pay attention to this?
Who will listen attentively in the future? 47
42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber?
Who handed Israel over to the looters? 48
Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned?
They refused to follow his commands;
they disobeyed his law. 49
42:25 So he poured out his fierce anger on them,
along with the devastation 50 of war.
Its flames encircled them, but they did not realize it; 51
it burned against them, but they did notice. 52
Yesaya 42:1-5
Konteks42:1 53 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 54 for the nations. 55
42:2 He will not cry out or shout;
he will not publicize himself in the streets. 56
42:3 A crushed reed he will not break,
a dim wick he will not extinguish; 57
he will faithfully make just decrees. 58
42:4 He will not grow dim or be crushed 59
before establishing justice on the earth;
the coastlands 60 will wait in anticipation for his decrees.” 61
42:5 This is what the true God, 62 the Lord, says –
the one who created the sky and stretched it out,
the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, 63
the one who gives breath to the people on it,
and life to those who live on it: 64
Yesaya 1:4-31
Konteks1:4 65 The sinful nation is as good as dead, 66
the people weighed down by evil deeds.
They are offspring who do wrong,
children 67 who do wicked things.
They have abandoned the Lord,
and rejected the Holy One of Israel. 68
They are alienated from him. 69
1:5 70 Why do you insist on being battered?
Why do you continue to rebel? 71
Your head has a massive wound, 72
your whole body is weak. 73
1:6 From the soles of your feet to your head,
there is no spot that is unharmed. 74
There are only bruises, cuts,
and open wounds.
They have not been cleansed 75 or bandaged,
nor have they been treated 76 with olive oil. 77
1:7 Your land is devastated,
your cities burned with fire.
Right before your eyes your crops
are being destroyed by foreign invaders. 78
They leave behind devastation and destruction. 79
1:8 Daughter Zion 80 is left isolated,
like a hut in a vineyard,
or a shelter in a cucumber field;
she is a besieged city. 81
1:9 If the Lord who commands armies 82 had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly become like Sodom, 83
we would have become like Gomorrah.
1:10 Listen to the Lord’s word,
you leaders of Sodom! 84
Pay attention to our God’s rebuke, 85
people of Gomorrah!
1:11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” 86
says the Lord.
“I am stuffed with 87 burnt sacrifices
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want. 88
1:12 When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want this –
animals trampling on my courtyards? 89
1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless 90 offerings;
I consider your incense detestable! 91
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! 92
1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;
they are a burden
that I am tired of carrying.
1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I look the other way; 93
when you offer your many prayers,
I do not listen,
because your hands are covered with blood. 94
1:16 95 Wash! Cleanse yourselves!
Remove your sinful deeds 96
from my sight.
Stop sinning!
1:17 Learn to do what is right!
Promote justice!
Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! 97
Take up the cause of the orphan!
Defend the rights of the widow! 98
1:18 99 Come, let’s consider your options,” 100 says the Lord.
“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,
you can become 101 white like snow;
though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,
you can become 102 white like wool. 103
1:19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, 104
then you will again eat the good crops of the land.
1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured 105 by the sword.”
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. 106
1:21 How tragic that the once-faithful city
has become a prostitute! 107
She was once a center of 108 justice,
fairness resided in her,
but now only murderers. 109
1:22 Your 110 silver has become scum, 111
your beer is diluted with water. 112
1:23 Your officials are rebels, 113
they associate with 114 thieves.
All of them love bribery,
They do not take up the cause of the orphan, 117
or defend the rights of the widow. 118
1:24 Therefore, the sovereign Lord who commands armies, 119
the powerful ruler of Israel, 120 says this:
“Ah, I will seek vengeance 121 against my adversaries,
I will take revenge against my enemies. 122
I will purify your metal with flux. 124
I will remove all your slag. 125
1:26 I will reestablish honest judges as in former times,
wise advisers as in earlier days. 126
Then you will be called, ‘The Just City,
Faithful Town.’”
1:27 127 Zion will be freed by justice, 128
and her returnees by righteousness. 129
1:28 All rebellious sinners will be shattered, 130
those who abandon the Lord will perish.
1:29 Indeed, they 131 will be ashamed of the sacred trees
you 132 find so desirable;
you will be embarrassed because of the sacred orchards 133
where you choose to worship.
1:30 For you will be like a tree whose leaves wither,
like an orchard 134 that is unwatered.
1:31 The powerful will be like 135 a thread of yarn,
their deeds like a spark;
both will burn together,
and no one will put out the fire.
Yesaya 1:1
Konteks1:1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem 136 that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah. 137
Yesaya 12:1-6
Konteks12:1 At that time 138 you will say:
“I praise you, O Lord,
for even though you were angry with me,
your anger subsided, and you consoled me.
12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! 139
I will trust in him 140 and not fear.
For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; 141
he has become my deliverer.” 142
12:3 Joyfully you will draw water
from the springs of deliverance. 143
12:4 At that time 144 you will say:
“Praise the Lord!
Ask him for help! 145
Publicize his mighty acts among the nations!
Make it known that he is unique! 146
12:5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things,
let this be known 147 throughout the earth!
12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel 148 acts mightily 149 among you!”
[42:1] 1 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
[42:1] 2 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[42:1] 3 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
[42:2] 4 tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”
[42:3] 5 sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.
[42:3] 6 tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[42:4] 7 tn For rhetorical effect the terms used to describe the “crushed (רָצַץ, ratsats) reed” and “dim (כָּהָה, kahah) wick” in v. 3 are repeated here.
[42:4] 8 tn Or “islands” (NIV); NLT “distant lands beyond the sea.”
[42:4] 9 tn Or “his law” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV) or “his instruction” (NLT).
[42:5] 10 tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.
[42:5] 11 tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”
[42:5] 12 tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).
[42:6] 13 tn Heb “call you in righteousness.” The pronoun “you” is masculine singular, referring to the servant. See the note at 41:2.
[42:6] 14 tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצַר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצַר (yatsar, “form”).
[42:6] 15 tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. The precise identity of עָם (’am, “people”) is uncertain. In v. 5 עָם refers to mankind, and the following reference to “nations” also favors this. But in 49:8, where the phrase בְּרִית עָם occurs again, Israel seems to be in view.
[42:6] 16 sn Light here symbolizes deliverance from bondage and oppression; note the parallelism in 49:6b and in 51:4-6.
[42:6] 17 tn Or “the Gentiles” (so KJV, ASV, NIV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.
[42:7] 18 sn This does not refer to literal physical healing of the blind. As the next two lines suggest, this refers metonymically to freeing captives from their dark prisons where their eyes have grown unaccustomed to light.
[42:7] 19 sn This does not refer to hardened, dangerous criminals, who would have been executed for their crimes in ancient Near Eastern society. This verse refers to political prisoners or victims of social injustice.
[42:9] 20 tn Heb “the former things, look, they have come.”
[42:9] 21 tn Heb “before they sprout up, I cause you to hear.” The pronoun “you” is plural, referring to the people of Israel. In this verse “the former things” are the Lord’s earlier predictive oracles which have come to pass, while “the new things” are predicted events that have not yet begun to take place. “The former things” are earlier events in Israel’s history which God announced beforehand, such as the Exodus (see 43:16-18). “The new things” are the predictions about the servant (42:1-7). and may also include Cyrus’ conquests (41:25-27).
[42:10] 22 tn Heb “his praise.” The phrase stands parallel to “new song” in the previous line.
[42:10] 23 tn Heb “and its fullness”; NASB, NIV “and all that is in it.”
[42:10] 24 tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV); NLT “distant coastlands.”
[42:12] 25 tn Heb “Let them ascribe to the Lord glory.”
[42:12] 26 tn Heb “and his praise in the coastlands [or “islands”] let them declare.”
[42:13] 27 tn Heb “like a man of war he stirs up zeal” (NIV similar).
[42:13] 28 tn Or perhaps, “he triumphs over his enemies” (cf. NIV); NLT “will crush all his enemies.”
[42:14] 29 tn Heb “silent” (so NASB, NIV, TEV, NLT); CEV “have held my temper.”
[42:14] 30 sn The imagery depicts the Lord as a warrior who is eager to fight and can no longer hold himself back from the attack.
[42:15] 31 tn Heb “I will dry up the mountains and hills.” The “mountains and hills” stand by synecdoche for the trees that grow on them. Some prefer to derive the verb from a homonymic root and translate, “I will lay waste.”
[42:15] 32 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will turn streams into coastlands [or “islands”].” Scholars who believe that this reading makes little sense have proposed an emendation of אִיִּים (’iyyim, “islands”) to צִיּוֹת (tsiyyot, “dry places”; cf. NCV, NLT, TEV). However, since all the versions support the MT reading, there is insufficient grounds for an emendation here. Although the imagery of changing rivers into islands is somewhat strange, J. N. Oswalt describes this imagery against the backdrop of rivers of the Near East. The receding of these rivers at times occasioned the appearance of previously submerged islands (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:126).
[42:15] 33 sn The imagery of this verse, which depicts the Lord bringing a curse of infertility to the earth, metaphorically describes how the Lord will destroy his enemies.
[42:16] 34 tn Heb “a way they do not know” (so NASB); NRSV “a road they do not know.”
[42:16] 35 tn Heb “in paths they do not know I will make them walk.”
[42:16] 36 tn Heb “and the rough ground into a level place.”
[42:17] 37 tn Heb “be ashamed with shame”; ASV, NASB “be utterly put to shame.”
[42:18] 38 tn Heb “look to see”; NAB, NCV “look and see”; NRSV “look up and see.”
[42:19] 39 tc The precise meaning of מְשֻׁלָּם (mÿshullam) in this context is uncertain. In later biblical Hebrew the form (which appears to be a Pual participle from the root שָׁלַם, shalam) occurs as a proper name, Meshullam. The Pual of שָׁלַם (“be complete”) is attested with the meaning “repaid, requited,” but that makes little sense here. BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלַם relates the form to the denominative verb שָׁלַם (“be at peace”) and paraphrases “one in a covenant of peace” (J. N. Oswalt suggests “the covenanted one”; Isaiah [NICOT], 2:128, n. 59) Some emend the form to מֹשְׁלָם (moshÿlam, “their ruler”) or to מְשֻׁלָּחִי (mÿshullakhi, “my sent [or “commissioned”] one”), which fits nicely in the parallelism (note “my messenger” in the previous line). The translation above assumes an emendation to כְּמוֹ שֹׁלְמִי (kÿmo sholÿmi, “like my ally”). Isaiah uses כְּמוֹ in 30:22 and perhaps 51:5; for שֹׁלְמי (“my ally”) see Ps 7:5 HT (7:4 ET).
[42:19] 40 tn Heb “Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like my messenger I send? Who is blind like my commissioned one, blind like the servant of the Lord?” The point of the rhetorical questions is that no one is as blind/deaf as this servant. In this context the Lord’s “servant” is exiled Israel (cf. 41:8-9), which is spiritually blind and deaf and has failed to fulfill God’s purpose for it. This servant stands in contrast to the ideal “Israel” of the servant songs.
[42:20] 41 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has a perfect, 2nd person masculine singular; the marginal reading (Qere) has an infinitive absolute, which functions here as a finite verb.
[42:20] 42 tn Heb “but you do not guard [i.e., retain in your memory]”; NIV “but have paid no attention.”
[42:21] 43 tn Heb “The Lord was pleased for the sake of his righteousness [or “justice”], he was magnifying [the] law and was making [it] glorious.” The Lord contrasts his good intentions for the people with their present crisis (v. 22). To demonstrate his just character and attract the nations, the Lord wanted to showcase his law among and through Israel (Deut 4:5-8). But Israel disobeyed (v. 24) and failed to carry out their commission.
[42:22] 44 tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).
[42:22] 45 tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”
[42:22] 46 tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”
[42:23] 47 tn The interrogative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[42:24] 48 tn Heb “Who gave to the robber Jacob, and Israel to the looters?” In the first line the consonantal text (Kethib) has מְשׁוֹסֶה (mÿshoseh), a Polel participle from שָׁסָה (shasah, “plunder”). The marginal reading (Qere) is מְשִׁיסָּה (mÿshissah), a noun meaning “plunder.” In this case one could translate “Who handed Jacob over as plunder?”
[42:24] 49 tn Heb “they were not willing in his ways to walk, and they did not listen to his law.”
[42:25] 50 tn Heb “strength” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “fury”; NASB “fierceness”; NIV “violence.”
[42:25] 51 tn Heb “and it blazed against him all around, but he did not know.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb “blazed” is the divine חֵמָה (khemah, “anger”) mentioned in the previous line.
[42:25] 52 tn Heb “and it burned against him, but he did not set [it] upon [the] heart.”
[42:1] 53 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
[42:1] 54 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[42:1] 55 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
[42:2] 56 tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”
[42:3] 57 sn The “crushed reed” and “dim wick” symbolize the weak and oppressed who are on the verge of extinction.
[42:3] 58 tn Heb “faithfully he will bring out justice” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[42:4] 59 tn For rhetorical effect the terms used to describe the “crushed (רָצַץ, ratsats) reed” and “dim (כָּהָה, kahah) wick” in v. 3 are repeated here.
[42:4] 60 tn Or “islands” (NIV); NLT “distant lands beyond the sea.”
[42:4] 61 tn Or “his law” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV) or “his instruction” (NLT).
[42:5] 62 tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.
[42:5] 63 tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”
[42:5] 64 tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).
[1:4] 65 sn Having summoned the witnesses and announced the Lord’s accusation against Israel, Isaiah mourns the nation’s impending doom. The third person references to the Lord in the second half of the verse suggest that the quotation from the Lord (cf. vv. 2-3) has concluded.
[1:4] 66 tn Heb “Woe [to the] sinful nation.” The Hebrew term הוֹי, (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death. In highly dramatic fashion the prophet acts out Israel’s funeral in advance, emphasizing that their demise is inevitable if they do not repent soon.
[1:4] 67 tn Or “sons” (NASB). The prophet contrasts four terms of privilege – nation, people, offspring, children – with four terms that depict Israel’s sinful condition in Isaiah’s day – sinful, evil, wrong, wicked (see J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 43).
[1:4] 68 sn Holy One of Israel is one of Isaiah’s favorite divine titles for God. It pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.
[1:4] 69 tn Heb “they are estranged backward.” The LXX omits this statement, which presents syntactical problems and seems to be outside the synonymous parallelistic structure of the verse.
[1:5] 70 sn In vv. 5-9 Isaiah addresses the battered nation (5-8) and speaks as their representative (9).
[1:5] 71 tn Heb “Why are you still beaten? [Why] do you continue rebellion?” The rhetorical questions express the prophet’s disbelief over Israel’s apparent masochism and obsession with sin. The interrogative construction in the first line does double duty in the parallelism. H. Wildberger (Isaiah, 1:18) offers another alternative by translating the two statements with one question: “Why do you still wish to be struck that you persist in revolt?”
[1:5] 72 tn Heb “all the head is ill”; NRSV “the whole head is sick”; CEV “Your head is badly bruised.”
[1:5] 73 tn Heb “and all the heart is faint.” The “heart” here stands for bodily strength and energy, as suggested by the context and usage elsewhere (see Jer 8:18; Lam 1:22).
[1:6] 74 tn Heb “there is not in it health”; NAB “there is no sound spot.”
[1:6] 75 tn Heb “pressed out.”
[1:6] 76 tn Heb “softened” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “soothed.”
[1:6] 77 sn This verse describes wounds like those one would receive in battle. These wounds are comprehensive and without remedy.
[1:7] 78 tn Heb “As for your land, before you foreigners are devouring it.”
[1:7] 79 tn Heb “and [there is] devastation like an overthrow by foreigners.” The comparative preposition כְּ (kÿ, “like, as”) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the land has all the earmarks of a destructive foreign invasion because that is what has indeed happened. One could paraphrase, “it is desolate as it can only be when foreigners destroy.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x. Many also prefer to emend “foreigners” here to “Sodom,” though there is no external attestation for such a reading in the
[1:8] 80 tn Heb “daughter of Zion” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). The genitive is appositional, identifying precisely which daughter is in view. By picturing Zion as a daughter, the prophet emphasizes her helplessness and vulnerability before the enemy.
[1:8] 81 tn Heb “like a city besieged.” Unlike the preceding two comparisons, which are purely metaphorical, this third one identifies the reality of Israel’s condition. In this case the comparative preposition, as in v. 7b, has the force, “in every way like,” indicating that all the earmarks of a siege are visible because that is indeed what is taking place. The verb form in MT is Qal passive participle of נָצַר (natsar, “guard”), but since this verb is not often used of a siege (see BDB 666 s.v. I נָצַר), some prefer to repoint the form as a Niphal participle from II צוּר (tsur, “besiege”). However, the latter is not attested elsewhere in the Niphal (see BDB 848 s.v. II צוּר).
[1:9] 82 tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts.” The title pictures God as the sovereign king who has at his disposal a multitude of attendants, messengers, and warriors to do his bidding. In some contexts, like this one, the military dimension of his rulership is highlighted. In this case, the title pictures him as one who leads armies into battle against his enemies.
[1:9] 83 tc The translation assumes that כִּמְעָט (kim’at, “quickly,” literally, “like a little”) goes with what follows, contrary to the MT accents, which take it with what precedes. In this case, one could translate the preceding line, “If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors.” If כִּמְעָט goes with the preceding line (following the MT accents), this expression highlights the idea that there would only be a few survivors (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:20; H. Zobel, TDOT 8:456). Israel would not be almost like Sodom but exactly like Sodom.
[1:10] 84 sn Building on the simile of v. 9, the prophet sarcastically addresses the leaders and people of Jerusalem as if they were leaders and residents of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. The sarcasm is appropriate, for if the judgment is comparable to Sodom’s, that must mean that the sin which prompted the judgment is comparable as well.
[1:10] 85 tn Heb “to the instruction of our God.” In this context, which is highly accusatory and threatening, תּוֹרָה (torah, “law, instruction”) does not refer to mere teaching, but to corrective teaching and rebuke.
[1:11] 86 tn Heb “Why to me the multitude of your sacrifices?” The sarcastic rhetorical question suggests that their many sacrifices are of no importance to the Lord. This phrase answers the possible objection that an Israelite could raise in response to God’s indictment: “But we are offering the sacrifices you commanded!”
[1:11] sn In this section the Lord refutes a potential objection that his sinful people might offer in their defense. He has charged them with rebellion (vv. 2-3), but they might respond that they have brought him many sacrifices. So he points out that he requires social justice first and foremost, not empty ritual.
[1:11] 87 tn The verb שָׂבַע (sava’, “be satisfied, full”) is often used of eating and/or drinking one’s fill. See BDB 959 s.v. שָׂבַע. Here sacrifices are viewed, in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion, as food for the deity. God here declares that he has eaten and drunk, as it were, his fill.
[1:11] 88 sn In the chiastic structure of the verse, the verbs at the beginning and end highlight God’s displeasure, while the heaping up of references to animals, fat, and blood in the middle lines hints at why God wants no more of their sacrifices. They have, as it were, piled the food on his table and he needs no more.
[1:12] 89 tn Heb “When you come to appear before me, who requires this from your hand, trampling of my courtyards?” The rhetorical question sarcastically makes the point that God does not require this parade of livestock. The verb “trample” probably refers to the eager worshipers and their sacrificial animals walking around in the temple area.
[1:13] 90 tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”
[1:13] 91 sn Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22-30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3-8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9-14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).
[1:13] 92 tn Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16-17).
[1:15] 93 tn Heb “I close my eyes from you.”
[1:15] 94 sn This does not just refer to the blood of sacrificial animals, but also the blood, as it were, of their innocent victims. By depriving the poor and destitute of proper legal recourse and adequate access to the economic system, the oppressors have, for all intents and purposes, “killed” their victims.
[1:16] 95 sn Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.
[1:16] 96 sn This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun ַמעַלְלֵיכֶם (ma’alleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).
[1:17] 97 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; HALOT 329 s.v. II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (’ashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the MT pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a-b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a-c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”
[1:17] 98 tn This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.
[1:18] 99 sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).
[1:18] 100 tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.
[1:18] 101 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
[1:18] 102 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
[1:18] 103 tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.
[1:19] 104 tn Heb “listen”; KJV “obedient”; NASB “If you consent and obey.”
[1:20] 105 sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [to’khelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [tÿ’ukkÿlu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.
[1:20] 106 tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).
[1:21] 107 tn Heb “How she has become a prostitute, the faithful city!” The exclamatory אֵיכָה (’ekhah, “how!”) is used several times as the beginning of a lament (see Lam 1:1; 2;1; 4:1-2). Unlike a number of other OT passages that link references to Israel’s harlotry to idolatry, Isaiah here makes the connection with social and moral violations.
[1:21] 108 tn Heb “filled with.”
[1:21] 109 tn Or “assassins.” This refers to the oppressive rich and/or their henchmen. R. Ortlund (Whoredom, 78) posits that it serves as a synecdoche for all varieties of criminals, the worst being mentioned to imply all lesser ones. Since Isaiah often addressed his strongest rebuke to the rulers and leaders of Israel, he may have in mind the officials who bore the responsibility to uphold justice and righteousness.
[1:22] 110 tn The pronoun is feminine singular; personified Jerusalem (see v. 21) is addressed.
[1:22] 111 tn Or “dross.” The word refers to the scum or impurites floating on the top of melted metal.
[1:22] 112 sn The metaphors of silver becoming impure and beer being watered down picture the moral and ethical degeneration that had occurred in Jerusalem.
[1:23] 113 tn Or “stubborn”; CEV “have rejected me.”
[1:23] 114 tn Heb “and companions of” (so KJV, NASB); CEV “friends of crooks.”
[1:23] 115 tn Heb “pursue”; NIV “chase after gifts.”
[1:23] 116 sn Isaiah may have chosen the word for gifts (שַׁלְמוֹנִים, shalmonim; a hapax legomena here), as a sarcastic pun on what these rulers should have been doing. Instead of attending to peace and wholeness (שָׁלוֹם, shalom), they sought after payoffs (שַׁלְמוֹנִים).
[1:23] 117 sn See the note at v. 17.
[1:23] 118 sn The rich oppressors referred to in Isaiah and the other eighth century prophets were not rich capitalists in the modern sense of the word. They were members of the royal military and judicial bureaucracies in Israel and Judah. As these bureaucracies grew, they acquired more and more land and gradually commandeered the economy and legal system. At various administrative levels bribery and graft become commonplace. The common people outside the urban administrative centers were vulnerable to exploitation in such a system, especially those, like widows and orphans, who had lost their family provider through death. Through confiscatory taxation, conscription, excessive interest rates, and other oppressive governmental measures and policies, they were gradually disenfranchised and lost their landed property, and with it, their rights as citizens. The socio-economic equilibrium envisioned in the law of Moses was radically disturbed.
[1:24] 119 tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at v. 9.
[1:24] 120 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Israel.”
[1:24] 121 tn Heb “console myself” (i.e., by getting revenge); NRSV “pour out my wrath on.”
[1:24] 122 sn The Lord here identifies with the oppressed and comes as their defender and vindicator.
[1:25] 123 tn Heb “turn my hand against you.” The second person pronouns in vv. 25-26 are feminine singular. Personified Jerusalem is addressed. The idiom “turn the hand against” has the nuance of “strike with the hand, attack,” in Ps 81:15 HT (81:14 ET); Ezek 38:12; Am 1:8; Zech 13:7. In Jer 6:9 it is used of gleaning grapes.
[1:25] 124 tn Heb “I will purify your dross as [with] flux.” “Flux” refers here to minerals added to the metals in a furnace to prevent oxides from forming. For this interpretation of II בֹּר (bor), see HALOT 153 s.v. II בֹּר and 750 s.v. סִיג.
[1:25] 125 sn The metaphor comes from metallurgy; slag is the substance left over after the metallic ore has been refined.
[1:26] 126 tn Heb “I will restore your judges as in the beginning; and your counselors as in the beginning.” In this context, where social injustice and legal corruption are denounced (see v. 23), the “judges” are probably government officials responsible for making legal decisions, while the “advisers” are probably officials who helped the king establish policies. Both offices are also mentioned in 3:2.
[1:27] 127 sn The third person reference to the Lord in v. 28 indicates that the prophet is again (see vv. 21-24a) speaking. Since v. 27 is connected to v. 28 by a conjunction, it is likely that the prophet’s words begin with v. 27.
[1:27] 128 tn Heb “Zion will be ransomed with justice.” Both cola in this verse end with similar terms: justice and righteousness (and both are preceded by a בְּ [bet] preposition). At issue is whether these virtues describe the means or result of the deliverance and whether they delineate God’s justice/righteousness or that of the covenant people. If the righteousness of Israelite returnees is in view, the point seems to be that the reestablishment of Zion as a center of justice (God’s people living in conformity with God’s demand for equity and justice) will deliver the city from its past humiliation and restore it to a place of prominence (see 2:2-4; cf. E. Kissane, Isaiah, 1:19). Most scholars conclude that “righteousness and “justice” refers to God alone (J. Ridderbos, Isaiah [BSC], 50; J. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 1:25; E. J. Young, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:89; cf. NLT, TEV) or serves as a double reference to both divine and human justice and righteousness (J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 51; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:10; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:72). If it refers to both sides of the coin, these terms highlight the objective divine work of redemption and the subjective human response of penitence (Motyer, 51).
[1:27] 129 tc The Hebrew text has, “her repentant ones/returnees with righteousness.” The form שָׁבֶיהָ (shaveha, “her repentant ones”), as pointed in MT, is a masculine plural Qal participle from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”). Used substantivally, it refers to the “returning (i.e., repentant) ones.” It is possible that the parallel line (with its allusion to being freed by a ransom payment) suggests that the form be repointed to שִׁבְיָהּ (shivyah, “her captivity”), a reading that has support from the LXX. Some slightly emend the form to read וְשָׁבָה (vÿshavah, “and will return”). According to this view, the verb from the first line applies to the second line as well with the following translation as a result: “she will be released when fairness is restored.” Regardless, it makes best sense in the context to regard this as a reference to repentant Israelites returning to the land of promise. This understanding provides a better contrast with the rebels and sinners in 1:28.
[1:28] 130 tn Heb “and [there will be] a shattering of rebels and sinners together.”
[1:29] 131 tc The Hebrew text (and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa) has the third person here, though a few Hebrew
[1:29] 132 tn The second person pronouns in vv. 29-30 are masculine plural, indicating that the rebellious sinners (v. 28) are addressed.
[1:29] 133 tn Or “gardens” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “groves.”
[1:30] 134 tn Or “a garden” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[1:31] 135 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
[1:1] 136 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:1] 137 tn Heb “The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”
[1:1] sn Isaiah’s prophetic career probably began in the final year of Uzziah’s reign (ca. 740
[12:1] 138 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[12:2] 139 tn Or “salvation” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).
[12:2] 140 tn The words “in him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:2] 141 tc The Hebrew text has, “for my strength and protection [is] the Lord, the Lord (Heb “Yah, Yahweh).” The word יְהוָה (yehvah) is probably dittographic or explanatory here (note that the short form of the name [יָהּ, yah] precedes, and that the graphically similar וַיְהִי [vayÿhi] follows). Exod 15:2, the passage from which the words of v. 2b are taken, has only יָהּ. The word זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing); note that in v. 5 the verb זָמַר (zamar, “sing”) appears. Many recent commentators, however, have argued that the noun is here instead a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v. III *זמר.
[12:2] 142 tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “my savior.”
[12:3] 143 tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); CEV “victory.”
[12:3] sn Water is here a metaphor for renewed life; the springs symbolize the restoration of God’s favor.
[12:4] 144 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[12:4] 145 tn Heb “call in his name,” i.e., “invoke his name.”
[12:4] 146 tn Heb “bring to remembrance that his name is exalted.” The Lord’s “name” stands here for his character and reputation.
[12:5] 147 tc The translation follows the marginal reading (Qere), which is a Hophal participle from יָדַע (yada’), understood here in a gerundive sense.
[12:6] 148 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[12:6] 149 tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.
