Yesaya 6:13

6:13 Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, ¹  like one of the large sacred trees ²  or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. ³  That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family.” ⁴ 

Yesaya 24:2

24:2 Everyone will suffer – the priest as well as the people, ⁵ 

the master as well as the servant, ⁶ 

the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, ⁷ 

the seller as well as the buyer, ⁸ 

the borrower as well as the lender, ⁹ 

the creditor as well as the debtor. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 28:4

28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

will be like an early fig before harvest –

as soon as someone notices it,

he grabs it and swallows it. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 30:30

30:30 The Lord will give a mighty shout ¹² 

and intervene in power, ¹³ 

with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire, ¹⁴ 

with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.

Yesaya 65:12

65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, ¹⁵ 

all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, ¹⁶ 

because I called to you, and you did not respond,

I spoke and you did not listen.

You did evil before me; ¹⁷ 

you chose to do what displeases me.”

[6:13]  ¹ tn Or “be burned” (NRSV); NIV “laid waste.”

[6:13]  ² tn Heb “like a massive tree or like a big tree” (perhaps, “like a terebinth or like an oak”).

[6:13]  ³ tn The Hebrew text has “which in the felling, a sacred pillar in them.” Some take מַצֶּבֶת (matsevet) as “stump,” and translate, “which, when chopped down, have a stump remaining in them.” But elsewhere מַצֶּבֶת refers to a memorial pillar (2 Sam 18:18) and the word resembles מַצֶּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”). בָּם (bam, “in them”) may be a corruption of בָּמָה (bamah, “high place”; the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has במה). אֳשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) becomes a problem in this case, but one might emend the form to וּכְּאֲשֵׁרָה (ukÿ’asherah, “or like an Asherah pole”) and translate, “like one of the large sacred trees or an Asherah pole.” Though the text is difficult, the references to sacred trees and a sacred pillar suggest that the destruction of a high place is in view, an apt metaphor for the judgment of idolatrous Judah.

[6:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “a holy offspring [is] its sacred pillar.” If מַצֶּבֶת (matsevet) is taken as “stump,” one can see in this statement a brief glimpse of hope. The tree (the nation) is chopped down, but the stump (a righteous remnant) remains from which God can restore the nation. However, if מַצֶּבֶת is taken as “sacred pillar” (מַצֶּבָה, matsevah; see the previous note), it is much more difficult to take the final statement in a positive sense. In this case “holy offspring” alludes to God’s ideal for his covenant people, the offspring of the patriarchs. Ironically that “holy” nation is more like a “sacred pillar” and it will be thrown down like a sacred pillar from a high place and its land destroyed like the sacred trees located at such shrines. Understood in this way, the ironic statement is entirely negative in tone, just like the rest of the preceding announcement of judgment. It also reminds the people of their failure; they did not oppose pagan religion, instead they embraced it. Now they will be destroyed in the same way they should have destroyed paganism.

[24:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and it will be like the people, like the priest.”

[24:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “like the servant, like his master.”

[24:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “like the female servant, like her mistress.”

[24:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “like the buyer, like the seller.”

[24:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “like the lender, like the borrower.”

[24:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “like the creditor, just as the one to whom he lends.”

[28:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”

[30:30]  ¹² tn Heb “the Lord will cause the splendor of his voice to be heard.”

[30:30]  ¹³ tn Heb “and reveal the lowering of his arm.”

[30:30]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and a flame of consuming fire.”

[65:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.

[65:12]  ¹⁶ tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”

[65:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”