Yesaya 6:3

6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy ¹  is the Lord who commands armies! ²  His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”

Yesaya 5:16

5:16 The Lord who commands armies will be exalted ³  when he punishes, ⁴ 

the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges. ⁵ 

Yesaya 43:15

43:15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, ⁶ 

the one who created Israel, your king.”

Yesaya 29:23

29:23 For when they see their children,

whom I will produce among them, ⁷ 

they will honor ⁸  my name.

They will honor the Holy One of Jacob; ⁹ 

they will respect ¹⁰  the God of Israel.

Yesaya 52:10

52:10 The Lord reveals ¹¹  his royal power ¹² 

in the sight of all the nations;

the entire ¹³  earth sees

our God deliver. ¹⁴ 

Yesaya 47:4

47:4 says our protector –

the Lord who commands armies is his name,

the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 30:11

30:11 Turn aside from the way,

stray off the path. ¹⁶ 

Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 12:6

12:6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,

for the Holy One of Israel ¹⁸  acts mightily ¹⁹  among you!”

Yesaya 17:7

17:7 At that time ²⁰  men will trust in their creator; ²¹ 

they will depend on ²²  the Holy One of Israel. ²³ 

Yesaya 40:25

40:25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”

says the Holy One. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 29:19

29:19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord;

the poor among humankind will take delight ²⁵  in the Holy One of Israel. ²⁶ 

Yesaya 43:3

43:3 For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ²⁷  your deliverer.

I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price,

Ethiopia and Seba ²⁸  in place of you.

Yesaya 8:13

8:13 You must recognize the authority of the Lord who commands armies. ²⁹ 

He is the one you must respect;

he is the one you must fear. ³⁰ 

Yesaya 37:23

37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?

At whom have you shouted

and looked so arrogantly? ³¹ 

At the Holy One of Israel! ³² 

Yesaya 5:19

5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, ³³ 

so we can see;

let the plan of the Holy One of Israel ³⁴  take shape ³⁵  and come to pass,

then we will know it!”

Yesaya 30:12

30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:

“You have rejected this message; ³⁶ 

you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, ³⁷ 

and rely on that kind of behavior. ³⁸ 

Yesaya 30:15

30:15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:

“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; ³⁹ 

if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, ⁴⁰ 

but you are unwilling.

Yesaya 41:14

41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, ⁴¹ 

men of ⁴²  Israel.

I am helping you,” says the Lord,

your protector, ⁴³  the Holy One of Israel. ⁴⁴ 

Yesaya 41:20

41:20 I will do this so ⁴⁵  people ⁴⁶  will observe and recognize,

so they will pay attention and understand

that the Lord’s power ⁴⁷  has accomplished this,

and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.” ⁴⁸ 

Yesaya 43:14

The Lord Will Do Something New

43:14 This is what the Lord says,

your protector, ⁴⁹  the Holy One of Israel: ⁵⁰ 

“For your sake I send to Babylon

and make them all fugitives, ⁵¹ 

turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs. ⁵² 

Yesaya 45:11

45:11 This is what the Lord says,

the Holy One of Israel, ⁵³  the one who formed him,

concerning things to come: ⁵⁴ 

“How dare you question me ⁵⁵  about my children!

How dare you tell me what to do with ⁵⁶  the work of my own hands!

Yesaya 54:5

54:5 For your husband is the one who made you –

the Lord who commands armies is his name.

He is your protector, ⁵⁷  the Holy One of Israel. ⁵⁸ 

He is called “God of the entire earth.”

Yesaya 49:7

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ⁵⁹  of Israel, their Holy One, ⁶⁰  says

to the one who is despised ⁶¹  and rejected ⁶²  by nations, ⁶³ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ⁶⁴ 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

Yesaya 10:17

10:17 The light of Israel ⁶⁵  will become a fire,

their Holy One ⁶⁶  will become a flame;

it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s ⁶⁷  briers

and his thorns in one day.

Yesaya 41:16

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Yesaya 48:17

48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, ⁶⁸  says,

the Holy One of Israel: ⁶⁹ 

“I am the Lord your God,

who teaches you how to succeed,

who leads you in the way you should go.

Yesaya 10:20

10:20 At that time ⁷⁰  those left in Israel, those who remain of the family ⁷¹  of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. ⁷²  Instead they will truly ⁷³  rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. ⁷⁴ 

Yesaya 60:14

60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;

all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.

They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ ⁷⁵ 

Yesaya 55:5

55:5 Look, you will summon nations ⁷⁶  you did not previously know;

nations ⁷⁷  that did not previously know you will run to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ⁷⁸ 

for he bestows honor on you.

Yesaya 1:4

1:4 ⁷⁹ The sinful nation is as good as dead, ⁸⁰ 

the people weighed down by evil deeds.

They are offspring who do wrong,

children ⁸¹  who do wicked things.

They have abandoned the Lord,

and rejected the Holy One of Israel. ⁸² 

They are alienated from him. ⁸³ 

Yesaya 5:24

5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire ⁸⁴  devours straw,

and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,

so their root will rot,

and their flower will blow away like dust. ⁸⁵ 

For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,

they have spurned the commands ⁸⁶  of the Holy One of Israel. ⁸⁷ 

Yesaya 57:15

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules ⁸⁸  forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated, ⁸⁹ 

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged. ⁹⁰ 

Yesaya 60:9

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ⁹¹  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ⁹²  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ⁹³ 

the Holy One of Israel, ⁹⁴  for he has bestowed honor on you.

Yesaya 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ⁹⁵ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ⁹⁶ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ⁹⁷ 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ⁹⁸ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

Yesaya 41:17

41:17 The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;

their tongues are parched from thirst.

I, the Lord, will respond to their prayers; ⁹⁹ 

I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

Yesaya 63:18

63:18 For a short time your special ¹⁰⁰  nation possessed a land, ¹⁰¹ 

but then our adversaries knocked down ¹⁰²  your holy sanctuary.

Yesaya 62:12

62:12 They will be called, “The Holy People,

the Ones Protected ¹⁰³  by the Lord.”

You will be called, “Sought After,

City Not Abandoned.”

Yesaya 64:10

64:10 Your chosen ¹⁰⁴  cities have become a desert;

Zion has become a desert,

Jerusalem ¹⁰⁵  is a desolate ruin.

Yesaya 43:28

43:28 So I defiled your holy princes,

and handed Jacob over to destruction,

and subjected ¹⁰⁶  Israel to humiliating abuse.”

Yesaya 58:13

58:13 You must ¹⁰⁷  observe the Sabbath ¹⁰⁸ 

rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. ¹⁰⁹ 

You must look forward to the Sabbath ¹¹⁰ 

and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect. ¹¹¹ 

You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,

and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals. ¹¹² 

Yesaya 4:3

4:3 Those remaining in Zion, ¹¹³  those left in Jerusalem, ¹¹⁴ 

will be called “holy,” ¹¹⁵ 

all in Jerusalem who are destined to live. ¹¹⁶ 

Yesaya 11:9

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ¹¹⁷ 

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ¹¹⁸ 

Yesaya 13:3

13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; ¹¹⁹ 

I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, ¹²⁰ 

my boasting, arrogant ones. ¹²¹ 

Yesaya 52:1

52:1 Wake up! Wake up!

Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion!

Put on your beautiful clothes,

O Jerusalem, ¹²²  holy city!

For uncircumcised and unclean pagans

will no longer invade you.

Yesaya 60:13

60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace; ¹²³ 

I will bestow honor on my throne room. ¹²⁴ 

Yesaya 63:10

63:10 But they rebelled and offended ¹²⁵  his holy Spirit, ¹²⁶ 

so he turned into an enemy

and fought against them.

Yesaya 64:11

64:11 Our holy temple, our pride and joy, ¹²⁷ 

the place where our ancestors praised you,

has been burned with fire;

all our prized possessions have been destroyed. ¹²⁸ 

Yesaya 65:11

65:11 But as for you who abandon the Lord

and forget about worshiping at ¹²⁹  my holy mountain,

who prepare a feast for the god called ‘Fortune,’ ¹³⁰ 

and fill up wine jugs for the god called ‘Destiny’ ¹³¹  –

Yesaya 48:2

48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; ¹³² 

they trust in ¹³³  the God of Israel,

whose name is the Lord who commands armies.

Yesaya 8:14

8:14 He will become a sanctuary, ¹³⁴ 

but a stone that makes a person trip,

and a rock that makes one stumble –

to the two houses of Israel. ¹³⁵ 

He will become ¹³⁶  a trap and a snare

to the residents of Jerusalem. ¹³⁷ 

Yesaya 52:11

52:11 Leave! Leave! Get out of there!

Don’t touch anything unclean!

Get out of it!

Stay pure, you who carry the Lord’s holy items! ¹³⁸ 

Yesaya 62:9

62:9 But those who harvest the grain ¹³⁹  will eat it,

and will praise the Lord.

Those who pick the grapes will drink the wine ¹⁴⁰ 

in the courts of my holy sanctuary.”

Yesaya 13:6

13:6 Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment ¹⁴¹  is near;

it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge. ¹⁴² 

Yesaya 6:13

6:13 Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, ¹⁴³  like one of the large sacred trees ¹⁴⁴  or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. ¹⁴⁵  That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family.” ¹⁴⁶ 

Yesaya 27:13

27:13 At that time ¹⁴⁷  a large ¹⁴⁸  trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost ¹⁴⁹  in the land of Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in ¹⁵⁰  the land of Egypt. They will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. ¹⁵¹ 

Yesaya 30:29

30:29 You will sing

as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.

You will be happy like one who plays a flute

as he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel. ¹⁵² 

Yesaya 35:8

35:8 A thoroughfare will be there –

it will be called the Way of Holiness. ¹⁵³ 

The unclean will not travel on it;

it is reserved for those authorized to use it ¹⁵⁴  –

fools ¹⁵⁵  will not stray into it.

Yesaya 56:7

56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;

I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. ¹⁵⁶ 

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,

for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” ¹⁵⁷ 

Yesaya 57:13

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols ¹⁵⁸  help you!

The wind blows them all away, ¹⁵⁹ 

a breeze carries them away. ¹⁶⁰ 

But the one who looks to me for help ¹⁶¹  will inherit the land

and will have access to ¹⁶²  my holy mountain.”

Yesaya 63:11

63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. ¹⁶³ 

Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,

along with the shepherd of ¹⁶⁴  his flock?

Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, ¹⁶⁵ 

Yesaya 63:15

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ¹⁶⁶  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ¹⁶⁷ 

Yesaya 65:25

65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; ¹⁶⁸ 

a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, ¹⁶⁹ 

and a snake’s food will be dirt. ¹⁷⁰ 

They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain,” ¹⁷¹  says the Lord.

Yesaya 66:20

66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen ¹⁷²  from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them ¹⁷³  on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels ¹⁷⁴  to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers.

Yesaya 3:17

3:17 So ¹⁷⁵  the sovereign master ¹⁷⁶  will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women ¹⁷⁷  with skin diseases, ¹⁷⁸ 

the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.” ¹⁷⁹ 

Yesaya 6:4

6:4 The sound of their voices shook the door frames, ¹⁸⁰  and the temple was filled with smoke.

Yesaya 23:18

23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. ¹⁸¹ 

Yesaya 65:5

65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!

Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’

These people are like smoke in my nostrils,

like a fire that keeps burning all day long.

Yesaya 66:17

66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, ¹⁸²  those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice ¹⁸³  – they will all be destroyed together,” ¹⁸⁴  says the Lord.

Yesaya 16:12

16:12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, ¹⁸⁵ 

and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective! ¹⁸⁶ 

Yesaya 56:2

56:2 The people who do this will be blessed, ¹⁸⁷ 

the people who commit themselves to obedience, ¹⁸⁸ 

who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. ¹⁸⁹ 

Yesaya 56:4

56:4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to ¹⁹⁰  my covenant,

Yesaya 60:16

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings. ¹⁹¹ 

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, ¹⁹²  the powerful ruler of Jacob. ¹⁹³ 

Yesaya 30:10

30:10 They ¹⁹⁴  say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!”

and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! ¹⁹⁵ 

Tell us nice things,

relate deceptive messages. ¹⁹⁶ 

Yesaya 48:16

48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!

From the very first I have not spoken in secret;

when it happens, ¹⁹⁷  I am there.”

So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. ¹⁹⁸ 

Yesaya 49:26

49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;

they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. ¹⁹⁹ 

Then all humankind ²⁰⁰  will recognize that

I am the Lord, your deliverer,

your protector, ²⁰¹  the powerful ruler of Jacob.” ²⁰² 

[6:3]  ¹ tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)

[6:3]  sn Or “The Lord who commands armies has absolute sovereign authority!” The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” In this context the Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. Note the emphasis on the elevated position of his throne in v. 1 and his designation as “the king” in v. 5. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. He is “set apart” from his subjects in a moral sense as well. He sets the standard; they fall short of it. Note that in v. 5 Isaiah laments that he is morally unworthy to be in the king’s presence.

[6:3]  ² tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[5:16]  ³ tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”

[5:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.

[5:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.

[5:16]  sn The appearance of מִשְׁפָט (mishpat, “justice”) and צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”) here is rhetorically significant, when one recalls v. 7. There God denounces his people for failing to produce a society where “justice” and “fairness” are valued and maintained. God will judge his people for their failure, taking “justice” and “fairness” into his own hands.

[43:15]  ⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[29:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “for when he sees his children, the work of my hands in his midst.”

[29:23]  ⁸ tn Or “treat as holy” (also in the following line); NASB, NRSV “will sanctify.”

[29:23]  ⁹ sn Holy One of Jacob is similar to the phrase “Holy One of Israel” common throughout Isaiah; see the sn at Isa 1:4.

[29:23]  ¹⁰ tn Or “fear,” in the sense of “stand in awe of.”

[52:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “lays bare”; NLT “will demonstrate.”

[52:10]  ¹² tn Heb “his holy arm.” This is a metonymy for his power.

[52:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “the remote regions,” which here stand for the extremities and everything in between.

[52:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God.” “God” is a subjective genitive here.

[47:4]  ¹⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads, “Our redeemer – the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The ancient Greek version adds “says” before “our redeemer.” אָמַר (’amar) may have accidentally dropped from the text by virtual haplography. Note that the preceding word אָדָם (’adam) is graphically similar.

[47:4]  sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[30:11]  ¹⁶ sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.

[30:11]  ¹⁷ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[12:6]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[12:6]  ¹⁹ tn Or “is great” (TEV). However, the context emphasizes his mighty acts of deliverance (cf. NCV), not some general or vague character quality.

[17:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “in that day” (so ASV, NASB, NIV); KJV “At that day.”

[17:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “man will gaze toward his maker.”

[17:7]  ²² tn Heb “his eyes will look toward.”

[17:7]  ²³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[40:25]  ²⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[29:19]  ²⁵ tn Or “will rejoice” (NIV, NCV, NLT).

[29:19]  ²⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[43:3]  ²⁷ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[43:3]  ²⁸ sn Seba is not the same as Sheba in southern Arabia; cf. Gen 1:10; 1 Chr 1:9.

[8:13]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], him you must set apart.” The word order is emphatic, with the object being placed first.

[8:13]  ³⁰ tn Heb “he is your [object of] fear, he is your [object of] terror.” The roots יָרֵא (yare’) and עָרַץ (’arats) are repeated from v. 12b.

[37:23]  ³¹ tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”

[37:23]  ³² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[5:19]  ³³ tn Heb “let his work hurry, let it hasten.” The pronoun “his” refers to God, as the parallel line makes clear. The reference to his “work” alludes back to v. 12, which refers to his ‘work” of judgment. With these words the people challenged the prophet’s warning of approaching judgment. They were in essence saying that they saw no evidence that God was about to work in such a way.

[5:19]  ³⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[5:19]  ³⁵ tn Heb “draw near” (so NASB); NRSV “hasten to fulfillment.”

[30:12]  ³⁶ tn The sentence actually begins with the word “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.

[30:12]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and you trust in oppression and cunning.”

[30:12]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and you lean on it”; NAB “and depend on it.”

[30:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “in returning and in quietness you will be delivered.” Many English versions render the last phrase “shall be saved” or something similar (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[30:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “in quietness and in trust is your strength” (NASB and NRSV both similar).

[41:14]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.

[41:14]  ⁴² tn On the basis of the parallelism (note “worm”) and an alleged Akkadian cognate, some read “louse” or “weevil.” Cf. NAB “O maggot Israel”; NRSV “you insect Israel.”

[41:14]  ⁴³ tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גָּאַל (ga’al, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.

[41:14]  ⁴⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[41:20]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “I will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text has here simply, “in order that.”

[41:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “they”; NAB, NRSV “that all may see”; CEV, NLT “Everyone will see.”

[41:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[41:20]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “created it” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “has made it happen.”

[43:14]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[43:14]  ⁵⁰ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[43:14]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and I bring down [as] fugitives all of them.”

[43:14]  ⁵² tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “as for the Babylonians, in ships their joyful shout.” This might be paraphrased, “even the Babylonians in the ships [over which] they joyfully shouted.” The point would be that the Lord caused the Babylonians to flee for safety in the ships in which they took such great pride. A slight change in vocalization yields the reading “into mourning songs,” which provides a good contrast with “joyful shout.” The prefixed bet (בְּ) would indicate identity.

[45:11]  ⁵³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[45:11]  ⁵⁴ tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsÿro, “the one who formed him”) to יֹצֵר (yotser, “the one who forms”; the suffixed form in the Hebrew text may be influenced by vv. 9-10, where the same form appears twice) and takes “coming things” as the object of the participle (either objective genitive or accusative): “the one who brings the future into being.”

[45:11]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “Ask me” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.

[45:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.

[54:5]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[54:5]  ⁵⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:7]  ⁶⁰ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ⁶¹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsa^a reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”

[49:7]  ⁶² tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”

[49:7]  ⁶³ tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).

[49:7]  ⁶⁴ tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.

[10:17]  ⁶⁵ tn In this context the “Light of Israel” is a divine title (note the parallel title “his holy one”). The title points to God’s royal splendor, which overshadows and, when transformed into fire, destroys the “majestic glory” of the king of Assyria (v. 16b).

[10:17]  ⁶⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[10:17]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “his.” In vv. 17-19 the Assyrian king and his empire is compared to a great forest and orchard that are destroyed by fire (symbolic of the Lord).

[48:17]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[48:17]  ⁶⁹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[10:20]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[10:20]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “house” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[10:20]  ⁷² tn Heb “on one who strikes him down.” This individual is the king (“foreign leader”) of the oppressing nation (which NLT specifies as “the Assyrians”).

[10:20]  ⁷³ tn Or “sincerely”; KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV “in truth.”

[10:20]  ⁷⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:14]  ⁷⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[55:5]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs in the next line indicate (note that both “know” and “run” are third plural forms).

[55:5]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs that follow indicate.

[55:5]  ⁷⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[1:4]  ⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² 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]  ⁸³ 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.

[5:24]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.

[5:24]  ⁸⁵ sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.

[5:24]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “the word.”

[5:24]  ⁸⁷ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[57:15]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.

[57:15]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.

[57:15]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”

[60:9]  ⁹¹ tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ⁹² tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ⁹³ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ⁹⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[31:1]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ⁹⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[41:17]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “will answer them” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[63:18]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “holy” (ASV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[63:18]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “for a short time they had a possession, the people of your holiness.”

[63:18]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “your adversaries trampled on.”

[62:12]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “the redeemed of the Lord” (KJV, NAB).

[64:10]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “holy” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT); NIV “sacred.”

[64:10]  ¹⁰⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[43:28]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The word “subjected” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:13]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Lit., “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 13-14 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in v. 13), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 14.

[58:13]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “if you turn from the Sabbath your feet.”

[58:13]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “[from] doing your desires on my holy day.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a supplies the preposition מִן (min) on “doing.”

[58:13]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “and call the Sabbath a pleasure”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “a delight.”

[58:13]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “and [call] the holy [day] of the Lord honored.” On קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy”) as indicating a time period, see BDB 872 s.v. 2.e (cf. also Neh 8:9-11).

[58:13]  ¹¹² tn Heb “and you honor it [by refraining] from accomplishing your ways, from finding your desire and speaking a word.” It is unlikely that the last phrase (“speaking a word”) is a prohibition against talking on the Sabbath; instead it probably refers to making transactions or plans (see Hos 10:4). Some see here a reference to idle talk (cf. 2 Sam 19:30).

[4:3]  ¹¹³ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[4:3]  ¹¹⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:3]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “set apart,” cf. CEV “special.”

[4:3]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “all who are written down for life in Jerusalem.” A city register is envisioned; everyone whose name appears on the roll will be spared. This group comprises the remnant of the city referred to earlier in the verse.

[11:9]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” In the most basic sense the Lord’s “holy mountain” is the mountain from which he rules over his kingdom (see Ezek 28:14, 16). More specifically it probably refers to Mount Zion/Jerusalem or to the entire land of Israel (see Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; Isa 56:7; 57:13; Ezek 20:40; Ob 16; Zeph 3:11). If the Lord’s universal kingdom is in view in this context (see the note on “earth” at v. 4), then the phrase would probably be metonymic here, standing for God’s worldwide dominion (see the next line).

[11:9]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “for the earth will be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The translation assumes that a universal kingdom is depicted here, but אֶרֶץ (’erets) could be translated “land” (see the note at v. 4). “Knowledge of the Lord” refers here to a recognition of the Lord’s sovereignty which results in a willingness to submit to his authority. See the note at v. 2.

[13:3]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “my consecrated ones,” i.e., those who have been set apart by God for the special task of carrying out his judgment.

[13:3]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”

[13:3]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”

[52:1]  ¹²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[60:13]  ¹²³ tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”

[60:13]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”

[63:10]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “grieved, hurt the feelings of.”

[63:10]  ¹²⁶ sn The phrase “holy Spirit” occurs in the OT only here (in v. 11 as well) and in Ps 51:11 (51:13 HT), where it is associated with the divine presence.

[64:11]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “our source of pride.”

[64:11]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “all that we valued has become a ruin.”

[65:11]  ¹²⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[65:11]  ¹³⁰ tn The Hebrew has לַגַּד (laggad, “for Gad”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 176 s.v. II גַּד 2.

[65:11]  ¹³¹ tn The Hebrew has לַמְנִי (lamni, “for Meni”), the name of a pagan deity. See HALOT 602 s.v. מְגִי.

[48:2]  ¹³² tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there.

[48:2]  ¹³³ tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.”

[8:14]  ¹³⁴ tn Because the metaphor of protection (“sanctuary”) does not fit the negative mood that follows in vv. 14b-15, some contend that מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “sanctuary”) is probably a corruption of an original מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), a word that appears in the next line (cf. NAB and H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:355-56). If the MT reading is retained (as in the above translation), the fact that Yahweh is a sanctuary wraps up the point of v. 13 and stands in contrast to God’s treatment of those who rebel against him (the rest of v. 14).

[8:14]  ¹³⁵ sn The two “houses” of Israel (= the patriarch Jacob) are the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

[8:14]  ¹³⁶ tn These words are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. וְהָיָה (vÿhayah, “and he will be”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.

[8:14]  ¹³⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[52:11]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “the vessels of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).

[62:9]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “it,” the grain mentioned in v. 8a.

[62:9]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “and those who gather it will drink it.” The masculine singular pronominal suffixes attached to “gather” and “drink” refer back to the masculine noun תִּירוֹשׁ (tirosh, “wine”) in v. 8b.

[13:6]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “the day of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).

[13:6]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “like destruction from the sovereign judge it comes.” The comparative preposition (כְּ, kÿ) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the destruction unleashed will have all the earmarks of divine judgment. One could paraphrase, “it comes as only destructive divine judgment can.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x.

[13:6]  sn The divine name used here is שַׁדַּי (shaddai, “Shaddai”). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name is uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appears to Abram, introduces himself as El Shaddai, and announces his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeats these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing upon Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prays that his sons will be treated with mercy when they return to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (cf. 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, tells him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (cf. chapter 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob refers to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, and Syriac) as the one who provides abundant blessings, including “blessings of the breast and womb” (49:25). (The direct association of the name with שָׁדַיִם [shadayim, “breasts”] suggests the name might mean “the one of the breast” [i.e., the one who gives fertility], but the juxtaposition is probably better explained as wordplay. Note the wordplay involving the name and the root שָׁדַד [shadad, “destroy”] here in Isa 13:6 and in Joel 1:15.) Outside Genesis the name Shaddai (minus El, “God”) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14; Isa 13:6; and Joel 1:15 Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. (In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs’ wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.) Last but not least, the name occurs 31 times in the Book of Job. Job and his “friends” assume that Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world (11:7; 37:23a) who is the source of life (33:4b) and is responsible for maintaining justice (8:3; 34:10-12; 37:23b). He provides abundant blessings, including children (22:17-18; 29:4-6), but can also discipline, punish, and destroy (5:17; 6:4; 21:20; 23:16). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God’s justice is primary and even called into question (24:1; 27:2). The most likely proposal is that the name means “God, the one of the mountain” (an Akkadian cognate means “mountain,” to which Heb. שַׁד [shad, “breast”] is probably related). For a discussion of proposed derivations see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 70-71. The name may originally depict God as the sovereign judge who, in Canaanite style, rules from a sacred mountain. Isa 14:13 and Ezek 28:14, 16 associate such a mountain with God, while Ps 48:2 refers to Zion as “Zaphon,” the Canaanite Olympus from which the high god El ruled. (In Isa 14 the Canaanite god El may be in view. Note that Isaiah pictures pagan kings as taunting the king of Babylon, suggesting that pagan mythology may provide the background for the language and imagery.)

[6:13]  ¹⁴³ tn Or “be burned” (NRSV); NIV “laid waste.”

[6:13]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “like a massive tree or like a big tree” (perhaps, “like a terebinth or like an oak”).

[6:13]  ¹⁴⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁶ 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.

[27:13]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “and it will be in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[27:13]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Traditionally, “great” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “loud.”

[27:13]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Or “the ones perishing.”

[27:13]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Or “the ones driven into.”

[27:13]  ¹⁵¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[30:29]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “[you will have] joy of heart, like the one going with a flute to enter the mountain of the Lord to the Rock of Israel.” The image here is not a foundational rock, but a rocky cliff where people could hide for protection (for example, the fortress of Masada).

[35:8]  ¹⁵³ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and there will be there a road and a way, and the Way of Holiness it will be called.” וְדֶרֶךְ (vÿderekh, “and a/the way”) is accidentally duplicated; the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a does not reflect the repetition of the phrase.

[35:8]  ¹⁵⁴ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The text reads literally “and it is for them, the one who walks [on the] way.” In this context those authorized to use the Way of Holiness would be morally upright people who are the recipients of God’s deliverance, in contrast to the morally impure and foolish who are excluded from the new covenant community.

[35:8]  ¹⁵⁵ tn In this context “fools” are those who are morally corrupt, not those with limited intellectual capacity.

[56:7]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.”

[56:7]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”

[57:13]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.

[57:13]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”

[57:13]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”

[57:13]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”

[57:13]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.

[63:11]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.

[63:11]  ¹⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, ra’ah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.

[63:11]  ¹⁶⁵ sn See the note at v. 10.

[63:15]  ¹⁶⁶ tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.

[63:15]  ¹⁶⁷ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.

[65:25]  ¹⁶⁸ sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.

[65:25]  ¹⁶⁹ sn These words also appear in 11:7.

[65:25]  ¹⁷⁰ sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)

[65:25]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.

[65:25]  sn As in 11:1-9 the prophet anticipates a time when the categories predator-prey no longer exist. See the note at the end of 11:8.

[66:20]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”

[66:20]  ¹⁷³ tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[66:20]  ¹⁷⁴ tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.

[3:17]  ¹⁷⁵ tn In the Hebrew text vv. 16-17 and one long sentence, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud and walk…, the sovereign master will afflict….” In v. 17 the Lord refers to himself in the third person.

[3:17]  ¹⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 18 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[3:17]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “the daughters of Zion.”

[3:17]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Or “a scab” (KJV, ASV); NIV, NCV, CEV “sores.”

[3:17]  ¹⁷⁹ tn The precise meaning of this line is unclear because of the presence of the rare word פֹּת (pot). Since the verb in the line means “lay bare, make naked,” some take פֹּת as a reference to the genitals (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV, CEV). (In 1 Kgs 7:50 a noun פֹּת appears, with the apparent meaning “socket.”) J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:139, n. 2), basing his argument on alleged Akkadian evidence and the parallelism of the verse, takes פֹּת as “forehead.”

[6:4]  ¹⁸⁰ tn On the phrase אַמּוֹת הַסִּפִּים (’ammot hassippim, “pivots of the frames”) see HALOT 763 s.v. סַף.

[23:18]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”

[23:18]  sn The point of this verse, which in its blatant nationalism comes precariously close to comparing the Lord to one who controls or manages a prostitute, is that Tyre will become a subject of Israel and her God. Tyre’s commercial profits will be used to enrich the Lord’s people.

[66:17]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.

[66:17]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”

[66:17]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”

[16:12]  ¹⁸⁵ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[16:12]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “when he appears, when he grows tired, Moab on the high places, and enters his temple to pray, he will not prevail.” It is possible that “when he grows tired” is an explanatory gloss for the preceding “when he appears.”

[56:2]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “blessed is the man who does this.”

[56:2]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “the son of mankind who takes hold of it.”

[56:2]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb and who keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

[56:4]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “and take hold of” (so KJV); NASB “hold fast.”

[60:16]  ¹⁹¹ sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.

[60:16]  ¹⁹² tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[60:16]  ¹⁹³ sn See 1:24 and 49:26.

[30:10]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “who” (so NASB, NRSV). A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:10]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “Do not see for us right things.”

[30:10]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “Tell us smooth things, see deceptive things.”

[48:16]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”

[48:16]  ¹⁹⁸ sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.

[49:26]  ¹⁹⁹ sn Verse 26a depicts siege warfare and bloody defeat. The besieged enemy will be so starved they will their own flesh. The bloodstained bodies lying on the blood-soaked battle site will look as if they collapsed in drunkenness.

[49:26]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB).

[49:26]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:26]  ²⁰² tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.” See 1:24.