Yesaya 8:15

8:15 Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, ¹ 

and will fall and be seriously injured,

and will be ensnared and captured.”

Yesaya 11:5

11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,

integrity will be like a belt around his hips. ² 

Yesaya 44:13

44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; ³ 

he marks out an outline of its form; ⁴ 

he scrapes ⁵  it with chisels,

and marks it with a compass.

He patterns it after the human form, ⁶ 

like a well-built human being,

and puts it in a shrine. ⁷ 

Yesaya 46:8

46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! ⁸ 

Think about it, you rebels! ⁹ 

Yesaya 49:9

49:9 You will say ¹⁰  to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

and to those who are in dark dungeons, ¹¹  ‘Emerge.’ ¹² 

They will graze beside the roads;

on all the slopes they will find pasture.

Yesaya 55:11

55:11 In the same way, the promise that I make

does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. ¹³ 

No, it is realized as I desire

and is fulfilled as I intend.” ¹⁴ 

[8:15]  ¹ tn Heb “over them” (so NASB); NCV “over this rock.”

[11:5]  ² tn Heb “Justice will be the belt [or “undergarment”] on his waist, integrity the belt [or “undergarment”] on his hips.” The point of the metaphor is uncertain. If a belt worn outside the robe is in view, then the point might be that justice/integrity will be readily visible or that these qualities will give support to his rule. If an undergarment is in view, then the idea might be that these characteristics support his rule or that they are basic to everything else.

[44:13]  ³ tn Heb “stretches out a line” (ASV similar); NIV “measures with a line.”

[44:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “he makes an outline with the [?].” The noun שֶׂרֶד (shered) occurs only here; it apparently refers to some type of tool or marker. Cf. KJV “with a line”; ASV “with a pencil”; NAB, NRSV “with a stylus”; NASB “with red chalk”; NIV “with a marker.”

[44:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “works” (so NASB) or “fashions” (so NRSV); NIV “he roughs it out.”

[44:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “he makes it like the pattern of a man”; NAB “like a man in appearance.”

[44:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “like the glory of man to sit [in] a house”; NIV “that it may dwell in a shrine.”

[46:8]  ⁸ tn The meaning of the verb אָשַׁשׁ (’ashash, which appears here in the Hitpolel stem) is uncertain. BDB 84 s.v. אשׁשׁ relates it to a root meaning “found, establish” in Arabic; HALOT 100 s.v. II אשׁשׁ gives the meaning “pluck up courage.” The imperative with vav (ו) may indicate purpose following the preceding imperative.

[46:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”

[49:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to say.” In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct is subordinated to what precedes.

[49:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in darkness” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “the prisoners of darkness.”

[49:9]  ¹² tn Heb “show yourselves” (so ASV, NAB, NASB).

[55:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “so is the word which goes out from my mouth, it does not return to empty.” “Word” refers here to divine promises, like the ones made just prior to and after this (see vv. 7b, 12-13).

[55:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “but it accomplishes what I desire, and succeeds [on the mission] which I send it.”

[55:11]  sn Verses 8-11 focus on the reliability of the divine word and support the promises before (vv. 3-5, 7b) and after (vv. 12-13) this. Israel can be certain that repentance will bring forgiveness and a new covenantal relationship because God’s promises are reliable. In contrast to human plans (or “thoughts”), which are destined to fail (Ps 94:11) apart from divine approval (Prov 19:21), and human deeds (or “ways”), which are evil and lead to destruction (Prov 1:15-19; 3:31-33; 4:19), God’s plans are realized and his deeds accomplish something positive.