Yesaya 28:1-29
Konteks28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed, 1
the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, 2
situated 3 at the head of a rich valley,
the crown of those overcome with wine. 4
28:2 Look, the sovereign master 5 sends a strong, powerful one. 6
With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, 7
with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, 8
he will knock that crown 9 to the ground with his hand. 10
28:3 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards
will be trampled underfoot.
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
28:5 At that time 12 the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown
and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people.
28:6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions,
and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. 13
28:7 Even these men 14 stagger because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer –
priests and prophets stagger because of beer,
they are confused 15 because of wine,
they stumble around because of beer;
they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, 16
they totter while making legal decisions. 17
28:8 Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit;
no place is untouched. 18
28:9 Who is the Lord 19 trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining a message? 20
Those just weaned from milk!
Those just taken from their mother’s breast! 21
28:10 Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there. 22
28:11 For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue
he will speak to these people. 23
28:12 In the past he said to them, 24
“This is where security can be found.
Provide security for the one who is exhausted!
This is where rest can be found.” 25
But they refused to listen.
28:13 So the Lord’s word to them will sound like
meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there. 26
As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, 27
and be injured, ensnared, and captured. 28
28:14 Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word,
you who mock,
you rulers of these people
who reside in Jerusalem! 29
28:15 For you say,
“We have made a treaty with death,
with Sheol 30 we have made an agreement. 31
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by 32
it will not reach us.
For we have made a lie our refuge,
we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” 33
28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:
“Look, I am laying 34 a stone in Zion,
an approved 35 stone,
set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. 36
The one who maintains his faith will not panic. 37
28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,
fairness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, 38
the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.
28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; 39
your agreement 40 with Sheol will not last. 41
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, 42
you will be overrun by it. 43
28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;
indeed, 44 every morning it will sweep by,
it will come through during the day and the night.” 45
When this announcement is understood,
it will cause nothing but terror.
28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 46
28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, 47
he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, 48
to accomplish his work,
his peculiar work,
to perform his task,
his strange task. 49
28:22 So now, do not mock,
or your chains will become heavier!
For I have heard a message about decreed destruction,
from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land. 50
28:23 Pay attention and listen to my message! 51
Be attentive and listen to what I have to say! 52
28:24 Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? 53
Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground?
28:25 Once he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant,
sow the seed of the cumin plant,
and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places? 54
28:26 His God instructs him;
he teaches him the principles of agriculture. 55
28:27 Certainly 56 caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed. 57
Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick,
and cumin seed with a flail.
28:28 Grain is crushed,
though one certainly does not thresh it forever.
The wheel of one’s wagon rolls over it,
but his horses do not crush it.
28:29 This also comes from the Lord who commands armies,
who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom. 58
2 Raja-raja 17:5
Konteks17:5 The king of Assyria marched through 59 the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years.
2 Raja-raja 18:9-12
Konteks18:9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched 60 up against Samaria 61 and besieged it. 18:10 After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel Samaria was captured. 18:11 The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel 62 to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. 18:12 This happened because they did not obey 63 the Lord their God and broke his agreement with them. 64 They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded. 65
2 Raja-raja 17:6-41
Konteks17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel 66 to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.
17:7 This happened because the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them up from the land of Egypt and freed them from the power of 67 Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped 68 other gods; 17:8 they observed the practices 69 of the nations whom the Lord had driven out from before Israel, and followed the example of the kings of Israel. 70 17:9 The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right. 71 They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. 72 17:10 They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 17:11 They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry. 73 17:12 They worshiped 74 the disgusting idols 75 in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. 76
17:13 The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and all the seers, “Turn back from your evil ways; obey my commandments and rules that are recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep this law and sent my servants the prophets to remind you of its demands.” 77 17:14 But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, 78 who had not trusted the Lord their God. 17:15 They rejected his rules, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws he had commanded them to obey. 79 They paid allegiance to 80 worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. 81 They copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. 82 17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, 83 and worshiped 84 Baal. 17:17 They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, 85 and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry. 86
17:18 So the Lord was furious 87 with Israel and rejected them; 88 only the tribe of Judah was left. 17:19 Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the Lord their God; they followed Israel’s example. 89 17:20 So the Lord rejected all of Israel’s descendants; he humiliated 90 them and handed them over to robbers, until he had thrown them from his presence. 17:21 He tore Israel away from David’s dynasty, and Jeroboam son of Nebat became their king. 91 Jeroboam drove Israel away 92 from the Lord and encouraged them to commit a serious sin. 93 17:22 The Israelites followed in the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and did not repudiate 94 them. 17:23 Finally 95 the Lord rejected Israel 96 just as he had warned he would do 97 through all his servants the prophets. Israel was deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to this very day.
17:24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners 98 from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria 99 in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 17:25 When they first moved in, 100 they did not worship 101 the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. 17:26 The king of Assyria was told, 102 “The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people 103 because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land.” 17:27 So the king of Assyria ordered, “Take back one of the priests whom you 104 deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” 105 17:28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. 106 He taught them how to worship 107 the Lord.
17:29 But each of these nations made 108 its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria 109 had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 17:30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, 110 the people from Cuth made Nergal, 111 the people from Hamath made Ashima, 112 17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, 113 and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, 114 the gods of Sepharvaim. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped 115 the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. 116 17:33 They were worshiping 117 the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.
17:34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship 118 the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave 119 the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 17:35 The Lord made an agreement 120 with them 121 and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 17:36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability; 122 bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 17:37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 17:38 You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 17:39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” 17:40 But they 123 pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. 17:41 These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.
Yesaya 1:1-20
Konteks1:1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem 124 that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah. 125
1:2 Listen, O heavens,
pay attention, O earth! 126
For the Lord speaks:
“I raised children, 127 I brought them up, 128
but 129 they have rebelled 130 against me!
1:3 An ox recognizes its owner,
a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; 131
but Israel does not recognize me, 132
my people do not understand.”
1:4 133 The sinful nation is as good as dead, 134
the people weighed down by evil deeds.
They are offspring who do wrong,
children 135 who do wicked things.
They have abandoned the Lord,
and rejected the Holy One of Israel. 136
They are alienated from him. 137
1:5 138 Why do you insist on being battered?
Why do you continue to rebel? 139
Your head has a massive wound, 140
your whole body is weak. 141
1:6 From the soles of your feet to your head,
there is no spot that is unharmed. 142
There are only bruises, cuts,
and open wounds.
They have not been cleansed 143 or bandaged,
nor have they been treated 144 with olive oil. 145
1:7 Your land is devastated,
your cities burned with fire.
Right before your eyes your crops
are being destroyed by foreign invaders. 146
They leave behind devastation and destruction. 147
1:8 Daughter Zion 148 is left isolated,
like a hut in a vineyard,
or a shelter in a cucumber field;
she is a besieged city. 149
1:9 If the Lord who commands armies 150 had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly become like Sodom, 151
we would have become like Gomorrah.
1:10 Listen to the Lord’s word,
you leaders of Sodom! 152
Pay attention to our God’s rebuke, 153
people of Gomorrah!
1:11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” 154
says the Lord.
“I am stuffed with 155 burnt sacrifices
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want. 156
1:12 When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want this –
animals trampling on my courtyards? 157
1:13 Do not bring any more meaningless 158 offerings;
I consider your incense detestable! 159
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations! 160
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; 161
when you offer your many prayers,
I do not listen,
because your hands are covered with blood. 162
1:16 163 Wash! Cleanse yourselves!
Remove your sinful deeds 164
from my sight.
Stop sinning!
1:17 Learn to do what is right!
Promote justice!
Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! 165
Take up the cause of the orphan!
Defend the rights of the widow! 166
1:18 167 Come, let’s consider your options,” 168 says the Lord.
“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,
you can become 169 white like snow;
though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,
you can become 170 white like wool. 171
1:19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, 172
then you will again eat the good crops of the land.
1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured 173 by the sword.”
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. 174
[28:1] 1 tn Heb “Woe [to] the crown [or “wreath”] of the splendor [or “pride”] of the drunkards of Ephraim.” The “crown” is Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom (Ephraim). Priests and prophets are included among these drunkards in v. 7.
[28:1] 2 tn Heb “the beauty of his splendor.” In the translation the masculine pronoun (“his”) has been replaced by “its” because the referent (the “crown”) is the city of Samaria.
[28:1] 4 tn Heb “ones overcome with wine.” The words “the crown of” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The syntactical relationship of the final phrase to what precedes is uncertain. הֲלוּמֵי יָיִן (halume yayin, “ones overcome with wine”) seems to correspond to שִׁכֹּרֵי אֶפְרַיִם (shikkore ’efrayim, “drunkards of Ephraim”) in line 1. The translation assumes that the phrase “the splendid crown” is to be understood in the final line as well.
[28:2] 5 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[28:2] 6 tn Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”
[28:2] 7 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”
[28:2] 8 tn Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”
[28:2] 9 tn The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text.
[28:2] 10 tn Or “by [his] power.”
[28:4] 11 tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”
[28:5] 12 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
[28:6] 13 tn Heb “and [he will become] a spirit of justice for the one who sits [i.e., presides] over judgment, // and strength [for] the ones who turn back battle at the city gate.” The Lord will provide internal stability and national security.
[28:7] 14 tn Heb “these.” The demonstrative pronoun anticipates “priests and prophets” two lines later.
[28:7] 15 tn According to HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע, the verb form is derived from בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”), not the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”). See earlier notes at 3:12 and 9:16.
[28:7] 16 tn Heb “in the seeing.”
[28:7] 17 tn Heb “[in] giving a decision.”
[28:8] 18 tn Heb “vomit, without a place.” For the meaning of the phrase בְּלִי מָקוֹם (bÿli maqom, “without a place”), see HALOT 133 s.v. בְּלִי.
[28:9] 19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:9] 20 tn Heb “Who is he teaching knowledge? For whom is he explaining a message?” The translation assumes that the Lord is the subject of the verbs “teaching” and “explaining,” and that the prophet is asking the questions. See v. 12. According to some vv. 9-10 record the people’s sarcastic response to the Lord’s message through Isaiah.
[28:9] 21 tn Heb “from the breasts.” The words “their mother’s” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The translation assumes that this is the prophet’s answer to the questions asked in the first half of the verse. The Lord is trying to instruct people who are “infants” morally and ethically.
[28:10] 22 tn The meaning of this verse has been debated. The text has literally “indeed [or “for”] a little there, a little there” ( כִּי צַו לָצָו צַו לָצָו קַו לָקָו קַו, ki tsav latsav, tsav latsav, qav laqav, qav laqav). The present translation assumes that the repetitive syllables are gibberish that resembles baby talk (cf v. 9b) and mimics what the people will hear when foreign invaders conquer the land (v. 11). In this case זְעֵיר (zÿ’er, “a little”) refers to the short syllabic structure of the babbling (cf. CEV). Some take צַו (tsav) as a derivative of צָוָה (tsavah, “command”) and translate the first part of the statement as “command after command, command after command.” Proponents of this position (followed by many English versions) also take קַו (qav) as a noun meaning “measuring line” (see v. 17), understood here in the abstract sense of “standard” or “rule.”
[28:11] 23 sn This verse alludes to the coming Assyrian invasion, when the people will hear a foreign language that sounds like gibberish to them. The Lord is the subject of the verb “will speak,” as v. 12 makes clear. He once spoke in meaningful terms, but in the coming judgment he will speak to them, as it were, through the mouth of foreign oppressors. The apparent gibberish they hear will be an outward reminder that God has decreed their defeat.
[28:12] 24 tn Heb “who said to them.”
[28:12] 25 sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.
[28:13] 26 tn Heb “And the word of the Lord will be to them, ‘tsahv latsahv,’ etc.” See the note at v. 10. In this case the “Lord’s word” is not the foreigner’s strange sounding words (as in v. 10), but the Lord’s repeated appeals to them (like the one quoted in v. 12). As time goes on, the Lord’s appeals through the prophets will have no impact on the people; they will regard prophetic preaching as gibberish.
[28:13] 27 tn Heb “as a result they will go and stumble backward.” Perhaps an infant falling as it attempts to learn to walk is the background image here (cf. v. 9b). The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) could be taken as indicating purpose (“in order that”), rather than simple result. In this case the people’s insensitivity to the message is caused by the Lord as a means of expediting their downfall.
[28:13] 28 sn When divine warnings and appeals become gibberish to the spiritually insensitive, they have no guidance and are doomed to destruction.
[28:14] 29 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:15] 30 sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.
[28:15] 31 tn Elsewhere the noun חֹזֶה (khozeh) refers to a prophet who sees visions. In v. 18 the related term חָזוּת (khazut, “vision”) is used. The parallelism in both verses (note “treaty”) seems to demand a meaning “agreement” for both nouns. Perhaps חֹזֶה and חזוּת are used in a metonymic sense in vv. 15 and 18. Another option is to propose a homonymic root. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:514, and HALOT 301 s.v. II חֹזֶה.
[28:15] 32 tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).
[28:15] 33 sn “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people. They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death will really prove to be disappointing.
[28:16] 34 tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.
[28:16] 35 tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.
[28:16] 36 sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).
[28:16] 37 tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.
[28:17] 38 tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.
[28:18] 39 tn On the meaning of כָּפַר (kafar) in this context, see HALOT 494 s.v. I כפר and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:515, n. 9.
[28:18] 40 tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 41 tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).
[28:18] 42 tn See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 43 tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”
[28:19] 44 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[28:19] 45 tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.
[28:20] 46 sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.
[28:21] 47 sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.
[28:21] 48 sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.
[28:21] 49 sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.
[28:22] 50 tn Or “the whole earth” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NCV).
[28:23] 51 tn Heb “to my voice.”
[28:23] 52 tn Heb “to my word”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “hear my speech.”
[28:24] 53 tn Heb “All the day does the plowman plow in order to plant?” The phrase “all the day” here has the sense of “continually, always.” See BDB 400 s.v. יוֹם.
[28:25] 54 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “place wheat [?], and barley [?], and grain in its territory.” The term שׂוֹרָה (shorah) is sometimes translated “[in] its place,” but the word is unattested elsewhere. It is probably due to dittography of the immediately following שְׂעֹרָה (sÿo’rah, “barley”). The meaning of נִסְמָן (nisman) is also uncertain. It may be due to dittography of the immediately following כֻסֶּמֶת (kussemet, “grain”).
[28:26] 55 tn Heb “he teaches him the proper way, his God instructs him.”
[28:27] 56 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB).
[28:27] 57 sn Both of these seeds are too small to use the ordinary threshing techniques.
[28:29] 58 sn Verses 23-29 emphasize that God possesses great wisdom and has established a natural order. Evidence of this can be seen in the way farmers utilize divinely imparted wisdom to grow and harvest crops. God’s dealings with his people will exhibit this same kind of wisdom and order. Judgment will be accomplished according to a divinely ordered timetable and, while severe enough, will not be excessive. Judgment must come, just as planting inevitably follows plowing. God will, as it were, thresh his people, but he will not crush them to the point where they will be of no use to him.
[17:5] 59 tn Heb “went up against.”
[18:9] 60 tn Heb “went” (also in v. 13).
[18:9] 61 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[18:11] 62 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.
[18:12] 63 tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”
[18:12] 64 tn Heb “his covenant.”
[18:12] 65 tn Heb “all that Moses, the
[17:6] 66 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.
[17:7] 67 tn Heb “and from under the hand of.” The words “freed them” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:8] 69 tn Heb “walked in the customs.”
[17:8] 70 tn Heb “and [the practices of] the kings of Israel which they did.”
[17:9] 71 tn The meaning of the verb וַיְחַפְּאוּ (vayÿkhappÿ’u), translated here “said,” is uncertain. Some relate it to the verbal root חָפַה (khafah), “to cover,” and translate “they did it in secret” (see BDB 341 s.v. חָפָא). However, the pagan practices specified in the following sentences were hardly done in secret. Others propose a meaning “ascribe, impute,” which makes good contextual sense but has little etymological support (see HALOT 339 s.v. חפא). In this case Israel claimed that the
[17:9] 72 sn That is, from the city’s perimeter to the central citadel.
[17:11] 73 tn Heb “and they did evil things, angering the
[17:12] 75 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 15:12.
[17:12] 76 tn Heb “about which the
[17:13] 77 tn Heb “obey my commandments and rules according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by the hand of my servants the prophets.”
[17:14] 78 tn Heb and they stiffened their neck like the neck of their fathers.”
[17:15] 79 tn Or “and his warnings he had given them.”
[17:15] 80 tn Heb “They went [or, ‘followed’] after.” This idiom probably does not mean much if translated literally. It is found most often in Deuteronomy or in literature related to the covenant. It refers in the first instance to loyalty to God and to His covenant or His commandments (1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the
[17:15] 81 tn Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” The words “to the
[17:15] 82 tn Heb “and [they walked] after the nations which were around them, concerning which the
[17:16] 83 tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsÿva’ hashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.
[17:17] 85 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.
[17:17] 86 tn Heb “they sold themselves to doing what was evil in the eyes of the
[17:18] 87 tn Heb “very angry.”
[17:18] 88 tn Heb “turned them away from his face.”
[17:19] 89 tn Heb “they walked in the practices of Israel which they did.”
[17:21] 91 tn Heb “and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king.”
[17:21] 92 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) assumes the verb is נָדָא (nada’), an alternate form of נָדָה (nadah), “push away.” The marginal reading (Qere) assumes the verb נָדָח (nadakh), “drive away.”
[17:21] 93 tn Heb “a great sin.”
[17:22] 94 tn Heb “turn away from.”
[17:23] 96 tn Heb “the
[17:23] 97 tn Heb “just as he said.”
[17:24] 98 tn The object is supplied in the translation.
[17:24] 99 sn In vv. 24-29 Samaria stands for the entire northern kingdom of Israel.
[17:25] 100 tn Heb “in the beginning of their living there.”
[17:26] 102 tn Heb “and they said to the king of Assyria, saying.” The plural subject of the verb is indefinite.
[17:26] 103 tn Heb “Look they are killing them.”
[17:27] 104 tc The second plural subject may refer to the leaders of the Assyrian army. However, some prefer to read “whom I deported,” changing the verb to a first person singular form with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix. This reading has some support from Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic witnesses.
[17:27] 105 tc Heb “and let them go and let them live there, and let him teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” The two plural verbs seem inconsistent with the preceding and following contexts, where only one priest is sent back to Samaria. The singular has the support of Greek, Syriac, and Latin witnesses.
[17:28] 106 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[17:29] 108 sn The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 210-11.
[17:29] 109 tn Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.
[17:30] 110 sn No deity is known by the name Succoth Benoth in extant Mesopotamian literature. For speculation as to the identity of this deity, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211.
[17:30] 111 sn Nergal was a Mesopotamian god of the underworld.
[17:30] 112 sn This deity is unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211-12.
[17:31] 113 sn Nibhaz and Tartak were two Elamite deities. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
[17:31] 114 sn Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the Sepharvaim are unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
[17:32] 116 tn Heb “and they appointed for themselves from their whole people priests for the high places and they were serving for them in the house[s] of the high places.”
[17:34] 119 tn Heb “commanded.”
[17:35] 121 sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).
[17:36] 122 tn Heb “and outstretched arm.”
[17:40] 123 sn This refers to the foreigners whom the king of Assyria settled in the land (see v. 35a).
[1:1] 124 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:1] 125 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
[1:2] 126 sn The personified heavens and earth are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people. Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).
[1:2] 127 tn Or “sons” (NAB, NASB).
[1:2] sn “Father” and “son” occur as common terms in ancient Near Eastern treaties and covenants, delineating the suzerain and vassal as participants in the covenant relationship. The prophet uses these terms, the reference to heavens and earth as witnesses, and allusions to deuteronomic covenant curses (1:7-9, 19-20) to set his prophecy firmly against the backdrop of Israel’s covenantal relationship with Yahweh.
[1:2] 128 sn The normal word pair for giving birth to and raising children is יָלַד (yalad, “to give birth to”) and גָּדַל (gadal, “to grow, raise”). The pair גָּדַל and רוּם (rum, “to raise up”) probably occur here to highlight the fact that Yahweh made something important of Israel (cf. R. Mosis, TDOT 2:403).
[1:2] 129 sn Against the backdrop of Yahweh’s care for his chosen people, Israel’s rebellion represents abhorrent treachery. The conjunction prefixed to a nonverbal element highlights the sad contrast between Yahweh’s compassionate care for His people and Israel’s thankless rebellion.
[1:2] 130 sn To rebel carries the idea of “covenant treachery.” Although an act of פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, “rebellion”) often signifies a breach of the law, the legal offense also represents a violation of an existing covenantal relationship (E. Carpenter and M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 3:707).
[1:3] 131 tn Heb “and the donkey the feeding trough of its owner.” The verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
[1:3] 132 tn Although both verbs have no object, the parallelism suggests that Israel fails to recognize the Lord as the one who provides for their needs. In both clauses, the placement of “Israel” and “my people” at the head of the clause focuses the reader’s attention on the rebellious nation (C. van der Merwe, J. Naudé, J. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 346-47).
[1:4] 133 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] 134 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] 135 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] 136 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] 137 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] 138 sn In vv. 5-9 Isaiah addresses the battered nation (5-8) and speaks as their representative (9).
[1:5] 139 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] 140 tn Heb “all the head is ill”; NRSV “the whole head is sick”; CEV “Your head is badly bruised.”
[1:5] 141 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] 142 tn Heb “there is not in it health”; NAB “there is no sound spot.”
[1:6] 143 tn Heb “pressed out.”
[1:6] 144 tn Heb “softened” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “soothed.”
[1:6] 145 sn This verse describes wounds like those one would receive in battle. These wounds are comprehensive and without remedy.
[1:7] 146 tn Heb “As for your land, before you foreigners are devouring it.”
[1:7] 147 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] 148 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] 149 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] 150 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] 151 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] 152 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] 153 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] 154 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] 155 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] 156 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] 157 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] 158 tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”
[1:13] 159 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] 160 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] 161 tn Heb “I close my eyes from you.”
[1:15] 162 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] 163 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] 164 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] 165 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] 166 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] 167 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] 168 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] 169 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] 170 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] 171 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] 172 tn Heb “listen”; KJV “obedient”; NASB “If you consent and obey.”
[1:20] 173 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] 174 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).
