Yesaya 36:1--41:29
Konteks36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, 1 King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser 2 from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, 3 along with a large army. The chief adviser 4 stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 5 36:3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.
36:4 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 6 36:5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. 7 In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? 36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’ 36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 36:9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 8 36:10 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it!’”’” 9
36:11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, 10 for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect 11 in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 36:12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 12 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!” 13
36:13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, 14 “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 36:14 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! 36:15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 36:16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 15 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 36:17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 36:18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 16 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? 17 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 18 from my power? 19 36:20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 20 36:21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
36:22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief 21 and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, 22 he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, 23 clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 24 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 25 and humiliation, 26 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 27 37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. 28 When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. 29 So pray for this remnant that remains.’” 30
37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 31 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; 32 he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down 33 with a sword in his own land.”’”
37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 34 37:9 The king 35 heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia 36 was marching out to fight him. 37 He again sent 38 messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. 39 Do you really think you will be rescued? 40 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors 41 destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 42 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, 43 Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
37:14 Hezekiah took the letter 44 from the messengers and read it. 45 Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! 46 You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 47 and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 48 37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations 49 and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, 50 for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 51 37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” 52
37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 53 37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: 54
“The virgin daughter Zion 55
despises you – she makes fun of you;
daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 56
37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted
and looked so arrogantly? 57
At the Holy One of Israel! 58
37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 59
‘With my many chariots I climbed up
the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions, 60
its thickest woods.
37:25 I dug wells
and drank water. 61
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
37:26 62 Certainly you must have heard! 63
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned 64 it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 65
37:27 Their residents are powerless; 66
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation. 67
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 68
when it is scorched by the east wind. 69
37:28 I know where you live
and everything you do
and how you rage against me. 70
37:29 Because you rage against me
and the uproar you create has reached my ears, 71
I will put my hook in your nose, 72
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back
the way you came.”
37:30 73 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: 74 This year you will eat what grows wild, 75 and next year 76 what grows on its own. But the year after that 77 you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 78 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 79
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 80 will accomplish this.
37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here. 81
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, 82
nor will he build siege works against it.
37:34 He will go back the way he came –
he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.
37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 83
37:36 The Lord’s messenger 84 went out and killed 185,000 troops 85 in the Assyrian camp. When they 86 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 87 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 88 37:38 One day, 89 as he was worshiping 90 in the temple of his god Nisroch, 91 his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. 92 They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
38:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 93 The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’” 38:2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 38:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you 94 faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, 95 and how I have carried out your will.” 96 Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. 97
38:4 The Lord told Isaiah, 98 38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor 99 David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life, 38:6 and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city.”’” 38:7 Isaiah replied, 100 “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said: 38:8 Look, I will make the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz.” 101 And then the shadow went back ten steps. 102
38:9 This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness:
‘In the middle of my life 104 I must walk through the gates of Sheol,
I am deprived 105 of the rest of my years.’
38:11 “I thought,
‘I will no longer see the Lord 106 in the land of the living,
I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world. 107
38:12 My dwelling place 108 is removed and taken away 109 from me
like a shepherd’s tent.
I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; 110
from the loom he cuts me off. 111
You turn day into night and end my life. 112
38:13 I cry out 113 until morning;
like a lion he shatters all my bones;
you turn day into night and end my life. 114
38:14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp,
I coo 115 like a dove;
my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. 116
O sovereign master, 117 I am oppressed;
help me! 118
38:15 What can I say?
He has decreed and acted. 119
I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. 120
38:16 O sovereign master, your decrees can give men life;
may years of life be restored to me. 121
Restore my health 122 and preserve my life.’
38:17 “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. 123
You delivered me 124 from the pit of oblivion. 125
For you removed all my sins from your sight. 126
38:18 Indeed 127 Sheol does not give you thanks;
death does not 128 praise you.
Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.
38:19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks,
as I do today.
A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.
38:20 The Lord is about to deliver me, 129
and we will celebrate with music 130
for the rest of our lives in the Lord’s temple.” 131
38:21 132 Isaiah ordered, “Let them take a fig cake and apply it to the ulcerated sore and he will get well.” 38:22 Hezekiah said, “What is the confirming sign that I will go up to the Lord’s temple?”39:1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been ill and had recovered. 39:2 Hezekiah welcomed 133 them and showed them his storehouse with its silver, gold, spices, and high-quality olive oil, as well as his whole armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. 134 39:3 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 39:4 Isaiah 135 asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything in my treasuries.” 39:5 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord who commands armies: 39:6 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors 136 have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 39:7 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father 137 will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” 138 Then he thought, 139 “For 140 there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”
40:1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your 141 God.
40:2 “Speak kindly to 142 Jerusalem, 143 and tell her
that her time of warfare is over, 144
that her punishment is completed. 145
For the Lord has made her pay double 146 for all her sins.”
40:3 A voice cries out,
“In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord;
construct in the desert a road for our God.
40:4 Every valley must be elevated,
and every mountain and hill leveled.
The rough terrain will become a level plain,
the rugged landscape a wide valley.
40:5 The splendor 147 of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people 148 will see it at the same time.
For 149 the Lord has decreed it.” 150
40:6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
Another asks, 151 “What should I cry out?”
The first voice responds: 152 “All people are like grass, 153
and all their promises 154 are like the flowers in the field.
40:7 The grass dries up,
the flowers wither,
when the wind sent by the Lord 155 blows on them.
Surely humanity 156 is like grass.
40:8 The grass dries up,
the flowers wither,
but the decree of our God is forever reliable.” 157
40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!
Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! 158
Shout, don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
40:10 Look, the sovereign Lord comes as a victorious warrior; 159
his military power establishes his rule. 160
Look, his reward is with him;
his prize goes before him. 161
40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;
he gathers up the lambs with his arm;
he carries them close to his heart; 162
he leads the ewes along.
40:12 Who has measured out the waters 163 in the hollow of his hand,
or carefully 164 measured the sky, 165
or carefully weighed 166 the soil of the earth,
or weighed the mountains in a balance,
or the hills on scales? 167
40:13 Who comprehends 168 the mind 169 of the Lord,
or gives him instruction as his counselor? 170
40:14 From whom does he receive directions? 171
Who 172 teaches him the correct way to do things, 173
or imparts knowledge to him,
or instructs him in skillful design? 174
40:15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales.
He lifts 175 the coastlands 176 as if they were dust.
40:16 Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice; 177
its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings. 178
40:17 All the nations are insignificant before him;
they are regarded as absolutely nothing. 179
40:18 To whom can you compare God?
To what image can you liken him?
40:19 A craftsman casts 180 an idol;
a metalsmith overlays it with gold
and forges silver chains for it.
40:20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; 181
he then seeks a skilled craftsman
to make 182 an idol that will not fall over.
40:21 Do you not know?
Do you not hear?
Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?
Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?
40:22 He is the one who sits on the earth’s horizon; 183
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him. 184
He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain, 185
and spreads it out 186 like a pitched tent. 187
40:23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing;
he makes the earth’s leaders insignificant.
40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;
yes, they are barely sown;
yes, they barely take root in the earth,
and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,
and the wind carries them away like straw.
40:25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”
says the Holy One. 188
Who created all these heavenly lights? 190
He is the one who leads out their ranks; 191
he calls them all by name.
Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,
not one of them is missing.
40:27 Why do you say, Jacob,
Why do you say, Israel,
“The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, 192
My God is not concerned with my vindication”? 193
40:28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is an eternal God,
the creator of the whole earth. 194
He does not get tired or weary;
there is no limit to his wisdom. 195
40:29 He gives strength to those who are tired;
to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.
40:30 Even youths get tired and weary;
even strong young men clumsily stumble. 196
40:31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help 197 find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, 198
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired.
41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! 199
Let the nations find renewed strength!
Let them approach and then speak;
let us come together for debate! 200
41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? 201
Who 202 officially commissions him for service? 203
He hands nations over to him, 204
and enables him to subdue 205 kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like windblown straw with his bow. 206
41:3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed; 207
he advances with great speed. 208
41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees? 209
Who 210 summons the successive generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,
and at the very end – I am the one. 211
41:5 The coastlands 212 see and are afraid;
the whole earth 213 trembles;
they approach and come.
41:6 They help one another; 214
one says to the other, ‘Be strong!’
41:7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,
the one who wields the hammer encourages 215 the one who pounds on the anvil.
He approves the quality of the welding, 216
and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”
41:8 “You, my servant Israel,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
offspring of Abraham my friend, 217
41:9 you whom I am bringing back 218 from the earth’s extremities,
and have summoned from the remote regions –
I told you, “You are my servant.”
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! 219
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! 220
41:11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;
your adversaries 221 will be reduced to nothing 222 and perish.
41:12 When you will look for your opponents, 223 you will not find them;
your enemies 224 will be reduced to absolutely nothing.
41:13 For I am the Lord your God,
the one who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’
41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, 225
men of 226 Israel.
I am helping you,” says the Lord,
your protector, 227 the Holy One of Israel. 228
41:15 “Look, I am making you like 229 a sharp threshing sledge,
new and double-edged. 230
You will thresh the mountains and crush them;
you will make the hills like straw. 231
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.
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; 232
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
41:18 I will make streams flow down the slopes
and produce springs in the middle of the valleys.
I will turn the desert into a pool of water
and the arid land into springs.
41:19 I will make cedars, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees grow in the wilderness;
I will make evergreens, firs, and cypresses grow together in the desert.
41:20 I will do this so 233 people 234 will observe and recognize,
so they will pay attention and understand
that the Lord’s power 235 has accomplished this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has brought it into being.” 236
41:21 “Present your argument,” says the Lord.
“Produce your evidence,” 237 says Jacob’s king. 238
41:22 “Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!
Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles, 239
so we may examine them 240 and see how they were fulfilled. 241
Or decree for us some future events!
41:23 Predict how future events will turn out, 242
so we might know you are gods.
Yes, do something good or bad,
so we might be frightened and in awe. 243
41:24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;
the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting. 244
41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north 245 and he advances,
one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. 246
He steps on 247 rulers as if they were clay,
like a potter treading the clay.
41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?
Who announced it 248 ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?
Indeed, none of them decreed it!
Indeed, none of them announced it!
Indeed, no one heard you say anything!
41:27 I first decreed to Zion, ‘Look, here’s what will happen!’ 249
I sent a herald to Jerusalem. 250
41:28 I look, but there is no one,
among them there is no one who serves as an adviser,
that I might ask questions and receive answers.
41:29 Look, all of them are nothing, 251
their accomplishments are nonexistent;
their metal images lack any real substance. 252
[36:1] 1 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[36:2] 2 sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
[36:2] 3 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[36:2] 4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[36:2] 5 tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[36:4] 6 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
[36:5] 7 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
[36:9] 8 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
[36:10] 9 sn In v. 10 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 7. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
[36:11] 10 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the Assyrian empire.
[36:11] 11 tn Or “in Hebrew” (NIV, NCV, NLT); NAB, NASB “in Judean.”
[36:12] 12 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
[36:12] 13 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
[36:12] sn The chief adviser alludes to the horrible reality of siege warfare, when the starving people in the besieged city would resort to eating and drinking anything to stay alive.
[36:13] 14 tn The Hebrew text includes “and he said.”
[36:16] 15 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
[36:18] 16 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
[36:19] 17 tn The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
[36:19] 18 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[36:19] 19 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 18, 20).
[36:20] 20 tn Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?
[36:22] 21 tn Heb “with their clothes torn”; the words “in grief” have been supplied in the translation to indicate that this was done as a sign of grief and mourning.
[37:1] 22 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[37:2] 23 tn Heb “elders of the priests” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NCV “the older priests”; NRSV, TEV, CEV “the senior priests.”
[37:3] 24 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).
[37:3] 25 tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”
[37:3] 26 tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”
[37:3] 27 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
[37:4] 28 tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
[37:4] 29 tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”
[37:4] 30 tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
[37:6] 31 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
[37:7] 32 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
[37:7] 33 tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”
[37:8] 34 tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”
[37:9] 35 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:9] 36 tn Heb “Cush” (so NASB); NIV, NCV “the Cushite king of Egypt.”
[37:9] 37 tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘He has come out to fight with you.’”
[37:9] 38 tn The Hebrew text has, “and he heard and he sent,” but the parallel in 2 Kgs 19:9 has וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyashav vayyishlakh, “and he returned and he sent”), i.e., “he again sent.”
[37:11] 39 tn Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
[37:11] 40 tn Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
[37:12] 41 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”
[37:12] 42 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
[37:13] 43 sn Lair was a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
[37:14] 44 tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).
[37:14] 45 tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).
[37:16] 46 sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.
[37:16] 47 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[37:17] 48 tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
[37:18] 49 tn The Hebrew text here has “all the lands,” but the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:17 has “the nations.”
[37:19] 50 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
[37:19] 51 tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).
[37:20] 52 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”
[37:21] 53 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:20 reads, “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense: “because.”
[37:22] 54 tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”
[37:22] 55 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
[37:22] 56 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
[37:23] 57 tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”
[37:23] 58 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[37:24] 59 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[37:24] 60 tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”
[37:25] 61 tc The Hebrew text has simply, “I dug and drank water.” But the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:24 has “foreign waters.” זָרִים (zarim, “foreign”) may have accidentally dropped out of the Isaianic text by homoioteleuton (cf. NCV, NIV, NLT). Note that the preceding word, מַיִם (mayim, “water) also ends in mem (ם). The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has “foreign waters” for this line. However, in several other passages the 1QIsaa scroll harmonizes with 2 Kgs 19 against the MT (Isa 36:5; 37:9, 20). Since the addition of “foreign” to this text in Isaiah by a later scribe would be more likely than its deletion, the MT reading should be accepted.
[37:26] 62 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
[37:26] 63 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
[37:26] 64 tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).
[37:26] 65 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
[37:27] 66 tn Heb “short of hand”; KJV, ASV “of small power”; NASB “short of strength.”
[37:27] 67 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
[37:27] 68 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
[37:27] 69 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah, “standing grain”) to קָדִים (qadim, “east wind”) with the support of 1Q Isaa; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:657, n. 8.
[37:28] 70 tc Heb “your going out and your coming in and how you have raged against me.” Several scholars have suggested that this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line). However, most English translations include the statement in question at the end of v. 28 and the beginning of v. 29. Interestingly, the LXX does not have this clause at the end of v. 28 and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not have it at the beginning of v. 29. In light of this ambiguous manuscript evidence, it appears best to retain the clause in both verses.
[37:29] 71 tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךָ (sha’anankha, “your complacency”) is emended to שְׁאוֹנְךָ (shÿ’onÿkha, “your uproar”). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38. However, the LXX seems to support the MT and Sennacherib’s cavalier dismissal of Yahweh depicts an arrogant complacency (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:658, n. 10).
[37:29] 72 sn The word-picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.
[37:30] 73 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).
[37:30] 74 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
[37:30] 75 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
[37:30] 76 tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).
[37:30] 77 tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).
[37:30] 78 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.
[37:31] 79 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
[37:32] 80 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
[37:33] 81 tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.
[37:33] 82 tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[37:35] 83 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
[37:36] 84 tn Traditionally, “the angel of the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[37:36] 85 tn The word “troops” is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
[37:36] 86 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
[37:36] 87 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies”; NLT “they found corpses everywhere.”
[37:37] 88 tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”
[37:38] 89 sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681
[37:38] 90 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[37:38] 91 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.
[37:38] 92 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
[38:1] 93 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying”; NRSV “became sick and was at the point of death.”
[38:3] 94 tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.
[38:3] 95 tn Heb “and with a complete heart”; KJV, ASV “with a perfect heart.”
[38:3] 96 tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”
[38:3] 97 tn Heb “wept with great weeping”; NCV “cried loudly”; TEV “began to cry bitterly.”
[38:4] 98 tn Heb “and the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying.”
[38:5] 99 tn Heb “father” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
[38:7] 100 tn The words “Isaiah replied” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the present form of the Hebrew text v. 7 is joined directly to v. 6, but vv. 21-22, if original to Isaiah 38, must be inserted here. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8.
[38:8] 101 tn Heb “the shadow on the steps which [the sun] had gone down, on the steps of Ahaz, with the sun, back ten steps.”
[38:8] sn These steps probably functioned as a type of sundial. See HALOT 614 s.v. מַעֲלָה and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 256.
[38:8] 102 tn Heb “and the sun returned ten steps on the steps which it had gone down.”
[38:10] 103 tn Or “I said” (KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[38:10] 104 tn The precise meaning of the phrase בִּדְמִי יָמַי (bidmi yamay, “in the [?] of my days”) is uncertain. According to HALOT 226 s.v. דְּמִי this word is a hapax legomenon meaning “half.” Others derive the form from דַּמִי (dami, “quiet, rest, peacefulness”).
[38:10] 105 tn The precise meaning of the verb is uncertain. The Pual of of פָּקַד (paqad) occurs only here and in Exod 38:21, where it appears to mean “passed in review” or “mustered.” Perhaps the idea is, “I have been called away for the remainder of my years.” To bring out the sense more clearly, one can translate, “I am deprived of the rest of my years.”
[38:11] 106 tn The Hebrew text has יָהּ יָהּ (yah yah, the abbreviated form of יְהוָה [yÿhvah] repeated), but this is probably a corruption of יְהוָה.
[38:11] 107 tc The Hebrew text has חָדֶל (khadel), which appears to be derived from a verbal root meaning “to cease, refrain.” But the form has probably suffered an error of transmission; the original form (attested in a few medieval Hebrew
[38:12] 108 tn According to HALOT 217 s.v. דּוֹר this noun is a hapax legomenon meaning “dwelling place,” derived from a verbal root meaning “live” (see Ps 84:10). For an interpretation that understands the form as the well-attested noun meaning “generation,” see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:679, n. 4.
[38:12] 109 tn The verb form appears to be a Niphal from גָּלָה (galah), which normally means “uncovered, revealed” in the Niphal. Because of the following reference to a shepherd’s tent, some prefer to emend the form to וְנָגַל, a Niphal from גָלָל (galal, “roll”) and translate “is rolled [or “folded”] up.”
[38:12] 110 tn Heb “I rolled up, like a weaver, my life” (so ASV).
[38:12] 111 sn For a discussion of the imagery employed here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:684.
[38:12] 112 tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”
[38:13] 113 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Piel from שָׁוַה (shavah). There are two homonyms שָׁוַה, one meaning in the Piel “level, smooth out,” the other “set, place.” Neither fits in v. 13. It is likely that the original reading was שִׁוַּעְתִּי (shivva’ti, “I cry out”) from the verbal root שָׁוַע (shava’), which occurs exclusively in the Piel.
[38:13] 114 tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”
[38:14] 115 tn Or “moan” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); KJV, CEV “mourn.”
[38:14] 116 tn Heb “my eyes become weak, toward the height.”
[38:14] 117 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[38:14] 118 tn Heb “stand surety for me.” Hezekiah seems to be picturing himself as a debtor who is being exploited; he asks that the Lord might relieve his debt and deliver him from the oppressive creditor.
[38:15] 119 tn Heb “and he has spoken and he has acted.”
[38:15] 120 tn Heb “because of the bitterness of my soul.”
[38:16] 121 tn The translation offered here is purely speculative. The text as it stands is meaningless and probably corrupt. It reads literally, “O lord, on account of them [the suffix is masculine plural], they live, and to all in them [the suffix is feminine plural], life of my spirit.”
[38:16] 122 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as indicative, “you restore my health,” but the following imperatival form suggests it be understood as an imperfect of request.
[38:17] 123 tn Heb “Look, for peace bitterness was to me bitter”; NAB “thus is my bitterness transformed into peace.”
[38:17] 124 tc The Hebrew text reads, “you loved my soul,” but this does not fit syntactically with the following prepositional phrase. חָשַׁקְתָּ (khashaqta, “you loved”), may reflect an aural error; most emend the form to חָשַׂכְת, (khasakht, “you held back”).
[38:17] 125 tn בְּלִי (bÿli) most often appears as a negation, meaning “without,” suggesting the meaning “nothingness, oblivion,” here. Some translate “decay” or “destruction.”
[38:17] 126 tn Heb “for you threw behind your back all my sins.”
[38:18] 127 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[38:18] 128 tn The negative particle is understood by ellipsis in this line. See GKC 483 §152.z.
[38:20] 129 tn The infinitive construct is used here to indicate that an action is imminent. See GKC 348-49 §114.i, and IBHS 610 §36.2.3g.
[38:20] 130 tn Heb “and music [or perhaps, “stringed instruments”] we will play.”
[38:20] 131 tn Heb “all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.”
[38:20] sn Note that vv. 21-22 have been placed between vv. 6-7, where they logically belong. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8.
[38:21] 132 tc If original to Isaiah 38, vv. 21-22 have obviously been misplaced in the course of the text’s transmission, and would most naturally be placed here, between Isa 38:6 and 38:7. See 2 Kgs 20:7-8, where these verses are placed at this point in the narrative, not at the end. Another possibility is that these verses were not in the original account, and a scribe, familiar with the 2 Kgs version of the story, appended vv. 21-22 to the end of the account in Isaiah 38.
[39:2] 133 tn Heb “was happy with”; NAB, NASB “was pleased”; NIV “received the envoys gladly.”
[39:2] 134 tn Heb “there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his kingdom.”
[39:4] 135 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:6] 136 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).
[39:7] 137 tn Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.”
[39:8] 138 tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”
[39:8] 139 tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).
[39:8] 140 tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”
[40:1] 141 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural. The identity of the addressee is uncertain: (1) God’s people may be addressed, or (2) the unidentified heralds commanded to comfort Jerusalem.
[40:2] 142 tn Heb “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is personified as a woman.
[40:2] 143 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[40:2] 144 tn Heb “that she is filled [with] her warfare.” Some understand צָבָא (tsavah, “warfare”) as meaning “hard service” or “compulsory labor” in this context.
[40:2] 145 tn Heb “that her punishment is accepted [as satisfactory].”
[40:2] 146 tn Heb “for she has received from the hand of the Lord double.” The principle of the double portion in punishment is also seen in Jer 16:18; 17:18 and Rev 18:6. For examples of the double portion in Israelite law, see Exod 22:4, 7, 9 (double restitution by a thief) and Deut 21:17 (double inheritance portion for the firstborn).
[40:5] 147 tn Or “glory.” The Lord’s “glory” is his theophanic radiance and royal splendor (see Isa 6:3; 24:23; 35:2; 60:1; 66:18-19).
[40:5] 148 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NAB, NIV “mankind”; TEV “the whole human race.”
[40:5] 150 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:6] 151 tn Heb “and he says.” Apparently a second “voice” responds to the command of the first “voice.”
[40:6] 152 tn The words “the first voice responds” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first voice tells the second one what to declare.
[40:6] 153 tn Heb “all flesh is grass.” The point of the metaphor is explained in v. 7.
[40:6] 154 tn Heb “and all his loyalty.” The antecedent of the third masculine suffix is בָּשָׂר (basar, “flesh”), which refers collectively to mankind. The LXX, apparently understanding the antecedent as “grass,” reads “glory,” but חֶסֶד (khesed) rarely, if ever, has this nuance. The normal meaning of חֶסֶד (“faithfulness, loyalty, devotion”) fits very well in the argument. Human beings and their faithfulness (verbal expressions of faithfulness are specifically in view; cf. NRSV “constancy”) are short-lived and unreliable, in stark contrast to the decrees and promises of the eternal God.
[40:7] 155 tn The Hebrew text has רוּחַ יְהוָה (ruakh yehvah), which in this context probably does not refer to the Lord’s personal Spirit. The phrase is better translated “the breath of the Lord,” or “the wind of [i.e., sent by] the Lord.” The Lord’s sovereign control over nature, including the hot desert winds that dry up vegetation, is in view here (cf. Ps 147:18; Isa 59:19).
[40:7] 156 tn Heb “the people” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:8] 157 tn Heb “but the word of our God stands forever.” In this context the divine “word” specifically refers to his decreed promise assuring Jerusalem that her suffering is over and his glorious return imminent (vv. 1-5).
[40:9] 158 tn The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good news of the Lord’s return to the other towns of Judah. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 speak of a herald sent to Zion, but the masculine singular form מְבַשֵּׂר (mÿvaser) is used in these verses, in contrast to the feminine singular form מְבַשֶּׂרֶת (mÿvaseret) employed in 40:9, where Zion is addressed as a herald.
[40:10] 159 tn Heb “comes as a strong one”; ASV “will come as a mighty one.” The preposition בְּ (bet) here carries the nuance “in the capacity of.” It indicates that the Lord possesses the quality expressed by the noun. See GKC 379 §119.i and HALOT 104 s.v. בְּ.
[40:10] 160 tn Heb “his arm rules for him” (so NIV, NRSV). The Lord’s “arm” symbolizes his military power (see Isa 51:9-10; 63:5).
[40:10] 161 tn As the Lord returns to Jerusalem as a victorious warrior, he brings with him the spoils of victory, called here his “reward” and “prize.” These terms might also be translated “wages” and “recompense.” Verse 11 indicates that his rescued people, likened to a flock of sheep, are his reward.
[40:11] 162 tn Heb “in his bosom” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV), an expression which reflects closeness and protective care.
[40:12] 163 tn The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has מי ים (“waters of the sea”), a reading followed by NAB.
[40:12] 164 tn Heb “with a span.” A “span” was the distance between the ends of the thumb and the little finger of the spread hand” (BDB 285 s.v. זֶרֶת).
[40:12] 165 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[40:12] 166 tn Heb “or weighed by a third part [of a measure].”
[40:12] 167 sn The implied answer to the rhetorical questions of v. 12 is “no one but the Lord. The Lord, and no other, created the world. Like a merchant weighing out silver or commodities on a scale, the Lord established the various components of the physical universe in precise proportions.
[40:13] 168 tn Perhaps the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “advises” (note the following line).
[40:13] 169 tn In this context רוּחַ (ruakh) likely refers to the Lord’s “mind,” or mental faculties, rather than his personal Spirit (see BDB 925 s.v.).
[40:13] 170 tn Heb “or [as] the man of his counsel causes him to know?”
[40:14] 171 tn Heb “With whom did he consult, so that he gave discernment to him?”
[40:14] 172 tn Heb “and taught him.” The vav (ו) consecutive with prefixed verbal form continues the previous line. The translation employs an interrogative pronoun for stylistic reasons.
[40:14] 173 tn The phrase אֹרַח מִשְׁפָּט (’orakh mishpat) could be translated “path of justice” (so NASB, NRSV), but in this context, where creative ability and skill is in view, the phrase is better understood in the sense of “the way that is proper or fitting” (see BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 6); cf. NIV, NCV “the right way.”
[40:14] 174 tn Heb “or the way of understanding causes him to know?”
[40:14] sn The implied answer to the rhetorical questions in vv. 13-14 is, “No one.” In contrast to Marduk, the creator-god of Mesopotamian myths who receives help from the god of wisdom, the Lord neither needs nor receives any such advice or help. See R. Whybray, Heavenly Counsellor (SOTSMS), 64-77.
[40:15] 175 tn Or “weighs” (NIV); NLT “picks up.”
[40:15] 176 tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV, NLT).
[40:16] 177 tn The words “for a sacrifice” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[40:16] 178 sn The point is that not even the Lebanon forest could supply enough wood and animals for an adequate sacrifice to the Lord.
[40:17] 179 tn Heb “[as derived] from nothing and unformed.”
[40:19] 180 tn Heb “pours out”; KJV “melteth.”
[40:20] 181 tn The first two words of the verse (הַמְסֻכָּן תְּרוּמָה, hamsukan tÿrumah) are problematic. Some take מְסֻכָּן as an otherwise unattested Pual participle from סָכַן (sakhan, “be poor”) and translate “the one who is impoverished.” תְּרוּמָה (tÿrumah, “contribution”) can then be taken as an adverbial accusative, “with respect to a contribution,” and the entire line translated, “the one who is too impoverished for such a contribution [i.e., the metal idol of v. 19?] selects wood that will not rot.” However, מְסֻכָּן is probably the name of a tree used in idol manufacturing (cognate with Akkadian musukkanu, cf. H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 133). מְסֻכָּן may be a scribal interpretive addition attempting to specify עֵץ (’ets) or עֵץ may be a scribal attempt to categorize מְסֻכָּן. How an idol constitutes a תְּרוּמָה (“contribution”) is not entirely clear.
[40:20] 182 tn Or “set up” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NASB “to prepare.”
[40:22] 183 tn Heb “the circle of the earth” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[40:22] 184 tn The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[40:22] 185 tn The otherwise unattested noun דֹּק (doq), translated here “thin curtain,” is apparently derived from the verbal root דקק (“crush”) from which is derived the adjective דַּק (daq, “thin”; see HALOT 229 s.v. דקק). The nuance “curtain” is implied from the parallelism (see “tent” in the next line).
[40:22] 186 tn The meaning of the otherwise unattested verb מָתַח (matakh, “spread out”) is determined from the parallelism (note the corresponding verb “stretch out” in the previous line) and supported by later Hebrew and Aramaic cognates. See HALOT 654 s.v. *מתה.
[40:22] 187 tn Heb “like a tent [in which] to live”; NAB, NASB “like a tent to dwell (live NIV, NRSV) in.”
[40:25] 188 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[40:26] 189 tn Heb “Lift on high your eyes and see.”
[40:26] 190 tn The words “heavenly lights” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the following lines.
[40:26] 191 tn Heb “the one who brings out by number their host.” The stars are here likened to a huge army that the Lord leads out. Perhaps the next line pictures God calling roll. If so, the final line may be indicating that none of them dares “go AWOL.” (“AWOL” is a military acronym for “absent without leave.”)
[40:27] 192 tn Heb “my way is hidden from the Lord” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[40:27] 193 tn Heb “and from my God my justice passes away”; NRSV “my right is disregarded by my God.”
[40:28] 194 tn Heb “the ends of the earth,” but this is a merism, where the earth’s extremities stand for its entirety, i.e., the extremities and everything in between them.
[40:28] 195 sn Exiled Israel’s complaint (v. 27) implies that God might be limited in some way. Perhaps he, like so many of the pagan gods, has died. Or perhaps his jurisdiction is limited to Judah and does not include Babylon. Maybe he is unable to devise an adequate plan to rescue his people, or is unable to execute it. But v. 28 affirms that he is not limited temporally or spatially nor is his power and wisdom restricted in any way. He can and will deliver his people, if they respond in hopeful faith (v. 31a).
[40:30] 196 tn Heb “stumbling they stumble.” The verbal idea is emphasized by the infinitive absolute.
[40:31] 197 tn The words “for the Lord’s help” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[40:31] 198 tn Heb “they rise up [on] wings like eagles” (TEV similar).
[41:1] 199 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”
[41:1] 200 tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.
[41:2] 201 sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).
[41:2] 202 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.
[41:2] 203 tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”
[41:2] 204 tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”
[41:2] 205 tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).
[41:2] 206 sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.
[41:3] 207 tn Heb “[in] peace”; KJV, ASV “safely”; NASB “in safety”; NIV “unscathed.”
[41:3] 208 tn Heb “a way with his feet he does not come [or “enter”].” One could translate, “by a way he was not [previously] entering with his feet.” This would mean that he is advancing into new territory and expanding his conquests. The present translation assumes this is a hyperbolic description to his speedy advance. He moves so quickly he does not enter the way with his feet, i.e., his feet don’t even touch the ground. See C. R. North, Second Isaiah, 94.
[41:4] 209 tn Heb “Who acts and accomplishes?”; NASB “Who has performed and accomplished it.”
[41:4] 210 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[41:4] 211 tn Heb “I, the Lord, [am with] the first, and with the last ones I [am] he.”
[41:5] 212 tn Or “islands” (NIV, CEV); NCV “faraway places”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”
[41:5] 213 tn Heb “the ends of the earth,” but this is a merism, where the earth’s extremities stand for its entirety, i.e., the extremities and everything in between them.
[41:6] 214 tn Heb “each his neighbor helps”; NCV “The workers help each other.”
[41:7] 215 tn The verb “encourages” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[41:7] 216 tn Heb “saying of the welding, ‘It is good.’”
[41:8] 217 tn Or perhaps, “covenantal partner” (see 1 Kgs 5:15 HT [5:1 ET]; 2 Chr 20:7).
[41:9] 218 tn Heb “whom I have taken hold of [i.e., to lead back].”
[41:10] 219 tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishta’) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”) which is attested in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yare’, “fear”).
[41:10] 220 tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).
[41:11] 221 tn Heb “the men of your strife”; NASB “those who contend with you.”
[41:11] 222 tn Heb “like nothing”; NAB “come to nought.”
[41:12] 223 tn Heb “the men of your struggle”; NASB “those who quarrel with you.”
[41:12] 224 tn Heb “the men of your battle”; NAB “who do battle with you.”
[41:14] 225 tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.
[41:14] 226 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] 227 tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גָּאַל (ga’al, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.
[41:14] 228 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[41:15] 229 tn Heb “into” (so NIV); ASV “have made thee to be.”
[41:15] 230 tn Heb “owner of two-mouths,” i.e., double-edged.
[41:15] 231 sn The mountains and hills symbolize hostile nations that are obstacles to Israel’s restoration.
[41:17] 232 tn Heb “will answer them” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[41:20] 233 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] 234 tn Heb “they”; NAB, NRSV “that all may see”; CEV, NLT “Everyone will see.”
[41:20] 235 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[41:20] 236 tn Or “created it” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “has made it happen.”
[41:21] 237 tn Heb “strong [words],” see HALOT 870 s.v. *עֲצֻמוֹת.
[41:21] 238 sn Apparently this challenge is addressed to the pagan idol gods, see vv. 23-24.
[41:22] 239 tn Heb “As for the former things, tell us what they are!”
[41:22] 240 tn Heb “so we might set [them to] our heart.”
[41:22] 241 tn Heb “and might know their outcome.”
[41:23] 242 tn Heb “Declare the coming things, with respect to the end.”
[41:23] 243 tc The translation assumes the Qere (וְנִרְאֶה [vÿnir’eh], from יָרֵא [yare’], “be afraid”).
[41:23] tn Heb “so we might be frightened and afraid together.” On the meaning of the verb שָׁתָע (shata’), see the note at v. 10.
[41:24] 244 tn Heb “an object of disgust [is he who] chooses you.”
[41:25] 245 sn That is, Cyrus the Persian. See the note at v. 2.
[41:25] 246 tn Heb “[one] from the rising of the sun [who] calls in my name.”
[41:25] 247 tn The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (vÿyavo’, “and he comes”), but this is likely a corruption of an original וַיָּבָס (vayyavas), from בּוּס (bus, “step on”).
[41:26] 248 tn The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[41:27] 249 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “First to Zion, ‘Look here they are!’” The words “I decreed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[41:27] 250 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[41:29] 251 tc The Hebrew text has אָוֶן (’aven, “deception,” i.e., “false”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has אין (“nothing”), which forms a better parallel with אֶפֶס (’efes, “nothing”) in the next line. See also 40:17 and 41:12.
[41:29] 252 tn Heb “their statues are wind and nothing”; NASB “wind and emptiness”; NIV “wind and confusion.”
