Yesaya 45:1--50:11
Konteks45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen 1 one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold 2
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings, 3
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:
45:2 “I will go before you
and level mountains. 4
Bronze doors I will shatter
and iron bars 5 I will hack through.
45:3 I will give you hidden treasures, 6
riches stashed away in secret places,
so you may recognize that I am the Lord,
the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel.
45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize 7 me.
45:5 I am the Lord, I have no peer, 8
there is no God but me.
I arm you for battle, 9 even though you do not recognize 10 me.
45:6 I do this 11 so people 12 will recognize from east to west
that there is no God but me;
I am the Lord, I have no peer.
45:7 I am 13 the one who forms light
and creates darkness; 14
the one who brings about peace
and creates calamity. 15
I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.
45:8 O sky, rain down from above!
Let the clouds send down showers 16 of deliverance!
Let the earth absorb it 17 so salvation may grow, 18
and deliverance may sprout up 19 along with it.
I, the Lord, create it. 20
45:9 One who argues with his creator is in grave danger, 21
one who is like a mere 22 shard among the other shards on the ground!
The clay should not say to the potter, 23
“What in the world 24 are you doing?
Your work lacks skill!” 25
45:10 Danger awaits one who says 26 to his father,
“What in the world 27 are you fathering?”
and to his mother,
“What in the world are you bringing forth?” 28
45:11 This is what the Lord says,
the Holy One of Israel, 29 the one who formed him,
concerning things to come: 30
“How dare you question me 31 about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do with 32 the work of my own hands!
45:12 I made the earth,
I created the people who live 33 on it.
It was me – my hands 34 stretched out the sky, 35
I give orders to all the heavenly lights. 36
45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; 37
I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city;
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
45:14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit 38 of Egypt and the revenue 39 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you 40 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. 41
They will bow down to you
and pray to you: 42
‘Truly God is with 43 you; he has no peer; 44
there is no other God!’”
45:15 Yes, you are a God who keeps hidden,
O God of Israel, deliverer!
45:16 They will all be ashamed and embarrassed;
those who fashion idols will all be humiliated. 45
45:17 Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord; 46
you will never again be ashamed or humiliated. 47
45:18 For this is what the Lord says,
the one who created the sky –
he is the true God, 48
the one who formed the earth and made it;
he established it,
he did not create it without order, 49
he formed it to be inhabited –
“I am the Lord, I have no peer.
45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
in some hidden place. 50
I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain!’ 51
I am the Lord,
the one who speaks honestly,
who makes reliable announcements. 52
45:20 Gather together and come!
Approach together, you refugees from the nations!
Those who carry wooden idols know nothing,
those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.
45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! 53
Let them consult with one another!
Who predicted this in the past?
Who announced it beforehand?
Was it not I, the Lord?
I have no peer, there is no God but me,
a God who vindicates and delivers; 54
there is none but me.
45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, 55
all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!
For I am God, and I have no peer.
45:23 I solemnly make this oath 56 –
what I say is true and reliable: 57
‘Surely every knee will bow to me,
every tongue will solemnly affirm; 58
45:24 they will say about me,
“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” 59
All who are angry at him will cower before him. 60
45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord
and will boast in him. 61
Nebo 63 bends low.
Their images weigh down animals and beasts. 64
Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. 65
46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;
they are unable to rescue the images; 66
they themselves 67 head off into captivity. 68
46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, 69
all you who are left from the family of Israel, 70
you who have been carried from birth, 71
you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. 72
46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, 73
even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.
I made you and I will support you;
I will carry you and rescue you. 74
46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?
Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!
46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on the scale 75
hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.
They then bow down and worship it.
46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not 76 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! 77
Think about it, you rebels! 78
46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! 79
Truly I am God, I have no peer; 80
I am God, and there is none like me,
46:10 who announces the end from the beginning
and reveals beforehand 81 what has not yet occurred,
who says, ‘My plan will be realized,
I will accomplish what I desire,’
46:11 who summons an eagle 82 from the east,
from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.
Yes, I have decreed, 83
yes, I will bring it to pass;
I have formulated a plan,
yes, I will carry it out.
46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, 84
you who distance yourself from doing what is right. 85
46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;
I am bringing my salvation near, 86 it does not wait.
I will save Zion; 87
I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” 88
47:1 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,
O virgin 89 daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground, not on a throne,
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 90 you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.
47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour!
Remove your veil,
strip off your skirt,
expose your legs,
cross the streams!
47:3 Let your private parts be exposed!
Your genitals will be on display! 91
I will get revenge;
I will not have pity on anyone,” 92
47:4 says our protector –
the Lord who commands armies is his name,
the Holy One of Israel. 93
47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, 94
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 95 you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’
47:6 I was angry at my people;
I defiled my special possession
and handed them over to you.
You showed them no mercy; 96
you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. 97
47:7 You said,
‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ 98
You did not think about these things; 99
you did not consider how it would turn out. 100
47:8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly, 101
who lives securely,
who says to herself, 102
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! 103
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’ 104
47:9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed. 105
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, 106
despite 107 your many incantations
and your numerous amulets. 108
47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; 109
you thought, 110 ‘No one sees me.’
Your self-professed 111 wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,
when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ 112
47:11 Disaster will overtake you;
you will not know how to charm it away. 113
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to appease it.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you recognize it. 114
47:12 Persist 115 in trusting 116 your amulets
and your many incantations,
which you have faithfully recited 117 since your youth!
Maybe you will be successful 118 –
maybe you will scare away disaster. 119
47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. 120
Let them take their stand –
the ones who see omens in the sky,
who gaze at the stars,
who make monthly predictions –
let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 121
47:14 Look, they are like straw,
which the fire burns up;
they cannot rescue themselves
from the heat 122 of the flames.
There are no coals to warm them,
no firelight to enjoy. 123
47:15 They will disappoint you, 124
those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. 125
Each strays off in his own direction, 126
leaving no one to rescue you.”
48:1 Listen to this, O family of Jacob, 127
you who are called by the name ‘Israel,’
and are descended from Judah, 128
who take oaths in the name of the Lord,
and invoke 129 the God of Israel –
but not in an honest and just manner. 130
48:2 Indeed, they live in the holy city; 131
they trust in 132 the God of Israel,
whose name is the Lord who commands armies.
48:3 “I announced events beforehand, 133
I issued the decrees and made the predictions; 134
suddenly I acted and they came to pass.
48:4 I did this 135 because I know how stubborn you are.
Your neck muscles are like iron
and your forehead like bronze. 136
48:5 I announced them to you beforehand;
before they happened, I predicted them for you,
so you could never say,
‘My image did these things,
my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’
48:6 You have heard; now look at all the evidence! 137
Will you not admit that what I say is true? 138
From this point on I am announcing to you new events
that are previously unrevealed and you do not know about. 139
48:7 Now they come into being, 140 not in the past;
before today you did not hear about them,
so you could not say,
‘Yes, 141 I know about them.’
48:8 You did not hear,
you do not know,
you were not told beforehand. 142
For I know that you are very deceitful; 143
you were labeled 144 a rebel from birth.
48:9 For the sake of my reputation 145 I hold back my anger;
for the sake of my prestige 146 I restrain myself from destroying you. 147
48:10 Look, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have purified you 148 in the furnace of misery.
48:11 For my sake alone 149 I will act,
for how can I allow my name to be defiled? 150
I will not share my glory with anyone else! 151
48:12 Listen to me, O Jacob,
Israel, whom I summoned!
I am the one;
I am present at the very beginning
and at the very end. 152
48:13 Yes, my hand founded the earth;
my right hand spread out the sky.
I summon them;
they stand together.
48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!
Who among them 153 announced these things?
The Lord’s ally 154 will carry out his desire against Babylon;
he will exert his power against the Babylonians. 155
48:15 I, I have spoken –
yes, I have summoned him;
I lead him and he will succeed. 156
48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!
From the very first I have not spoken in secret;
when it happens, 157 I am there.”
So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. 158
48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, 159 says,
the Holy One of Israel: 160
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.
48:18 If only you had obeyed my 161 commandments,
prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, 162
deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea. 163
48:19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand, 164
and your children 165 like its granules.
Their name would not have been cut off
and eliminated from my presence. 166
48:20 Leave Babylon!
Flee from the Babylonians!
Announce it with a shout of joy!
Make this known!
Proclaim it throughout the earth! 167
Say, ‘The Lord protects 168 his servant Jacob.
48:21 They do not thirst as he leads them through dry regions;
he makes water flow out of a rock for them;
he splits open a rock and water flows out.’ 169
48:22 There will be no prosperity for the wicked,” says the Lord.
49:1 Listen to me, you coastlands! 170
Pay attention, you people who live far away!
The Lord summoned me from birth; 171
he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world. 172
49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the hollow of his hand;
he made me like a sharpened 173 arrow,
he hid me in his quiver. 174
49:3 He said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor.” 175
49:4 But I thought, 176 “I have worked in vain;
I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” 177
But the Lord will vindicate me;
my God will reward me. 178
49:5 So now the Lord says,
the one who formed me from birth 179 to be his servant –
he did this 180 to restore Jacob to himself,
so that Israel might be gathered to him;
and I will be honored 181 in the Lord’s sight,
for my God is my source of strength 182 –
49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,
to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the remnant 183 of Israel? 184
I will make you a light to the nations, 185
so you can bring 186 my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”
49:7 This is what the Lord,
the protector 187 of Israel, their Holy One, 188 says
to the one who is despised 189 and rejected 190 by nations, 191
a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and rise in respect, 192
princes will bow down,
because of the faithful Lord,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
49:8 This is what the Lord says:
“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;
in the day of deliverance I will help you;
I will protect you 193 and make you a covenant mediator for people, 194
and to reassign the desolate property.
49:9 You will say 197 to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
and to those who are in dark dungeons, 198 ‘Emerge.’ 199
They will graze beside the roads;
on all the slopes they will find pasture.
49:10 They will not be hungry or thirsty;
the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them, 200
for one who has compassion on them will guide them;
he will lead them to springs of water.
49:11 I will make all my mountains into a road;
I will construct my roadways.”
49:12 Look, they come from far away!
Look, some come from the north and west,
and others from the land of Sinim! 201
49:13 Shout for joy, O sky! 202
Rejoice, O earth!
Let the mountains give a joyful shout!
For the Lord consoles his people
and shows compassion to the 203 oppressed.
49:14 “Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,
the sovereign master 204 has forgotten me.’
49:15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? 205
Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? 206
Even if mothers 207 were to forget,
I could never forget you! 208
49:16 Look, I have inscribed your name 209 on my palms;
your walls are constantly before me.
49:17 Your children hurry back,
while those who destroyed and devastated you depart.
49:18 Look all around you! 210
All of them gather to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;
you will put them on as if you were a bride.
49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins;
it is desolate and devastated. 211
But now you will be too small to hold your residents,
and those who devoured you will be far away.
49:20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement
will say within your hearing,
‘This place is too cramped for us, 212
make room for us so we can live here.’ 213
49:21 Then you will think to yourself, 214
‘Who bore these children for me?
I was bereaved and barren,
dismissed and divorced. 215
Who raised these children?
Look, I was left all alone;
where did these children come from?’”
49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;
I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
49:23 Kings will be your children’s 216 guardians;
their princesses will nurse your children. 217
With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you
and they will lick the dirt on 218 your feet.
Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;
those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.
49:24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior,
or captives be rescued from a conqueror? 219
49:25 Indeed,” says the Lord,
“captives will be taken from a warrior;
spoils will be rescued from a conqueror.
I will oppose your adversary
and I will rescue your children.
49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;
they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. 220
Then all humankind 221 will recognize that
I am the Lord, your deliverer,
your protector, 222 the powerful ruler of Jacob.” 223
50:1 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate
by which I divorced her?
Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? 224
Look, you were sold because of your sins; 225
because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. 226
50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?
Why does no one respond when I call? 227
Is my hand too weak 228 to deliver 229 you?
Do I lack the power to rescue you?
Look, with a mere shout 230 I can dry up the sea;
I can turn streams into a desert,
so the fish rot away and die
from lack of water. 231
50:3 I can clothe the sky in darkness;
I can cover it with sackcloth.”
50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman, 232
so that I know how to help the weary. 233
He wakes me up every morning;
he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do. 234
50:5 The sovereign Lord has spoken to me clearly; 235
I have not rebelled,
I have not turned back.
50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, 236
my jaws to those who tore out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from insults and spitting.
50:7 But the sovereign Lord helps me,
so I am not humiliated.
For that reason I am steadfastly resolved; 237
I know I will not be put to shame.
50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.
Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! 238
Who is my accuser? 239 Let him challenge me! 240
50:9 Look, the sovereign Lord helps me.
Who dares to condemn me?
Look, all of them will wear out like clothes;
a moth will eat away at them.
50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys 241 his servant?
Whoever walks in deep darkness, 242
without light,
should trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
50:11 Look, all of you who start a fire
and who equip yourselves with 243 flaming arrows, 244
walk 245 in the light 246 of the fire you started
and among the flaming arrows you ignited! 247
This is what you will receive from me: 248
you will lie down in a place of pain. 249
[45:1] 1 tn Heb “anointed” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “his appointed king.”
[45:1] 2 sn The “right hand” is a symbol of activity and strength; the Lord directs Cyrus’ activities and assures his success.
[45:1] 3 tn Heb “and the belts of kings I will loosen”; NRSV “strip kings of their robes”; NIV “strip kings of their armor.”
[45:2] 4 tc The form הֲדוּרִים (hadurim) makes little, if any, sense here. It is probably a corruption of an original הָרָרִים (hararim, “mountains”), the reduplicated form of הָר (har, “mountain”).
[45:2] 5 tn That is, on the gates. Cf. CEV “break the iron bars on bronze gates.”
[45:3] 6 tn Heb “treasures of darkness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “treasures from dark, secret places.”
[45:4] 7 tn Or “know” (NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT); NIV “acknowledge.”
[45:5] 8 tn Heb “and there is none besides.” On the use of עוֹד (’od) here, see BDB 729 s.v. 1.c.
[45:5] 9 tn Heb “gird you” (so NASB) or “strengthen you” (so NIV).
[45:5] 10 tn Or “know” (NAB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT); NIV “have not acknowledged.”
[45:6] 11 tn The words “I do this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[45:6] 12 tn Heb “they” (so KJV, ASV); TEV, CEV “everyone”; NLT “all the world.”
[45:7] 13 tn The words “I am” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the participle at the beginning of v. 7 stands in apposition to “the Lord” in v. 6.
[45:7] 14 tn On the surface v. 7a appears to describe God’s sovereign control over the cycle of day and night, but the following statement suggests that “light” and “darkness” symbolize “deliverance” and “judgment.”
[45:7] 15 sn This verses affirms that God is ultimately sovereign over his world, including mankind and nations. In accordance with his sovereign will, he can cause wars to cease and peace to predominate (as he was about to do for his exiled people through Cyrus), or he can bring disaster and judgment on nations (as he was about to do to Babylon through Cyrus).
[45:8] 16 tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”
[45:8] 17 tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”
[45:8] 18 tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).
[45:8] 19 tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).
[45:8] 20 tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).
[45:9] 21 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who argues with the one who formed him.”
[45:9] 22 tn The words “one who is like a mere” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and clarification.
[45:9] 23 tn Heb “Should the clay say to the one who forms it?” The rhetorical question anticipates a reply, “Of course not!”
[45:9] 24 tn The words “in the world” are supplied in the translation to approximate in English idiom the force of the sarcastic question.
[45:9] 25 tn Heb “your work, there are no hands for it,” i.e., “your work looks like something made by a person who has no hands.”
[45:10] 26 tn Heb “Woe [to] one who says” (NASB and NIV both similar); NCV “How terrible it will be.”
[45:10] 27 tn See the note at v. 9. This phrase occurs a second time later in this verse.
[45:10] 28 sn Verses 9-10 may allude to the exiles’ criticism that the Lord does not appear to know what he is doing.
[45:11] 29 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[45:11] 30 tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsÿro, “the one who formed him”) to יֹצֵר (yotser, “the one who forms”; the suffixed form in the Hebrew text may be influenced by vv. 9-10, where the same form appears twice) and takes “coming things” as the object of the participle (either objective genitive or accusative): “the one who brings the future into being.”
[45:11] 31 tn Heb “Ask me” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
[45:11] 32 tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
[45:12] 33 tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[45:12] 34 tn Heb “I, even my hands”; NASB “I stretched out…with My hands”; NRSV “it was my hands that stretched out.” The same construction occurs at the beginning of v. 13.
[45:12] 35 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[45:12] 36 tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.
[45:13] 37 tn Heb “I stir him up in righteousness”; NASB “I have aroused him.” See the note at 41:2. Cyrus (cf. 44:28) is in view here.
[45:14] 38 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
[45:14] 39 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
[45:14] 40 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
[45:14] 41 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
[45:14] 42 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
[45:14] 43 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
[45:14] 44 tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.
[45:16] 45 tn “together they will walk in humiliation, the makers of images.”
[45:17] 46 tn Heb “Israel will be delivered by the Lord [with] a permanent deliverance.”
[45:17] 47 tn Heb “you will not be ashamed and you will not be humiliated for ages of future time.”
[45:18] 48 tn Heb “he [is] the God.” The article here indicates uniqueness.
[45:18] 49 tn Or “unformed.” Gen 1:2 describes the world as “unformed” (תֹהוּ, tohu) prior to God’s creative work, but God then formed the world and made it fit for habitation.
[45:19] 50 tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”
[45:19] 51 tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”
[45:19] 52 tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”
[45:21] 53 tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.
[45:21] 54 tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”
[45:22] 55 tn The Niphal imperative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The Niphal probably has a tolerative sense, “allow yourselves to be delivered, accept help.”
[45:23] 56 tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”
[45:23] 57 tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”
[45:23] 58 tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”
[45:24] 59 tn Heb “‘Yes, in the Lord,’ one says about me, ‘is deliverance and strength.’”
[45:24] 60 tn Heb “will come to him and be ashamed.”
[45:25] 61 tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”
[46:1] 62 sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.
[46:1] 63 sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.
[46:1] 64 tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”
[46:1] 65 tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”
[46:2] 66 tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.
[46:2] 67 tn נַפְשָׁם (nafsham, “their souls/lives”) is equivalent here to a third masculine plural suffix, but the third feminine singular verb הָלָכָה (halakhah, “they go”) agrees with the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, life”).
[46:2] 68 sn The downfall of Babylon is depicted here. The idols are carried off by the victorious enemy; the gods are likened to defeated captives who cower before the enemy and are taken into exile.
[46:3] 69 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”
[46:3] 70 tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”
[46:3] 71 tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”
[46:3] 72 tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”
[46:4] 73 tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”
[46:4] 74 sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.
[46:6] 75 tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.
[46:7] 76 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
[46:8] 77 tn The meaning of the verb אָשַׁשׁ (’ashash, which appears here in the Hitpolel stem) is uncertain. BDB 84 s.v. אשׁשׁ relates it to a root meaning “found, establish” in Arabic; HALOT 100 s.v. II אשׁשׁ gives the meaning “pluck up courage.” The imperative with vav (ו) may indicate purpose following the preceding imperative.
[46:8] 78 tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”
[46:9] 79 tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”
[46:9] 80 tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[46:10] 81 tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”
[46:11] 82 tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).
[46:11] 83 tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”
[46:12] 84 tn Heb “strong of heart [or, mind]”; KJV “stouthearted”; NAB “fainthearted”; NIV “stubborn-hearted.”
[46:12] 85 tn Heb “who are far from righteousness [or perhaps, “deliverance”].”
[46:13] 86 tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).
[46:13] 87 tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”
[46:13] 88 tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”
[47:1] 89 tn בְּתוּלַה (bÿtulah) often refers to a virgin, but the phrase “virgin daughter” is apparently stylized (see also 23:12; 37:22). In the extended metaphor of this chapter, where Babylon is personified as a queen (vv. 5, 7), she is depicted as being both a wife and mother (vv. 8-9).
[47:1] 90 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:3] 91 tn Heb “Your shame will be seen.” In this context “shame” is a euphemism referring to the genitals.
[47:3] 92 tn Heb “I will not meet a man.” The verb פָּגַע (pagah) apparently carries the nuance “meet with kindness” here (cf. 64:5, and see BDB 803 s.v. Qal.2).
[47:4] 93 tc The Hebrew text reads, “Our redeemer – the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The ancient Greek version adds “says” before “our redeemer.” אָמַר (’amar) may have accidentally dropped from the text by virtual haplography. Note that the preceding word אָדָם (’adam) is graphically similar.
[47:4] sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[47:5] 94 tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.
[47:5] 95 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:6] 97 tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”
[47:7] 98 tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”
[47:7] 99 tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”
[47:7] 100 tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”
[47:8] 101 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
[47:8] 102 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
[47:8] 103 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
[47:8] 104 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
[47:9] 105 tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
[47:9] 106 tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
[47:9] 107 tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.
[47:9] 108 sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.
[47:10] 109 tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”
[47:10] 110 tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”
[47:10] 111 tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[47:10] 112 tn See the note at v. 8.
[47:11] 113 tc The Hebrew text has שַׁחְרָהּ (shakhrah), which is either a suffixed noun (“its dawning,” i.e., origin) or infinitive (“to look early for it”). Some have suggested an emendation to שַׁחֲדָהּ (shakhadah), a suffixed infinitive from שָׁחַד (shakhad, “[how] to buy it off”; see BDB 1005 s.v. שָׁחַד). This forms a nice parallel with the following couplet. The above translation is based on a different etymology of the verb in question. HALOT 1466 s.v. III שׁחר references a verbal root with these letters (שׁחד) that refers to magical activity.
[47:11] 114 tn Heb “you will not know”; NIV “you cannot foresee.”
[47:12] 115 tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”
[47:12] 116 tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.
[47:12] 117 tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”
[47:12] 118 tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”
[47:12] 119 tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.
[47:13] 120 tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”
[47:13] 121 tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”
[47:14] 122 tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.
[47:14] 123 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “there is no coal [for?] their food, light to sit before it.” Some emend לַחְמָם (lakhmam, “their food”) to לְחֻמָּם (lÿkhummam, “to warm them”; see HALOT 328 s.v. חמם). This statement may allude to Isa 44:16, where idolaters are depicted warming themselves over a fire made from wood, part of which was used to form idols. The fire of divine judgment will be no such campfire; its flames will devour and destroy.
[47:15] 124 tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”
[47:15] 125 tn Heb “that for which you toiled, your traders from your youth.” The omen readers and star gazers are likened to merchants with whom Babylon has had an ongoing economic relationship.
[47:15] 126 tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”
[48:1] 127 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV, CEV “people of Israel.”
[48:1] 128 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and from the waters of Judah came out.” מִמֵּי (mimme) could be a corruption of מִמְּעֵי (mimmÿ’e, “from the inner parts of”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV) as suggested in the above translation. Some translations (ESV, NKJV) retain the MT reading because the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, which corrects a similar form to “from inner parts of” in 39:7, does not do it here.
[48:1] 129 tn Heb “cause to remember”; KJV, ASV “make mention of.”
[48:1] 130 tn Heb “not in truth and not in righteousness.”
[48:2] 131 tn Heb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there.
[48:2] 132 tn Heb “lean on” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “rely on.”
[48:3] 133 tn Heb “the former things beforehand I declared.”
[48:3] 134 tn Heb “and from my mouth they came forth and I caused them to be heard.”
[48:4] 135 tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3.
[48:4] 136 sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.
[48:6] 137 tn Heb “gaze [at] all of it”; KJV “see all this.”
[48:6] 138 tn Heb “[as for] you, will you not declare?”
[48:6] 139 tn Heb “and hidden things, and you do not know them.”
[48:7] 140 tn Heb “are created” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “They are brand new.”
[48:7] 141 tn Heb “look”; KJV, NASB “Behold.”
[48:8] 142 tn Heb “beforehand your ear did not open.”
[48:8] 143 tn Heb “deceiving, you deceive.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[48:8] 144 tn Or “called” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[48:9] 145 tn Heb “for the sake of my name” (so NAB, NASB); NLT “for my own sake.”
[48:9] 146 tn Heb “and my praise.” לְמַעַן (lÿma’an, “for the sake of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[48:9] 147 tn Heb “I restrain [myself] concerning you not to cut you off.”
[48:10] 148 tc The Hebrew text has בְּחַרְתִּיךָ (bÿkhartikha, “I have chosen you”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly בחנתיכה (“I have tested you”). The metallurgical background of the imagery suggests that purification through testing is the idea.
[48:11] 149 tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (lÿma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.
[48:11] 150 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).
[48:12] 152 tn Heb “I [am] he, I [am the] first, also I [am the] last.”
[48:14] 153 sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).
[48:14] 154 tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”
[48:14] sn The
[48:14] 155 tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”
[48:15] 156 tn Heb “and his way will be prosperous.”
[48:16] 157 tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”
[48:16] 158 sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.
[48:17] 159 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[48:17] 160 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[48:18] 161 tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.”
[48:18] 162 tn Heb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant.
[48:18] 163 tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.
[48:19] 164 tn Heb “like sand”; NCV “as many as the grains of sand.”
[48:19] 165 tn Heb “and the issue from your inner parts.”
[48:19] 166 tn Heb “and his name would not be cut off and would not be destroyed from before me.”
[48:20] 167 tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
[48:20] 168 tn Heb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.
[48:21] 169 sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).
[49:1] 170 tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV); NLT “in far-off lands.”
[49:1] sn The Lord’s special servant, introduced in chap. 42, speaks here of his commission.
[49:1] 171 tn Heb “called me from the womb.”
[49:1] 172 tn Heb “from the inner parts of my mother he mentioned my name.”
[49:2] 173 tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”
[49:2] 174 sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.
[49:3] 175 sn This verse identifies the servant as Israel. This seems to refer to the exiled nation (cf. 41:8-9; 44:1-2, 21; 45:4; 48:20), but in vv. 5-6 this servant says he has been commissioned to reconcile Israel to God, so he must be distinct from the exiled nation. This servant is an ideal “Israel” who, like Moses of old, mediates a covenant for the nation (see v. 8), leads them out of bondage (v. 9a), and carries out God’s original plan for Israel by positively impacting the pagan nations (see v. 6b). By living according to God’s law, Israel was to be a model of God’s standards of justice to the surrounding nations (Deut 4:6-8). The sinful nation failed, but the servant, the ideal “Israel,” will succeed by establishing justice throughout the earth.
[49:4] 176 tn Or “said” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “I replied.”
[49:4] 177 tn Heb “for nothing and emptiness.” Synonyms are combined to emphasize the common idea.
[49:4] 178 tn Heb “But my justice is with the Lord, and my reward [or “wage”] with my God.”
[49:5] 179 tn Heb “from the womb” (so KJV, NASB).
[49:5] 180 tn The words “he did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct of purpose is subordinated to the previous statement.
[49:5] 181 tn The vav (ו) + imperfect is translated here as a result clause; one might interpret it as indicating purpose, “and so I might be honored.”
[49:5] 182 tn Heb “and my God is [perhaps, “having been”] my strength.” The disjunctive structure (vav [ו] + subject + verb) is interpreted here as indicating a causal circumstantial clause.
[49:6] 183 tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”
[49:6] 184 sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.
[49:6] 185 tn See the note at 42:6.
[49:6] 186 tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”
[49:7] 187 tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[49:7] 188 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[49:7] 189 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsaa reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”
[49:7] 190 tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”
[49:7] 191 tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).
[49:7] 192 tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.
[49:8] 193 tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצָר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצָר (yatsar, “form”).
[49:8] 194 tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. Here עָם (’am, “people”) appears to refer to Israel. See the note at 42:6.
[49:8] 195 tn The Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “arise”) is probably used here in the sense of “rebuild.”
[49:8] 196 tn The “land” probably stands by metonymy for the ruins within it.
[49:9] 197 tn Heb “to say.” In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct is subordinated to what precedes.
[49:9] 198 tn Heb “in darkness” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “the prisoners of darkness.”
[49:9] 199 tn Heb “show yourselves” (so ASV, NAB, NASB).
[49:10] 200 tn Heb “and the heat and the sun will not strike them.” In Isa 35:7, its only other occurrence in the OT, שָׁרָב (sharav) stands parallel to “parched ground” and in contrast to “pool.” In later Hebrew and Aramaic it refers to “dry heat, heat of the sun” (Jastrow 1627 s.v.). Here it likely has this nuance and forms a hendiadys with “sun.”
[49:12] 201 tc The MT reads “Sinim” here; the Dead Sea Scrolls read “Syene,” a location in Egypt associated with modern Aswan. A number of recent translations adopt this reading: “Syene” (NAB, NRSV); “Aswan” (NIV); “Egypt” (NLT).
[49:12] sn The precise location of the land of Sinim is uncertain, but since the north and west are mentioned in the previous line, it was a probably located in the distant east or south.
[49:13] 202 tn Or “O heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[49:13] 203 tn Heb “his” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[49:14] 204 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[49:15] 205 tn Heb “her suckling”; NASB “her nursing child.”
[49:15] 206 tn Heb “so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb?”
[49:15] 207 tn Heb “these” (so ASV, NASB).
[49:15] 208 sn The argument of v. 15 seems to develop as follows: The Lord has an innate attachment to Zion, just like a mother does for her infant child. But even if mothers were to suddenly abandon their children, the Lord would never forsake Zion. In other words, the Lord’s attachment to Zion is like a mother’s attachment to her infant child, but even stronger.
[49:16] 209 tn Heb “you.” Here the pronoun is put by metonymy for the person’s name.
[49:18] 210 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see.”
[49:19] 211 tn Heb “Indeed your ruins and your desolate places, and the land of your destruction.” This statement is abruptly terminated in the Hebrew text and left incomplete.
[49:20] 212 tn Heb “me.” The singular is collective.
[49:20] 213 tn Heb “draw near to me so I can dwell.”
[49:21] 214 tn Heb “and you will say in your heart.”
[49:21] 215 tn Or “exiled and thrust away”; NIV “exiled and rejected.”
[49:23] 216 tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).
[49:23] 217 tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.
[49:23] 218 tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”
[49:24] 219 tc The Hebrew text has צָדִיק (tsadiq, “a righteous [one]”), but this makes no sense in the parallelism. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly עריץ (“violent [one], tyrant”; see v. 25).
[49:26] 220 sn Verse 26a depicts siege warfare and bloody defeat. The besieged enemy will be so starved they will their own flesh. The bloodstained bodies lying on the blood-soaked battle site will look as if they collapsed in drunkenness.
[49:26] 221 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB).
[49:26] 222 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[49:26] 223 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.” See 1:24.
[50:1] 224 sn The Lord challenges the exiles (Zion’s children) to bring incriminating evidence against him. The rhetorical questions imply that Israel accused the Lord of divorcing his wife (Zion) and selling his children (the Israelites) into slavery to pay off a debt.
[50:1] 225 sn The Lord admits that he did sell the Israelites, but it was because of their sins, not because of some debt he owed. If he had sold them to a creditor, they ought to be able to point him out, but the preceding rhetorical question implies they would not be able to do so.
[50:1] 226 sn The Lord admits he did divorce Zion, but that too was the result of the nation’s sins. The force of the earlier rhetorical question comes into clearer focus now. The question does not imply that a certificate does not exist and that no divorce occurred. Rather, the question asks for the certificate to be produced so the accuser can see the reason for the divorce in black and white. The Lord did not put Zion away arbitrarily.
[50:2] 227 sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.
[50:2] 228 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).
[50:2] 229 tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
[50:2] 230 tn Heb “with my rebuke.”
[50:2] 231 tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”
[50:4] 232 tn Heb “has given to me a tongue of disciples.”
[50:4] sn Verses 4-11 contain the third of the so-called servant songs, which depict the career of the Lord’s special servant, envisioned as an ideal Israel (49:3) who rescues the exiles and fulfills God’s purposes for the world. Here the servant alludes to opposition (something hinted at in 49:4), but also expresses his determination to persevere with the Lord’s help.
[50:4] 233 tc Heb “to know [?] the weary with a word.” Comparing it with Arabic and Aramaic cognates yields the meaning of “help, sustain.” Nevertheless, the meaning of עוּת (’ut) is uncertain. The word occurs only here in the OT (see BDB 736 s.v.). Various scholars have suggested an emendation to עָנוֹת (’anot) from עָנָה (’anah, “answer”): “so that I know how to respond kindly to the weary.” Since the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and the Vulgate support the MT reading, that reading is retained.
[50:4] 234 tn Heb “he arouses for me an ear, to hear like disciples.”
[50:5] 235 tn Or perhaps, “makes me obedient.” The text reads literally, “has opened for me an ear.”
[50:6] 236 tn Or perhaps, “who beat [me].”
[50:7] 237 tn Heb “Therefore I set my face like flint.”
[50:8] 238 tn Heb “Let us stand together!”
[50:8] 239 tn Heb “Who is the master of my judgment?”
[50:8] 240 tn Heb “let him approach me”; NAB, NIV “Let him confront me.”
[50:10] 241 tn Heb “[who] listens to the voice of his servant?” The interrogative is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[50:10] 242 tn The plural indicates degree. Darkness may refer to exile and/or moral evil.
[50:11] 243 tc Several more recent commentators have proposed an emendation of מְאַזְּרֵי (mÿ’azzÿre, “who put on”) to מְאִירִי (mÿ’iri, “who light”). However, both Qumran scrolls of Isaiah and the Vulgate support the MT reading (cf. NIV, ESV).
[50:11] 244 tn On the meaning of זִיקוֹת (ziqot, “flaming arrows”), see HALOT 268 s.v. זִיקוֹת.
[50:11] 245 tn The imperative is probably rhetorical and has a predictive force.
[50:11] 246 tn Or perhaps, “flame” (so ASV).
[50:11] 247 sn Perhaps the servant here speaks to his enemies and warns them that they will self-destruct.
[50:11] 248 tn Heb “from my hand” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[50:11] 249 sn The imagery may be that of a person who becomes ill and is forced to lie down in pain on a sickbed. Some see this as an allusion to a fiery place of damnation because of the imagery employed earlier in the verse.
