Isaiah 5:16

New English Translation

¹⁶The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be exalted^[a] when he punishes,^[b]
the holy God’s authority will be recognized when he judges.^[c]

Isaiah 5:16 tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”
Isaiah 5:16 tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.
Isaiah 5:16 tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.sn The appearance of מִשְׁפָט (mishpat, “justice”) and צְדָקָה (ts^edaqah, “fairness”) here is rhetorically significant, when one recalls v. 7. There God denounces his people for failing to produce a society where “justice” and “fairness” are valued and maintained. God will judge his people for their failure, taking “justice” and “fairness” into his own hands.

New English Translation (NET)