Isaiah 9-10
Authorized (King James) Version
9 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them hath the light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy:
they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest,
and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood;
but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,
to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob,
and it hath lighted upon Israel.
9 And all the people shall know,
even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria,
that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,
10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones:
the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and join his enemies together;
12 the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind;
and they shall devour Israel with open mouth.
For all this his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them,
neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail,
branch and rush, in one day.
15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head;
and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err;
and they that are led of them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men,
neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows:
for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaketh folly.
For all this his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burneth as the fire:
it shall devour the briers and thorns,
and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest,
and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened,
and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire:
no man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry;
and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied:
they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:
21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh:
and they together shall be against Judah.
For all this his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
10 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees,
and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;
2 to turn aside the needy from judgment,
and to take away the right from the poor of my people,
that widows may be their prey,
and that they may rob the fatherless!
3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation,
and in the desolation which shall come from far?
to whom will ye flee for help?
and where will ye leave your glory?
4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners,
and they shall fall under the slain.
For all this his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger,
and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation,
and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge,
to take the spoil, and to take the prey,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Howbeit he meaneth not so,
neither doth his heart think so;
but it is in his heart to destroy
and cut off nations not a few.
8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 Is not Calno as Carchemish?
is not Hamath as Arpad?
is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols,
and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
11 shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols,
so do to Jerusalem and her idols?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass,
that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem,
I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria,
and the glory of his high looks.
13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom; for I am prudent:
and I have removed the bounds of the people,
and have robbed their treasures,
and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:
14 and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people:
and as one gathereth eggs that are left,
have I gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved the wing,
or opened the mouth, or peeped.
15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith?
or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it?
as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up,
or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.
16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
send among his fat ones leanness;
and under his glory he shall kindle a burning
like the burning of a fire.
17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire,
and his Holy One for a flame:
and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;
18 and shall consume the glory of his forest,
and of his fruitful field, both soul and body:
and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.
19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few,
that a child may write them.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel,
and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob,
shall no more again stay upon him that smote them;
but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob,
unto the mighty God.
22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea,
yet a remnant of them shall return:
the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption,
even determined, in the midst of all the land.
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts,
O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian:
he shall smite thee with a rod,
and shall lift up his staff against thee,
after the manner of Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease,
and mine anger in their destruction.
26 And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him
according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb:
and as his rod was upon the sea,
so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.
27 And it shall come to pass in that day,
that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder,
and his yoke from off thy neck,
and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron;
at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:
29 they are gone over the passage:
they have taken up their lodging at Geba;
Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.
30 Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim:
cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.
31 Madmenah is removed;
the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day:
he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror:
and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down,
and the haughty shall be humbled.
34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
Isaiah 9-10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Righteous Reign of the Coming King
9 [a]But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.(A)
2 [b]The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.(B)
3 You have multiplied exultation;[c]
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as people exult when dividing plunder.(C)
4 For the yoke of their burden
and the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.(D)
5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors
and all the garments rolled in blood
shall be burned as fuel for the fire.(E)
6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders,
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(F)
7 Great will be his authority,[d]
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.(G)
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression
8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
and it fell on Israel,
9 and all the people knew it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
but in pride and arrogance of heart they said:(H)
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 So the Lord raised adversaries[e] against them
and stirred up their enemies,(I)
12 the Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west,
and they devoured Israel with open mouth.
For all this his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.(J)
13 The people did not turn to him who struck them
or seek the Lord of hosts.(K)
14 So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day—(L)
15 elders and dignitaries are the head,
and prophets who teach lies are the tail,(M)
16 for those who led this people led them astray,
and those who were led by them were left in confusion.(N)
17 That is why the Lord did not have pity on[f] their young people
or compassion on their orphans and widows,
for everyone was godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth spoke folly.
For all this his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.(O)
18 For wickedness burned like a fire,
consuming briers and thorns;
it kindled the thickets of the forest,
and they swirled upward in a column of smoke.(P)
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
the land was burned,
and the people became like fuel for the fire;
no one spared another.(Q)
20 They gorged on the right but still were hungry,
and they devoured on the left but were not satisfied;
they devoured the flesh of their own kindred;[g](R)
21 Manasseh devoured Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
and together they were against Judah.
For all this his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.(S)
10 Woe to those who make iniquitous decrees,
who write oppressive statutes,(T)
2 to turn aside the needy from justice
and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
to make widows their spoil
and to plunder orphans!(U)
3 What will you do on the day of punishment,
in the calamity that will come from far away?
To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth,(V)
4 so as not to crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the slain?
For all this his anger has not turned away;
his hand is stretched out still.(W)
Arrogant Assyria Also Judged
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger—
the club in their hands is my fury!(X)
6 Against a godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take spoil and seize plunder,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.(Y)
7 But this is not what he intends,
nor does he have this in mind,
but it is in his heart to destroy
and to cut off nations not a few.(Z)
8 For he says:
“Are not my commanders all kings?(AA)
9 Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?(AB)
10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols
whose images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,(AC)
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols
what I have done to Samaria and her images?”
12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he[h] will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.(AD) 13 For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I have removed the boundaries of peoples
and have plundered their treasures;
like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.(AE)
14 My hand has found, like a nest,
the wealth of the peoples,
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth,
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened its mouth or chirped.”(AF)
15 Shall the ax vaunt itself over the one who wields it
or the saw magnify itself against the one who handles it?
As if a rod should raise the one who lifts it up,
or as if a staff should lift the one who is not wood!(AG)
16 Therefore the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts,
will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled
like the burning of fire.(AH)
17 The light of Israel will become a fire
and his Holy One a flame,
and it will burn and devour
his thorns and briers in one day.(AI)
18 The glory of his forest and his fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when an invalid wastes away.(AJ)
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.(AK)
The Repentant Remnant of Israel
20 On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer lean on the one who struck them but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.(AL) 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.(AM) 22 For though your people, O Israel, were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, an overwhelming verdict.(AN) 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in all the earth.[i](AO)
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they beat you with a rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 25 For in a very little while my indignation will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.”(AP) 26 The Lord of hosts will wield a whip against them, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb; his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt.(AQ) 27 On that day his burden will be removed from your shoulder, and his yoke will be destroyed from your neck.
He has gone up from Samaria;[j](AR)
28 he has come to Aiath;
he has passed through Migron;
at Michmash he stores his baggage;(AS)
29 they have crossed over the pass;
at Geba they lodge for the night;
Ramah trembles;
Gibeah of Saul has fled.(AT)
30 Cry aloud, O daughter Gallim!
Listen, O Laishah!
Answer her, O Anathoth!(AU)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.(AV)
32 This very day he will halt at Nob;
he will shake his fist
at the mount of daughter Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.(AW)
33 Look, the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts,
will lop the boughs with terrifying power;
the tallest trees will be cut down,
and the lofty will be brought low.(AX)
34 He will hack down the thickets of the forest with an ax,
and Lebanon with its majestic trees[k] will fall.
Footnotes
- 9.1 8.23 in Heb
- 9.2 9.1 in Heb
- 9.3 Cn: Heb multiplied the nation not
- 9.7 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 9.11 Cn: Heb the adversaries of Rezin
- 9.17 Q ms: MT rejoice over
- 9.20 Or arm
- 10.12 Gk: Heb I
- 10.23 Or land
- 10.27 Cn: Heb and his yoke from your neck, and a yoke will be destroyed because of fatness
- 10.34 Cn Compare Gk Vg: Heb with a majestic one
Isaiah 9-10
English Standard Version
For to Us a Child Is Born
9 [a] But there will be no (A)gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he (B)brought into contempt the land of (C)Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he (D)has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.[b]
2 [c] (E)The people (F)who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of (G)deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
3 (H)You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with (I)joy at the harvest,
as they (J)are glad (K)when they divide the spoil.
4 (L)For the yoke of his burden,
(M)and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as (N)on the day of Midian.
5 (O)For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 (P)For to us a child is born,
to us (Q)a son is given;
(R)and the government shall be (S)upon[d] his shoulder,
and his name shall be called[e]
Wonderful (T)Counselor, (U)Mighty God,
(V)Everlasting (W)Father, Prince of (X)Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
(Y)there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
(Z)with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
(AA)The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression
8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
and it will fall on Israel;
9 and all the people will know,
(AB)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;
the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place.”
11 But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and stirs up his enemies.
12 (AC)The Syrians on the east and (AD)the Philistines on the west
devour Israel with open mouth.
(AE)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
13 The people (AF)did not turn to him who struck them,
nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
14 So the Lord cut off from Israel (AG)head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day—
15 (AH)the elder and honored man is the head,
and (AI)the prophet who teaches lies is the tail;
16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up.
17 Therefore the Lord does not (AJ)rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;
for everyone is (AK)godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks (AL)folly.[f]
(AM)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burns like (AN)a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns;
it kindles the thickets of the forest,
and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
the land is scorched,
and (AO)the people are like fuel for the fire;
(AP)no one spares another.
20 (AQ)They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;
(AR)each devours the flesh of his own arm,
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
together they are (AS)against Judah.
(AT)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
10 Woe to those who (AU)decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who (AV)keep writing oppression,
2 to turn aside the needy from justice
and (AW)to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
3 What will you do on (AX)the day of punishment,
in the ruin that will come (AY)from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the slain.
(AZ)For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
Judgment on Arrogant Assyria
5 Woe to Assyria, (BA)the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury!
6 Against a (BB)godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,
to take (BC)spoil and seize plunder,
and to (BD)tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 But he (BE)does not so intend,
and his heart does not so think;
but it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off nations not a few;
8 for he says:
(BF)“Are not my commanders all kings?
9 (BG)Is not (BH)Calno like (BI)Carchemish?
Is not (BJ)Hamath like (BK)Arpad?
(BL)Is not (BM)Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to (BN)the kingdoms of the idols,
whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and (BO)her idols
(BP)as I have done to Samaria and her images?”
12 (BQ)When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, (BR)he[g] will punish the speech[h] of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 (BS)For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
and plunder their treasures;
like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14 My hand has found like a nest
the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened the mouth or chirped.”
15 Shall (BT)the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts
will send wasting sickness among his (BU)stout warriors,
and under his glory (BV)a burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
17 (BW)The light of Israel will become a fire,
and (BX)his Holy One a flame,
and (BY)it will burn and devour
his thorns and briers (BZ)in one day.
18 The glory of (CA)his forest and of his (CB)fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.
The Remnant of Israel Will Return
20 (CC)In that day (CD)the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more (CE)lean on him who struck them, but (CF)will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, (CG)to the mighty God. 22 (CH)For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, (CI)only a remnant of them will return. (CJ)Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, (CK)who dwell in Zion, (CL)be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as (CM)the Egyptians did. 25 For (CN)in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 And (CO)the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck (CP)Midian (CQ)at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it (CR)as he did in Egypt. 27 And in that day (CS)his burden will depart from your shoulder, and (CT)his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”[i]
28 He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through (CU)Migron;
at Michmash he stores (CV)his baggage;
29 they have crossed over (CW)the pass;
at (CX)Geba they lodge for the night;
(CY)Ramah trembles;
(CZ)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud, O daughter of (DA)Gallim!
Give attention, O Laishah!
O poor (DB)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 This very day he will halt at (DC)Nob;
he will shake his fist
at the mount of (DD)the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
(DE)will lop (DF)the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down (DG)the thickets of the forest with an axe,
and (DH)Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Hebrew
- Isaiah 9:1 Or of the Gentiles
- Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Hebrew
- Isaiah 9:6 Or is upon
- Isaiah 9:6 Or is called
- Isaiah 9:17 Or speaks disgraceful things
- Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew I
- Isaiah 10:12 Hebrew fruit
- Isaiah 10:27 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Isaiah 9-10
New American Standard Bible
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
9 [a]But there will be no more (A)gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He (B)treated the (C)land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the [b]Gentiles.
2 [c](D)The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 (E)You will multiply the nation,
You (F)will [d]increase [e]their joy;
They will rejoice in Your presence
As with the joy [f]of harvest,
As people (G)rejoice when they divide the spoils.
4 For (H)You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their (I)oppressor, as [g]at the battle of (J)Midian.
5 For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a (K)Child will be born to us, a (L)Son will be given to us;
And the (M)government will [h]rest (N)on His shoulders;
And His name will be called (O)Wonderful Counselor, (P)Mighty God,
Eternal (Q)Father, Prince of (R)Peace.
7 There will be (S)no end to the increase of His government or of peace
On the (T)throne of David and over [i]his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with (U)justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
(V)The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.
God’s Anger with Israel’s Arrogance
8 The Lord sends a [j]message against Jacob,
And it falls on Israel.
9 And all the people know it,
That is, (W)Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
Asserting in pride and in (X)arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will (Y)rebuild with smooth stones;
The sycamores have been cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord raises superior adversaries against them from (Z)Rezin
And provokes their enemies,
12 The Arameans from the east and the (AA)Philistines from the west;
And they (AB)devour Israel with [k]gaping jaws.
(AC)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away,
And His hand is still stretched out.
13 Yet the people (AD)do not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they (AE)seek the Lord of armies.
14 So the Lord cuts off (AF)head and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush (AG)in a single day.
15 The head is (AH)the elder and esteemed man,
And the prophet who teaches (AI)falsehood is the tail.
16 (AJ)For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are [l]confused.
17 Therefore the Lord does (AK)not rejoice over their young men,
(AL)Nor does He have compassion on their [m]orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is (AM)godless and an (AN)evildoer,
And every (AO)mouth is speaking foolishness.
(AP)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away,
And His hand is still stretched out.
18 (AQ)For wickedness burns like a fire;
It consumes briars and thorns;
It also sets the thickets of the forest aflame
And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the (AR)wrath of the Lord of armies the (AS)land is burned,
And the (AT)people are like fuel for the fire;
No (AU)one spares his brother.
20 [n]They devour what is on the right hand but are still (AV)hungry,
And [o]they eat what is on the left hand, but they are not satisfied;
Each of them eats the (AW)flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh,
(AX)And together they are against Judah.
(AY)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
Assyria Is God’s Instrument
10 Woe to those who (AZ)enact unjust statutes
And to those who constantly record [p]harmful decisions,
2 So as (BA)to [q]deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor among My people of their rights,
So (BB)that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the [r]orphans.
3 Now (BC)what will you do in the (BD)day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come (BE)from afar?
(BF)To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch [s]among the (BG)captives
Or fall [t]among those (BH)killed.
(BI)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to (BJ)Assyria, the (BK)rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is (BL)My indignation,
6 I send it against a (BM)godless nation
And commission it against the (BN)people of My fury
To capture spoils and (BO)to seize plunder,
And to [u]trample them down like (BP)mud in the streets.
7 Yet it (BQ)does not so intend,
Nor does [v]it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is [w]its purpose to destroy
And to eliminate [x]many nations.
8 For it says, “Are not my officers [y]all kings?
9 Is not (BR)Calno like (BS)Carchemish,
Or (BT)Hamath like Arpad,
Or (BU)Samaria like (BV)Damascus?
10 As my hand has reached to the (BW)kingdoms of the idols,
Whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not do the same to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and (BX)her idols?”
12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His (BY)work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will [z]punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and (BZ)the arrogant pride of his eyes.” 13 For (CA)he has said,
“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
Because I have understanding;
And I (CB)removed the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a powerful man I brought down [aa]their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a (CC)nest,
And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing, opened its beak, or chirped.”
15 Is the (CD)axe to (CE)boast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like (CF)a [ab]club wielding those who lift it,
Or like (CG)a rod lifting the one who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the [ac]God of armies, will send a (CH)wasting disease among his (CI)stout warriors;
And under his (CJ)glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the (CK)Light of Israel will become a fire and [ad]Israel’s (CL)Holy One a flame,
And it will (CM)burn and devour [ae]his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will (CN)destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the (CO)rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number
That a child could write them down.
A Remnant Will Return
20 Now on that day the (CP)remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob (CQ)who have escaped, will no longer rely on the one who struck them, but will truly (CR)rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A (CS)remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the (CT)mighty God.
22 For (CU)though your people, Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A (CV)destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a complete destruction, one that is determined, (CW)the Lord [af]God of armies will execute in the midst of the whole land.
24 Therefore this is what the Lord [ag]God of armies says: “My people, you who dwell in (CX)Zion, (CY)do not fear the Assyrian [ah]who (CZ)strikes you with the rod, and lifts up his staff against you the way Egypt did. 25 For in a very (DA)little while (DB)My indignation against you will be ended and My anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The Lord of armies will (DC)wield a whip against him like the defeat of (DD)Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His (DE)staff will be over the sea, and He will lift it up (DF)the way He did in Egypt. 27 So it will be on that day, that [ai]his (DG)burden will be removed from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because (DH)of fatness.
28 He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through (DI)Migron;
At (DJ)Michmash he deposited his (DK)baggage.
29 They have gone through (DL)the pass, saying,
“(DM)Geba will be our encampment for the night.”
(DN)Ramah is terrified, and (DO)Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of (DP)Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and [aj]wretched (DQ)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 Yet today he will halt at (DR)Nob;
He (DS)shakes his fist at the mountain of the [ak](DT)daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the [al]God of armies, will lop off the branches with terrifying power;
Those also who are (DU)tall in stature will be cut down,
And those who are lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And (DV)Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:1 Or nations
- Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
- Isaiah 9:3 Another reading is not increase
- Isaiah 9:3 Lit the
- Isaiah 9:3 Lit in
- Isaiah 9:4 Lit in the day of Midian
- Isaiah 9:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 9:7 I.e., David’s
- Isaiah 9:8 Lit word
- Isaiah 9:12 Lit the whole mouth
- Isaiah 9:16 Or swallowed up
- Isaiah 9:17 Or fatherless
- Isaiah 9:20 Lit And he slices
- Isaiah 9:20 Lit he eats
- Isaiah 10:1 Lit harm
- Isaiah 10:2 Lit turn the needy aside from
- Isaiah 10:2 Or fatherless
- Isaiah 10:4 Lit under
- Isaiah 10:4 Lit under
- Isaiah 10:6 Lit make them a trampled place
- Isaiah 10:7 Lit its heart so plan
- Isaiah 10:7 Lit in its heart
- Isaiah 10:7 Lit not a few
- Isaiah 10:8 Lit altogether
- Isaiah 10:12 Lit visit
- Isaiah 10:13 Or those who sit on thrones
- Isaiah 10:15 Lit staff
- Isaiah 10:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 10:17 Lit his
- Isaiah 10:17 I.e., the Assyrian king’s forces
- Isaiah 10:23 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 10:24 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 10:24 Lit he
- Isaiah 10:27 I.e., the Assyrian
- Isaiah 10:30 An ancient version reads Answer her, O Anathoth
- Isaiah 10:32 Another reading is house of
- Isaiah 10:33 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Isaiah 9-10
New English Translation
9 1 (8:23)[a] The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious.[b]
In earlier times he[c] humiliated
the land of Zebulun,
and the land of Naphtali;[d]
but now he brings honor[e]
to the way of the sea,
the region beyond the Jordan,
and Galilee of the nations.[f]
2 (9:1) The people walking in darkness
see a bright light;[g]
light shines
on those who live in a land of deep darkness.[h]
3 You[i] have enlarged the nation;
you give them great joy.[j]
They rejoice in your presence
as harvesters rejoice;
as warriors celebrate[k] when they divide up the plunder.
4 For their oppressive yoke
and the club that strikes their shoulders,
the cudgel the oppressor uses on them,[l]
you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat.[m]
5 Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth[n]
and every garment dragged through blood
is used as fuel for the fire.
6 For a child has been[o] born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility[p]
and is called[q]
Wonderful Adviser,[r]
Mighty God,[s]
Everlasting Father,[t]
Prince of Peace.[u]
7 His dominion will be vast,[v]
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity.[w]
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom,[x]
establishing it[y] and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness,[z]
from this time forward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[aa] will accomplish this.
God’s Judgment Intensifies
8 [ab] The Lord[ac] decreed judgment[ad] on Jacob,
and it fell on Israel.[ae]
9 All the people were aware[af] of it,
the people of Ephraim and those living in Samaria.[ag]
Yet with pride and an arrogant attitude, they said,[ah]
10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with chiseled stone;
the sycamore fig trees have been cut down,
but we will replace them with cedars.”[ai]
11 Then the Lord provoked[aj] their adversaries to attack them,[ak]
he stirred up[al] their enemies—
12 Syria from the east,
and the Philistines from the west;
they gobbled up Israelite territory.[am]
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again.[an]
13 The people did not return to the one who struck them,
they did not seek reconciliation[ao] with the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail,
both the shoots and stalk[ap] in one day.
15 The leaders and the highly respected people[aq] are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 The leaders of this nation were misleading people,
and the people being led were destroyed.[ar]
17 So the Lord was not pleased[as] with their young men,
he took no pity[at] on their orphans and widows;
for the whole nation was godless[au] and did wicked things,[av]
every mouth was speaking disgraceful words.[aw]
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again.[ax]
18 For[ay] evil burned like a fire,[az]
it consumed thorns and briers;
it burned up the thickets of the forest,
and they went up in smoke.[ba]
19 Because of the anger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the land was scorched,[bb]
and the people became fuel for the fire.[bc]
People had no compassion on one another.[bd]
20 They devoured[be] on the right, but were still hungry;
they ate on the left, but were not satisfied.
People even ate[bf] the flesh of their own arm![bg]
21 Manasseh fought against[bh] Ephraim,
and Ephraim against Manasseh;
together they fought against Judah.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again.[bi]
10 Beware, those who enact unjust policies;[bj]
those who are always instituting unfair regulations,[bk]
2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,
and to deprive[bl] the oppressed among my people of justice,
so they can steal what widows own,
and loot what belongs to orphans.[bm]
3 What will you do on judgment day,[bn]
when destruction arrives from a distant place?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your wealth?
4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,
or to fall among those who have been killed.[bo]
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again.[bp]
The Lord Turns on Arrogant Assyria
5 “Beware, Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger,[bq]
a cudgel with which I angrily punish.[br]
6 I sent him[bs] against a godless[bt] nation,
I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry,[bu]
to take plunder and to carry away loot,
to trample them down[bv] like dirt in the streets.
7 But he does not agree with this;
his mind does not reason this way,[bw]
for his goal is to destroy,
and to eliminate many nations.[bx]
8 Indeed,[by] he says:
‘Are not my officials all kings?
9 Is not Calneh like Carchemish?
Hamath like Arpad?
Samaria like Damascus?[bz]
10 I overpowered kingdoms ruled by idols,[ca]
whose carved images were more impressive than Jerusalem’s or Samaria’s.
11 As I have done to Samaria and its idols,
so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols.”[cb]
12 But when[cc] the Lord[cd] finishes judging[ce] Mount Zion and Jerusalem, then he[cf] will punish the king of Assyria for what he has proudly planned and for the arrogant attitude he displays.[cg] 13 For he says:
“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,
by my strategy that I devised.
I invaded the territory of nations,[ch]
and looted their storehouses.
Like a mighty conqueror,[ci] I brought down rulers.[cj]
14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,
as one gathers up abandoned eggs,
I gathered up the whole earth.
There was no wing flapping,
or open mouth chirping.”[ck]
15 Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it,
or a saw magnify itself over the one who cuts with it?[cl]
As if a scepter should brandish the one who raises it,
or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!
16 For this reason[cm] the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make his healthy ones emaciated.[cn]
His majestic glory will go up in smoke.[co]
17 The Light of Israel[cp] will become a fire,
their Holy One[cq] will become a flame;
it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s[cr] briers
and his thorns in one day.
18 The splendor of his forest and his orchard
will be completely destroyed,[cs]
as when a sick man’s life ebbs away.[ct]
19 There will be so few trees left in his forest,
a child will be able to count them.[cu]
20 At that time[cv] those left in Israel, those who remain of the family[cw] of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them.[cx] Instead they will truly[cy] rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.[cz] 21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.[da] 22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as[db] the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back.[dc] Destruction has been decreed;[dd] just punishment[de] is about to engulf you.[df] 23 The Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies is certainly ready to carry out the decreed destruction throughout the land.[dg]
24 So[dh] here is what the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did.[di] 25 For very soon my fury[dj] will subside, and my anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is about to beat them[dk] with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb.[dl] He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt.[dm]
27 At that time[dn]
the Lord will remove their burden from your shoulders,[do]
and their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be taken off because your neck will be too large.[dp]
28 [dq] They[dr] attacked[ds] Aiath,
moved through Migron,
depositing their supplies at Micmash.
29 They went through the pass,
spent the night at Geba.
Ramah trembled,
Gibeah of Saul ran away.
30 Shout out, daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah!
Answer her, Anathoth![dt]
31 Madmenah flees,
the residents of Gebim have hidden.
32 This very day, standing in Nob,
they shake their fist at Daughter Zion’s mountain[du]—
at the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Look, the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies
is ready to cut off the branches with terrifying power.[dv]
The tallest trees[dw] will be cut down,
the loftiest ones will be brought low.
34 The thickets of the forest will be chopped down with an ax,
and mighty Lebanon will fall.[dx]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 9:1 sn In the Hebrew text (BHS) the chapter division comes one verse later than in the English Bible; 9:1 (8:23 HT). Thus 9:2-21 in the English Bible = 9:1-20 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 10:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
- Isaiah 9:1 tn The Hebrew text reads, “Indeed there is no gloom for the one to whom there was anxiety for her.” The feminine singular pronominal suffix “her” must refer to the land (cf. vv. 22a, 23b). So one could translate, “Indeed there will be no gloom for the land which was anxious.” In this case the statement introduces the positive message to follow. Some assume an emendation of לֹא (loʾ, “no”) to לוֹ (lo, “to him”) and of לָהּ (lah, “to her”) to לוֹ (lo, “to him”), yielding this literal reading: “indeed there is gloom for him, for the one to whom there was anxiety for him.” In this case the statement concludes the preceding description of judgment.
- Isaiah 9:1 tn The Lord must be understood as the subject of the two verbs in this verse.
- Isaiah 9:1 sn The statement probably alludes to the Assyrian conquest of Israel in ca. 734-733 b.c., when Tiglath-Pileser III annexed much of Israel’s territory and reduced Samaria to a puppet state.
- Isaiah 9:1 tn Heb “Just as in earlier times he humiliated…, [in] the latter times he has brought honor.” The main verbs in vv. 1b-4 are Hebrew perfects. The prophet takes his rhetorical stance in the future age of restoration and describes future events as if they have already occurred. To capture the dramatic effect of the original text, the translation uses the English present or present perfect.
- Isaiah 9:1 sn These three geographical designations may refer to provinces established by the Assyrians in 734-733 b.c. The “way of the sea” is the province of Dor, along the Mediterranean coast, the “region beyond the Jordan” is the province of Gilead in Transjordan, and “Galilee of the nations” (a title that alludes to how the territory had been overrun by foreigners) is the province of Megiddo located west of the Sea of Galilee. See Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 374.
- Isaiah 9:2 sn The darkness symbolizes judgment and its effects (see 8:22); the light represents deliverance and its effects, brought about by the emergence of a conquering Davidic king (see vv. 3-6).
- Isaiah 9:2 tn Traditionally צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has been interpreted as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (so KJV, ASV, NIV), but usage indicates that the word, though it sometimes refers to death, means “darkness.” The term should probably be repointed as an abstract noun צַלְמוּת (tsalmut). See the note at Ps 23:4.
- Isaiah 9:3 sn The Lord is addressed directly in vv. 3-4.
- Isaiah 9:3 tc The Hebrew consonantal text reads “You multiply the nation, you do not make great the joy.” The particle לֹא (loʾ, “not”) is obviously incorrect; the marginal reading has לוֹ (lo, “to him”). In this case, one should translate, “You multiply the nation, you increase his (i.e., their) joy.” However, the parallelism is tighter if one emends הַגּוֹי לוֹ (haggoy lo, “the nation, to him”) to הַגִּילָה (haggilah, “the joy,” a noun attested in Isa 65:18), which corresponds to הַשִּׂמְחָה (hasimkhah, “the joy”) later in the verse (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:386). As attractive as this reading is, it has no textual evidence supporting it. The MT reading (accepting the marginal reading “to him” for the negative particle “not”) affirms that Yahweh caused the nation to grow in population and increased their joy.
- Isaiah 9:3 tn Heb “as they are happy.” The word “warriors” is supplied in the translation to clarify the word picture. This last simile comes close to reality, for vv. 4-5 indicate that the people have won a great military victory over their oppressors.
- Isaiah 9:4 tn Heb “for the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the scepter of the oppressor against him.” The singular pronouns are collective, referring to the people. The oppressed nation is compared to an ox weighed down by a heavy yoke and an animal that is prodded and beaten.
- Isaiah 9:4 sn This alludes to Gideon’s victory over Midian (Judg 7-8), when the Lord delivered Israel from an oppressive foreign invader.
- Isaiah 9:5 tn Heb “Indeed every boot marching with shaking.” On the meaning of סְאוֹן (seʾon, “boot”) and the related denominative verb, both of which occur only here, see HALOT 738 s.v. סְאוֹן.
- Isaiah 9:6 tn The Hebrew perfect (translated “has been born” and “has been given”) is used here as the prophet takes a rhetorical stance in the future. See the note at 9:1.
- Isaiah 9:6 tn Heb “dominion has come to be on his shoulder.” In most occurrences, a burden is placed on the shoulder, but authority is also placed on the shoulder in Isa 22:22.
- Isaiah 9:6 tn Or “and dominion was on his shoulders, and he called his name.” The prefixed verbs with vav (ו) consecutive are used with the same rhetorical sense as the perfects in v. 6a. See the preceding note. There is great debate over the syntactical structure of the verse. No subject is indicated for the verb “he called.” If all the titles that follow are ones given to the king, then the subject of the verb must be indefinite, “one calls.” However, some have suggested that one to three of the titles that follow refer to God, not the king. For example, the traditional punctuation of the Hebrew text suggests the translation, “and the Wonderful Adviser, the Mighty God called his name, ‘Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’”
- Isaiah 9:6 tn Or “Extraordinary Strategist,” “a wonder of a counselor,” or “one who plans a miraculous thing” (HALOT 928 s.v. פֶּלֶא). Some have seen two titles here (“Wonderful” and “Counselor,” cf. KJV, ASV). However, the pattern of the following three titles (each contains two elements) and the use of the roots פָּלַא (palaʾ) and יָעַץ (yaʿats) together in Isa 25:1 (cf. כִּי עָשִׂיתָ פֶּלֶא עֵצוֹת מֵרָחוֹק אֱמוּנָה אֹמֶן) and 28:29 (cf. הִפְלִיא עֵצָה) suggest otherwise. The term יוֹעֵץ (yoʿets) could be taken as appositional (genitive or otherwise) of species (“a wonder, i.e., a wonder as a counselor,” cf. NAB “Wonder-Counselor”) or as a substantival participle for which פָּלַא provides the direct object (“one who counsels wonders”). יוֹעֵץ is used as a royal title elsewhere (cf. Mic 4:9). Here it probably refers to the king’s ability to devise military strategy, as suggested by the context (cf. vv. 3-4 and the following title אֵל גִּבּוֹר, ʾel gibbor). In Isa 11:2 (also a description of this king) עֵצָה (ʿetsah) is linked with גְּבוּרָה (gevurah, the latter being typically used of military might, cf. BDB 150 s.v.). Note also עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה לַמִּלְחָמָה in Isa 36:5. פֶּלֶא (peleʾ) is typically used of God (cf. however Lam 1:9). Does this suggest the deity of the messianic ruler? The NT certainly teaches he is God, but did Isaiah necessarily have this in mind over 700 years before his birth? Since Isa 11:2 points out that this king will receive the spirit of the Lord, which will enable him to counsel, it is possible to argue that the king’s counsel is “extraordinary” because it finds its source in the divine spirit.
- Isaiah 9:6 tn גִּבּוֹר (gibbor) is probably an attributive adjective (“mighty God”), though one might translate “God is a warrior” or “God is mighty.” Scholars have interpreted this title in two ways. A number of them have argued that the title portrays the king as God’s representative on the battlefield, whom God empowers in a supernatural way (see J. H. Hayes and S. A. Irvine, Isaiah, 181-82). They contend that this sense seems more likely in the original context of the prophecy. They would suggest that having read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king’s deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as “God” because he ruled and fought as God’s representative on earth. Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (See Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). According to proponents of this view, Isa 9:6 probably envisions a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself. The other option is to regard this title as a reference to God, confronting Isaiah’s readers with the divinity of this promised “child.” The use of this same title that clearly refers to God in a later passage (Isa 10:21) supports this interpretation. Other passages depict Yahweh as the great God and great warrior (Deut 10:17; Jer. 32:18). Although this connection of a child who is born with deity is unparalleled in any earlier biblical texts, Isaiah’s use of this title to make this connection represents Isaiah’s attempt (at God’s behest) to advance Israel in their understanding of the ideal Davidic king for whom they long.
- Isaiah 9:6 tn This title must not be taken in an anachronistic Trinitarian sense. (To do so would be theologically problematic, for the “Son” is the messianic king and is distinct in his person from God the “Father.”) Rather, in its original context the title pictures the king as the protector of his people. For a similar use of “father” see Isa 22:21 and Job 29:16. This figurative, idiomatic use of “father” is not limited to the Bible. In a Phoenician inscription (ca. 850-800 b.c.) the ruler Kilamuwa declares: “To some I was a father, to others I was a mother.” In another inscription (ca. 800 b.c.) the ruler Azitawadda boasts that the god Baal made him “a father and a mother” to his people. (See ANET 499-500.) The use of “everlasting” might suggest the deity of the king (as the one who has total control over eternity), but Isaiah and his audience may have understood the term as royal hyperbole emphasizing the king’s long reign or enduring dynasty (for examples of such hyperbolic language used of the Davidic king, see 1 Kgs 1:31; Pss 21:4-6; 61:6-7; 72:5, 17). The New Testament indicates that the hyperbolic language (as in the case of the title “Mighty God”) is literally realized in the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy, for Jesus will rule eternally.
- Isaiah 9:6 tn This title pictures the king as one who establishes a safe socio-economic environment for his people. It hardly depicts him as a meek individual, for he establishes peace through military strength (as the preceding context and the first two royal titles indicate). His people experience safety and prosperity because their invincible king destroys their enemies. See Pss 72 and 144 for parallels to these themes.
- Isaiah 9:7 tc The MT has לְםַרְבֵּה (lemarbeh, “to the abundance of”), where the first two letters לם were incorrectly duplicated from the end of the previous word (שָׁלוֹם, shalom) ending v. 6. Notice that the mem is in the form for ending words, i.e., ם not the expected מ. A few Hebrew mss, the LXX, Targum, and Vulgate reflect a text with רבה, “great is the dominion.”
- Isaiah 9:7 tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”
- Isaiah 9:7 tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Isaiah 9:7 tn The pronoun “it” (both times in this line) refers back to “kingdom;” the noun and pronoun are both feminine.
- Isaiah 9:7 tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”
- Isaiah 9:7 sn In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.
- Isaiah 9:8 sn The following speech (9:8-10:4) assumes that God has already sent judgment (see v. 9), but it also announces that further judgment is around the corner (10:1-4). The speech seems to describe a series of past judgments on the northern kingdom which is ready to intensify further in the devastation announced in 10:1-4. It may have been written prior to the Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom in 734-733 b.c., or sometime between that invasion and the downfall of Samaria in 722 b.c. The structure of the speech displays four panels, each of which ends with the refrain, “Through all this, his anger did not subside; his hand remained outstretched” (9:12b; 17b; 21b; 10:4b): Panel I: (A) Description of past judgment (9:8); (B) Description of the people’s attitude toward past judgment (9:9-10); (C) Description of past judgment (9:11-12a); (D) Refrain (9:12b); Panel II: (A) Description of the people’s attitude toward past judgment (9:13); (B) Description of past judgment (9:14-17a); (C) Refrain (9:17b); Panel III: (A) Description of past judgment (9:18-21a); (B) Refrain (9:21b); Panel IV: (A) Woe oracle announcing future judgment (10:1-4a); (B) Refrain (10:4b).
- Isaiah 9:8 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v. 17 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
- Isaiah 9:8 tn Heb “sent a word” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB “sends a message.”
- Isaiah 9:8 tn The present translation assumes that this verse refers to judgment that had already fallen. Both verbs (perfects) are taken as indicating simple past; the vav (ו) on the second verb is understood as a simple vav conjunctive. Another option is to understand the verse as describing a future judgment (see 10:1-4). In this case the first verb is a perfect of certitude; the vav on the second verb is a vav consecutive.
- Isaiah 9:9 tn The translation assumes that vv. 9-10 describe the people’s response to a past judgment (v. 8). The perfect is understood as indicating simple past and the vav (ו) is taken as conjunctive. Another option is to take the vav on the perfect as consecutive and translate, “all the people will know.”
- Isaiah 9:9 tn Heb “and the people, all of them, knew; Ephraim and the residents of Samaria.”
- Isaiah 9:9 tn Heb “with pride and arrogance of heart, saying.”
- Isaiah 9:10 sn Though judgment (see v. 8) had taken away the prosperity they did have (symbolized by the bricks and sycamore fig trees), they arrogantly expected the future to bring even greater prosperity (symbolized by the chiseled stone and cedars).
- Isaiah 9:11 tn The translation assumes that the prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive continues the narrative of past judgment.
- Isaiah 9:11 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “adversaries of Rezin against him [i.e., them].” The next verse describes how the Syrians (over whom Rezin ruled, see 7:1, 8) and the Philistines encroached on Israel’s territory. Since the Syrians and Israelites were allies by 735 b.c. (see 7:1), the hostilities described probably occurred earlier, while Israel was still pro-Assyrian. In this case one might understand the phrase צָרֵי רְצִין (tsare retsin, “adversaries of Rezin”) as meaning “adversaries sent from Rezin.” However, another option, the one chosen in the translation above, is to emend the phrase to צָרָיו (tsarayv, “his [i.e., their] adversaries”). This creates tighter parallelism with the next line (note “his [i.e., their] enemies”). The phrase in the Hebrew text may be explained as virtually dittographic.
- Isaiah 9:11 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite, used, as is often the case in poetry, without vav consecutive. Note that prefixed forms with vav consecutive both precede (וַיְשַׂגֵּב, vayesaggev, “he provoked”) and follow in v. 12 (וַיֹּאכְלוּ, vayyoʾkhelu, “and they devoured”) this verb.
- Isaiah 9:12 tn Heb “and they devoured Israel with all the mouth”; NIV “with open mouth”; TLB “With bared fangs.”
- Isaiah 9:12 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.” One could translate in the past tense here (and in 9:17b and 21b), but the appearance of the refrain in 10:4b, where it follows a woe oracle prophesying a future judgment, suggests it is a dramatic portrait of the judge which did not change throughout this period of past judgment and will remain unchanged in the future. The English present tense is chosen to best reflect this dramatic mood. (See also 5:25b, where the refrain appears following a dramatic description of coming judgment.)
- Isaiah 9:13 tn This verse describes the people’s response to the judgment described in vv. 11-12. The perfects are understood as indicating simple past.
- Isaiah 9:14 sn The metaphor in this line is that of a reed being cut down.
- Isaiah 9:15 tn Heb “the elder and the one lifted up with respect to the face.” For another example of the Hebrew idiom, see 2 Kgs 5:1.
- Isaiah 9:16 tn Heb “and the ones being led were swallowed up.” Instead of taking מְבֻלָּעִים (mebullaʿim) from בָּלַע (balaʿ, “to swallow”), HALOT 134 s.v. בלע proposes a rare homonymic root בלע (“confuse”) here.
- Isaiah 9:17 tn The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has לא יחמול (“he did not spare”) which is an obvious attempt to tighten the parallelism (note “he took no pity” in the next line). Instead of taking שָׂמַח (samakh) in one of its well attested senses (“rejoice over, be pleased with”), some propose, with support from Arabic, a rare homonymic root meaning “be merciful.”
- Isaiah 9:17 tn The translation understands the prefixed verbs יִשְׂמַח (yismakh) and יְרַחֵם (yerakhem) as preterites without vav (ו) consecutive. (See v. 11 and the note on “he stirred up.”)
- Isaiah 9:17 tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “profaned”; NIV “ungodly.”
- Isaiah 9:17 tn מֵרַע (meraʿ) is a Hiphil participle from רָעַע (raʿaʿ, “be evil”). The intransitive Hiphil has an exhibitive force here, indicating that they exhibited outwardly the evidence of an inward condition by committing evil deeds.
- Isaiah 9:17 tn Or “foolishness” (NASB), here in a moral-ethical sense.
- Isaiah 9:17 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.”sn See the note at 9:12.
- Isaiah 9:18 tn Or “Indeed” (cf. NIV “Surely”). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
- Isaiah 9:18 sn Evil was uncontrollable and destructive, and so can be compared to a forest fire.
- Isaiah 9:18 tn Heb “and they swirled [with] the rising of the smoke” (cf. NRSV).
- Isaiah 9:19 tn The precise meaning of the verb עְתַּם (ʿetam), which occurs only here, is uncertain, though the context strongly suggests that it means “burn, scorch.”
- Isaiah 9:19 sn The uncontrollable fire of the people’s wickedness (v. 18) is intensified by the fire of the Lord’s judgment (v. 19). God allows (or causes) their wickedness to become self-destructive as civil strife and civil war break out in the land.
- Isaiah 9:19 tn Heb “men were not showing compassion to their brothers.” The idiom “men to their brothers” is idiomatic for reciprocity. The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an imperfect used in a customary sense, describing continual or repeated behavior in past time.
- Isaiah 9:20 tn Or “cut.” The verb גָּזַר (gazar) means “to cut.” If it is understood here, then one might paraphrase, “They slice off meat on the right.” However, HALOT 187 s.v. I גזר, proposes here a rare homonym meaning “to devour.”
- Isaiah 9:20 tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite without vav consecutive or an imperfect used in a customary sense, describing continual or repeated behavior in past time.
- Isaiah 9:20 tn Some suggest that זְרֹעוֹ (zeroʿo, “his arm”) be repointed זַרְעוֹ (zarʿo, “his offspring”). In either case, the metaphor is that of a desperately hungry man who resorts to an almost unthinkable act to satisfy his appetite. He eats everything he can find to his right, but still being unsatisfied, then turns to his left and eats everything he can find there. Still being desperate for food, he then resorts to eating his own flesh (or offspring, as this phrase is metaphorically understood by some English versions, e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT). The reality behind the metaphor is the political turmoil of the period, as the next verse explains. There was civil strife within the northern kingdom; even the descendants of Joseph were at each other’s throats. Then the northern kingdom turned on their southern brother, Judah.
- Isaiah 9:21 tn The words “fought against” are supplied in the translation both here and later in this verse for stylistic reasons.
- Isaiah 9:21 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched” (KJV and ASV both similar); NIV “his hand is still upraised.”sn See the note at 9:12.
- Isaiah 10:1 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who decree evil decrees.”
- Isaiah 10:1 tn Heb “[to] the writers who write out harm.” The participle and verb are in the Piel, suggesting repetitive action.
- Isaiah 10:2 tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”
- Isaiah 10:2 tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”sn On the socio-economic background of vv. 1-2, see the note at 1:23.
- Isaiah 10:3 tn Heb “the day of visitation” (so KJV, ASV), that is, the day when God arrives to execute justice on the oppressors.
- Isaiah 10:4 tn Heb “except one kneels in the place of the prisoner, and in the place of the slain [who] fall.” On the force of בִּלְתִּי (bilti, “except”) and its logical connection to what precedes, see BDB 116 s.v. בֵלֶת. On the force of תַּחַת (takhat, “in the place of”) here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:258, n. 6.
- Isaiah 10:4 tn Heb “in all this his anger was not turned, and still his hand was outstretched”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “his hand is stretched out still.”sn See the note at 9:12.
- Isaiah 10:5 tn Heb “Woe [to] Assyria, the club of my anger.”
- Isaiah 10:5 tn Heb “a cudgel is he, in their hand is my anger.” It seems likely that the final mem (ם) on בְיָדָם (beyadam) is not a pronominal suffix (“in their hand”), but an enclitic mem. If so, one can translate literally, “a cudgel is he in the hand of my anger.”
- Isaiah 10:6 sn Throughout this section singular forms are used to refer to Assyria; perhaps the king of Assyria is in view (see v. 12).
- Isaiah 10:6 tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “impious”; NCV “separated from God.”
- Isaiah 10:6 tn Heb “and against the people of my anger I ordered him.”
- Isaiah 10:6 tn Heb “to make it [i.e., the people] a trampled place.”
- Isaiah 10:7 tn Heb “but he, not so does he intend, and his heart, not so does it think.”
- Isaiah 10:7 tn Heb “for to destroy [is] in his heart, and to cut off nations, not a few.”
- Isaiah 10:8 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
- Isaiah 10:9 sn Calneh…Carchemish…Hamath…Arpad…Samaria…Damascus. The city states listed here were conquered by the Assyrians between 740-717 b.c. The point of the rhetorical questions is that no one can stand before Assyria’s might. On the geographical, rather than chronological arrangement of the cities, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:264, n. 4.
- Isaiah 10:10 tn Heb “Just as my hand found the kingdoms of the idol[s].” The comparison is expanded in v. 11a (note “as”) and completed in v. 11b (note “so”).
- Isaiah 10:11 tn The statement is constructed as a rhetorical question in the Hebrew text: “Is it not [true that] just as I have done to Samaria and its idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols?’”sn This statement indicates that the prophecy dates sometime between 722-701 b.c.
- Isaiah 10:12 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
- Isaiah 10:12 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 16, 23, 24, 33 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
- Isaiah 10:12 tn Heb “his work on/against.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV “on”; NIV “against.”
- Isaiah 10:12 tn Heb “I”; The Lord is speaking here, as in vv. 5-6a.
- Isaiah 10:12 tn Heb “I will visit [judgment] on the fruit of the greatness of the heart of the king of Assyria, and on the glory of the height of his eyes.” The proud Assyrian king is likened to a large, beautiful fruit tree.
- Isaiah 10:13 tn Heb “removed the borders of nations”; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV “boundaries.”
- Isaiah 10:13 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has כְּאַבִּיר (keʾabbir, “like a strong one”); the marginal reading (Qere) is כַּבִיר (kavir, “mighty one”).
- Isaiah 10:13 tn Heb “and I brought down, like a strong one, ones sitting [or “living”].” The participle יוֹשְׁבִים (yoshevim, “ones sitting”) could refer to the inhabitants of the nations, but the translation assumes that it refers to those who sit on thrones, i.e., rulers. See BDB 442 s.v. יָשַׁב and HALOT 444 s.v. ישׁב.
- Isaiah 10:14 sn The Assyrians’ conquests were relatively unopposed, like robbing a bird’s nest of its eggs when the mother bird is absent.
- Isaiah 10:15 tn Heb “the one who pushes it back and forth”; KJV “him that shaketh it”; ASV “him that wieldeth it.”
- Isaiah 10:16 sn The irrational arrogance of the Assyrians (v. 15) will prompt the judgment about to be described.
- Isaiah 10:16 tn Heb “will send leanness against his healthy ones”; NASB, NIV “will send a wasting disease.”
- Isaiah 10:16 tc Heb “and in the place of his glory burning will burn, like the burning of fire.” The highly repetitive text (יֵקַד יְקֹד כִּיקוֹד אֵשׁ, yeqad yeqod kiqod’esh) may be dittographic; if the second consonantal sequence יקד is omitted, the text would read “and in the place of his glory, it will burn like the burning of fire.”
- Isaiah 10:17 tn In this context the “Light of Israel” is a divine title (note the parallel title “Holy One”). The title points to God’s royal splendor, which overshadows and, when transformed into fire, destroys the “majestic glory” of the king of Assyria (v. 16b).
- Isaiah 10:17 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
- Isaiah 10:17 tn Heb “his.” In vv. 17-19 the Assyrian king and his empire are compared to a great forest and orchard that are destroyed by fire (symbolic of the Lord).
- Isaiah 10:18 tn Heb “from breath to flesh it will destroy.” The expression “from breath to flesh” refers to the two basic components of a person, the immaterial (life’s breath) and the material (flesh). Here the phrase is used idiomatically to indicate totality.
- Isaiah 10:18 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. מָסַס (masas), which is used elsewhere of substances dissolving or melting, may here mean “waste away” or “despair.” נָסַס (nasas), which appears only here, may mean “be sick” or “stagger, despair.” See BDB 651 s.v. I נָסַס and HALOT 703 s.v. I נסס. One might translate the line literally, “like the wasting away of one who is sick” (cf. NRSV “as when an invalid wastes away”).
- Isaiah 10:19 tn Heb “and the rest of the trees of his forest will be counted, and a child will record them.”
- Isaiah 10:20 tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
- Isaiah 10:20 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 10:20 tn Heb “on one who strikes him down.” This individual is the king (“foreign leader”) of the oppressing nation (which NLT specifies as “the Assyrians”).
- Isaiah 10:20 tn Or “sincerely”; KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV “in truth.”
- Isaiah 10:20 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
- Isaiah 10:21 tn The referent of אֵל גִּבּוֹר (ʾel gibbor, “mighty God”) is uncertain. The title appears only here and in 9:6, where it is one of the royal titles of the coming ideal Davidic king. (Similar titles appear in Deut 10:17 and Neh 9:32 [“the great, mighty, and awesome God”] and in Jer 32:18 [“the great and mighty God”]. Both titles refer to God.) Though Hos 3:5 pictures Israel someday seeking “David their king,” and provides some support for a messianic interpretation of Isa 10:21, the Davidic king is not mentioned in the immediate context of Isa 10:21 (see Isa 11, however). The preceding verse mentions Israel relying on the Lord, so it is likely that the title refers to God here.
- Isaiah 10:22 tn Heb “are like.”
- Isaiah 10:22 sn The twofold appearance of the statement “a remnant will come back” (שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב, sheʾar yashuv) in vv. 21-22 echoes and probably plays off the name of Isaiah’s son Shear Jashub (see 7:3). In its original context the name was meant to encourage Ahaz (see the note at 7:3), but here it has taken on new dimensions. In light of Ahaz’s failure and the judgment it brings down on the land, the name Shear Jashub now foreshadows the destiny of the nation. According to vv. 21-22, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that a remnant of God’s people will return; the bad news is that only a remnant will be preserved and come back. Like the name Immanuel, this name foreshadows both judgment (see the notes at 7:25 and 8:8) and ultimate restoration (see the note at 8:10).
- Isaiah 10:22 tn Or “predetermined”; cf. ASV, NASB “is determined”; TEV “is in store.”
- Isaiah 10:22 tn צְדָקָה (tsedaqah) often means “righteousness,” but here it refers to God’s just judgment.
- Isaiah 10:22 tn Or “is about to overflow.”
- Isaiah 10:23 tn Heb “Indeed (or perhaps “for”) destruction and what is decreed the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies is about to accomplish in the middle of all the land.” The phrase כָלָא וְנֶחֱרָצָה (khalaʾ venekheratsah, “destruction and what is decreed”) is a hendiadys; the two terms express one idea, with the second qualifying the first.
- Isaiah 10:24 tn Heb “therefore.” The message that follows is one of encouragement, for it focuses on the eventual destruction of the Assyrians. Consequently “therefore” relates back to vv. 5-21, not to vv. 22-23, which must be viewed as a brief parenthesis in an otherwise positive speech.
- Isaiah 10:24 tn Heb “in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.”
- Isaiah 10:25 tc The Hebrew text has simply “fury,” but the pronominal element can be assumed on the basis of what immediately follows (see “my anger” in the clause). It is possible that the suffixed yod (י) has been accidentally dropped by virtual haplography. Note that a vav (ו) is prefixed to the form that immediately follows; yod and vav are very similar in later script phases.
- Isaiah 10:26 tn Heb “him” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); the singular refers to the leader or king who stands for the entire nation. This is specified by NCV, CEV as “the Assyrians.”
- Isaiah 10:26 sn According to Judg 7:25, the Ephraimites executed the Midianite general Oreb at a rock which was subsequently named after the executed enemy.
- Isaiah 10:26 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his staff [will be] against the sea, and he will lift it in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.” One could emend the text of עַל הַיָּם (ʿal hayyam, “against the sea”) to עַלֵיהֶם (ʿalehem, “against them”). The proposed shift from the third singular pronoun (note “beat him” earlier in the verse) to the plural is not problematic, for the singular is collective. Note that a third plural pronoun is used at the end of v. 25 (“their destruction”). If the text is retained, as the translation does, “the sea” symbolizes Assyria’s hostility, the metaphor being introduced because of the reference to Egypt. The final phrase, “in the way/manner of Egypt,” probably refers to the way in which God used the staff of Moses to bring judgment down on Egypt.
- Isaiah 10:27 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
- Isaiah 10:27 tn Heb “he [i.e., the Lord] will remove his [i.e, Assyria’s] burden from upon your shoulder.”
- Isaiah 10:27 tc The meaning of this line is uncertain. The Hebrew text reads literally, “and the yoke will be destroyed (or perhaps, “pulled down”) because of fatness.” Perhaps this is a bizarre picture of an ox growing so fat that it breaks the yoke around its neck or can no longer fit into its yoke. Fatness would symbolize the Lord’s restored blessings; the removal of the yoke would symbolize the cessation of Assyrian oppression. Because of the difficulty of the metaphor, many prefer to emend the text at this point. Some emend וְחֻבַּל (vekhubbal, “and it will be destroyed,” a perfect with prefixed vav), to יִחְבֹּל (yikhbol, “[it] will be destroyed,” an imperfect), and take the verb with what precedes, “and their yoke will be destroyed from your neck.” Proponents of this view (cf. NAB, NRSV) then emend עֹל (ʿol, “yoke”) to עָלָה (ʿalah, “he came up”) and understand this verb as introducing the following description of the Assyrian invasion (vv. 28-32). מִפְּנֵי שָׁמֶן (mippeney shamen, “because of fatness”) is then emended to read “from before Rimmon” (NAB, NRSV), “from before Samaria,” or “from before Jeshimon.” Although this line may present difficulties, it appears best to regard the line as a graphic depiction of God’s abundant blessings on his servant nation.
- Isaiah 10:28 sn Verses 28-31 display a staccato style; the statements are short and disconnected (no conjunctions appear in the Hebrew text). The translation to follow strives for a choppy style that reflects the mood of the speech.
- Isaiah 10:28 tn Heb “he,” that is, the Assyrians (as the preceding context suggests). Cf. NCV “The army of Assyria.”sn Verses 28-32 describe an invasion of Judah from the north. There is no scholarly consensus on when this particular invasion took place, if at all. J. H. Hayes and S. A. Irvine (Isaiah, 209-10) suggest the text describes the Israelite-Syrian invasion of Judah (ca. 735 b.c.), but this proposal disregards the preceding context, which prophesies the destruction of Assyria. Some suggest that this invasion occurred in conjunction with Sargon’s western campaign of 713-711 b.c., but there is no historical evidence of such an invasion at that time. Many others identify the invasion as Sennacherib’s in 701 b.c., but historical records indicate Sennacherib approached Jerusalem from the southwest. J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:274-75) prefers to see the description as rhetorical and as not corresponding to any particular historical event, but Hayes and Irvine argue that the precise geographical details militate against such a proposal. Perhaps it is best to label the account as rhetorical-prophetic. The prophecy of the invasion was not necessarily intended to be a literal itinerary of the Assyrians’ movements; rather its primary purpose was to create a foreboding mood. Geographical references contribute to this purpose, but they merely reflect how one would expect an Assyrian invasion to proceed, not necessarily how the actual invasion would progress. Despite its rhetorical nature, the prophecy does point to the invasion of 701 b.c., as the announcement of the invaders’ downfall in vv. 33-34 makes clear; it was essentially fulfilled at that time. For further discussion of the problem, see R. E. Clements, Isaiah (NCBC), 117-19. On the geographical details of the account, see Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, 393.
- Isaiah 10:28 tn Heb “came against,” or “came to.”
- Isaiah 10:30 tc The Hebrew text reads “Poor [is] Anathoth.” The parallelism is tighter if עֲנִיָּה (ʿaniyyah, “poor”) is emended to עֲנִיהָ (ʿaniha, “answer her”). Note how the preceding two lines have an imperative followed by a proper name.
- Isaiah 10:32 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has “a mountain of a house (בֵּית, bet), Zion,” but the marginal reading (Qere) correctly reads “the mountain of the daughter (בַּת, bat) of Zion.” On the phrase “Daughter Zion,” see the note on the same phrase in 1:8.
- Isaiah 10:33 tc The Hebrew text reads “with terrifying power,” or “with a crash.” מַעֲרָצָה (maʿaratsah, “terrifying power” or “crash”) occurs only here. Several have suggested an emendation to מַעֲצָד (maʿatsad, “ax”) parallel to “ax” in v. 34; see HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד and H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:448. sn As in vv. 12 (see the note there) and 18, the Assyrians are compared to a tree/forest in vv. 33-34.
- Isaiah 10:33 tn Heb “the exalted of the height.” This could refer to the highest branches (cf. TEV) or the tallest trees (cf. NIV, NRSV).
- Isaiah 10:34 tn The Hebrew text has, “and Lebanon, by/as [?] a mighty one, will fall.” The translation above takes the preposition בְּ (bet) prefixed to “mighty one” as indicating identity, “Lebanon, as a mighty one, will fall.” In this case “mighty one” describes Lebanon. (In Ezek 17:23 and Zech 11:2 the adjective is used of Lebanon’s cedars.) Another option is to take the preposition as indicating agency and interpret “mighty one” as a divine title (see Isa 33:21). One could then translate, “and Lebanon will fall by [the agency of] the Mighty One.”
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