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Psalm 87
New English Translation

Psalm 87[a]

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills.[b]
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 People say wonderful things about you,[c]
O city of God. (Selah)
4 I mention Rahab[d] and Babylon to my followers.[e]
Here are[f] Philistia and Tyre, along with Ethiopia.[g]
It is said of them, “This one was born there.”[h]
5 But it is said of Zion’s residents,[i]
“Each one of these[j] was born in her,
and the Most High[k] makes her secure.”
6 The Lord writes in the census book of the nations,[l]
“This one was born there.”[m] (Selah)
7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers—
all of them sing within your walls.[n]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 87:1 sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.
  2. Psalm 87:1 tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the Lord’s dwelling place in Zion. The “hills” are the ones surrounding Zion (see Pss 125:2; 133:3).
  3. Psalm 87:3 tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one could translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”
  4. Psalm 87:4 sn “Rahab,” which means “proud one,” is used here as a title for Egypt (see Isa 30:7).
  5. Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “to those who know me” (see Ps 36:10). Apparently the Lord speaks here. The verbal construction (the Hiphil of זָכַר, zakhar, “remember” followed by the preposition ל [lamed] with a substantive) is rare, but the prepositional phrase is best understood as indicating the recipient of the announcement (see Jer 4:16). Some take the preposition in the sense of “among” and translate, “among those who know me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). In this case these foreigners are viewed as the Lord’s people and the psalm is interpreted as anticipating a time when all nations will worship the Lord (see Ps 86:9) and be considered citizens of Zion.
  6. Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “Look.”
  7. Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “Cush.”
  8. Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “and this one was born there.” The words “It is said of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification and stylistic purposes (see v. 5). Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand “there” as referring to Zion, but it seems more likely that the adverb refers to the nations just mentioned. The foreigners are identified by their native lands.
  9. Psalm 87:5 tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the Niphal of אָמַר (ʾamar), the preposition ל (lamed) can introduce the recipient of the statement (see Josh 2:2; Jer 4:11; Hos 1:10; Zeph 3:16), carry the nuance “concerning, of” (see Num 23:23), or mean “be named” (see Isa 4:3; 62:4).
  10. Psalm 87:5 tn Heb “a man and a man.” The idiom also appears in Esth 1:8. The translation assumes that the phrase refers to each of Zion’s residents, in contrast to the foreigners mentioned in v. 4. Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand this as a reference to each of the nations, including those mentioned in v. 4.
  11. Psalm 87:5 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
  12. Psalm 87:6 tn Heb “the Lord records in the writing of the nations.”
  13. Psalm 87:6 tn As noted in v. 4, the translation assumes a contrast between “there” (the various foreign lands) and “in her” (Zion). In contrast to foreigners, the citizens of Zion have special status because of their birthplace (v. 5). In this case vv. 4 and 6 form a structural frame around v. 5.
  14. Psalm 87:7 tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs [are] in you.” The participial form חֹלְלִים (kholelim) appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe,” though some derive the form from חוּל (khul, “dance”). In this case the duplicated ל (lamed) requires an emendation to מְחֹלְלִים (mekholelim, “a Polel form). The words are addressed to Zion. As it stands, the Hebrew text makes little, if any, sense. “Springs” are often taken here as a symbol of divine blessing and life”), but this reading does not relate to the preceding line in any apparent way. The present translation assumes an emendation of כָּל־מַעְיָנַי (kol maʿyanay, “all my springs”) to כֻּלָּם עָנוּ (kullam ʿanu, “all of them sing,” with the form עָנוּ being derived from עָנָה, ʿanah, “sing”).
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Psalm 86
Psalm 88
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Psalm 125
New English Translation

Psalm 125[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

125 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved and will endure forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
now and forevermore.
3 Indeed,[c] the scepter of a wicked king[d] will not settle[e]
upon the allotted land of the godly.
Otherwise the godly
might do what is wrong.[f]
4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
to the morally upright.[g]
5 As for those who are bent on traveling a sinful path,[h]
may the Lord remove them,[i] along with those who behave wickedly.[j]
May Israel experience peace.[k]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 125:1 sn Psalm 125. The psalmist affirms his confidence in the Lord’s protection and justice.
  2. Psalm 125:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  3. Psalm 125:3 tn Or “for.”
  4. Psalm 125:3 tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.
  5. Psalm 125:3 tn Or “rest.”
  6. Psalm 125:3 tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.
  7. Psalm 125:4 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
  8. Psalm 125:5 tn Heb “and the ones making their paths twisted.” A sinful lifestyle is compared to a twisting, winding road.
  9. Psalm 125:5 tn Heb “lead them away.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer here (note the prayers directly before and after this). Another option is to translate, “the Lord will remove them” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
  10. Psalm 125:5 tn Heb “the workers of wickedness.”
  11. Psalm 125:5 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 122:8 for a similar prayer for peace).
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Psalm 124
Psalm 126
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Isaiah 1-4
New English Translation

Heading

1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah.[a]

Obedience, not Sacrifice

2 Listen, O heavens,
pay attention, O earth![b]
For the Lord speaks:
“I raised children,[c] I brought them up,[d]
but[e] they have rebelled[f] against me!
3 An ox recognizes its owner,
a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food;[g]
but Israel does not recognize me,[h]
my people do not understand.”
4 [i] Beware sinful nation,
the people weighed down by evil deeds.
They are offspring who do wrong,
children[j] who do wicked things.
They have abandoned the Lord,
and rejected the Holy One of Israel.[k]
They are alienated from him.[l]
5 [m] Why do you insist on being battered?
Why do you continue to rebel?[n]
Your head has a massive wound,[o]
your whole heart is sick.
6 From the soles of your feet to your head,
there is no spot that is unharmed.[p]
There are only bruises, cuts,
and open wounds.
They have not been cleansed[q] or bandaged,
nor have they been treated[r] with olive oil.[s]
7 Your land is devastated,
your cities burned with fire.
Right before your eyes your crops
are being destroyed by foreign invaders.[t]
They leave behind devastation and destruction.[u]
8 Daughter Zion[v] is left isolated,
like a hut in a vineyard,
or a shelter in a cucumber field;
she is a besieged city.[w]
9 If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[x] had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly been like Sodom,[y]
we would have become like Gomorrah.
10 Listen to the Lord’s message,
you leaders of Sodom![z]
Pay attention to our God’s rebuke,[aa]
people of Gomorrah!
11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?”[ab]
says the Lord.
“I have had my fill[ac] of burnt sacrifices,
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want.[ad]
12 When you enter my presence,
do you actually think I want this—
animals trampling on my courtyards?[ae]
13 Do not bring any more meaningless[af] offerings;
I consider your incense detestable![ag]
You observe new moon festivals, Sabbaths, and convocations,
but I cannot tolerate sin-stained celebrations![ah]
14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;
they are a burden
that I am tired of carrying.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I look the other way;[ai]
when you offer your many prayers,
I do not listen,
because your hands are covered with blood.[aj]
16 [ak] Wash! Cleanse yourselves!
Remove your sinful deeds[al]
from my sight.
Stop sinning.
17 Learn to do what is right.
Promote justice.
Give the oppressed reason to celebrate.[am]
Take up the cause of the orphan.
Defend the rights of the widow.[an]
18 [ao] Come, let’s consider your options,”[ap] says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,
you can become white[aq] like snow;
though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,
you can become[ar] white like wool.[as]
19 If you have a willing attitude and obey,[at]
then you will again eat the good crops of the land.
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured[au] by the sword.”
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.[av]

Purifying Judgment

21 How tragic that the once-faithful city
has become a prostitute![aw]
She was once a center of[ax] justice;
fairness resided in her—
but now only murderers![ay]
22 Your[az] silver has become scum,[ba]
your beer is diluted with water.[bb]
23 Your officials are rebels,[bc]
they associate with[bd] thieves.
All of them love bribery,
and look for[be] payoffs.[bf]
They do not take up the cause of the orphan,[bg]
or defend the rights of the widow.[bh]
24 Therefore, the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[bi]
the Powerful One of Israel,[bj] says this:
“Ah, I will seek vengeance[bk] against my adversaries,
I will take revenge against my enemies.[bl]
25 I will attack you;[bm]
I will purify your metal with flux.[bn]
I will remove all your slag.[bo]
26 I will reestablish honest judges as in former times,
wise advisers as in earlier days.[bp]
Then you will be called, ‘The Just City,
Faithful Town.’”
27 [bq] Zion will be freed by justice,[br]
and her returnees by righteousness.[bs]
28 All rebellious sinners will be shattered,[bt]
those who abandon the Lord will perish.
29 Indeed, they[bu] will be ashamed of the sacred trees
you[bv] find so desirable;
you will be embarrassed because of the sacred orchards[bw]
where you choose to worship.
30 For you will be like a tree whose leaves wither,
like an orchard[bx] that is unwatered.
31 The powerful will be like[by] a thread of yarn,
their deeds like a spark;
both will burn together,
and no one will put out the fire.

The Future Glory of Jerusalem

2 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz.[bz]

2 In future days[ca]
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure[cb]
as the most important of mountains,
and will be the most prominent of hills.[cc]
All the nations will stream to it;
3 many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple of the God of Jacob,
so[cd] he can teach us his requirements,[ce]
and[cf] we can follow his standards.”[cg]
For Zion will be the center for moral instruction;[ch]
the Lord’s message will issue from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares,[ci]
and their spears into pruning hooks.[cj]
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
5 O descendants[ck] of Jacob,
come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light.[cl]

The Lord’s Day of Judgment

6 Indeed, O Lord,[cm] you have abandoned your people,
the descendants of Jacob.
For diviners from the east are everywhere;[cn]
they consult omen readers like the Philistines do.[co]
Plenty of foreigners are around.[cp]
7 Their land is full of gold and silver;
there is no end to their wealth.[cq]
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end to their chariots.[cr]
8 Their land is full of worthless idols;
they worship[cs] the product of their own hands,
what their own fingers have fashioned.
9 Men bow down to them in homage,
they lie flat on the ground in worship.[ct]
Don’t spare them![cu]
10 Go up into the rocky cliffs,
hide in the ground.
Get away from the dreadful judgment of the Lord,[cv]
from his royal splendor!
11 Proud men will be brought low,
arrogant men will be humiliated;[cw]
the Lord alone will be exalted[cx]
in that day.
12 Indeed, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has planned a day of judgment,[cy]
for[cz] all the high and mighty,
for all who are proud—they will be humiliated;
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,
that are so high and mighty,
for all the oaks of Bashan;[da]
14 for all the tall mountains,
for all the high hills,[db]
15 for every high tower,
for every fortified wall,
16 for all the large ships,[dc]
for all the impressive[dd] ships.[de]
17 Proud men will be humiliated,
arrogant men will be brought low;[df]
the Lord alone will be exalted[dg]
in that day.
18 The worthless idols will be completely eliminated.[dh]
19 They[di] will go into caves in the rocky cliffs
and into holes in the ground,[dj]
trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord[dk]
and his royal splendor,
when he rises up to terrify the earth.[dl]
20 At that time[dm] men will throw
their silver and gold idols,
which they made for themselves to worship,[dn]
into the caves where rodents and bats live,[do]
21 so they themselves can go into the crevices of the rocky cliffs
and the openings under the rocky overhangs,[dp]
trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord[dq]
and his royal splendor,
when he rises up to terrify the earth.[dr]
22 Stop trusting in human beings,
whose life’s breath is in their nostrils.
For why should they be given special consideration?

A Coming Leadership Crisis

3 Look, the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies[ds]
is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
every source of security, including[dt]
all the food and water,[du]
2 the mighty men and warriors,
judges and prophets,
omen readers and leaders,[dv]
3 captains of groups of fifty,
the respected citizens,[dw]
advisers and those skilled in magical arts,[dx]
and those who know incantations.
4 The Lord says,[dy] “I will make youths their officials;
malicious young men[dz] will rule over them.
5 The people will treat each other harshly;
men will oppose each other;
neighbors will fight.[ea]
Youths will proudly defy the elderly
and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected.[eb]
6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother
right in his father’s house[ec] and say,[ed]
‘You own a coat—
you be our leader!
This heap of ruins will be under your control.’[ee]
7 At that time[ef] the brother will shout,[eg]
‘I am no doctor,[eh]
I have no food or coat in my house;
don’t make me a leader of the people!’”
8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles,
Judah falls,
for their words and their actions offend the Lord;[ei]
they rebel against his royal authority.[ej]
9 The look on their faces[ek] testifies to their guilt;[el]
like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin.[em]
Woe to them![en]
For they bring disaster on themselves.
10 Tell the innocent[eo] it will go well with them,[ep]
for they will be rewarded for what they have done.[eq]
11 Woe to the wicked sinners!
For they will get exactly what they deserve.[er]
12 Oppressors treat my[es] people cruelly;
creditors rule over them.[et]
My people, your leaders mislead you;
they give you confusing directions.[eu]
13 The Lord takes his position to judge;
he stands up to pass sentence on his people.[ev]
14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment
on the leaders of his people and their officials.
He says,[ew] “It is you[ex] who have ruined[ey] the vineyard![ez]
You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor.[fa]
15 Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?”[fb]
The Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies[fc] has spoken.

Washing Away Impurity

16 The Lord says,
“The women[fd] of Zion are proud.
They walk with their heads high[fe]
and flirt with their eyes.
They skip along[ff]
and the jewelry on their ankles jingles.[fg]
17 So[fh] the Lord[fi] will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women[fj] with skin diseases;[fk]
the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.”[fl]

18 [fm] At that time[fn] the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry,[fo] neck ornaments, crescent-shaped ornaments, 19 earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets,[fp] amulets, 21 rings, nose rings, 22 festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses, 23 garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns.[fq]

24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices,[fr]
a rope will replace a belt,
baldness will replace braided locks of hair,
a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe,
and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.
25 Your[fs] men will fall by the sword,
your strong men will die in battle.[ft]
26 Her gates will mourn and lament;
deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground.[fu]
4 Seven women will grab hold of
one man at that time.[fv]
They will say, “We will provide[fw] our own food,
we will provide[fx] our own clothes;
but let us belong to you[fy]—
take away our shame!”[fz]

The Branch of the Lord

2 At that time[ga]
the crops given by the Lord will bring admiration and honor;[gb]
the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delight
to those who remain in Israel.[gc]
3 Those remaining in Zion,[gd] those left in Jerusalem,
will be called “holy,”[ge]
all in Jerusalem who are destined to live.[gf]
4 At that time[gg] the Lord will wash the excrement[gh] from Zion’s women,
he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst,[gi]
as he comes to judge
and to bring devastation.[gj]
5 Then the Lord will create
over all Mount Zion[gk]
and over its convocations
a cloud and smoke by day
and a bright flame of fire by night;[gl]
indeed a canopy will accompany the Lord’s glorious presence.[gm]
6 By day it will be a shelter to provide shade from the heat,
as well as safety and protection from the heavy downpour.[gn]

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:1 tn Heb “The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”sn Isaiah’s prophetic career probably began in the final year of Uzziah’s reign (ca. 740 b.c., see Isa 6:1) and extended into the later years of Hezekiah’s reign, which ended in 686 b.c.
  2. Isaiah 1:2 sn The personified heavens and earth are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people. Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).
  3. Isaiah 1:2 tn Or “sons” (NAB, NASB).sn “Father” and “son” occur as common terms in ancient Near Eastern treaties and covenants, delineating the suzerain and vassal as participants in the covenant relationship. The prophet uses these terms, the reference to heavens and earth as witnesses, and allusions to deuteronomic covenant curses (1:7-9, 19-20) to set his prophecy firmly against the backdrop of Israel’s covenantal relationship with Yahweh.
  4. Isaiah 1:2 sn The normal word pair for giving birth to and raising children is יָלַד (yalad, “to give birth to”) and גָּדַל (gadal, “to grow, raise”). The pair גָּדַל and רוּם (rum, “to raise up”) probably occur here to highlight the fact that Yahweh made something important of Israel (cf. R. Mosis, TDOT 2:403).
  5. Isaiah 1:2 sn Against the backdrop of Yahweh’s care for his chosen people, Israel’s rebellion represents abhorrent treachery. The conjunction prefixed to a nonverbal element highlights the sad contrast between Yahweh’s compassionate care for His people and Israel’s thankless rebellion.
  6. Isaiah 1:2 sn To rebel carries the idea of “covenant treachery.” Although an act of פֶּשַׁע (peshaʿ, “rebellion”) often signifies a breach of the law, the legal offense also represents a violation of an existing covenantal relationship (E. Carpenter and M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 3:707).
  7. Isaiah 1:3 tn Heb “and the donkey the feeding trough of its owner.” The verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
  8. Isaiah 1:3 tn Although both verbs have no object, the parallelism suggests that Israel fails to recognize the Lord as the one who provides for their needs. In both clauses, the placement of “Israel” and “my people” at the head of the clause focuses the reader’s attention on the rebellious nation (C. van der Merwe, J. Naudé, J. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 346-47).
  9. Isaiah 1:4 sn Having summoned the witnesses and announced the Lord’s accusation against Israel, Isaiah mourns the nation’s impending doom. The third person references to the Lord in the second half of the verse suggest that the quotation from the Lord (cf. vv. 2-3) has concluded.
  10. Isaiah 1:4 tn Or “sons” (NASB). The prophet contrasts four terms of privilege—nation, people, offspring, children—with four terms that depict Israel’s sinful condition in Isaiah’s day—sinful, evil, wrong, wicked (see J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 43).
  11. Isaiah 1:4 sn Holy One of Israel is one of Isaiah’s favorite divine titles for God. It pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.
  12. Isaiah 1:4 tn Heb “they are estranged backward.” The LXX omits this statement, which presents syntactical problems and seems to be outside the synonymous parallelistic structure of the verse.
  13. Isaiah 1:5 sn In vv. 5-9 Isaiah addresses the battered nation (5-8) and speaks as their representative (9).
  14. Isaiah 1:5 tn Heb “Why are you still beaten? [Why] do you continue rebellion?” The rhetorical questions express the prophet’s disbelief over Israel’s apparent masochism and obsession with sin. The interrogative construction in the first line does double duty in the parallelism. H. Wildberger (Isaiah, 1:18) offers another alternative by translating the two statements with one question: “Why do you still wish to be struck that you persist in revolt?”
  15. Isaiah 1:5 tn Heb “all the head is ill”; NRSV “the whole head is sick”; CEV “Your head is badly bruised.”
  16. Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “there is not in it health”; NAB “there is no sound spot.”
  17. Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “pressed out.”
  18. Isaiah 1:6 tn Heb “softened” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “soothed.”
  19. Isaiah 1:6 sn This verse describes wounds like those one would receive in battle. These wounds are comprehensive and without remedy.
  20. Isaiah 1:7 tn Heb “As for your land, before you foreigners are devouring it.”
  21. Isaiah 1:7 tn Heb “and [there is] devastation like an overthrow by foreigners.” The comparative preposition כ (kaf, “like, as”) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the land has all the earmarks of a destructive foreign invasion because that is what has indeed happened. One could paraphrase, “it is desolate as it can only be when foreigners destroy.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x. Many also prefer to emend “foreigners” here to “Sodom,” though there is no external attestation for such a reading in the mss or ancient versions. Such an emendation finds support from the following context (vv. 9-10) and usage of the preceding noun מַהְפֵּכָה (mahpekhah, “overthrow”). In its five other uses, this noun is associated with the destruction of Sodom. If one accepts the emendation, then one might translate, “the devastation resembles the destruction of Sodom.”
  22. Isaiah 1:8 tn Heb “daughter of Zion” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). The genitive is appositional, identifying precisely which daughter is in view. By picturing Zion as a daughter, the prophet emphasizes her helplessness and vulnerability before the enemy.
  23. Isaiah 1:8 tn Heb “like a city besieged.” Unlike the preceding two comparisons, which are purely metaphorical, this third one identifies the reality of Israel’s condition. In this case the comparative preposition, as in v. 7b, has the force, “in every way like,” indicating that all the earmarks of a siege are visible because that is indeed what is taking place. The verb form in MT is Qal passive participle of נָצַר (natsar, “guard”), but since this verb is not often used of a siege (see BDB 666 s.v. I נָצַר), some prefer to repoint the form as a Niphal participle from II צוּר (tsur, “besiege”). However, the latter is not attested elsewhere in the Niphal (see BDB 848 s.v. II צוּר).
  24. Isaiah 1:9 tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts.” The title pictures God as the sovereign king who has at his disposal a multitude of attendants, messengers, and warriors to do his bidding. In some contexts, like this one, the military dimension of his rulership is highlighted. In this case, the title pictures him as one who leads armies into battle against his enemies.
  25. Isaiah 1:9 tc The translation assumes that כִּמְעָט (kimʿat, “quickly,” literally, “like a little”) goes with what follows, contrary to the MT accents, which take it with what precedes. In this case, one could translate the preceding line, “If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors.” If כִּמְעָט goes with the preceding line (following the MT accents), this expression highlights the idea that there would only be a few survivors (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:20; H. Zobel, TDOT 8:456). Israel would not be almost like Sodom but exactly like Sodom.
  26. Isaiah 1:10 sn Building on the simile of v. 9, the prophet sarcastically addresses the leaders and people of Jerusalem as if they were leaders and residents of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. The sarcasm is appropriate, for if the judgment is comparable to Sodom’s, that must mean that the sin which prompted the judgment is comparable as well.
  27. Isaiah 1:10 tn Heb “to the instruction of our God.” In this context, which is highly accusatory and threatening, תּוֹרָה (torah, “law, instruction”) does not refer to mere teaching, but to corrective teaching and rebuke.
  28. Isaiah 1:11 tn Heb “Why to me the multitude of your sacrifices?” The sarcastic rhetorical question suggests that their many sacrifices are of no importance to the Lord. This phrase answers the possible objection that an Israelite could raise in response to God’s indictment: “But we are offering the sacrifices you commanded!”sn In this section the Lord refutes a potential objection that his sinful people might offer in their defense. He has charged them with rebellion (vv. 2-3), but they might respond that they have brought him many sacrifices. So he points out that he requires justice in society first and foremost, not empty ritual.
  29. Isaiah 1:11 tn The verb שָׂבַע (savaʿ, “be satisfied, full”) is often used of eating and/or drinking one’s fill, to have had fully enough and want no more. See BDB 959 s.v. שָׂבַע. In some cases it means to have had more than enough of something and to want to not have any more (cf. Prov 25:17). The word picture builds on the Near Eastern viewpoint of sacrifices as food for the deity. God essentially says, “enough of that already;” what he wants is not more of that.
  30. Isaiah 1:11 sn In the chiastic structure of the verse, the verbs at the beginning and end highlight God’s displeasure, while the heaping up of references to animals, fat, and blood in the middle lines hints at why God wants no more of their sacrifices. They have, as it were, piled the food on his table and he needs no more.
  31. Isaiah 1:12 tn Heb “When you come to appear before me, who requires this from your hand, trampling of my courtyards?” The rhetorical question sarcastically makes the point that God does not require this parade of livestock. The verb “trample” probably refers to the eager worshipers and their sacrificial animals walking around in the temple area.
  32. Isaiah 1:13 tn Or “worthless” (NASB, NCV, CEV); KJV, ASV “vain.”
  33. Isaiah 1:13 sn Notice some of the other practices that Yahweh regards as “detestable”: homosexuality (Lev 18:22-30; 20:13), idolatry (Deut 7:25; 13:15), human sacrifice (Deut 12:31), eating ritually unclean animals (Deut 14:3-8), sacrificing defective animals (Deut 17:1), engaging in occult activities (Deut 18:9-14), and practicing ritual prostitution (1 Kgs 14:23).
  34. Isaiah 1:13 tn Heb “sin and assembly” (these two nouns probably represent a hendiadys). The point is that their attempts at worship are unacceptable to God because the people’s everyday actions in the socio-economic realm prove they have no genuine devotion to God (see vv. 16-17).
  35. Isaiah 1:15 tn Heb “I close my eyes from you.”
  36. Isaiah 1:15 sn This does not just refer to the blood of sacrificial animals, but also the blood, as it were, of their innocent victims. By depriving the poor and destitute of proper legal recourse and adequate access to the economic system, the oppressors have, for all intents and purposes, “killed” their victims.
  37. Isaiah 1:16 sn Having demonstrated the people’s guilt, the Lord calls them to repentance, which will involve concrete action in the socio-economic realm, not mere emotion.
  38. Isaiah 1:16 sn This phrase refers to Israel’s covenant treachery (cf. Deut 28:10; Jer 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Hos 9:15; Ps 28:4). In general, the noun מַעַלְלֵיכֶם (maʿalleykhem) can simply be a reference to deeds, whether good or bad. However, Isaiah always uses it with a negative connotation (cf. 3:8, 10).
  39. Isaiah 1:17 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; HALOT 329 s.v. II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (ʾashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the MT pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a-b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a-c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”
  40. Isaiah 1:17 tn This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.
  41. Isaiah 1:18 sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).
  42. Isaiah 1:18 tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.
  43. Isaiah 1:18 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
  44. Isaiah 1:18 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
  45. Isaiah 1:18 tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.
  46. Isaiah 1:19 tn Heb “listen”; KJV “obedient”; NASB “If you consent and obey.”
  47. Isaiah 1:20 sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [toʾkhelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [teʾukkelu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.
  48. Isaiah 1:20 tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).
  49. Isaiah 1:21 tn Heb “How she has become a prostitute, the faithful city!” The exclamatory אֵיכָה (ʾekhah, “how!”) is used several times as the beginning of a lament (see Lam 1:1; 2:1; 4:1-2). Unlike a number of other OT passages that link references to Israel’s harlotry to idolatry, Isaiah here makes the connection with social and moral violations.
  50. Isaiah 1:21 tn Heb “filled with.”
  51. Isaiah 1:21 tn Or “assassins.” This refers to the oppressive rich and/or their henchmen. R. Ortlund (Whoredom, 78) posits that it serves as a synecdoche for all varieties of criminals, the worst being mentioned to imply all lesser ones. Since Isaiah often addressed his strongest rebuke to the rulers and leaders of Israel, he may have in mind the officials who bore the responsibility to uphold justice and righteousness.
  52. Isaiah 1:22 tn The pronoun is feminine singular; personified Jerusalem (see v. 21) is addressed.
  53. Isaiah 1:22 tn Or “dross.” The word refers to the scum or impurites floating on the top of melted metal.
  54. Isaiah 1:22 sn The metaphors of silver becoming impure and beer being watered down picture the moral and ethical degeneration that had occurred in Jerusalem.
  55. Isaiah 1:23 tn Or “stubborn”; CEV “have rejected me.”
  56. Isaiah 1:23 tn Heb “and companions of” (so KJV, NASB); CEV “friends of crooks.”
  57. Isaiah 1:23 tn Heb “pursue”; NIV “chase after gifts.”
  58. Isaiah 1:23 sn Isaiah may have chosen the word for gifts (שַׁלְמוֹנִים, shalmonim; a hapax legomenon here), as a sarcastic pun on what these rulers should have been doing. Instead of attending to peace and wholeness (שָׁלוֹם, shalom), they sought after payoffs (שַׁלְמוֹנִים).
  59. Isaiah 1:23 sn See the note at v. 17.
  60. Isaiah 1:23 sn The rich oppressors referred to in Isaiah and the other eighth-century prophets were not rich capitalists in the modern sense of the word. They were members of the royal military and judicial bureaucracies in Israel and Judah. As these bureaucracies grew, they acquired more and more land and gradually commandeered the economy and legal system. At various administrative levels bribery and graft become commonplace. The common people outside the urban administrative centers were vulnerable to exploitation in such a system, especially those, like widows and orphans, who had lost their family provider through death. Through confiscatory taxation, conscription, excessive interest rates, and other oppressive governmental measures and policies, they were gradually disenfranchised and lost their landed property, and with it, their rights as citizens. The socio-economic equilibrium envisioned in the law of Moses was radically disturbed.
  61. Isaiah 1:24 tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”].” On the title “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,” see the note at v. 9.
  62. Isaiah 1:24 tn Or “the Mighty One of Israel.”
  63. Isaiah 1:24 tn Heb “console myself” (i.e., by getting revenge); NRSV “pour out my wrath on.”
  64. Isaiah 1:24 sn The Lord here identifies with the oppressed and comes as their defender and vindicator.
  65. Isaiah 1:25 tn Heb “turn my hand against you.” The second person pronouns in vv. 25-26 are feminine singular. Personified Jerusalem is addressed. The idiom “turn the hand against” has the nuance of “strike with the hand, attack,” in Ps 81:15 HT (81:14 ET); Ezek 38:12; Amos 1:8; Zech 13:7. In Jer 6:9 it is used of gleaning grapes.
  66. Isaiah 1:25 tn Heb “I will purify your dross as [with] flux.” “Flux” refers here to minerals added to the metals in a furnace to prevent oxides from forming. For this interpretation of II בֹּר (bor), see HALOT 153 s.v. II בֹּר and 750 s.v. סִיג.
  67. Isaiah 1:25 sn The metaphor comes from metallurgy; slag is the substance left over after the metallic ore has been refined.
  68. Isaiah 1:26 tn Heb “I will restore your judges as in the beginning, and your counselors as in the beginning.” In this context, where social injustice and legal corruption are denounced (see v. 23), the “judges” are probably government officials responsible for making legal decisions, while the “advisers” are probably officials who helped the king establish policies. Both offices are also mentioned in 3:2.
  69. Isaiah 1:27 sn The third person reference to the Lord in v. 28 indicates that the prophet is again (see vv. 21-24a) speaking. Since v. 27 is connected to v. 28 by a conjunction, it is likely that the prophet’s words begin with v. 27.
  70. Isaiah 1:27 tn Heb “Zion will be ransomed with justice.” Both cola in this verse end with similar terms: justice and righteousness (each preceded by the preposition בְּ [be]). At issue is whether these virtues describe the means or result of the deliverance and whether they delineate God’s justice/righteousness or that of the covenant people. If the righteousness of Israelite returnees is in view, the point seems to be that the reestablishment of Zion as a center of justice (God’s people living in conformity with God’s demand for equity and justice) will deliver the city from its past humiliation and restore it to a place of prominence (see 2:2-4; cf. E. Kissane, Isaiah, 1:19). Most scholars conclude that “righteousness and “justice” refers to God alone (J. Ridderbos, Isaiah [BSC], 50; J. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 1:25; E. J. Young, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:89; cf. NLT, TEV) or serves as a double reference to both divine and human justice and righteousness (J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 51; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:10; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:72). If it refers to both sides of the coin, these terms highlight the objective divine work of redemption and the subjective human response of penitence (Motyer, 51).
  71. Isaiah 1:27 tc The Hebrew text has, “her repentant ones/returnees with righteousness.” The form שָׁבֶיהָ (shaveha, “her repentant ones”), as pointed in MT, is a masculine plural Qal participle from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”). Used substantivally, it refers to the “returning (i.e., repentant) ones.” It is possible that the parallel line (with its allusion to being freed by a ransom payment) suggests that the form be repointed to שִׁבְיָהּ (shivyah, “her captivity”), a reading that has support from the LXX. Some slightly emend the form to read וְשָׁבָה (veshavah, “and will return”). According to this view, the verb from the first line applies to the second line as well with the following translation as a result: “she will be released when fairness is restored.” Regardless, it makes best sense in the context to regard this as a reference to repentant Israelites returning to the land of promise. This understanding provides a better contrast with the rebels and sinners in 1:28.
  72. Isaiah 1:28 tn Heb “and [there will be] a shattering of rebels and sinners together.”
  73. Isaiah 1:29 tc The Hebrew text (and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa) has the third person here, though a few Hebrew mss (and Targums) read the second person, which is certainly more consistent with the following context. The third person form is the more difficult reading and probably original. This disagreement in person has caused some to emend the first verb (third plural) to a second plural form (followed by most English translations). The BHS textual apparatus suggests that the second plural form be read even though there is only sparse textual evidence. LXX, Syriac, and the Vulgate change all the second person verbs in 1:29-31 to third person verbs. It is likely that the change to a second person form represents an attempt at syntactical harmonization (J. de Waard, Isaiah, 10). The abrupt change from third person to second person may have been intentional for rhetorical impact (GKC 462 §144.p). The rapid change from exclamation (they did!) to reproach (you desired!) might be regarded as a rhetorical figure focusing attention on the addressees and their conditions (de Waard, 10; E. König, Stilistik, Rhetorik, Poetik, 239). This use of the third person could also be understood as an impersonal third person: “one will be ashamed” (de Waard, 10). In v. 29 the prophet continues his description of the sinners (v. 28), but then suddenly makes a transition to direct address (switching from third to second person) in the middle of his sentence.
  74. Isaiah 1:29 tn The second person pronouns in vv. 29-30 are masculine plural, indicating that the rebellious sinners (v. 28) are addressed.
  75. Isaiah 1:29 tn Or “gardens” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “groves.”
  76. Isaiah 1:30 tn Or “a garden” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  77. Isaiah 1:31 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
  78. Isaiah 2:1 tn Heb “the word which Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.”
  79. Isaiah 2:2 tn The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vehayah] and וַיְהִי [vayehi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.sn “In future days” refers generally to the future, but here and in Micah 4:1 it may also refer to the final period of history (see the note at Gen 49:1).
  80. Isaiah 2:2 tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).
  81. Isaiah 2:2 tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.
  82. Isaiah 2:3 tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).
  83. Isaiah 2:3 tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.
  84. Isaiah 2:3 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.
  85. Isaiah 2:3 tn Heb “walk in his ways.”
  86. Isaiah 2:3 tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”
  87. Isaiah 2:4 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
  88. Isaiah 2:4 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.
  89. Isaiah 2:5 tn Heb “house,” referring to the family line or descendants (likewise in v. 6).
  90. Isaiah 2:5 tn Heb “let’s walk in the light of the Lord.” In this context, which speaks of the Lord’s instruction and commands, the “light of the Lord” refers to his moral standards by which he seeks to guide his people. One could paraphrase, “let’s obey the Lord’s commands.”
  91. Isaiah 2:6 tn The words “O Lord” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Isaiah addresses the Lord in prayer.
  92. Isaiah 2:6 tc Heb “they are full from the east.” Various scholars retain the BHS reading and suggest that the prophet makes a general statement concerning Israel’s reliance on foreign customs (J. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 1:32; J. de Waard, Isaiah, 12-13). Nevertheless, it appears that a word is missing. Based on the parallelism (note “omen readers” in 2:6c), many suggest that קֹסְמִים (qosemim, “diviners”) or מִקְסָם (miqsam, “divination”) has been accidentally omitted. Homoioteleuton could account for the omission of an original קֹסְמִים (note how this word and the following מִקֶּדֶם [miqqedem, “from the east”] both end in mem); an original מִקְסָם could have fallen out by homoioarcton (note how this word and the following מִקֶּדֶם both begin with mem).
  93. Isaiah 2:6 tn Heb “and omen readers like the Philistines.” Through this line and the preceding, the prophet contends that Israel has heavily borrowed the pagan practices of the east and west (in violation of Lev 19:26; Deut 18:9-14).
  94. Isaiah 2:6 tn Heb “and with the children of foreigners they [?].” The precise meaning of the final word is uncertain. Some take this verb (I שָׂפַק, safaq) to mean “slap,” supply the object “hands,” and translate, “they slap [hands] with foreigners”; HALOT 1349 s.v. I שׂפק. This could be a reference to foreign alliances. This translation has two disadvantages: It requires the conjectural insertion of “hands” and the use of this verb with its object prefixed with a בְּ (bet) preposition with this meaning does not occur elsewhere. The other uses of this verb refer to clapping at someone, an indication of hostility. The translation above assumes the verb is derived from II שׂפק (“to suffice,” attested in the Qal in 1 Kgs 20:10; HALOT 1349 s.v. II שׂפק). In this case the point is that a sufficient number of foreigners (in this case, too many!) live in the land. The disadvantage of this option is that the preposition prefixed to “the children of foreigners” does not occur with this verb elsewhere. The chosen translation is preferred since it continues the idea of abundant foreign influence and does not require a conjectural insertion or emendation.
  95. Isaiah 2:7 tn Or “treasuries”; KJV “treasures.”
  96. Isaiah 2:7 sn Judah’s royal bureaucracy had accumulated great wealth and military might, in violation of Deut 17:16-17.
  97. Isaiah 2:8 tn Or “bow down to” (NIV, NRSV).
  98. Isaiah 2:9 tn Heb “men bow down, men are low.” Since the verbs שָׁחָח (shakhakh) and שָׁפַל (shafal) are used later in this discourse to describe how God will humiliate proud men (see vv. 11, 17), some understand v. 9a as a prediction of judgment, “men will be brought down, men will be humiliated.” However, these prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive appear to carry on the description that precedes and are better taken with the accusation. They draw attention to the fact that human beings actually bow down and worship before the lifeless products of their own hands.
  99. Isaiah 2:9 tn Heb “don’t lift them up.” The idiom “lift up” (נָשָׂא with לְ, nasaʾ with preposition lamed) can mean “spare, forgive” (see Gen 18:24, 26). Here the idiom plays on the preceding verbs. The idolaters are bowed low as they worship their false gods; the prophet asks God not to “lift them up.”
  100. Isaiah 2:10 tn Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “get away” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  101. Isaiah 2:11 tn Heb “and the eyes of the pride of men will be brought low, and the arrogance of men will be brought down.” The repetition of the verbs שָׁפַל (shafal) and שָׁחָח (shakhakh) from v. 9 draws attention to the appropriate nature of the judgment. Those proud men who “bow low” before idols will be forced to “bow low” before God when he judges their sin.
  102. Isaiah 2:11 tn Or “elevated”; CEV “honored.”
  103. Isaiah 2:12 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”] has a day.”
  104. Isaiah 2:12 tn Or “against” (NAB, NASB, NRSV).
  105. Isaiah 2:13 sn The cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan were well-known for their size and prominence. They make apt symbols here for powerful men who think of themselves as prominent and secure.
  106. Isaiah 2:14 sn The high mountains and hills symbolize the apparent security of proud men, as do the high tower and fortified wall of v. 15.
  107. Isaiah 2:16 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
  108. Isaiah 2:16 tn Heb “desirable”; NAB, NIV “stately”; NRSV “beautiful.”
  109. Isaiah 2:16 tn On the meaning of this word, which appears only here in the Hebrew Bible, see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 41-42.sn The ships mentioned in this verse were the best of their class, and therefore an apt metaphor for the proud men being denounced in this speech.
  110. Isaiah 2:17 tn Heb “and the pride of men will be brought down, and the arrogance of men will be brought low.” As in v. 11, the repetition of the verbs שָׁפַל (shafal) and שָׁחָח (shakhakh) from v. 9 draws attention to the appropriate nature of the judgment. Those proud men who “bow low” before idols will be forced to “bow low” before God when he judges their sin.
  111. Isaiah 2:17 tn Or “elevated”; NCV “praised”; CEV “honored.”
  112. Isaiah 2:18 tc The verb “pass away” is singular in the Hebrew text, despite the plural subject (“worthless idols”) that precedes. The verb should be emended to a plural; the final vav (ו) has been accidentally omitted by haplography (note the vav at the beginning of the immediately following form).tn Heb “will completely pass away”; ASV “shall utterly pass away.”
  113. Isaiah 2:19 tn The identity of the grammatical subject is unclear. The “idols” could be the subject; they will “go” into the caves and holes when the idolaters throw them there in their haste to escape God’s judgment (see vv. 20-21). The picture of the idols, which represent the foreign deities worshiped by the people, fleeing from the Lord would be highly polemical and fit the overall mood of the chapter. However it seems more likely that the idolaters themselves are the subject, for v. 10 uses similar language in sarcastically urging them to run from judgment.
  114. Isaiah 2:19 tn Heb “dust”; ASV “into the holes of the earth.”
  115. Isaiah 2:19 tn Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “trying to escape” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  116. Isaiah 2:19 tn Or “land.” It is not certain if these verses are describing the judgment of Judah (see vv. 6-9) or a more universal judgment on all proud men.
  117. Isaiah 2:20 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
  118. Isaiah 2:20 tn Or “bow down to.”
  119. Isaiah 2:20 tn Heb “to the shrews and to the bats.” On the meaning of חֲפַרְפָּרָה (khafarparah, “shrew”), see HALOT 341 s.v. חֲפַרְפָּרָה. The BHS text as it stands (לַחְפֹּר פֵּרוֹת, perot lakhpor), makes no sense. Based on Theodotion’s transliteration and a similar reading in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, most scholars suggest that the MT mistakenly divided a noun (a hapax legomenon) that should be translated “moles,” “shrews,” or “rodents.”
  120. Isaiah 2:21 sn The precise point of vv. 20-21 is not entirely clear. Are they taking the idols into their hiding places with them because they are so attached to their man-made images? Or are they discarding the idols along the way as they retreat into the darkest places they can find? In either case it is obvious that the gods are incapable of helping them.
  121. Isaiah 2:21 tn Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “trying to escape” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  122. Isaiah 2:21 tn Or “land.” It is not certain if these verses are describing the judgment of Judah (see vv. 6-9) or a more universal judgment on all proud men. Almost all English versions translate “earth,” taking this to refer to universal judgment.
  123. Isaiah 3:1 tn Heb “the master, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, the “Lord of hosts”].” On the title “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,” see the note at 1:9.
  124. Isaiah 3:1 tn Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See GKC 394 §122.v.
  125. Isaiah 3:1 tn Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”
  126. Isaiah 3:2 tn Heb “elder” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “older leaders.”
  127. Isaiah 3:3 tn Heb “the ones lifted up with respect to the face.” For another example of the Hebrew idiom, see 2 Kgs 5:1.
  128. Isaiah 3:3 tn Heb “and the wise with respect to magic.” On the meaning of חֲרָשִׁים (kharashim, “magic”), see HALOT 358 s.v. III חרשׁ. Some understand here a homonym, meaning “craftsmen.” In this case, one could translate, “skilled craftsmen” (cf. NIV, NASB).
  129. Isaiah 3:4 tn The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The prophet speaks in vv. 1-3 (note the third person reference to the Lord in v. 1), but here the Lord himself announces that he will intervene in judgment. It is unclear where the Lord’s words end and the prophet’s pick up again. The prophet is apparently speaking again by v. 8, where the Lord is referred to in the third person. Since vv. 4-7 comprise a thematic unity, the quotation probably extends through v. 7.
  130. Isaiah 3:4 tn תַעֲלוּלִים (taʿalulim) is often understood as an abstract plural meaning “wantonness, cruelty” (cf. NLT). In this case the chief characteristic of these leaders is substituted for the leaders themselves. However, several translations make the parallelism tighter by emending the form to עוֹלְלִים (ʿolelim, “children”; cf. ESV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV). This emendation is unnecessary for at least two reasons. The word in the MT highlights the cruelty or malice of the “leaders” who are left behind in the wake of God’s judgment. The immediate context makes clear the fact that they are mere youths. The coming judgment will sweep away the leaders, leaving a vacuum which will be filled by incompetent, inexperienced youths.
  131. Isaiah 3:5 tn Heb “man against man, and a man against his neighbor.”
  132. Isaiah 3:5 tn Heb “and those lightly esteemed those who are respected.” The verb רָהַב (rahav) does double duty in the parallelism.
  133. Isaiah 3:6 tn Heb “[in] the house of his father” (so ASV); NIV “at his father’s home.”
  134. Isaiah 3:6 tn The words “and say” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
  135. Isaiah 3:6 tn Heb “your hand”; NASB “under your charge.”sn The man’s motives are selfish. He tells his brother to assume leadership because he thinks he has some wealth to give away.
  136. Isaiah 3:7 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
  137. Isaiah 3:7 tn Heb “he will lift up [his voice].”
  138. Isaiah 3:7 tn Heb “wrapper [of wounds]”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “healer.”
  139. Isaiah 3:8 tn Heb “for their tongue and their deeds [are] to the Lord.”
  140. Isaiah 3:8 tn Heb “to rebel [against] the eyes of his majesty.” The word כָּבוֹד (kavod) frequently refers to the Lord’s royal splendor that is an outward manifestation of his authority as king.
  141. Isaiah 3:9 sn This refers to their proud, arrogant demeanor.
  142. Isaiah 3:9 tn Heb “answers against them”; NRSV “bears witness against them.”
  143. Isaiah 3:9 tn Heb “their sin, like Sodom, they declare, they do not conceal [it].”
  144. Isaiah 3:9 tn Heb “woe to their soul.”
  145. Isaiah 3:10 tn Or “the righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, TEV); NLT “those who are godly.”
  146. Isaiah 3:10 tn Heb “that it is good.”
  147. Isaiah 3:10 tn Heb “for the fruit of their deeds they will eat.”
  148. Isaiah 3:11 tn Heb “for the work of his hands will be done to him.”
  149. Isaiah 3:12 sn This may refer to the prophet or to the Lord.
  150. Isaiah 3:12 tc The Hebrew text appears to read literally, “My people, his oppressors, he deals severely, and women rule over them.” The correct text and precise meaning of the verse are debated. The translation above assumes (1) an emendation of נֹגְשָׂיו (nogesayv, “his oppressors”) to נֹגְשִׂים (nogeshim, “oppressors”) by moving the mem (ם) on the following form to the end of the word and dropping the vav (ו) as virtually dittographic; (2) an emendation of מְעוֹלֵל (meʿolel, a singular participle that does not agree with the preceding plural subject) to עֹלְלוּ (ʿolelu), a third plural Poel perfect from עָלַל (ʿalal, “deal severely”; note that the following form begins with a vav [ו]; the text may be haplographic or misdivided); and (3) an emendation (with support from the LXX) of נָשִׁים (nashim, “women”) to נֹשִׁים (noshim, “creditors”; a participle from נָשַׁא, nashaʾ). Another option is to emend מְעוֹלֵל to עוֹלְלִים (ʿolelim, “children”) and read, “My people’s oppressors are children; women rule over them.” In this case the point is the same as in v. 4; the leadership void left by the judgment will be filled by those incompetent to lead the community—children and women.
  151. Isaiah 3:12 tn Heb “and the way of your paths they confuse.” The verb בָּלַע (balaʿ, “confuse”; HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”; see HALOT 134 s.v. בלע).
  152. Isaiah 3:13 tc The Hebrew text has עַמִּים (ʿammim, “nations”) but the context makes it clear that the Lord is judging his covenant people. As indicated by the LXX the text should read עַמּוֹ (ʿammo, “his people”). The final mem (ם) on the form in the Hebrew is either dittographic or enclitic. When the mem was added or read as a plural ending, the vav (ו) was then misread as a yod (י).
  153. Isaiah 3:14 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  154. Isaiah 3:14 tn The pronominal element is masculine plural; the leaders are addressed.
  155. Isaiah 3:14 tn The verb בָּעַר (baʿar, “graze, ruin”; HALOT 146 s.v. II בער) is a homonym of the more common בָּעַר (baʿar, “burn”; see HALOT 145 s.v. I בער).
  156. Isaiah 3:14 sn The vineyard is a metaphor for the nation here. See 5:1-7.
  157. Isaiah 3:14 tn Heb “the plunder of the poor [is] in your houses” (so NASB).
  158. Isaiah 3:15 sn The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s outrage at what the leaders have done to the poor. He finds it almost unbelievable that they would have the audacity to treat his people in this manner.
  159. Isaiah 3:15 tn Heb Traditionally, the “Lord of hosts.” On the title “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,” see the note at 1:9.sn The use of this title, which also appears in v. 1, forms an inclusio around vv. 1-15. The speech begins and ends with a reference to “the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
  160. Isaiah 3:16 tn Heb “daughters” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).
  161. Isaiah 3:16 tn Heb “with an outstretched neck.” They proudly hold their heads high so that others can see the jewelry around their necks.
  162. Isaiah 3:16 tn Heb “walking and skipping, they walk.”
  163. Isaiah 3:16 tn Heb “and with their feet they jingle.”
  164. Isaiah 3:17 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 16-17 are one long sentence, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud and walk…, the Lord will afflict….” In v. 17 the Lord refers to himself in the third person.
  165. Isaiah 3:17 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v. 18 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  166. Isaiah 3:17 tn Heb “the daughters of Zion.”
  167. Isaiah 3:17 tn Or “a scab” (KJV, ASV); NIV, NCV, CEV “sores.”
  168. Isaiah 3:17 tn The precise meaning of this line is unclear because of the presence of the rare word פֹּת (pot). Since the verb in the line means “lay bare, make naked,” some take פֹּת as a reference to the genitals (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV, CEV). (In 1 Kgs 7:50 a noun פֹּת appears, with the apparent meaning “socket.”) J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:139, n. 2), basing his argument on alleged Akkadian evidence and the parallelism of the verse, takes פֹּת as “forehead.”
  169. Isaiah 3:18 sn The translation assumes that the direct quotation ends with v. 17. The introductory formula “in that day” and the shift from a poetic to prosaic style indicate that a new speech unit begins in v. 18.
  170. Isaiah 3:18 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
  171. Isaiah 3:18 tn Or “the beauty of [their] ankle jewelry.”
  172. Isaiah 3:20 tn Heb “houses of breath.” HALOT 124 s.v. בַּיִת defines them as “scent-bottles”; cf. NAB, NRSV “perfume boxes.”
  173. Isaiah 3:23 tn The precise meaning of many of the words in this list is uncertain.sn The rhetorical purpose for such a lengthy list is to impress on the audience the guilt of these women with their proud, materialistic attitude, whose husbands and fathers have profited at the expense of the poor.
  174. Isaiah 3:24 tn Heb “and it will be in place of spices there will be a stench.” The nouns for “spices” and “stench” are right next to each other in the MT for emphatic contrast. The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  175. Isaiah 3:25 tn The pronoun is feminine singular, suggesting personified Zion, as representative of its women, is the addressee. The reference to “her gates’ in v. 26 makes this identification almost certain.
  176. Isaiah 3:25 tn Heb “your strength in battle.” The verb in the first clause provides the verbal idea for the second clause.
  177. Isaiah 3:26 tn Heb “she will be empty, on the ground she will sit.” Jerusalem is personified as a destitute woman who sits mourning the empty city.
  178. Isaiah 4:1 tn Or “in that day” (ASV).sn The seven-to-one ratio emphasizes the great disparity that will exist in the population due to the death of so many men in battle.
  179. Isaiah 4:1 tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”
  180. Isaiah 4:1 tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”sn In Jewish understanding a husband should provide food and cloth to his wife. These women are so desperate as to be willing to exempt the man from some of his traditional, fundamental duties as a husband.
  181. Isaiah 4:1 tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.”
  182. Isaiah 4:1 sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.
  183. Isaiah 4:2 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
  184. Isaiah 4:2 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the Lord will become beauty and honor.” Many English versions understand the phrase צֶמַח יְהוָה (tsemakh yehvah) as a messianic reference and render it, “the Branch of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, and others). Though צֶמַח (tsemakh) is used by later prophets of a royal descendant (Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12), those passages contain clear contextual indicators that a human ruler is in view and that the word is being used in a metaphorical way of offspring. However, in Isa 4:2 there are no such contextual indicators. To the contrary, in the parallel structure of the verse צֶמַח יְהוָה corresponds to “produce of the land,” a phrase that refers elsewhere exclusively to literal agricultural produce (see Num 13:20, 26; Deut 1:25). In the majority of its uses צֶמַח refers to literal crops or vegetation (in Ps 65:10 the Lord is the source of this vegetation). A reference to the Lord restoring crops would make excellent sense in Isa 4 and the prophets frequently included this theme in their visions of the future age (see Isa 30:23-24; 32:20; Jer 31:12; Ezek 34:26-29; and Amos 9:13-14).
  185. Isaiah 4:2 tn Heb “and the fruit of the land will become pride and beauty for the remnant of Israel.”
  186. Isaiah 4:3 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  187. Isaiah 4:3 tn Or “set apart,” cf. CEV “special.”
  188. Isaiah 4:3 tn Heb “all who are written down for life in Jerusalem.” A city register is envisioned; everyone whose name appears on the roll will be spared. This group comprises the remnant of the city referred to earlier in the verse.
  189. Isaiah 4:4 tn Heb “when” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); CEV “after”; NRSV “once.”
  190. Isaiah 4:4 tn The word refers elsewhere to vomit (Isa 28:8) and fecal material (Isa 36:12). Many English versions render this somewhat euphemistically as “filth” (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV). Ironically in God’s sight the beautiful jewelry described earlier is nothing but vomit and feces, for it symbolizes the moral decay of the city’s residents (cf. NLT “moral filth”).
  191. Isaiah 4:4 sn See 1:21 for a related concept.
  192. Isaiah 4:4 tn Heb “by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.” The precise meaning of the second half of the verse is uncertain. רוּחַ (ruakh) can be understood as “wind,” in which case the passage pictures the Lord using a destructive wind as an instrument of judgment. However, this would create a mixed metaphor, for the first half of the verse uses the imagery of washing and rinsing to depict judgment. Perhaps the image would be that of a windstorm accompanied by heavy rain. רוּחַ can also mean “spirit,” in which case the verse may be referring to the Lord’s Spirit or, more likely, to a disposition that the Lord brings to the task of judgment. It is also uncertain if בָּעַר (baʿar) here means “burning” or “sweeping away, devastating.”
  193. Isaiah 4:5 tn Heb “over all the place, Mount Zion.” Cf. NLT “Jerusalem”; CEV “the whole city.”
  194. Isaiah 4:5 tn Heb “a cloud by day, and smoke, and brightness of fire, a flame by night.” Though the accents in the Hebrew text suggest otherwise, it might be preferable to take “smoke” with what follows, since one would expect smoke to accompany fire.sn The imagery of the cloud by day and fire by night recalls the days of Moses, when a cloud and fire were tangible reminders that the Lord was guiding and protecting his people (Exod 13:21-22; 14:19, 24). In the future age envisioned in Isa 4, the Lord’s protective presence will be a reality.
  195. Isaiah 4:5 tn Heb “indeed (or “for”) over all the glory, a canopy.” This may allude to Exod 40:34-35, where a cloud overshadows the meeting tent as it is filled with God’s glory.
  196. Isaiah 4:6 tn Heb “a shelter it will be for shade by day from heat, and for a place of refuge and for a hiding place from cloudburst and rain.” Since both of the last nouns of this verse can mean rain, they can either refer to the rain storm and the rain as distinct items or together refer to a heavy downpour. Regardless, they do not represent unrelated phenomena.
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