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20 At that time[a] those left in Israel, those who remain of the family[b] of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them.[c] Instead they will truly[d] rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.[e] 21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.[f] 22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as[g] the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back.[h] Destruction has been decreed;[i] just punishment[j] is about to engulf you.[k] 23 The Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies is certainly ready to carry out the decreed destruction throughout the land.[l]

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Footnotes

  1. 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.
  2. Isaiah 10:20 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  3. 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”).
  4. Isaiah 10:20 tn Or “sincerely”; KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV “in truth.”
  5. Isaiah 10:20 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  6. 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.
  7. Isaiah 10:22 tn Heb “are like.”
  8. 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).
  9. Isaiah 10:22 tn Or “predetermined”; cf. ASV, NASB “is determined”; TEV “is in store.”
  10. Isaiah 10:22 tn צְדָקָה (tsedaqah) often means “righteousness,” but here it refers to God’s just judgment.
  11. Isaiah 10:22 tn Or “is about to overflow.”
  12. 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.

The Remnant Returns

20 At that time, the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer rely on the one who struck them down, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 21 A remnant will return—a remnant of Jacob—to the Mighty God. 22 For even if your people of Israel number as many as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Overwhelming, righteous destruction is decreed, 23 because the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies[a] will bring about destruction, as has been decreed, throughout[b] the entire region.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 10:23 So 1QIsaa; LXX, MT mss lack Lord of the Heavenly Armies
  2. Isaiah 10:23 Lit. in the midst of
  3. Isaiah 10:23 Lit. land