Yesaya 11:1-5
Konteks11:1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s 1 root stock,
a bud will sprout 2 from his roots.
11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him 3 –
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, 4
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, 5
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. 6
11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. 7
He will not judge by mere appearances, 8
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. 9
11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, 10
and make right decisions 11 for the downtrodden of the earth. 12
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, 13
and order the wicked to be executed. 14
11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips. 15
Yesaya 60:1--62:12
Konteks60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor 16 of the Lord shines on you!
60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers 17 the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor 18 appears over you.
60:3 Nations come to your light,
kings to your bright light.
They all gather and come to you –
your sons come from far away
and your daughters are escorted by guardians.
60:5 Then you will look and smile, 20
you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. 21
For the riches of distant lands 22 will belong to you
and the wealth of nations will come to you.
60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, 23
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba 24 will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord. 25
60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. 26
They will go up on my altar acceptably, 27
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
60:8 Who are these who float along 28 like a cloud,
who fly like doves to their shelters? 29
60:9 Indeed, the coastlands 30 look eagerly for me,
the large ships 31 are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God, 32
the Holy One of Israel, 33 for he has bestowed honor on you.
60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;
their kings will serve you.
Even though I struck you down in my anger,
I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. 34
60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;
they will not be shut during the day or at night,
so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,
with their kings leading the way. 35
60:12 Indeed, 36 nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;
such nations will be totally destroyed. 37
60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,
its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,
to beautify my palace; 38
I will bestow honor on my throne room. 39
60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;
all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ 40
60:15 You were once abandoned
and despised, with no one passing through,
but I will make you 41 a permanent source of pride
and joy to coming generations.
60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;
you will nurse at the breasts of kings. 42
Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,
your protector, 43 the powerful ruler of Jacob. 44
60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,
instead of iron, I will bring you silver,
instead of wood, I will bring you 45 bronze,
instead of stones, I will bring you 46 iron.
I will make prosperity 47 your overseer,
and vindication your sovereign ruler. 48
60:18 Sounds of violence 49 will no longer be heard in your land,
or the sounds of 50 destruction and devastation within your borders.
You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’
and your gates, ‘Praise.’
60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,
nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;
the Lord will be your permanent source of light –
the splendor of your God will shine upon you. 51
60:20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear; 52
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time 53 of sorrow will be over.
60:21 All of your people will be godly; 54
they will possess the land permanently.
I will plant them like a shoot;
they will be the product of my labor,
through whom I reveal my splendor. 55
60:22 The least of you will multiply into 56 a thousand;
the smallest of you will become a large nation.
When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!” 57
61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen 58 me. 59
He has commissioned 60 me to encourage 61 the poor,
to help 62 the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,
the day when our God will seek vengeance, 63
to console all who mourn,
61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy, 64 instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise, 65 instead of discouragement. 66
They will be called oaks of righteousness, 67
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. 68
61:4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate; 69
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
61:5 70 “Foreigners will take care of 71 your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
61:6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,
servants of our God.’ 72
You will enjoy 73 the wealth of nations
and boast about 74 the riches you receive from them. 75
61:7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; 76
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. 77
Yes, 78 they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness; 79
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
61:9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize that
the Lord has blessed them.” 80
61:10 I 81 will greatly rejoice 82 in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God. 83
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. 84
I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. 85
61:11 For just as the ground produces its crops
and a garden yields its produce,
so the sovereign Lord will cause deliverance 86 to grow,
and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations. 87
62:1 “For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;
for the sake of Jerusalem 88 I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines brightly 89
and her deliverance burns like a torch.”
62:2 Nations will see your vindication,
and all kings your splendor.
You will be called by a new name
that the Lord himself will give you. 90
62:3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the Lord,
a royal turban in the hand of your God.
62:4 You will no longer be called, “Abandoned,”
and your land will no longer be called “Desolate.”
Indeed, 91 you will be called “My Delight is in Her,” 92
and your land “Married.” 93
For the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married to him. 94
62:5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons 95 will marry you.
As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,
so your God will rejoice over you.
62:6 I 96 post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they should keep praying all day and all night. 97
You who pray to 98 the Lord, don’t be silent!
62:7 Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem, 99
until he makes Jerusalem the pride 100 of the earth.
62:8 The Lord swears an oath by his right hand,
by his strong arm: 101
“I will never again give your grain
to your enemies as food,
and foreigners will not drink your wine,
which you worked hard to produce.
62:9 But those who harvest the grain 102 will eat it,
and will praise the Lord.
Those who pick the grapes will drink the wine 103
in the courts of my holy sanctuary.”
62:10 Come through! Come through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people!
Build it! Build the roadway!
Remove the stones!
Lift a signal flag for the nations!
62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: 104
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘Look, your deliverer comes!
Look, his reward is with him
and his reward goes before him!’” 105
62:12 They will be called, “The Holy People,
the Ones Protected 106 by the Lord.”
You will be called, “Sought After,
City Not Abandoned.”
[11:1] 1 sn The text mentions David’s father Jesse, instead of the great king himself. Perhaps this is done for rhetorical reasons to suggest that a new David, not just another disappointing Davidic descendant, will arise. Other prophets call the coming ideal Davidic king “David” or picture him as the second coming of David, as it were. See Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hos 3:5; and Mic 5:2 (as well as the note there).
[11:1] 2 tc The Hebrew text has יִפְרֶה (yifreh, “will bear fruit,” from פָּרָה, parah), but the ancient versions, as well as the parallelism suggest that יִפְרַח (yifrakh, “will sprout”, from פָּרַח, parakh) is the better reading here. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:276, n. 2.
[11:2] 3 sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.
[11:2] 4 tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.
[11:2] 5 tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).
[11:2] 6 tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).
[11:3] 7 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his smelling is in the fear of the Lord.” In Amos 5:21 the Hiphil of רוּחַ (ruakh, “smell”) carries the nuance of “smell with delight, get pleasure from.” There the Lord declares that he does not “smell with delight” (i.e., get pleasure from) Israel’s religious assemblies, which probably stand by metonymy for the incense offered during these festivals. In Isa 11:3 there is no sacrificial context to suggest such a use, but it is possible that “the fear of the Lord” is likened to incense. This coming king will get the same kind of delight from obeying (fearing) the Lord, as a deity does in the incense offered by worshipers. Some regard such an explanation as strained in this context, and prefer to omit this line from the text as a virtual dittograph of the preceding statement.
[11:3] 8 tn Heb “by what appears to his eyes”; KJV “after the sight of his eyes”; NIV “by what he sees with his eyes.”
[11:3] 9 tn Heb “by what is heard by his ears”; NRSV “by what his ears hear.”
[11:4] 10 tn Heb “with justice” (so NAB) or “with righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[11:4] 11 tn Heb “make decisions with rectitude”; cf. ASV, NRSV “and decide with equity.”
[11:4] 12 tn Or “land” (NAB, NCV, CEV). It is uncertain if the passage is picturing universal dominion or focusing on the king’s rule over his covenant people. The reference to God’s “holy mountain” in v. 9 and the description of renewed Israelite conquests in v. 14 suggest the latter, though v. 10 seems to refer to a universal kingdom (see 2:2-4).
[11:4] 13 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he will strike the earth with the scepter of his mouth.” Some have suggested that in this context אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) as an object of judgment seems too broad in scope. The parallelism is tighter if one emends the word to ץ(י)עָרִ (’arits, “potentate, tyrant”). The phrase “scepter of his mouth” refers to the royal (note “scepter”) decrees that he proclaims with his mouth. Because these decrees will have authority and power (see v. 2) behind them, they can be described as “striking” the tyrants down. Nevertheless, the MT reading may not need emending. Isaiah refers to the entire “earth” as the object of God’s judgment in several places without specifying the wicked as the object of the judgment (Isa 24:17-21; 26:9, 21; 28:22; cf. 13:11).
[11:4] 14 tn Heb “and by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.” The “breath of his lips” refers to his speech, specifically in this context his official decrees that the wicked oppressors be eliminated from his realm. See the preceding note.
[11:5] 15 tn Heb “Justice will be the belt [or “undergarment”] on his waist, integrity the belt [or “undergarment”] on his hips.” The point of the metaphor is uncertain. If a belt worn outside the robe is in view, then the point might be that justice/integrity will be readily visible or that these qualities will give support to his rule. If an undergarment is in view, then the idea might be that these characteristics support his rule or that they are basic to everything else.
[60:1] 16 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).
[60:2] 17 tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[60:2] 18 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”
[60:4] 19 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”
[60:5] 20 tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[60:5] 21 tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”
[60:5] 22 tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.
[60:6] 23 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
[60:6] 24 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
[60:6] 25 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
[60:7] 26 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
[60:7] 27 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
[60:8] 28 tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”
[60:8] 29 tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.
[60:9] 30 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
[60:9] 31 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
[60:9] 32 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
[60:9] 33 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[60:10] 34 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
[60:11] 35 tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.
[60:12] 36 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”
[60:12] 37 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
[60:13] 38 tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”
[60:13] 39 tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”
[60:14] 40 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[60:15] 41 tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”
[60:16] 42 sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.
[60:16] 43 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[60:16] 44 sn See 1:24 and 49:26.
[60:17] 45 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).
[60:17] 46 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).
[60:17] 47 tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).
[60:17] 48 tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.
[60:18] 49 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[60:18] 50 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[60:19] 51 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
[60:20] 52 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
[60:20] 53 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[60:21] 54 tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”
[60:21] 55 tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”
[60:22] 56 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
[60:22] 57 tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”
[61:1] 58 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
[61:1] 59 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
[61:1] 60 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
[61:1] 61 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
[61:1] 62 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
[61:2] 63 tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.
[61:3] 64 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
[61:3] 65 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
[61:3] 66 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
[61:3] 67 tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
[61:3] 68 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
[61:4] 69 tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
[61:5] 70 sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech.
[61:5] 71 tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”
[61:6] 72 tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”
[61:6] 73 tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.”
[61:6] 74 tc The form in the Hebrew text is probably a corruption of יִתְאַמְּרוּ (yit’ammÿru), a Hitpael from אָמַר (’amar), meaning “boast about” (see HALOT 67 s.v. II אמר, HALOT 416 s.v. ימר, and BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר).
[61:6] 75 tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).
[61:7] 76 tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
[61:7] 77 tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תָחָת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[61:7] 78 tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”
[61:8] 79 tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
[61:9] 80 tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
[61:10] 81 sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.
[61:10] 82 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
[61:10] 83 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
[61:10] 84 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
[61:10] 85 tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.
[61:11] 86 tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1).
[61:11] 87 tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”
[62:1] 88 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[62:1] 89 tn Heb “goes forth like brightness.”
[62:2] 90 tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”
[62:4] 91 tn Or “for”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “but.”
[62:4] 92 tn Hebrew חֶפְצִי־בָהּ (kheftsi-vah), traditionally transliterated “Hephzibah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
[62:4] 93 tn Hebrew בְּעוּלָה (bÿ’ulah), traditionally transliterated “Beulah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
[62:4] 94 tn That is, the land will be restored to the Lord’s favor and once again enjoy his blessing and protection. To indicate the land’s relationship to the Lord, the words “to him” have been supplied at the end of the clause.
[62:5] 95 tc The Hebrew text has “your sons,” but this produces an odd metaphor and is somewhat incongruous with the parallelism. In the context (v. 4b, see also 54:5-7) the Lord is the one who “marries” Zion. Therefore several prefer to emend “your sons” to בֹּנָיִךְ (bonayikh, “your builder”; e.g., NRSV). In Ps 147:2 the Lord is called the “builder of Jerusalem.” However, this emendation is not the best option for at least four reasons. First, although the Lord is never called the “builder” of Jerusalem in Isaiah, the idea of Zion’s children possessing the land does occur (Isa 49:20; 54:3; cf. also 14:1; 60:21). Secondly, all the ancient versions support the MT reading. Thirdly, although the verb בָּעַל (ba’al) can mean “to marry,” its basic idea is “to possess.” Consequently, the verb stresses a relationship more than a state. All the ancient versions render this verb “to dwell in” or “to dwell with.” The point is not just that the land will be reinhabited, but that it will be in a relationship of “belonging” to the Israelites. Hence a relational verb like בָּעַל is used (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:581). Finally, “sons” is a well-known metaphor for “inhabitants” (J. de Waard, Isaiah, 208).
[62:6] 96 sn The speaker here is probably the prophet.
[62:6] 97 tn Heb “all day and all night continually they do not keep silent.” The following lines suggest that they pray for the Lord’s intervention and restoration of the city.
[62:6] 98 tn Or “invoke”; NIV “call on”; NASB, NRSV “remind.”
[62:7] 99 tn “Jerusalem” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; note the following line.
[62:7] 100 tn Heb “[the object of] praise.”
[62:8] 101 tn The Lord’s right hand and strong arm here symbolize his power and remind the audience that his might guarantees the fulfillment of the following promise.
[62:9] 102 tn Heb “it,” the grain mentioned in v. 8a.
[62:9] 103 tn Heb “and those who gather it will drink it.” The masculine singular pronominal suffixes attached to “gather” and “drink” refer back to the masculine noun תִּירוֹשׁ (tirosh, “wine”) in v. 8b.
[62:11] 104 tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).
[62:11] 105 sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.
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