9:19 Because of the anger of the Lord who commands armies, the land was scorched, 1
and the people became fuel for the fire. 2
People had no compassion on one another. 3
55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? 4
Why spend 5 your hard-earned money 6 on something that will not satisfy?
Listen carefully 7 to me and eat what is nourishing! 8
Enjoy fine food! 9
1 tn The precise meaning of the verb עְתַּם (’ÿtam), which occurs only here, is uncertain, though the context strongly suggests that it means “burn, scorch.”
2 sn The uncontrollable fire of the people’s wickedness (v. 18) is intensified by the fire of the Lord’s judgment (v. 19). God allows (or causes) their wickedness to become self-destructive as civil strife and civil war break out in the land.
3 tn Heb “men were not showing compassion to their brothers.” The idiom “men to their brothers” is idiomatic for reciprocity. The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an imperfect used in a customary sense, describing continual or repeated behavior in past time.
4 tn Heb “for what is not food.”
5 tn The interrogative particle and the verb “spend” are understood here by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
6 tn Heb “your labor,” which stands by metonymy for that which one earns.
7 tn The infinitive absolute follows the imperative and lends emphasis to the exhortation.
8 tn Heb “good” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
9 tn Heb “Let your appetite delight in fine food.”
sn Nourishing, fine food here represents the blessings God freely offers. These include forgiveness, a new covenantal relationship with God, and national prominence (see vv. 3-6).