Yesaya 33:9

33:9 The land ¹  dries up ²  and withers away;

the forest of Lebanon shrivels up ³  and decays.

Sharon ⁴  is like the desert; ⁵ 

Bashan and Carmel ⁶  are parched. ⁷ 

Yesaya 35:2

35:2 Let it richly bloom; ⁸ 

let it rejoice and shout with delight! ⁹ 

It is given the grandeur ¹⁰  of Lebanon,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.

They will see the grandeur of the Lord,

the splendor of our God.

Mikha 7:14

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ¹¹ 

the flock that belongs to you, ¹² 

the one that lives alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland. ¹³ 

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ¹⁴ 

as they did in the old days. ¹⁵ 

Mikha 7:18

7:18 There is no other God like you! ¹⁶ 

You ¹⁷  forgive sin

and pardon ¹⁸  the rebellion

of those who remain among your people. ¹⁹ 

You do not remain angry forever, ²⁰ 

but delight in showing loyal love.

[33:9]  ¹ tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.”

[33:9]  ² tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4.

[33:9]  ³ tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.

[33:9]  ⁴ sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2.

[33:9]  ⁵ tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.

[33:9]  ⁶ sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.

[33:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”

[35:2]  ⁸ tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).

[35:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).

[35:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse.

[7:14]  ¹¹ tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ¹² tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ¹³ tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.

[7:14]  sn The point seems to be that Israel is in a vulnerable position, like sheep in a thicket populated by predators, while rich pastureland (their homeland and God’s blessings) is in view.

[7:14]  ¹⁴ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

[7:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”

[7:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”

[7:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.

[7:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “pass over.”

[7:18]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”

[7:18]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”