Yesaya 12:2

12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! ¹ 

I will trust in him ²  and not fear.

For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; ³ 

he has become my deliverer.” ⁴ 

Yesaya 28:16

28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:

“Look, I am laying ⁵  a stone in Zion,

an approved ⁶  stone,

set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. ⁷ 

The one who maintains his faith will not panic. ⁸ 

Yesaya 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ⁹  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ¹⁰  instead of discouragement. ¹¹ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ¹² 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ¹³ 

Yesaya 62:11

62:11 Look, the Lord announces to the entire earth: ¹⁴ 

“Say to Daughter Zion,

‘Look, your deliverer comes!

Look, his reward is with him

and his reward goes before him!’” ¹⁵ 

[12:2]  ¹ tn Or “salvation” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[12:2]  ² tn The words “in him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:2]  ³ tc The Hebrew text has, “for my strength and protection [is] the Lord, the Lord (Heb “Yah, Yahweh).” The word יְהוָה (yehvah) is probably dittographic or explanatory here (note that the short form of the name [יָהּ, yah] precedes, and that the graphically similar וַיְהִי [vayÿhi] follows). Exod 15:2, the passage from which the words of v. 2b are taken, has only יָהּ. The word זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing); note that in v. 5 the verb זָמַר (zamar, “sing”) appears. Many recent commentators, however, have argued that the noun is here instead a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v. III *זמר.

[12:2]  ⁴ tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “my savior.”

[28:16]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.

[28:16]  ⁶ tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.

[28:16]  ⁷ sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).

[28:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.

[61:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[62:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to the end of the earth” (so NASB, NRSV).

[62:11]  ¹⁵ sn As v. 12 indicates, the returning exiles are the Lord’s reward/prize. See also 40:10 and the note there.