Yesaya 1:14

1:14 I hate your new moon festivals and assemblies;

they are a burden

that I am tired of carrying.

Yesaya 1:22

1:22 Your ¹  silver has become scum, ² 

your beer is diluted with water. ³ 

Yesaya 2:8

2:8 Their land is full of worthless idols;

they worship ⁴  the product of their own hands,

what their own fingers have fashioned.

Yesaya 3:11

3:11 Too bad for the wicked sinners!

For they will get exactly what they deserve. ⁵ 

Yesaya 3:25

3:25 Your ⁶  men will fall by the sword,

your strong men will die in battle. ⁷ 

Yesaya 7:5

7:5 Syria has plotted with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah to bring about your demise. ⁸ 

Yesaya 10:21

10:21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. ⁹ 

Yesaya 13:6

13:6 Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment ¹⁰  is near;

it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 13:15

13:15 Everyone who is caught will be stabbed;

everyone who is seized ¹²  will die ¹³  by the sword.

Yesaya 14:10

14:10 All of them respond to you, saying:

‘You too have become weak like us!

You have become just like us!

Yesaya 14:14

14:14 I will climb up to the tops ¹⁴  of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High!” ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 21:13

The Lord Will Judge Arabia

21:13 Here is a message about Arabia:

In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,

you Dedanite caravans.

Yesaya 22:19

22:19 I will remove you from ¹⁶  your office;

you will be thrown down ¹⁷  from your position.

Yesaya 23:10

23:10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile;

there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre. ¹⁸ 

Yesaya 24:3

24:3 The earth will be completely devastated

and thoroughly ransacked.

For the Lord has decreed this judgment. ¹⁹ 

Yesaya 24:9-10

24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; ²⁰ 

the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

24:10 The ruined town ²¹  is shattered;

all of the houses are shut up tight. ²² 

Yesaya 26:7

God’s People Anticipate Vindication

26:7 ²³ The way of the righteous is level,

the path of the righteous that you make is straight. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 29:24

29:24 Those who stray morally will gain understanding; ²⁵ 

those who complain will acquire insight. ²⁶ 

Yesaya 33:12

33:12 The nations will be burned to ashes; ²⁷ 

like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.

Yesaya 35:1

The Land and Its People Are Transformed

35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy; ²⁸ 

let the wilderness ²⁹  rejoice and bloom like a lily!

Yesaya 38:9

Hezekiah’s Song of Thanks

38:9 This is the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah when he was sick and then recovered from his illness:

Yesaya 40:8

40:8 The grass dries up,

the flowers wither,

but the decree of our God is forever reliable.” ³⁰ 

Yesaya 40:13

40:13 Who comprehends ³¹  the mind ³²  of the Lord,

or gives him instruction as his counselor? ³³ 

Yesaya 40:19

40:19 A craftsman casts ³⁴  an idol;

a metalsmith overlays it with gold

and forges silver chains for it.

Yesaya 40:29

40:29 He gives strength to those who are tired;

to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.

Yesaya 41:3

41:3 He pursues them and passes by unharmed; ³⁵ 

he advances with great speed. ³⁶ 

Yesaya 41:24

41:24 Look, you are nothing, and your accomplishments are nonexistent;

the one who chooses to worship you is disgusting. ³⁷ 

Yesaya 42:2

42:2 He will not cry out or shout;

he will not publicize himself in the streets. ³⁸ 

Yesaya 42:21

42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice

by magnifying his law and displaying it. ³⁹ 

Yesaya 43:16

43:16 This is what the Lord says,

the one who made a road through the sea,

a pathway through the surging waters,

Yesaya 43:27

43:27 The father of your nation ⁴⁰  sinned;

your spokesmen ⁴¹  rebelled against me.

Yesaya 44:10

44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol

that will prove worthless? ⁴² 

Yesaya 44:27

44:27 who says to the deep sea, ‘Be dry!

I will dry up your sea currents,’

Yesaya 46:5

46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?

Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!

Yesaya 49:11

49:11 I will make all my mountains into a road;

I will construct my roadways.”

Yesaya 52:13

The Lord Will Vindicate His Servant

52:13 “Look, my servant will succeed! ⁴³ 

He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted ⁴⁴  –

Yesaya 53:1

53:1 Who would have believed ⁴⁵  what we ⁴⁶  just heard? ⁴⁷ 

When ⁴⁸  was the Lord’s power ⁴⁹  revealed through him?

Yesaya 54:7

54:7 “For a short time I abandoned ⁵⁰  you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

Yesaya 57:2

57:2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace;

they rest on their beds. ⁵¹ 

Yesaya 59:3

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

Yesaya 60:8

60:8 Who are these who float along ⁵²  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ⁵³ 

Yesaya 66:19

66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ⁵⁴  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ⁵⁵  Lud ⁵⁶  (known for its archers ⁵⁷ ), Tubal, Javan, ⁵⁸  and to the distant coastlands ⁵⁹  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.

Yesaya 66:21

66:21 And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

[1:22]  ¹ tn The pronoun is feminine singular; personified Jerusalem (see v. 21) is addressed.

[1:22]  ² tn Or “dross.” The word refers to the scum or impurites floating on the top of melted metal.

[1:22]  ³ sn The metaphors of silver becoming impure and beer being watered down picture the moral and ethical degeneration that had occurred in Jerusalem.

[2:8]  ⁴ tn Or “bow down to” (NIV, NRSV).

[3:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “for the work of his hands will be done to him.”

[3:25]  ⁶ tn The pronoun is feminine singular, suggesting personified Zion, as representative of its women, is the addressee. The reference to “her gates’ in v. 26 makes this identification almost certain.

[3:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “your strength in battle.” The verb in the first clause provides the verbal idea for the second clause.

[7:5]  ⁸ tn This sentence opens with the conjunction יַעַן כִּי (ya’an ki, “because”). Consequently some take vv. 5-6 with what precedes, as another reason why Ahaz might be tempted to fear (see v. 4). However, it is more likely that vv. 5-6 give the basis for the Lord’s announcement in vv. 7-9. The conjunction יַעַן כִּי here introduces the basis for judgment (as in 3:16; 8:6; 29:13), which is then followed by the formal announcement of judgment.

[10:21]  ⁹ tn The referent of אֵל גִּבּוֹר (’el 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.

[13:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the day of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).

[13:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “like destruction from the sovereign judge it comes.” The comparative preposition (כְּ, kÿ) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the destruction unleashed will have all the earmarks of divine judgment. One could paraphrase, “it comes as only destructive divine judgment can.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x.

[13:6]  sn The divine name used here is שַׁדַּי (shaddai, “Shaddai”). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name is uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appears to Abram, introduces himself as El Shaddai, and announces his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeats these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing upon Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prays that his sons will be treated with mercy when they return to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (cf. 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, tells him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (cf. chapter 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob refers to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, and Syriac) as the one who provides abundant blessings, including “blessings of the breast and womb” (49:25). (The direct association of the name with שָׁדַיִם [shadayim, “breasts”] suggests the name might mean “the one of the breast” [i.e., the one who gives fertility], but the juxtaposition is probably better explained as wordplay. Note the wordplay involving the name and the root שָׁדַד [shadad, “destroy”] here in Isa 13:6 and in Joel 1:15.) Outside Genesis the name Shaddai (minus El, “God”) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14; Isa 13:6; and Joel 1:15 Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. (In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs’ wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.) Last but not least, the name occurs 31 times in the Book of Job. Job and his “friends” assume that Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world (11:7; 37:23a) who is the source of life (33:4b) and is responsible for maintaining justice (8:3; 34:10-12; 37:23b). He provides abundant blessings, including children (22:17-18; 29:4-6), but can also discipline, punish, and destroy (5:17; 6:4; 21:20; 23:16). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God’s justice is primary and even called into question (24:1; 27:2). The most likely proposal is that the name means “God, the one of the mountain” (an Akkadian cognate means “mountain,” to which Heb. שַׁד [shad, “breast”] is probably related). For a discussion of proposed derivations see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 70-71. The name may originally depict God as the sovereign judge who, in Canaanite style, rules from a sacred mountain. Isa 14:13 and Ezek 28:14, 16 associate such a mountain with God, while Ps 48:2 refers to Zion as “Zaphon,” the Canaanite Olympus from which the high god El ruled. (In Isa 14 the Canaanite god El may be in view. Note that Isaiah pictures pagan kings as taunting the king of Babylon, suggesting that pagan mythology may provide the background for the language and imagery.)

[13:15]  ¹² tn Heb “carried off,” i.e., grabbed from the fleeing crowd. See HALOT 764 s.v. ספה.

[13:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “will fall” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NLT “will be run through with a sword.”

[14:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.

[14:14]  ¹⁵ sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.

[22:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “I will push you away from.”

[22:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.

[23:10]  ¹⁸ tc This meaning of this verse is unclear. The Hebrew text reads literally, “Cross over your land, like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish, there is no more waistband.” The translation assumes an emendation of מֵזַח (mezakh, “waistband”) to מָחֹז (makhoz, “harbor, marketplace”; see Ps 107:30). The term עָבַר (’avar, “cross over”) is probably used here of traveling over the water (as in v. 6). The command is addressed to personified Tarshish, who here represents her merchants. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has עבדי (“work, cultivate”) instead of עִבְרִי (’ivri, “cross over”). In this case one might translate “Cultivate your land, like they do the Nile region” (cf. NIV, CEV). The point would be that the people of Tarshish should turn to agriculture because they will no longer be able to get what they need through the marketplace in Tyre.

[24:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for the Lord has spoken this word.”

[24:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”

[24:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.

[24:10]  ²² tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”

[26:7]  ²³ sn The literary structure of chap. 26 is not entirely clear. The chapter begins with an eschatological song of praise and ends with a lament and prophetic response (vv. 16-21). It is not certain where the song of praise ends or how vv. 7-15 fit into the structure. Verses 10-11a seem to lament the presence of evil and v. 11b anticipates the arrival of judgment, so it is possible that vv. 7-15 are a prelude to the lament and announcement that conclude the chapter.

[26:7]  ²⁴ tc The Hebrew text has, “upright, the path of the righteous you make level.” There are three possible ways to translate this line. Some take יָשָׁר (yashar) as a divine title: “O Upright One” (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). Others regard יָשָׁר as the result of dittography (מֵישָׁרִים יָשָׁר ַמעְגַּל, mesharim yashar ma’gal) and do not include it in the translation. Another possibility is to keep יָשָׁר and render the line as “the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight.”

[26:7]  sn The metaphor of a level/smooth road/path may refer to their morally upright manner of life (see v. 8a), but verse 7b, which attributes the smooth path to the Lord, suggests that the Lord’s vindication and blessing may be the reality behind the metaphor here.

[29:24]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and the ones who stray in spirit will know understanding.”

[29:24]  ²⁶ tn Heb “will learn instruction”; cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “will accept instruction.”

[33:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “will be a burning to lime.” See Amos 2:1.

[35:1]  ²⁸ tn The final mem (ם) on the verb יְשֻׂשׂוּם (yÿsusum) is dittographic (note the initial mem on the following noun מִדְבָּר [midbar]). The ambiguous verbal form is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel). The jussive is used rhetorically here, not as a literal command or prayer.

[35:1]  ²⁹ tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); NAB, NIV, TEV “desert.”

[40:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “but the word of our God stands forever.” In this context the divine “word” specifically refers to his decreed promise assuring Jerusalem that her suffering is over and his glorious return imminent (vv. 1-5).

[40:13]  ³¹ tn Perhaps the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “advises” (note the following line).

[40:13]  ³² tn In this context רוּחַ (ruakh) likely refers to the Lord’s “mind,” or mental faculties, rather than his personal Spirit (see BDB 925 s.v.).

[40:13]  ³³ tn Heb “or [as] the man of his counsel causes him to know?”

[40:19]  ³⁴ tn Heb “pours out”; KJV “melteth.”

[41:3]  ³⁵ tn Heb “[in] peace”; KJV, ASV “safely”; NASB “in safety”; NIV “unscathed.”

[41:3]  ³⁶ tn Heb “a way with his feet he does not come [or “enter”].” One could translate, “by a way he was not [previously] entering with his feet.” This would mean that he is advancing into new territory and expanding his conquests. The present translation assumes this is a hyperbolic description to his speedy advance. He moves so quickly he does not enter the way with his feet, i.e., his feet don’t even touch the ground. See C. R. North, Second Isaiah, 94.

[41:24]  ³⁷ tn Heb “an object of disgust [is he who] chooses you.”

[42:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “he will not cause his voice to be heard in the street.”

[42:21]  ³⁹ tn Heb “The Lord was pleased for the sake of his righteousness [or “justice”], he was magnifying [the] law and was making [it] glorious.” The Lord contrasts his good intentions for the people with their present crisis (v. 22). To demonstrate his just character and attract the nations, the Lord wanted to showcase his law among and through Israel (Deut 4:5-8). But Israel disobeyed (v. 24) and failed to carry out their commission.

[43:27]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “your first father.” This could refer to Abraham (see 51:2), but elsewhere in Isaiah he does not appear in a negative light (see 29:22; 41:8; 63:16). A more likely candidate is Jacob/Israel, also referred to as the nation’s “father” elsewhere (see 58:14; 63:16).

[43:27]  ⁴¹ tn On the meaning of the term לִיץ (lits), see HALOT 590 s.v. מֵלִיץ. This may refer to the nation’s prophets, priests, and/or kings.

[44:10]  ⁴² tn The rhetorical question is sarcastic. The sense is, “Who is foolish enough…?”

[52:13]  ⁴³ tn Heb “act wisely,” which by metonymy means “succeed.”

[52:13]  ⁴⁴ tn This piling up of synonyms emphasizes the degree of the servant’s coming exaltation.

[53:1]  ⁴⁵ tn The perfect has a hypothetical force in this rhetorical question. For another example, see Gen 21:7.

[53:1]  ⁴⁶ sn The speaker shifts here from God to an unidentified group (note the first person plural pronouns throughout vv. 1-6). The content of the speech suggests that the prophet speaks here as representative of the sinful nation Israel. The group acknowledges its sin and recognizes that the servant suffered on their behalf.

[53:1]  ⁴⁷ tn The first half of v. 1 is traditionally translated, “Who has believed our report?” or “Who has believed our message?” as if the group speaking is lamenting that no one will believe what they have to say. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this context. Here the group speaking does not cast itself in the role of a preacher or evangelist. No, they are repentant sinners, who finally see the light. The phrase “our report” can mean (1) the report which we deliver, or (2) the report which was delivered to us. The latter fits better here, where the report is most naturally taken as the announcement that has just been made in 52:13-15.

[53:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “to whom” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[53:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the arm of the Lord.” The “arm of the Lord” is a metaphor of military power; it pictures the Lord as a warrior who bares his arm, takes up his weapon, and crushes his enemies (cf. 51:9-10; 63:5-6). But Israel had not seen the Lord’s military power at work in the servant.

[54:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “forsook” (NASB).

[57:2]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “he enters peace, they rest on their beds, the one who walks straight ahead of himself.” The tomb is here viewed in a fairly positive way as a place where the dead are at peace and sleep undisturbed.

[60:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ⁵³ tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[66:19]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).

[66:19]  ⁵⁵ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ⁵⁶ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ⁵⁸ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “islands” (NIV).