Yesaya 1:26

1:26 I will reestablish honest judges as in former times,

wise advisers as in earlier days. ¹ 

Then you will be called, ‘The Just City,

Faithful Town.’”

Yesaya 45:8

45:8 O sky, rain down from above!

Let the clouds send down showers ²  of deliverance!

Let the earth absorb it ³  so salvation may grow, ⁴ 

and deliverance may sprout up ⁵  along with it.

I, the Lord, create it. ⁶ 

Roma 3:21

3:21 But now ⁷  apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) ⁸  has been disclosed –

[1:26]  ¹ tn Heb “I will restore your judges as in the beginning; and your counselors as in the beginning.” In this context, where social injustice and legal corruption are denounced (see v. 23), the “judges” are probably government officials responsible for making legal decisions, while the “advisers” are probably officials who helped the king establish policies. Both offices are also mentioned in 3:2.

[45:8]  ² tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”

[45:8]  ³ tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”

[45:8]  ⁴ tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).

[45:8]  ⁵ tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).

[45:8]  ⁶ tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).

[3:21]  ⁷ tn Νυνὶ δέ (Nuni de, “But now”) could be understood as either (1) logical or (2) temporal in force, but most recent interpreters take it as temporal, referring to a new phase in salvation history.

[3:21]  ⁸ tn Grk “being witnessed by the law and the prophets,” a remark which is virtually parenthetical to Paul’s argument.