48:16 Approach me! Listen to this!
From the very first I have not spoken in secret;
when it happens, 1 I am there.”
So now, the sovereign Lord has sent me, accompanied by his spirit. 2
57:3 But approach, you sons of omen readers,
you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes! 3
1 tn Heb “from the time of its occurring.”
2 sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.
3 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “offspring of an adulterer [masculine] and [one who] has committed adultery.” Perhaps the text has suffered from transposition of vav (ו) and tav (ת) and מְנָאֵף וַתִּזְנֶה (mÿna’ef vattizneh) should be emended to מְנָאֶפֶת וְזֹנָה (mÿna’efet vÿzonah, “an adulteress and a prostitute”). Both singular nouns would be understood in a collective sense. Most modern English versions render both forms as nouns.