Yesaya 5:1

A Love Song Gone Sour

5:1 I ¹  will sing to my love –

a song to my lover about his vineyard. ² 

My love had a vineyard

on a fertile hill. ³ 

Yesaya 6:2

6:2 Seraphs ⁴  stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, ⁵  and they used the remaining two to fly.

Yesaya 7:2

7:2 It was reported to the family ⁶  of David, “Syria has allied with ⁷  Ephraim.” They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. ⁸ 

Yesaya 7:19

7:19 All of them will come and make their home ⁹  in the ravines between the cliffs, and in the crevices of the cliffs, in all the thorn bushes, and in all the watering holes. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 7:23

7:23 At that time ¹¹  every place where there had been a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels will be overrun ¹²  with thorns and briers.

Yesaya 11:9

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ¹³ 

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ¹⁴ 

Yesaya 11:12

11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;

he will gather Israel’s dispersed people ¹⁵ 

and assemble Judah’s scattered people

from the four corners of the earth.

Yesaya 11:14

11:14 They will swoop down ¹⁶  on the Philistine hills to the west; ¹⁷ 

together they will loot the people of the east.

They will take over Edom and Moab, ¹⁸ 

and the Ammonites will be their subjects.

Yesaya 12:4

12:4 At that time ¹⁹  you will say:

“Praise the Lord!

Ask him for help! ²⁰ 

Publicize his mighty acts among the nations!

Make it known that he is unique! ²¹ 

Yesaya 13:2

13:2 ²² On a bare hill raise a signal flag,

shout to them,

wave your hand,

so they might enter the gates of the princes!

Yesaya 13:10

13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations

no longer give out their light; ²³ 

the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,

and the moon does not shine. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 14:32

14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? ²⁵ 

Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;

the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.

Yesaya 15:9

15:9 Indeed, the waters of Dimon ²⁶  are full of blood!

Indeed, I will heap even more trouble on Dimon. ²⁷ 

A lion will attack ²⁸  the Moabite fugitives

and the people left in the land.

Yesaya 23:9

23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it –

to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, ²⁹ 

to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.

Yesaya 25:5

25:5 like heat ³⁰  in a dry land,

you humble the boasting foreigners. ³¹ 

Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, ³² 

so he causes the song of tyrants to cease. ³³ 

Yesaya 28:6

28:6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions,

and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. ³⁴ 

Yesaya 28:25

28:25 Once he has leveled its surface,

does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant,

sow the seed of the cumin plant,

and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places? ³⁵ 

Yesaya 29:21

29:21 those who bear false testimony against a person, ³⁶ 

who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate ³⁷ 

and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges. ³⁸ 

Yesaya 30:25

30:25 On every high mountain

and every high hill

there will be streams flowing with water,

at the time of ³⁹  great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.

Yesaya 35:7

35:7 The dry soil will become a pool of water,

the parched ground springs of water.

Where jackals once lived and sprawled out,

grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.

Yesaya 38:3

38:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you ⁴⁰  faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, ⁴¹  and how I have carried out your will.” ⁴²  Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. ⁴³ 

Yesaya 39:6

39:6 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors ⁴⁴  have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.

Yesaya 40:6

40:6 A voice says, “Cry out!”

Another asks, ⁴⁵  “What should I cry out?”

The first voice responds: ⁴⁶  “All people are like grass, ⁴⁷ 

and all their promises ⁴⁸  are like the flowers in the field.

Yesaya 41:16

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Yesaya 41:28

41:28 I look, but there is no one,

among them there is no one who serves as an adviser,

that I might ask questions and receive answers.

Yesaya 43:12

43:12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,

and there was no other god among you.

You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.

Yesaya 45:12

45:12 I made the earth,

I created the people who live ⁴⁹  on it.

It was me – my hands ⁵⁰  stretched out the sky, ⁵¹ 

I give orders to all the heavenly lights. ⁵² 

Yesaya 57:6

57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;

they, they are the object of your devotion. ⁵³ 

You pour out liquid offerings to them,

you make an offering.

Because of these things I will seek vengeance. ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 57:16

57:16 For I will not be hostile ⁵⁵  forever

or perpetually angry,

for then man’s spirit would grow faint before me, ⁵⁶ 

the life-giving breath I created.

Yesaya 59:12

59:12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds, ⁵⁷ 

and our sins testify against us;

indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;

we know our sins all too well. ⁵⁸ 

Yesaya 59:17

59:17 He wears his desire for justice ⁵⁹  like body armor, ⁶⁰ 

and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. ⁶¹ 

He puts on the garments of vengeance ⁶² 

and wears zeal like a robe.

Yesaya 66:22

66:22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me,” says the Lord, “so your descendants and your name will remain.

[5:1]  ¹ tn It is uncertain who is speaking here. Possibly the prophet, taking the role of best man, composes a love song for his friend on the occasion of his wedding. If so, יָדִיד (yadid) should be translated “my friend.” The present translation assumes that Israel is singing to the Lord. The word דוֹד (dod, “lover”) used in the second line is frequently used by the woman in the Song of Solomon to describe her lover.

[5:1]  ² sn Israel, viewing herself as the Lord’s lover, refers to herself as his vineyard. The metaphor has sexual connotations, for it pictures her capacity to satisfy his appetite and to produce children. See Song 8:12.

[5:1]  ³ tn Heb “on a horn, a son of oil.” Apparently קֶרֶן (qeren, “horn”) here refers to the horn-shaped peak of a hill (BDB 902 s.v.) or to a mountain spur, i.e., a ridge that extends laterally from a mountain (HALOT 1145 s.v. קֶרֶן; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:180). The expression “son of oil” pictures this hill as one capable of producing olive trees. Isaiah’s choice of קֶרֶן, a rare word for hill, may have been driven by paronomastic concerns, i.e., because קֶרֶן sounds like כֶּרֶם (kerem, “vineyard”).

[6:2]  ⁴ tn Hebrew שָׂרָף (saraf, “seraph”) literally means “burning one,” perhaps suggesting that these creatures had a fiery appearance (cf. TEV, CEV “flaming creatures”; NCV “heavenly creatures of fire”). Elsewhere in the OT the word “seraph” refers to poisonous snakes (Num 21:6; Deut 8:15; Isa 14:29; 30:6). Perhaps they were called “burning ones” because of their appearance or the effect of their venomous bites, which would cause a victim to burn up with fever. It is possible that the seraphs seen by Isaiah were at least partially serpentine in appearance. Though it might seem strange for a snake-like creature to have wings, two of the texts where “seraphs” are snakes describe them as “flying” (Isa 14:29; 30:6), perhaps referring to their darting movements. See the note at 14:29.

[6:2]  ⁵ sn Some understand “feet” here as a euphemistic reference to the genitals.

[7:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “house.” In this context the “house of David” includes King Ahaz, his family, and the royal court. See also Jer 21:12; Zech 12:7-8, 10, 12, for a similar use of the phrase.

[7:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “rests upon.” Most understand the verb as נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”), but HALOT 685 s.v. II נחה proposes that this is a hapax legomenon which means “stand by.”

[7:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and his heart shook and the heart of his people shook, like the shaking of the trees of the forest before the wind.” The singular pronoun “his” is collective, referring to the Davidic house/family. לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the seat of the emotions.

[7:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “and shall rest” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “and settle.”

[7:19]  ¹⁰ tn The meaning of this word (נַהֲלֹל, nahalol) is uncertain; some understand this as referring to another type of thorn bush. For bibliography, see HALOT 676 s.v. I *נַהֲלֹל.

[7:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[7:23]  ¹² tn Heb “will become” (so NASB); NAB “shall be turned to.”

[11:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” In the most basic sense the Lord’s “holy mountain” is the mountain from which he rules over his kingdom (see Ezek 28:14, 16). More specifically it probably refers to Mount Zion/Jerusalem or to the entire land of Israel (see Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; Isa 56:7; 57:13; Ezek 20:40; Ob 16; Zeph 3:11). If the Lord’s universal kingdom is in view in this context (see the note on “earth” at v. 4), then the phrase would probably be metonymic here, standing for God’s worldwide dominion (see the next line).

[11:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for the earth will be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The translation assumes that a universal kingdom is depicted here, but אֶרֶץ (’erets) could be translated “land” (see the note at v. 4). “Knowledge of the Lord” refers here to a recognition of the Lord’s sovereignty which results in a willingness to submit to his authority. See the note at v. 2.

[11:12]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the banished of Israel,” i.e., the exiles.

[11:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “fly.” Ephraim/Judah are compared to a bird of prey.

[11:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “on the shoulder of Philistia toward the sea.” This refers to the slopes of the hill country west of Judah. See HALOT 506 s.v. כָּתֵף.

[11:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Edom and Moab [will be the place of] the outstretching of their hand,” i.e., included in their area of jurisdiction (see HALOT 648 s.v. ח(וֹ)מִשְׁלֹ).

[12:4]  ¹⁹ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[12:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “call in his name,” i.e., “invoke his name.”

[12:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “bring to remembrance that his name is exalted.” The Lord’s “name” stands here for his character and reputation.

[13:2]  ²² sn The Lord is speaking here (see v. 3).

[13:10]  ²³ tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”

[13:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”

[14:32]  ²⁵ sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.

[15:9]  ²⁶ tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.

[15:9]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Indeed I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.

[15:9]  ²⁸ tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[23:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”

[25:5]  ³⁰ tn Or “drought” (TEV).

[25:5]  ³¹ tn Heb “the tumult of foreigners.”

[25:5]  ³² tn Heb “[like] heat in the shadow of a cloud.”

[25:5]  ³³ tn The translation assumes that the verb יַעֲנֶה (ya’aneh) is a Hiphil imperfect from עָנָה (’anah, “be afflicted, humiliated”). In this context with “song” as object it means to “quiet” (see HALOT 853-54 s.v. II ענה). Some prefer to emend the form to the second person singular, so that it will agree with the second person verb earlier in the verse. BDB 776 s.v. III עָנָה Qal.1 understands the form as Qal, with “song” as subject, in which case one might translate “the song of tyrants will be silent.” An emendation of the form to a Niphal (יֵעָנֶה, ye’aneh) would yield the same translation.

[28:6]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and [he will become] a spirit of justice for the one who sits [i.e., presides] over judgment, // and strength [for] the ones who turn back battle at the city gate.” The Lord will provide internal stability and national security.

[28:25]  ³⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “place wheat [?], and barley [?], and grain in its territory.” The term שׂוֹרָה (shorah) is sometimes translated “[in] its place,” but the word is unattested elsewhere. It is probably due to dittography of the immediately following שְׂעֹרָה (sÿo’rah, “barley”). The meaning of נִסְמָן (nisman) is also uncertain. It may be due to dittography of the immediately following כֻסֶּמֶת (kussemet, “grain”).

[29:21]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khata’) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”

[29:21]  ³⁷ sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.

[29:21]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”

[30:25]  ³⁹ tn Or “in the day of” (KJV).

[38:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.

[38:3]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and with a complete heart”; KJV, ASV “with a perfect heart.”

[38:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”

[38:3]  ⁴³ tn Heb “wept with great weeping”; NCV “cried loudly”; TEV “began to cry bitterly.”

[39:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).

[40:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and he says.” Apparently a second “voice” responds to the command of the first “voice.”

[40:6]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “the first voice responds” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first voice tells the second one what to declare.

[40:6]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “all flesh is grass.” The point of the metaphor is explained in v. 7.

[40:6]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and all his loyalty.” The antecedent of the third masculine suffix is בָּשָׂר (basar, “flesh”), which refers collectively to mankind. The LXX, apparently understanding the antecedent as “grass,” reads “glory,” but חֶסֶד (khesed) rarely, if ever, has this nuance. The normal meaning of חֶסֶד (“faithfulness, loyalty, devotion”) fits very well in the argument. Human beings and their faithfulness (verbal expressions of faithfulness are specifically in view; cf. NRSV “constancy”) are short-lived and unreliable, in stark contrast to the decrees and promises of the eternal God.

[45:12]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[45:12]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “I, even my hands”; NASB “I stretched out…with My hands”; NRSV “it was my hands that stretched out.” The same construction occurs at the beginning of v. 13.

[45:12]  ⁵¹ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[45:12]  ⁵² tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.

[57:6]  ⁵³ tn Heb “among the smooth stones of the stream [is] your portion, they, they [are] your lot.” The next line indicates idols are in view.

[57:6]  ⁵⁴ tn The text reads literally, “Because of these am I relenting?” If the prefixed interrogative particle is retained at the beginning of the sentence, then the question would be rhetorical, with the Niphal of נָחָם (nakham) probably being used in the sense of “relent, change one’s mind.” One could translate: “Because of these things, how can I relent?” However, the initial letter he may be dittographic (note the final he [ה] on the preceding word). In this case one may understand the verb in the sense of “console oneself, seek vengeance,” as in 1:24.

[57:16]  ⁵⁵ tn Or perhaps, “argue,” or “accuse” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[57:16]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “for a spirit from before me would be faint.”

[59:12]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”

[59:12]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”

[59:17]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “goodness.”

[59:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “a breastplate” (traditional; so many English versions); TEV “a coat of armour.”

[59:17]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and [as] a helmet deliverance on his head.”

[59:17]  ⁶² tn Heb “and he puts on the clothes of vengeance [as] a garment.”