Yesaya 5:15-16

5:15 Men will be humiliated,

they will be brought low;

the proud will be brought low. ¹ 

5:16 The Lord who commands armies will be exalted ²  when he punishes, ³ 

the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges. ⁴ 

Yesaya 37:20

37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” ⁵ 

[5:15]  ¹ tn Heb “men are brought down, men are brought low, the eyes of pride are brought low.”

[5:16]  ² tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”

[5:16]  ³ tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.

[5:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.

[5:16]  sn The appearance of מִשְׁפָט (mishpat, “justice”) and צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”) here is rhetorically significant, when one recalls v. 7. There God denounces his people for failing to produce a society where “justice” and “fairness” are valued and maintained. God will judge his people for their failure, taking “justice” and “fairness” into his own hands.

[37:20]  ⁵ tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”