Yesaya 5:18-19
Konteks5:18 Those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead, 1
who pull sin as with cart ropes. 2
5:19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly, 3
so we can see;
let the plan of the Holy One of Israel 4 take shape 5 and come to pass,
then we will know it!”
Yesaya 28:14-15
Konteks28:14 Therefore, listen to the Lord’s word,
you who mock,
you rulers of these people
who reside in Jerusalem! 6
28:15 For you say,
“We have made a treaty with death,
with Sheol 7 we have made an agreement. 8
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by 9
it will not reach us.
For we have made a lie our refuge,
we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” 10
Yesaya 28:17-22
Konteks28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,
fairness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, 11
the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.
28:18 Your treaty with death will be dissolved; 12
your agreement 13 with Sheol will not last. 14
When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, 15
you will be overrun by it. 16
28:19 Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;
indeed, 17 every morning it will sweep by,
it will come through during the day and the night.” 18
When this announcement is understood,
it will cause nothing but terror.
28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 19
28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, 20
he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, 21
to accomplish his work,
his peculiar work,
to perform his task,
his strange task. 22
28:22 So now, do not mock,
or your chains will become heavier!
For I have heard a message about decreed destruction,
from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land. 23
[5:18] 1 sn See the note at v. 8.
[5:18] 2 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Woe to those who pull evil with the ropes of emptiness, and, as [with] ropes of a cart, sin.” Though several textual details are unclear, the basic idea is apparent. The sinners are so attached to their sinful ways (compared here to a heavy load) that they strain to drag them along behind them. If שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness”) is retained, it makes a further comment on their lifestyle, denouncing it as one that is devoid of what is right and destined to lead to nothing but destruction. Because “emptiness” does not form a very tight parallel with “cart” in the next line, some emend שָׁוְא to שֶׂה (she, “sheep”) and עֲגָלָה (’agalah, “cart”) to עֵגֶל (’egel, “calf”): “Those who pull evil along with a sheep halter are as good as dead who pull sin with a calf rope” (following the lead of the LXX and improving the internal parallelism of the verse). In this case, the verse pictures the sinners pulling sin along behind them as one pulls an animal with a halter. For a discussion of this view, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:163, n. 1. Nevertheless, this emendation is unnecessary. The above translation emphasizes the folly of the Israelites who hold on to their sin (and its punishment) even while they hope for divine intervention.
[5:19] 3 tn Heb “let his work hurry, let it hasten.” The pronoun “his” refers to God, as the parallel line makes clear. The reference to his “work” alludes back to v. 12, which refers to his ‘work” of judgment. With these words the people challenged the prophet’s warning of approaching judgment. They were in essence saying that they saw no evidence that God was about to work in such a way.
[5:19] 4 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[5:19] 5 tn Heb “draw near” (so NASB); NRSV “hasten to fulfillment.”
[28:14] 6 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[28:15] 7 sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.
[28:15] 8 tn Elsewhere the noun חֹזֶה (khozeh) refers to a prophet who sees visions. In v. 18 the related term חָזוּת (khazut, “vision”) is used. The parallelism in both verses (note “treaty”) seems to demand a meaning “agreement” for both nouns. Perhaps חֹזֶה and חזוּת are used in a metonymic sense in vv. 15 and 18. Another option is to propose a homonymic root. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:514, and HALOT 301 s.v. II חֹזֶה.
[28:15] 9 tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).
[28:15] 10 sn “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people. They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death will really prove to be disappointing.
[28:17] 11 tn Heb “[the] refuge, [the] lie.” See v. 15.
[28:18] 12 tn On the meaning of כָּפַר (kafar) in this context, see HALOT 494 s.v. I כפר and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:515, n. 9.
[28:18] 13 tn Normally the noun חָזוּת (khazut) means “vision.” See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 14 tn Or “will not stand” (NIV, NRSV).
[28:18] 15 tn See the note at v. 15.
[28:18] 16 tn Heb “you will become a trampling place for it.”
[28:19] 17 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[28:19] 18 tn The words “it will come through” are supplied in the translation. The verb “will sweep by” does double duty in the parallel structure.
[28:20] 19 sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.
[28:21] 20 sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.
[28:21] 21 sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.
[28:21] 22 sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.
