Yesaya 1:27

1:27 ¹ Zion will be freed by justice, ² 

and her returnees by righteousness. ³ 

Yesaya 3:13

3:13 The Lord takes his position to judge;

he stands up to pass sentence on his people. ⁴ 

Yesaya 9:16

9:16 The leaders of this nation were misleading people,

and the people being led were destroyed. ⁵ 

Yesaya 10:1

10:1 Those who enact unjust policies are as good as dead, ⁶ 

those who are always instituting unfair regulations, ⁷ 

Yesaya 19:9

19:9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed;

those who weave will turn pale. ⁸ 

Yesaya 22:10

22:10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem, ⁹ 

and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 24:10

24:10 The ruined town ¹¹  is shattered;

all of the houses are shut up tight. ¹² 

Yesaya 33:12

33:12 The nations will be burned to ashes; ¹³ 

like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.

Yesaya 33:17

33:17 You will see a king in his splendor; ¹⁴ 

you will see a wide land. ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 43:18

43:18 “Don’t remember these earlier events; ¹⁶ 

don’t recall these former events.

Yesaya 43:26-28

43:26 Remind me of what happened! Let’s debate!

You, prove to me that you are right! ¹⁷ 

43:27 The father of your nation ¹⁸  sinned;

your spokesmen ¹⁹  rebelled against me.

43:28 So I defiled your holy princes,

and handed Jacob over to destruction,

and subjected ²⁰  Israel to humiliating abuse.”

Yesaya 44:27

44:27 who says to the deep sea, ‘Be dry!

I will dry up your sea currents,’

Yesaya 49:17

49:17 Your children hurry back,

while those who destroyed and devastated you depart.

Yesaya 59:3

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

Yesaya 60:3

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

Yesaya 63:4

63:4 For I looked forward to the day of vengeance,

and then payback time arrived. ²¹ 

[1:27]  ¹ sn The third person reference to the Lord in v. 28 indicates that the prophet is again (see vv. 21-24a) speaking. Since v. 27 is connected to v. 28 by a conjunction, it is likely that the prophet’s words begin with v. 27.

[1:27]  ² tn Heb “Zion will be ransomed with justice.” Both cola in this verse end with similar terms: justice and righteousness (and both are preceded by a בְּ [bet] preposition). At issue is whether these virtues describe the means or result of the deliverance and whether they delineate God’s justice/righteousness or that of the covenant people. If the righteousness of Israelite returnees is in view, the point seems to be that the reestablishment of Zion as a center of justice (God’s people living in conformity with God’s demand for equity and justice) will deliver the city from its past humiliation and restore it to a place of prominence (see 2:2-4; cf. E. Kissane, Isaiah, 1:19). Most scholars conclude that “righteousness and “justice” refers to God alone (J. Ridderbos, Isaiah [BSC], 50; J. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 1:25; E. J. Young, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:89; cf. NLT, TEV) or serves as a double reference to both divine and human justice and righteousness (J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 51; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:10; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:72). If it refers to both sides of the coin, these terms highlight the objective divine work of redemption and the subjective human response of penitence (Motyer, 51).

[1:27]  ³ tc The Hebrew text has, “her repentant ones/returnees with righteousness.” The form שָׁבֶיהָ (shaveha, “her repentant ones”), as pointed in MT, is a masculine plural Qal participle from שׁוּב (shuv, “return”). Used substantivally, it refers to the “returning (i.e., repentant) ones.” It is possible that the parallel line (with its allusion to being freed by a ransom payment) suggests that the form be repointed to שִׁבְיָהּ (shivyah, “her captivity”), a reading that has support from the LXX. Some slightly emend the form to read וְשָׁבָה (vÿshavah, “and will return”). According to this view, the verb from the first line applies to the second line as well with the following translation as a result: “she will be released when fairness is restored.” Regardless, it makes best sense in the context to regard this as a reference to repentant Israelites returning to the land of promise. This understanding provides a better contrast with the rebels and sinners in 1:28.

[3:13]  ⁴ tc The Hebrew text has “nations,” but the preceding and following contexts make it clear that the Lord is judging his covenant people. עָמִים (’amim) should be changed (with support from the LXX) to עמו. The final mem (ם) on the form in the Hebrew is either dittographic or enclitic. When the mem was added or read as a plural ending, the vav (ו) was then misread as a yod (י).

[9:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the ones being led were swallowed up.” Instead of taking מְבֻלָּעִים (mÿbulla’im) from בָּלַע (bala’, “to swallow”), HALOT 134 s.v. בלע proposes a rare homonymic root בלע (“confuse”) here.

[10:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who decree evil decrees.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.

[10:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “[to] the writers who write out harm.” The participle and verb are in the Piel, suggesting repetitive action.

[19:9]  ⁸ tn BDB 301 s.v. חוֹרִי suggests the meaning “white stuff” for חוֹרִי (khori); the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חָוֵרוּ (khaveru), probably a Qal perfect, third plural form of חוּר, (khur, “be white, pale”). See HALOT 299 s.v. I חור. The latter reading is assumed in the translation above.

[22:10]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[22:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you demolished the houses to fortify the wall.”

[24:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.

[24:10]  ¹² tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”

[33:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “will be a burning to lime.” See Amos 2:1.

[33:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “your eyes will see a king in his beauty”; NIV, NRSV “the king.”

[33:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a land of distances,” i.e., an extensive land.

[43:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the former things” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “forget all that.”

[43:26]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “you, tell in order that you may be right”; NAB “prove your innocence.”

[43:27]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “your first father.” This could refer to Abraham (see 51:2), but elsewhere in Isaiah he does not appear in a negative light (see 29:22; 41:8; 63:16). A more likely candidate is Jacob/Israel, also referred to as the nation’s “father” elsewhere (see 58:14; 63:16).

[43:27]  ¹⁹ tn On the meaning of the term לִיץ (lits), see HALOT 590 s.v. מֵלִיץ. This may refer to the nation’s prophets, priests, and/or kings.

[43:28]  ²⁰ tn The word “subjected” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[63:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “for the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my revenge came.” The term גְּאוּלַי (gÿ’ulai) is sometimes translated here “my redemption,” for the verbal root גאל often means “deliver, buy back.” A גֹּאֵל (go’el, “kinsman-redeemer”) was responsible for protecting the extended family’s interests, often by redeeming property that had been sold outside the family. However, the responsibilities of a גֹּאֵל extended beyond financial concerns. He was also responsible for avenging the shed blood of a family member (see Num 35:19-27; Deut 19:6-12). In Isa 63:4, where vengeance is a prominent theme (note the previous line), it is probably this function of the family protector that is in view. The Lord pictures himself as a blood avenger who waits for the day of vengeance to arrive and then springs into action.