Yesaya 2:3

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ¹  he can teach us his requirements, ² 

and ³  we can follow his standards.” ⁴ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁵ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁶ 

Yesaya 2:19

2:19 They ⁷  will go into caves in the rocky cliffs

and into holes in the ground, ⁸ 

trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord ⁹ 

and his royal splendor,

when he rises up to terrify the earth. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 7:4

7:4 Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm! ¹¹  Don’t be afraid! Don’t be intimidated ¹²  by these two stubs of smoking logs, ¹³  or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah.

Yesaya 11:4

11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, ¹⁴ 

and make right decisions ¹⁵  for the downtrodden of the earth. ¹⁶ 

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, ¹⁷ 

and order the wicked to be executed. ¹⁸ 

Yesaya 16:8

16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up,

as well as the vines of Sibmah.

The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines,

which reach Jazer and spread to the desert;

their shoots spread out and cross the sea.

Yesaya 18:7

18:7 At that time

tribute will be brought to the Lord who commands armies,

by a people that are tall and smooth-skinned,

a people that are feared far and wide,

a nation strong and victorious,

whose land rivers divide. ¹⁹ 

The tribute ²⁰  will be brought to the place where the Lord who commands armies has chosen to reside, on Mount Zion. ²¹ 

Yesaya 20:4

20:4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated. ²² 

Yesaya 25:4

25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,

a protector for the needy in their distress,

a shelter from the rainstorm,

a shade from the heat.

Though the breath of tyrants ²³  is like a winter rainstorm, ²⁴ 

Yesaya 28:15

28:15 For you say,

“We have made a treaty with death,

with Sheol ²⁵  we have made an agreement. ²⁶ 

When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by ²⁷ 

it will not reach us.

For we have made a lie our refuge,

we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.” ²⁸ 

Yesaya 29:8

29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating,

only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. ²⁹ 

It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking,

only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. ³⁰ 

So it will be for the horde from all the nations

that fight against Mount Zion.

Yesaya 29:11

29:11 To you this entire prophetic revelation ³¹  is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read ³²  and say, “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t, because it is sealed.”

Yesaya 30:16

30:16 You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’

so you will indeed flee.

You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’

so your pursuers will be fast.

Yesaya 34:6

34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,

it is covered ³³  with fat;

it drips ³⁴  with the blood of young rams and goats

and is covered ³⁵  with the fat of rams’ kidneys.

For the Lord is holding a sacrifice ³⁶  in Bozrah, ³⁷ 

a bloody ³⁸  slaughter in the land of Edom.

Yesaya 35:8

35:8 A thoroughfare will be there –

it will be called the Way of Holiness. ³⁹ 

The unclean will not travel on it;

it is reserved for those authorized to use it ⁴⁰  –

fools ⁴¹  will not stray into it.

Yesaya 36:2

36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser ⁴²  from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, ⁴³  along with a large army. The chief adviser ⁴⁴  stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ⁴⁵ 

Yesaya 37:4

37:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. ⁴⁶  When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. ⁴⁷  So pray for this remnant that remains.’” ⁴⁸ 

Yesaya 37:30

37:30 ⁴⁹ “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: ⁵⁰  This year you will eat what grows wild, ⁵¹  and next year ⁵²  what grows on its own. But the year after that ⁵³  you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. ⁵⁴ 

Yesaya 40:9

40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!

Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! ⁵⁵ 

Shout, don’t be afraid!

Say to the towns of Judah,

“Here is your God!”

Yesaya 41:25

41:25 I have stirred up one out of the north ⁵⁶  and he advances,

one from the eastern horizon who prays in my name. ⁵⁷ 

He steps on ⁵⁸  rulers as if they were clay,

like a potter treading the clay.

Yesaya 43:20

43:20 The wild animals of the desert honor me,

the jackals and ostriches,

because I put water in the desert

and streams in the wilderness,

to quench the thirst of my chosen people,

Yesaya 44:13

44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; ⁵⁹ 

he marks out an outline of its form; ⁶⁰ 

he scrapes ⁶¹  it with chisels,

and marks it with a compass.

He patterns it after the human form, ⁶² 

like a well-built human being,

and puts it in a shrine. ⁶³ 

Yesaya 44:19

44:19 No one thinks to himself,

nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:

‘I burned half of it in the fire –

yes, I baked bread over the coals;

I roasted meat and ate it.

With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?

Should I bow down to dry wood?’ ⁶⁴ 

Yesaya 44:26

44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants ⁶⁵ 

and brings to pass the announcements ⁶⁶  of his messengers,

who says about Jerusalem, ⁶⁷  ‘She will be inhabited,’

and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,

her ruins I will raise up,’

Yesaya 49:6

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ⁶⁸  of Israel? ⁶⁹ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ⁷⁰ 

so you can bring ⁷¹  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

Yesaya 51:4

51:4 Pay attention to me, my people!

Listen to me, my people!

For ⁷²  I will issue a decree, ⁷³ 

I will make my justice a light to the nations. ⁷⁴ 

Yesaya 53:12

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, ⁷⁵ 

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, ⁷⁶ 

because he willingly submitted ⁷⁷  to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened ⁷⁸  on behalf of the rebels.”

Yesaya 58:3

58:3 They lament, ⁷⁹  ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?

Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, ⁸⁰ 

you oppress your workers. ⁸¹ 

Yesaya 59:19

59:19 In the west, people respect ⁸²  the Lord’s reputation; ⁸³ 

in the east they recognize his splendor. ⁸⁴ 

For he comes like a rushing ⁸⁵  stream

driven on by wind sent from the Lord. ⁸⁶ 

Yesaya 63:5

63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help;

I was shocked because there was no one offering support. ⁸⁷ 

So my right arm accomplished deliverance;

my raging anger drove me on. ⁸⁸ 

Yesaya 65:20

65:20 Never again will one of her infants live just a few days ⁸⁹ 

or an old man die before his time. ⁹⁰ 

Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, ⁹¹ 

anyone who fails to reach ⁹²  the age of a hundred will be considered cursed.

[2:3]  ¹ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ² tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ³ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[2:19]  ⁷ tn The identity of the grammatical subject is unclear. The “idols” could be the subject; they will “go” into the caves and holes when the idolaters throw them there in their haste to escape God’s judgment (see vv. 20-21). The picture of the idols, which represent the foreign deities worshiped by the people, fleeing from the Lord would be highly polemical and fit the overall mood of the chapter. However it seems more likely that the idolaters themselves are the subject, for v. 10 uses similar language in sarcastically urging them to run from judgment.

[2:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “dust”; ASV “into the holes of the earth.”

[2:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “trying to escape” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:19]  ¹⁰ tn Or “land.” It is not certain if these verses are describing the judgment of Judah (see vv. 6-9) or a more universal judgment on all proud men.

[7:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “guard yourself and be quiet,” but the two verbs should be coordinated.

[7:4]  ¹² tn Heb “and let not your heart be weak”; ASV “neither let thy heart be faint.”

[7:4]  ¹³ sn The derogatory metaphor indicates that the power of Rezin and Pekah is ready to die out.

[11:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “with justice” (so NAB) or “with righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[11:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “make decisions with rectitude”; cf. ASV, NRSV “and decide with equity.”

[11:4]  ¹⁶ tn Or “land” (NAB, NCV, CEV). It is uncertain if the passage is picturing universal dominion or focusing on the king’s rule over his covenant people. The reference to God’s “holy mountain” in v. 9 and the description of renewed Israelite conquests in v. 14 suggest the latter, though v. 10 seems to refer to a universal kingdom (see 2:2-4).

[11:4]  ¹⁷ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he will strike the earth with the scepter of his mouth.” Some have suggested that in this context אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) as an object of judgment seems too broad in scope. The parallelism is tighter if one emends the word to ץ(י)עָרִ (’arits, “potentate, tyrant”). The phrase “scepter of his mouth” refers to the royal (note “scepter”) decrees that he proclaims with his mouth. Because these decrees will have authority and power (see v. 2) behind them, they can be described as “striking” the tyrants down. Nevertheless, the MT reading may not need emending. Isaiah refers to the entire “earth” as the object of God’s judgment in several places without specifying the wicked as the object of the judgment (Isa 24:17-21; 26:9, 21; 28:22; cf. 13:11).

[11:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.” The “breath of his lips” refers to his speech, specifically in this context his official decrees that the wicked oppressors be eliminated from his realm. See the preceding note.

[18:7]  ¹⁹ tn On the interpretive difficulties of this verse, see the notes at v. 2, where the same terminology is used.

[18:7]  ²⁰ tn The words “the tribute” are repeated here in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “to the place of the name of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], Mount Zion.”

[20:4]  ²² tn Heb “lightly dressed and barefoot, and bare with respect to the buttocks, the nakedness of Egypt.”

[25:4]  ²³ tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”

[25:4]  ²⁴ tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.

[28:15]  ²⁵ sn Sheol is the underworld, land of the dead, according to the OT world view.

[28:15]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the overwhelming scourge, when it passes by” (NRSV similar).

[28:15]  ²⁸ 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.

[29:8]  ²⁹ tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”

[29:8]  ³⁰ tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”

[29:11]  ³¹ tn Heb “vision” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[29:11]  ³² tn Heb “one who knows a/the scroll.”

[34:6]  ³³ tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.

[34:6]  ³⁴ tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:6]  ³⁵ tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:6]  ³⁶ tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”

[34:6]  ³⁷ sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.

[34:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[35:8]  ³⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and there will be there a road and a way, and the Way of Holiness it will be called.” וְדֶרֶךְ (vÿderekh, “and a/the way”) is accidentally duplicated; the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a does not reflect the repetition of the phrase.

[35:8]  ⁴⁰ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The text reads literally “and it is for them, the one who walks [on the] way.” In this context those authorized to use the Way of Holiness would be morally upright people who are the recipients of God’s deliverance, in contrast to the morally impure and foolish who are excluded from the new covenant community.

[35:8]  ⁴¹ tn In this context “fools” are those who are morally corrupt, not those with limited intellectual capacity.

[36:2]  ⁴² sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.

[36:2]  ⁴³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[36:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[37:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”

[37:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”

[37:4]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”

[37:30]  ⁴⁹ tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).

[37:30]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.

[37:30]  ⁵¹ sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.

[37:30]  ⁵² tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).

[37:30]  ⁵³ tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).

[37:30]  ⁵⁴ tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.

[40:9]  ⁵⁵ tn The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good news of the Lord’s return to the other towns of Judah. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 speak of a herald sent to Zion, but the masculine singular form מְבַשֵּׂר (mÿvaser) is used in these verses, in contrast to the feminine singular form מְבַשֶּׂרֶת (mÿvaseret) employed in 40:9, where Zion is addressed as a herald.

[41:25]  ⁵⁶ sn That is, Cyrus the Persian. See the note at v. 2.

[41:25]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “[one] from the rising of the sun [who] calls in my name.”

[41:25]  ⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew text has וְיָבֹא (vÿyavo’, “and he comes”), but this is likely a corruption of an original וַיָּבָס (vayyavas), from בּוּס (bus, “step on”).

[44:13]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “stretches out a line” (ASV similar); NIV “measures with a line.”

[44:13]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “he makes an outline with the [?].” The noun שֶׂרֶד (shered) occurs only here; it apparently refers to some type of tool or marker. Cf. KJV “with a line”; ASV “with a pencil”; NAB, NRSV “with a stylus”; NASB “with red chalk”; NIV “with a marker.”

[44:13]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “works” (so NASB) or “fashions” (so NRSV); NIV “he roughs it out.”

[44:13]  ⁶² tn Heb “he makes it like the pattern of a man”; NAB “like a man in appearance.”

[44:13]  ⁶³ tn Heb “like the glory of man to sit [in] a house”; NIV “that it may dwell in a shrine.”

[44:19]  ⁶⁴ tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.

[44:26]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.

[44:26]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה.

[44:26]  ⁶⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[49:6]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ⁶⁹ sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

[49:6]  ⁷⁰ tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[51:4]  ⁷² tn Or “certainly.”

[51:4]  ⁷³ tn Heb “instruction [or “a law”] will go out from me.”

[51:4]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and my justice for a light to the nations I will cause to rest.”

[53:12]  ⁷⁵ tn Scholars have debated the precise meaning of the term רַבִּים (rabbim) that occurs five times in this passage (Isa 52:14, 15; 53:11, 12 [2x]). Its two broad categories of translation are “much”/“many” and “great” (HALOT 1171-72 s.v. I רַב). Unlike other Hebrew terms for might or strength, this term is linked with numbers or abundance. In all sixteen uses outside of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (articular and plural) it signifies an inclusive meaning: “the majority” or “the multitude” (J. Jeremias, TDNT 6:536-37). This term occurs in parallelism with עֲצוּמִים (’atsumim), which normally signifies “numerous” or “large” or “powerful” (through large numbers). Like רַבִּים (rabbim), it refers to greatness in numbers (cf. Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:34). It emphasizes the multitudes with whom the Servant will share the spoil of his victory. As J. Olley wrote: “Yahweh has won the victory and vindicates his Servant, giving to him many subservient people, together with their spoils. These numerous peoples in turn receive blessing, sharing in the “peace” resulting from Yahweh’s victory and the Servant’s suffering” (John W. Olley, “‘The Many’: How Is Isa 53,12a to Be Understood,” Bib 68 [1987]: 330-56).

[53:12]  ⁷⁶ sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.

[53:12]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”

[53:12]  ⁷⁸ tn The Hiphil of פָּגַע (paga’) can mean “cause to attack” (v. 6), “urge, plead verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25), or “intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16). Perhaps the third nuance fits best here, for military imagery is employed in the first two lines of the verse.

[58:3]  ⁷⁹ tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:3]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “you find pleasure”; NASB “you find your desire.”

[58:3]  ⁸¹ tn Or perhaps, “debtors.” See HALOT 865 s.v. * עָצֵב.

[59:19]  ⁸² tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read “see.”

[59:19]  ⁸³ tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”

[59:19]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”

[59:19]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”

[59:19]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).

[63:5]  ⁸⁷ sn See Isa 59:16 for similar language.

[63:5]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “and my anger, it supported me”; NIV “my own wrath sustained me.”

[65:20]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “and there will not be from there again a nursing infant of days,” i.e., one that lives just a few days.

[65:20]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “or an old [man] who does not fill out his days.”

[65:20]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “for the child as a son of one hundred years will die.” The point seems to be that those who die at the age of a hundred will be considered children, for the average life span will be much longer than that. The category “child” will be redefined in light of the expanded life spans that will characterize this new era.

[65:20]  ⁹² tn Heb “the one who misses.” חָטָא (khata’) is used here in its basic sense of “miss the mark.” See HALOT 305 s.v. חטא. Another option is to translate, “and the sinner who reaches the age of a hundred will be cursed.”