Yesaya 22:11

22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls

for the water of the old pool –

but you did not trust in ¹  the one who made it; ² 

you did not depend on ³  the one who formed it long ago!

Yesaya 37:26

37:26 ⁴ Certainly you must have heard! ⁵ 

Long ago I worked it out,

in ancient times I planned ⁶  it,

and now I am bringing it to pass.

The plan is this:

Fortified cities will crash

into heaps of ruins. ⁷ 

Yesaya 41:2

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? ⁸ 

Who ⁹  officially commissions him for service? ¹⁰ 

He hands nations over to him, ¹¹ 

and enables him to subdue ¹²  kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow. ¹³ 

[22:11]  ¹ tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”

[22:11]  ² tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.

[22:11]  ³ tn Heb “did not see.”

[37:26]  ⁴ tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.

[37:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.

[37:26]  ⁶ tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).

[37:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.

[41:2]  ⁸ sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).

[41:2]  ⁹ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.

[41:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”

[41:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”

[41:2]  ¹² tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).

[41:2]  ¹³ sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.