Yesaya 31:2

31:2 Yet he too is wise ¹  and he will bring disaster;

he does not retract his decree. ² 

He will attack the wicked nation, ³ 

and the nation that helps ⁴  those who commit sin. ⁵ 

Yesaya 40:20

40:20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; ⁶ 

he then seeks a skilled craftsman

to make ⁷  an idol that will not fall over.

[31:2]  ¹ sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.

[31:2]  ² tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”

[31:2]  ³ tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”

[31:2]  ⁴ sn That is, Egypt.

[31:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”

[40:20]  ⁶ tn The first two words of the verse (הַמְסֻכָּן תְּרוּמָה, hamsukan tÿrumah) are problematic. Some take מְסֻכָּן as an otherwise unattested Pual participle from סָכַן (sakhan, “be poor”) and translate “the one who is impoverished.” תְּרוּמָה (tÿrumah, “contribution”) can then be taken as an adverbial accusative, “with respect to a contribution,” and the entire line translated, “the one who is too impoverished for such a contribution [i.e., the metal idol of v. 19?] selects wood that will not rot.” However, מְסֻכָּן is probably the name of a tree used in idol manufacturing (cognate with Akkadian musukkanu, cf. H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 133). מְסֻכָּן may be a scribal interpretive addition attempting to specify עֵץ (’ets) or עֵץ may be a scribal attempt to categorize מְסֻכָּן. How an idol constitutes a תְּרוּמָה (“contribution”) is not entirely clear.

[40:20]  ⁷ tn Or “set up” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NASB “to prepare.”