Yesaya 47:14
Konteks47:14 Look, they are like straw,
which the fire burns up;
they cannot rescue themselves
from the heat 1 of the flames.
There are no coals to warm them,
no firelight to enjoy. 2
Yesaya 55:2
Konteks55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? 3
Why spend 4 your hard-earned money 5 on something that will not satisfy?
Listen carefully 6 to me and eat what is nourishing! 7
Enjoy fine food! 8
[47:14] 1 tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.
[47:14] 2 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “there is no coal [for?] their food, light to sit before it.” Some emend לַחְמָם (lakhmam, “their food”) to לְחֻמָּם (lÿkhummam, “to warm them”; see HALOT 328 s.v. חמם). This statement may allude to Isa 44:16, where idolaters are depicted warming themselves over a fire made from wood, part of which was used to form idols. The fire of divine judgment will be no such campfire; its flames will devour and destroy.
[55:2] 3 tn Heb “for what is not food.”
[55:2] 4 tn The interrogative particle and the verb “spend” are understood here by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
[55:2] 5 tn Heb “your labor,” which stands by metonymy for that which one earns.
[55:2] 6 tn The infinitive absolute follows the imperative and lends emphasis to the exhortation.
[55:2] 7 tn Heb “good” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[55:2] 8 tn Heb “Let your appetite delight in fine food.”
[55:2] sn Nourishing, fine food here represents the blessings God freely offers. These include forgiveness, a new covenantal relationship with God, and national prominence (see vv. 3-6).
