Yesaya 5:14

5:14 So Death ¹  will open up its throat,

and open wide its mouth; ² 

Zion’s dignitaries and masses will descend into it,

including those who revel and celebrate within her. ³ 

Yesaya 7:2

7:2 It was reported to the family ⁴  of David, “Syria has allied with ⁵  Ephraim.” They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. ⁶ 

Yesaya 8:3

8:3 I then had sexual relations with the prophetess; she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,

Yesaya 8:9

8:9 You will be broken, ⁷  O nations;

you will be shattered! ⁸ 

Pay attention, all you distant lands of the earth!

Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered!

Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered! ⁹ 

Yesaya 9:5

9:5 Indeed every boot that marches and shakes the earth ¹⁰ 

and every garment dragged through blood

is used as fuel for the fire.

Yesaya 10:26

10:26 The Lord who commands armies is about to beat them ¹¹  with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. ¹²  He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt. ¹³ 

Yesaya 11:8

11:8 A baby ¹⁴  will play

over the hole of a snake; ¹⁵ 

over the nest ¹⁶  of a serpent

an infant ¹⁷  will put his hand. ¹⁸ 

Yesaya 16:5

16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established;

he will rule in a reliable manner,

this one from David’s family. ¹⁹ 

He will be sure to make just decisions

and will be experienced in executing justice. ²⁰ 

Yesaya 16:14

16:14 Now the Lord makes this announcement: “Within exactly three years ²¹  Moab’s splendor will disappear, along with all her many people; there will be just a few, insignificant survivors left.” ²² 

Yesaya 22:21

22:21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him. ²³  He will become a protector of ²⁴  the residents of Jerusalem and of the people ²⁵  of Judah.

Yesaya 26:5

26:5 Indeed, ²⁶  the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place,

he brings down an elevated town;

he brings it down to the ground, ²⁷ 

he throws it down to the dust.

Yesaya 29:9

God’s People are Spiritually Insensitive

29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! ²⁸ 

You are totally blind! ²⁹ 

They are drunk, ³⁰  but not because of wine;

they stagger, ³¹  but not because of beer.

Yesaya 42:6

42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you; ³² 

I take hold of your hand.

I protect you ³³  and make you a covenant mediator for people, ³⁴ 

and a light ³⁵  to the nations, ³⁶ 

Yesaya 44:16

44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –

over that half he cooks ³⁷  meat;

he roasts a meal and fills himself.

Yes, he warms himself and says,

‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’

Yesaya 51:19

51:19 These double disasters confronted you.

But who feels sorry for you?

Destruction and devastation,

famine and sword.

But who consoles you? ³⁸ 

Yesaya 57:5-6

57:5 you who practice ritual sex ³⁹  under the oaks and every green tree,

who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs. ⁴⁰ 

57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;

they, they are the object of your devotion. ⁴¹ 

You pour out liquid offerings to them,

you make an offering.

Because of these things I will seek vengeance. ⁴² 

Yesaya 58:8

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; ⁴³ 

your restoration will quickly arrive; ⁴⁴ 

your godly behavior ⁴⁵  will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. ⁴⁶ 

Yesaya 59:18

59:18 He repays them for what they have done,

dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries

and punishing his enemies. ⁴⁷ 

He repays the coastlands. ⁴⁸ 

Yesaya 63:14

63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, ⁴⁹ 

so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.

In this way ⁵⁰  you guided your people,

gaining for yourself an honored reputation. ⁵¹ 

Yesaya 64:4

64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, ⁵² 

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who intervenes for those who wait for him.

Yesaya 65:15

65:15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. ⁵³ 

The sovereign Lord will kill you,

but he will give his servants another name.

Yesaya 66:12

66:12 For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,

the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. ⁵⁴ 

You will nurse from her breast ⁵⁵  and be carried at her side;

you will play on her knees.

[5:14]  ¹ tn Heb “Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV); the underworld, the land of the dead, according to the OT world view. Cf. NAB “the nether world”; TEV, CEV “the world of the dead”; NLT “the grave.”

[5:14]  ² tn Heb “so Sheol will make wide its throat, and open its mouth without limit.”

[5:14]  sn Death is portrayed in both the OT (Prov 1:12; Hab 2:5) and Canaanite myth as voraciously swallowing up its prey. In the myths Death is portrayed as having “a lip to the earth, a lip to the heavens … and a tongue to the stars.” (G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 69, text 5 ii 2-3.) Death describes his own appetite as follows: “But my appetite is the appetite of lions in the waste…If it is in very truth my desire to consume ‘clay’ [a reference to his human victims], then in truth by the handfuls I must eat it, whether my seven portions [indicating fullness and completeness] are already in the bowl or whether Nahar [the god of the river responsible for ferrying victims from the land of the living to the land of the dead] has to mix the cup.” (Driver, 68-69, text 5 i 14-22).

[5:14]  ³ tn Heb “and her splendor and her masses will go down, and her tumult and the one who exults in her.” The antecedent of the four feminine singular pronominal suffixes used in v. 14b is unclear. The likely referent is personified Zion/Jerusalem (see 3:25-26; 4:4-5).

[7:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “house.” In this context the “house of David” includes King Ahaz, his family, and the royal court. See also Jer 21:12; Zech 12:7-8, 10, 12, for a similar use of the phrase.

[7:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “rests upon.” Most understand the verb as נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”), but HALOT 685 s.v. II נחה proposes that this is a hapax legomenon which means “stand by.”

[7:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “and his heart shook and the heart of his people shook, like the shaking of the trees of the forest before the wind.” The singular pronoun “his” is collective, referring to the Davidic house/family. לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the seat of the emotions.

[8:9]  ⁷ tn The verb רֹעוּ (ro’u) is a Qal imperative, masculine plural from רָעַע (ra’a’, “break”). Elsewhere both transitive (Job 34:24; Ps 2:9; Jer 15:12) and intransitive (Prov 25:19; Jer 11:16) senses are attested for the Qal of this verb. Because no object appears here, the form is likely intransitive: “be broken.” In this case the imperative is rhetorical (like “be shattered” later in the verse) and equivalent to a prediction, “you will be broken.” On the rhetorical use of the imperative in general, see IBHS 572 §34.4c; GKC 324 §110.c.

[8:9]  ⁸ tn The imperatival form (Heb “be shattered”) is rhetorical and expresses the speaker’s firm conviction of the outcome of the nations’ attack. See the note on “be broken.”

[8:9]  ⁹ tn The initial imperative (“get ready for battle”) acknowledges the reality of the nations’ hostility; the concluding imperative (Heb “be shattered”) is rhetorical and expresses the speakers’ firm conviction of the outcome of the nations’ attack. (See the note on “be broken.”) One could paraphrase, “Okay, go ahead and prepare for battle since that’s what you want to do, but your actions will backfire and you’ll be shattered.” This rhetorical use of the imperatives is comparable to saying to a child who is bent on climbing a high tree, “Okay, go ahead, climb the tree and break your arm!” What this really means is: “Okay, go ahead and climb the tree since that’s what you really want to do, but your actions will backfire and you’ll break your arm.” The repetition of the statement in the final two lines of the verse gives the challenge the flavor of a taunt (ancient Israelite “trash talking,” as it were).

[9:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Indeed every boot marching with shaking.” On the meaning of סְאוֹן (sÿ’on, “boot”) and the related denominative verb, both of which occur only here, see HALOT 738 s.v. סְאוֹן.

[10:26]  ¹¹ tn Heb “him” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); the singular refers to the leader or king who stands for the entire nation. This is specified by NCV, CEV as “the Assyrians.”

[10:26]  ¹² sn According to Judg 7:25, the Ephraimites executed the Midianite general Oreb at a rock which was subsequently named after the executed enemy.

[10:26]  ¹³ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his staff [will be] against the sea, and he will lift it in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.” If the text is retained, “the sea” symbolizes Assyria’s hostility, the metaphor being introduced because of the reference to Egypt. The translation above assumes an emendation of עַל הַיָּם (’al hayyam, “against the sea”) to עַלֵיהֶם (’alehem, “against them”). The proposed shift from the third singular pronoun (note “beat him” earlier in the verse) to the plural is not problematic, for the singular is collective. Note that a third plural pronoun is used at the end of v. 25 (“their destruction”). The final phrase, “in the way/manner of Egypt,” probably refers to the way in which God used the staff of Moses to bring judgment down on Egypt.

[11:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “one sucking,” i.e., still being nursed by his mother.

[11:8]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “cobra” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV); KJV, ASV, NRSV “asp.”

[11:8]  ¹⁶ tc The Hebrew text has the otherwise unattested מְאוּרַת (mÿ’urat, “place of light”), i.e., opening of a hole. Some prefer to emend to מְעָרַת (mÿ’arat, “cave, den”).

[11:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “one who is weaned” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[11:8]  ¹⁸ sn The transformation of the animal kingdom depicted here typifies what will occur in human society under the just rule of the ideal king (see vv. 3-5). The categories “predator-prey” (i.e., oppressor-oppressed) will no longer exist.

[16:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and a throne will be established in faithfulness, and he will sit on it in reliability, in the tent of David.”

[16:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “one who judges and seeks justice, and one experienced in fairness.” Many understand מְהִר (mÿhir) to mean “quick, prompt” (see BDB 555 s.v. מָהִיר), but HALOT 552 s.v. מָהִיר offers the meaning “skillful, experienced,” and translates the phrase in v. 5 “zealous for what is right.”

[16:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “in three years, like the years of a hired worker.” The three years must be reckoned exactly, just as a hired worker would carefully keep track of the time he had agreed to work for an employer in exchange for a predetermined wage.

[16:14]  ²² tn Heb “and the splendor of Moab will be disgraced with all the great multitude, and a small little remnant will not be strong.”

[22:21]  ²³ tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”

[22:21]  ²⁴ tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (’av, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.

[22:21]  ²⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[26:5]  ²⁶ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[26:5]  ²⁷ tn The translation assumes that יַשְׁפִּילֶנָּה (yashpilennah) goes with the preceding words “an elevated town,” and that יַשְׁפִּילָהּ (yashpilah) belongs with the following words, “to the ground.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:469, n. 7.

[29:9]  ²⁸ tn The form הִתְמַהְמְהוּ (hitmahmÿhu) is a Hitpalpel imperative from מָהַהּ (mahah, “hesitate”). If it is retained, one might translate “halt and be amazed.” The translation assumes an emendation to הִתַּמְּהוּ (hittammÿhu), a Hitpael imperative from תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). In this case, the text, like Hab 1:5, combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of תָּמַה (tamah). A literal translation might be “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sound draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572 §34.4c.

[29:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Blind yourselves and be blind!” The Hitpalpel and Qal imperatival forms of שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blind”) are combined to draw attention to the statement. The imperatives have the force of an emphatic assertion.

[29:9]  ³⁰ tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.

[29:9]  ³¹ tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.

[42:6]  ³² tn Heb “call you in righteousness.” The pronoun “you” is masculine singular, referring to the servant. See the note at 41:2.

[42:6]  ³³ tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצַר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצַר (yatsar, “form”).

[42:6]  ³⁴ tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. The precise identity of עָם (’am, “people”) is uncertain. In v. 5 עָם refers to mankind, and the following reference to “nations” also favors this. But in 49:8, where the phrase בְּרִית עָם occurs again, Israel seems to be in view.

[42:6]  ³⁵ sn Light here symbolizes deliverance from bondage and oppression; note the parallelism in 49:6b and in 51:4-6.

[42:6]  ³⁶ tn Or “the Gentiles” (so KJV, ASV, NIV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.

[44:16]  ³⁷ tn Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.”

[51:19]  ³⁸ tc The Hebrew text has אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (’anakhamekh), a first person form, but the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly יִנַחֲמֵךְ (yinakhamekh), a third person form.

[57:5]  ³⁹ tn Heb “inflame yourselves”; NRSV “burn with lust.” This verse alludes to the practice of ritual sex that accompanied pagan fertility rites.

[57:5]  ⁴⁰ sn This apparently alludes to the practice of child sacrifice (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).

[57:6]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “among the smooth stones of the stream [is] your portion, they, they [are] your lot.” The next line indicates idols are in view.

[57:6]  ⁴² tn The text reads literally, “Because of these am I relenting?” If the prefixed interrogative particle is retained at the beginning of the sentence, then the question would be rhetorical, with the Niphal of נָחָם (nakham) probably being used in the sense of “relent, change one’s mind.” One could translate: “Because of these things, how can I relent?” However, the initial letter he may be dittographic (note the final he [ה] on the preceding word). In this case one may understand the verb in the sense of “console oneself, seek vengeance,” as in 1:24.

[58:8]  ⁴³ tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.”

[58:8]  sn Light here symbolizes God’s favor and restored blessing, as the immediately following context makes clear.

[58:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”

[58:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.

[58:8]  ⁴⁶ sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.

[59:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “in accordance with deeds, so he repays, anger to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies.”

[59:18]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV).

[63:14]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[63:14]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).

[63:14]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”

[64:4]  ⁵² tn Heb “from ancient times they have not heard, they have not listened.”

[65:15]  ⁵³ tn Heb “you will leave your name for an oath to my chosen ones.”

[65:15]  sn For an example of such a curse formula see Jer 29:22.

[66:12]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “Look, I am ready to extend to her like a river prosperity [or “peace”], and like an overflowing stream, the riches of nations.”

[66:12]  ⁵⁵ tn The words “from her breast” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 11).