Yesaya 53:1

53:1 Who would have believed ¹  what we ²  just heard? ³ 

When ⁴  was the Lord’s power ⁵  revealed through him?

Yesaya 40:13

40:13 Who comprehends ⁶  the mind ⁷  of the Lord,

or gives him instruction as his counselor? ⁸ 

Yesaya 42:19

42:19 My servant is truly blind,

my messenger is truly deaf.

My covenant partner, ⁹  the servant of the Lord, is truly blind. ¹⁰ 

Yesaya 37:23

37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?

At whom have you shouted

and looked so arrogantly? ¹¹ 

At the Holy One of Israel! ¹² 

Yesaya 46:5

46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?

Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!

Yesaya 28:9

28:9 Who is the Lord ¹³  trying to teach?

To whom is he explaining a message? ¹⁴ 

Those just weaned from milk!

Those just taken from their mother’s breast! ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 57:4

57:4 At whom are you laughing?

At whom are you opening your mouth

and sticking out your tongue?

You are the children of rebels,

the offspring of liars, ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 44:10

44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol

that will prove worthless? ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 14:27

14:27 Indeed, ¹⁸  the Lord who commands armies has a plan,

and who can possibly frustrate it?

His hand is ready to strike,

and who can possibly stop it? ¹⁹ 

Yesaya 40:14

40:14 From whom does he receive directions? ²⁰ 

Who ²¹  teaches him the correct way to do things, ²² 

or imparts knowledge to him,

or instructs him in skillful design? ²³ 

Yesaya 40:18

40:18 To whom can you compare God?

To what image can you liken him?

Yesaya 6:8

6:8 I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” ²⁴  I answered, “Here I am, send me!”

Yesaya 40:25

40:25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”

says the Holy One. ²⁵ 

Yesaya 40:12

The Lord is Incomparable

40:12 Who has measured out the waters ²⁶  in the hollow of his hand,

or carefully ²⁷  measured the sky, ²⁸ 

or carefully weighed ²⁹  the soil of the earth,

or weighed the mountains in a balance,

or the hills on scales? ³⁰ 

Yesaya 50:8

50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.

Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! ³¹ 

Who is my accuser? ³²  Let him challenge me! ³³ 

Yesaya 60:8

60:8 Who are these who float along ³⁴  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ³⁵ 

Yesaya 29:15

29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, ³⁶ 

who do their work in secret and boast, ³⁷ 

“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?” ³⁸ 

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? ³⁹ 

Yesaya 42:23

42:23 Who among you will pay attention to this?

Who will listen attentively in the future? ⁴⁰ 

Yesaya 33:14

33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;

panic ⁴¹  grips the godless. ⁴² 

They say, ⁴³  ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?

Who among us can coexist with unquenchable ⁴⁴  fire?’

Yesaya 42:24

42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber?

Who handed Israel over to the looters? ⁴⁵ 

Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned?

They refused to follow his commands;

they disobeyed his law. ⁴⁶ 

Yesaya 1:12

1:12 When you enter my presence,

do you actually think I want this –

animals trampling on my courtyards? ⁴⁷ 

Yesaya 44:7

44:7 Who is like me? Let him make his claim! ⁴⁸ 

Let him announce it and explain it to me –

since I established an ancient people – ⁴⁹ 

let them announce future events! ⁵⁰ 

Yesaya 23:8

23:8 Who planned this for royal Tyre, ⁵¹ 

whose merchants are princes,

whose traders are the dignitaries ⁵²  of the earth?

Yesaya 36:5

36:5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. ⁵³  In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me?

Yesaya 66:8

66:8 Who has ever heard of such a thing?

Who has ever seen this?

Can a country ⁵⁴  be brought forth in one day?

Can a nation be born in a single moment?

Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!

Yesaya 54:15

54:15 If anyone dares to ⁵⁵  challenge you, it will not be my doing!

Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated. ⁵⁶ 

Yesaya 41:2

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? ⁵⁷ 

Who ⁵⁸  officially commissions him for service? ⁵⁹ 

He hands nations over to him, ⁶⁰ 

and enables him to subdue ⁶¹  kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow. ⁶² 

Yesaya 49:21

49:21 Then you will think to yourself, ⁶³ 

‘Who bore these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren,

dismissed and divorced. ⁶⁴ 

Who raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone;

where did these children come from?’”

Yesaya 41:4

41:4 Who acts and carries out decrees? ⁶⁵ 

Who ⁶⁶  summons the successive generations from the beginning?

I, the Lord, am present at the very beginning,

and at the very end – I am the one. ⁶⁷ 

Yesaya 50:9

50:9 Look, the sovereign Lord helps me.

Who dares to condemn me?

Look, all of them will wear out like clothes;

a moth will eat away at them.

Yesaya 63:1

The Victorious Divine Warrior

63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, ⁶⁸ 

dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? ⁶⁹ 

Who ⁷⁰  is this one wearing royal attire, ⁷¹ 

who marches confidently ⁷²  because of his great strength?

“It is I, the one who announces vindication,

and who is able to deliver!” ⁷³ 

Yesaya 36:20

36:20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” ⁷⁴ 

Yesaya 22:16

22:16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here? ⁷⁵ 

Why ⁷⁶  do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?

He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,

he carves out his tomb on a cliff.

Yesaya 51:12

51:12 “I, I am the one who consoles you. ⁷⁷ 

Why are you afraid of mortal men,

of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass? ⁷⁸ 

Yesaya 10:3

10:3 What will you do on judgment day, ⁷⁹ 

when destruction arrives from a distant place?

To whom will you run for help?

Where will you leave your wealth?

Yesaya 43:13

43:13 From this day forward I am he;

no one can deliver from my power; ⁸⁰ 

I will act, and who can prevent it?”

Yesaya 48:14

48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!

Who among them ⁸¹  announced these things?

The Lord’s ally ⁸²  will carry out his desire against Babylon;

he will exert his power against the Babylonians. ⁸³ 

Yesaya 8:20

8:20 Then you must recall the Lord’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. ⁸⁴  Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened. ⁸⁵ 

Yesaya 53:8

53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial ⁸⁶  –

but who even cared? ⁸⁷ 

Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; ⁸⁸ 

because of the rebellion of his own ⁸⁹  people he was wounded.

Yesaya 41:26

41:26 Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?

Who announced it ⁹⁰  ahead of time, so we could say, ‘He’s correct’?

Indeed, none of them decreed it!

Indeed, none of them announced it!

Indeed, no one heard you say anything!

Yesaya 45:21

45:21 Tell me! Present the evidence! ⁹¹ 

Let them consult with one another!

Who predicted this in the past?

Who announced it beforehand?

Was it not I, the Lord?

I have no peer, there is no God but me,

a God who vindicates and delivers; ⁹² 

there is none but me.

Yesaya 57:11

57:11 Whom are you worried about?

Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully

and not remember me

or think about me? ⁹³ 

Because I have been silent for so long, ⁹⁴ 

you are not afraid of me. ⁹⁵ 

Yesaya 50:1

50:1 This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate

by which I divorced her?

Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? ⁹⁶ 

Look, you were sold because of your sins; ⁹⁷ 

because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. ⁹⁸ 

Yesaya 50:10

50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?

Who obeys ⁹⁹  his servant?

Whoever walks in deep darkness, ¹⁰⁰ 

without light,

should trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on his God.

Yesaya 40:26

40:26 Look up at the sky! ¹⁰¹ 

Who created all these heavenly lights? ¹⁰² 

He is the one who leads out their ranks; ¹⁰³ 

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

Yesaya 59:5

59:5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake

and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

a poisonous snake is hatched. ¹⁰⁴ 

Yesaya 28:16

28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:

“Look, I am laying ¹⁰⁵  a stone in Zion,

an approved ¹⁰⁶  stone,

set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. ¹⁰⁷ 

The one who maintains his faith will not panic. ¹⁰⁸ 

Yesaya 43:9

43:9 All nations gather together,

the peoples assemble.

Who among them announced this?

Who predicted earlier events for us? ¹⁰⁹ 

Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right;

let them listen and affirm, ‘It is true.’

Yesaya 20:6

20:6 At that time ¹¹⁰  those who live on this coast ¹¹¹  will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”

Yesaya 63:19

63:19 We existed from ancient times, ¹¹² 

but you did not rule over them,

they were not your subjects. ¹¹³ 

Yesaya 65:16

65:16 Whoever pronounces a blessing in the earth ¹¹⁴ 

will do so in the name of the faithful God; ¹¹⁵ 

whoever makes an oath in the earth

will do so in the name of the faithful God. ¹¹⁶ 

For past problems will be forgotten;

I will no longer think about them. ¹¹⁷ 

Yesaya 49:3

49:3 He said to me, “You are my servant,

Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor.” ¹¹⁸ 

Yesaya 47:15

47:15 They will disappoint you, ¹¹⁹ 

those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. ¹²⁰ 

Each strays off in his own direction, ¹²¹ 

leaving no one to rescue you.”

Yesaya 53:3

53:3 He was despised and rejected by people, ¹²² 

one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;

people hid their faces from him; ¹²³ 

he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. ¹²⁴ 

Yesaya 24:18

24:18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror

will fall into the pit; ¹²⁵ 

the one who climbs out of the pit,

will be trapped by the snare.

For the floodgates of the heavens ¹²⁶  are opened up ¹²⁷ 

and the foundations of the earth shake.

Yesaya 28:4

28:4 The withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

will be like an early fig before harvest –

as soon as someone notices it,

he grabs it and swallows it. ¹²⁸ 

Yesaya 44:24

The Lord Empowers Cyrus

44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, ¹²⁹  says,

the one who formed you in the womb:

“I am the Lord, who made everything,

who alone stretched out the sky,

who fashioned the earth all by myself, ¹³⁰ 

Yesaya 49:23

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ¹³¹  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ¹³² 

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on ¹³³  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

Yesaya 57:13

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols ¹³⁴  help you!

The wind blows them all away, ¹³⁵ 

a breeze carries them away. ¹³⁶ 

But the one who looks to me for help ¹³⁷  will inherit the land

and will have access to ¹³⁸  my holy mountain.”

Yesaya 49:24

49:24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior,

or captives be rescued from a conqueror? ¹³⁹ 

Yesaya 41:1

The Lord Challenges the Nations

41:1 “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! ¹⁴⁰ 

Let the nations find renewed strength!

Let them approach and then speak;

let us come together for debate! ¹⁴¹ 

Yesaya 59:15

59:15 Honesty has disappeared;

the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.

The Lord watches and is displeased, ¹⁴² 

for there is no justice.

Yesaya 13:15

13:15 Everyone who is caught will be stabbed;

everyone who is seized ¹⁴³  will die ¹⁴⁴  by the sword.

Yesaya 18:1

The Lord Will Judge a Distant Land in the South

18:1 The land of buzzing wings is as good as dead, ¹⁴⁵ 

the one beyond the rivers of Cush,

Yesaya 17:2

17:2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. ¹⁴⁶ 

They will be used for herds,

which will lie down there in peace. ¹⁴⁷ 

Yesaya 22:15

22:15 This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says:

“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, ¹⁴⁸  and tell him: ¹⁴⁹ 

Yesaya 63:13

63:13 who led them through the deep water?

Like a horse running on flat land ¹⁵⁰  they did not stumble.

Yesaya 66:7

66:7 Before she goes into labor, she gives birth!

Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy!

Yesaya 65:20

65:20 Never again will one of her infants live just a few days ¹⁵¹ 

or an old man die before his time. ¹⁵² 

Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, ¹⁵³ 

anyone who fails to reach ¹⁵⁴  the age of a hundred will be considered cursed.

Yesaya 19:17

19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them. ¹⁵⁵ 

Yesaya 27:4

27:4 I am not angry.

I wish I could confront some thorns and briers!

Then I would march against them ¹⁵⁶  for battle;

I would set them ¹⁵⁷  all on fire,

Yesaya 33:8

33:8 Highways are empty, ¹⁵⁸ 

there are no travelers. ¹⁵⁹ 

Treaties are broken, ¹⁶⁰ 

witnesses are despised, ¹⁶¹ 

human life is treated with disrespect. ¹⁶² 

Yesaya 40:31

40:31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help ¹⁶³  find renewed strength;

they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, ¹⁶⁴ 

they run without growing weary,

they walk without getting tired.

Yesaya 41:11

41:11 Look, all who were angry at you will be ashamed and humiliated;

your adversaries ¹⁶⁵  will be reduced to nothing ¹⁶⁶  and perish.

Yesaya 42:8

The Lord Intervenes

42:8 I am the Lord! That is my name!

I will not share my glory with anyone else,

or the praise due me with idols.

Yesaya 44:25

44:25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers ¹⁶⁷ 

and humiliates ¹⁶⁸  the omen readers,

who overturns the counsel of the wise men ¹⁶⁹ 

and makes their advice ¹⁷⁰  seem foolish,

Yesaya 45:11

45:11 This is what the Lord says,

the Holy One of Israel, ¹⁷¹  the one who formed him,

concerning things to come: ¹⁷² 

“How dare you question me ¹⁷³  about my children!

How dare you tell me what to do with ¹⁷⁴  the work of my own hands!

Yesaya 47:12

47:12 Persist ¹⁷⁵  in trusting ¹⁷⁶  your amulets

and your many incantations,

which you have faithfully recited ¹⁷⁷  since your youth!

Maybe you will be successful ¹⁷⁸  –

maybe you will scare away disaster. ¹⁷⁹ 

Yesaya 32:6

32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; ¹⁸⁰ 

his mind plans out sinful deeds. ¹⁸¹ 

He commits godless deeds ¹⁸² 

and says misleading things about the Lord;

he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite ¹⁸³ 

and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. ¹⁸⁴ 

Yesaya 33:15

33:15 The one who lives ¹⁸⁵  uprightly ¹⁸⁶ 

and speaks honestly;

the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures

and rejects a bribe; ¹⁸⁷ 

the one who does not plot violent crimes ¹⁸⁸ 

and does not seek to harm others ¹⁸⁹  –

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. ¹⁹⁰  When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. ¹⁹¹  So pray for this remnant that remains.’” ¹⁹² 

Yesaya 48:11

48:11 For my sake alone ¹⁹³  I will act,

for how can I allow my name to be defiled? ¹⁹⁴ 

I will not share my glory with anyone else! ¹⁹⁵ 

Yesaya 63:5

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

I was shocked because there was no one offering support. ¹⁹⁶ 

So my right arm accomplished deliverance;

my raging anger drove me on. ¹⁹⁷ 

[53:1]  ¹ tn The perfect has a hypothetical force in this rhetorical question. For another example, see Gen 21:7.

[53:1]  ² sn The speaker shifts here from God to an unidentified group (note the first person plural pronouns throughout vv. 1-6). The content of the speech suggests that the prophet speaks here as representative of the sinful nation Israel. The group acknowledges its sin and recognizes that the servant suffered on their behalf.

[53:1]  ³ tn The first half of v. 1 is traditionally translated, “Who has believed our report?” or “Who has believed our message?” as if the group speaking is lamenting that no one will believe what they have to say. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this context. Here the group speaking does not cast itself in the role of a preacher or evangelist. No, they are repentant sinners, who finally see the light. The phrase “our report” can mean (1) the report which we deliver, or (2) the report which was delivered to us. The latter fits better here, where the report is most naturally taken as the announcement that has just been made in 52:13-15.

[53:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “to whom” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[53:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “the arm of the Lord.” The “arm of the Lord” is a metaphor of military power; it pictures the Lord as a warrior who bares his arm, takes up his weapon, and crushes his enemies (cf. 51:9-10; 63:5-6). But Israel had not seen the Lord’s military power at work in the servant.

[40:13]  ⁶ tn Perhaps the verb is used metonymically here in the sense of “advises” (note the following line).

[40:13]  ⁷ tn In this context רוּחַ (ruakh) likely refers to the Lord’s “mind,” or mental faculties, rather than his personal Spirit (see BDB 925 s.v.).

[40:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “or [as] the man of his counsel causes him to know?”

[42:19]  ⁹ tc The precise meaning of מְשֻׁלָּם (mÿshullam) in this context is uncertain. In later biblical Hebrew the form (which appears to be a Pual participle from the root שָׁלַם, shalam) occurs as a proper name, Meshullam. The Pual of שָׁלַם (“be complete”) is attested with the meaning “repaid, requited,” but that makes little sense here. BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלַם relates the form to the denominative verb שָׁלַם (“be at peace”) and paraphrases “one in a covenant of peace” (J. N. Oswalt suggests “the covenanted one”; Isaiah [NICOT], 2:128, n. 59) Some emend the form to מֹשְׁלָם (moshÿlam, “their ruler”) or to מְשֻׁלָּחִי (mÿshullakhi, “my sent [or “commissioned”] one”), which fits nicely in the parallelism (note “my messenger” in the previous line). The translation above assumes an emendation to כְּמוֹ שֹׁלְמִי (kÿmo sholÿmi, “like my ally”). Isaiah uses כְּמוֹ in 30:22 and perhaps 51:5; for שֹׁלְמי (“my ally”) see Ps 7:5 HT (7:4 ET).

[42:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like my messenger I send? Who is blind like my commissioned one, blind like the servant of the Lord?” The point of the rhetorical questions is that no one is as blind/deaf as this servant. In this context the Lord’s “servant” is exiled Israel (cf. 41:8-9), which is spiritually blind and deaf and has failed to fulfill God’s purpose for it. This servant stands in contrast to the ideal “Israel” of the servant songs.

[37:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”

[37:23]  ¹² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[28:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Who is he teaching knowledge? For whom is he explaining a message?” The translation assumes that the Lord is the subject of the verbs “teaching” and “explaining,” and that the prophet is asking the questions. See v. 12. According to some vv. 9-10 record the people’s sarcastic response to the Lord’s message through Isaiah.

[28:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from the breasts.” The words “their mother’s” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The translation assumes that this is the prophet’s answer to the questions asked in the first half of the verse. The Lord is trying to instruct people who are “infants” morally and ethically.

[57:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Are you not children of rebellion, offspring of a lie?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course you are!”

[44:10]  ¹⁷ tn The rhetorical question is sarcastic. The sense is, “Who is foolish enough…?”

[14:27]  ¹⁸ tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[14:27]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “His hand is outstretched and who will turn it back?”

[40:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “With whom did he consult, so that he gave discernment to him?”

[40:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “and taught him.” The vav (ו) consecutive with prefixed verbal form continues the previous line. The translation employs an interrogative pronoun for stylistic reasons.

[40:14]  ²² tn The phrase אֹרַח מִשְׁפָּט (’orakh mishpat) could be translated “path of justice” (so NASB, NRSV), but in this context, where creative ability and skill is in view, the phrase is better understood in the sense of “the way that is proper or fitting” (see BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 6); cf. NIV, NCV “the right way.”

[40:14]  ²³ tn Heb “or the way of understanding causes him to know?”

[40:14]  sn The implied answer to the rhetorical questions in vv. 13-14 is, “No one.” In contrast to Marduk, the creator-god of Mesopotamian myths who receives help from the god of wisdom, the Lord neither needs nor receives any such advice or help. See R. Whybray, Heavenly Counsellor (SOTSMS), 64-77.

[6:8]  ²⁴ tn Heb “for us.” The plural pronoun refers to the Lord, the seraphs, and the rest of the heavenly assembly.

[40:25]  ²⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[40:12]  ²⁶ tn The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has מי ים (“waters of the sea”), a reading followed by NAB.

[40:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “with a span.” A “span” was the distance between the ends of the thumb and the little finger of the spread hand” (BDB 285 s.v. זֶרֶת).

[40:12]  ²⁸ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[40:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “or weighed by a third part [of a measure].”

[40:12]  ³⁰ sn The implied answer to the rhetorical questions of v. 12 is “no one but the Lord. The Lord, and no other, created the world. Like a merchant weighing out silver or commodities on a scale, the Lord established the various components of the physical universe in precise proportions.

[50:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “Let us stand together!”

[50:8]  ³² tn Heb “Who is the master of my judgment?”

[50:8]  ³³ tn Heb “let him approach me”; NAB, NIV “Let him confront me.”

[60:8]  ³⁴ tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[29:15]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who deeply hide counsel from the Lord.” This probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance. See 30:1-2 and 31:1.

[29:15]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and their works are in darkness and they say.”

[29:15]  ³⁸ tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “no one.” They are confident that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.

[51:19]  ³⁹ 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.

[42:23]  ⁴⁰ tn The interrogative particle is understood in the second line by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[33:14]  ⁴¹ tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.”

[33:14]  ⁴² tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”

[33:14]  ⁴³ tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[33:14]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[42:24]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Who gave to the robber Jacob, and Israel to the looters?” In the first line the consonantal text (Kethib) has מְשׁוֹסֶה (mÿshoseh), a Polel participle from שָׁסָה (shasah, “plunder”). The marginal reading (Qere) is מְשִׁיסָּה (mÿshissah), a noun meaning “plunder.” In this case one could translate “Who handed Jacob over as plunder?”

[42:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “they were not willing in his ways to walk, and they did not listen to his law.”

[1:12]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “When you come to appear before me, who requires this from your hand, trampling of my courtyards?” The rhetorical question sarcastically makes the point that God does not require this parade of livestock. The verb “trample” probably refers to the eager worshipers and their sacrificial animals walking around in the temple area.

[44:7]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “let him call” or “let him proclaim” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “Let him stand up and speak.”

[44:7]  ⁴⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads, “from (the time) I established an ancient people, and the coming things.” Various emendations have been proposed. One of the options assumes the reading מַשְׁמִיעִים מֵעוֹלָם אוֹתִיּוֹת (mashmi’im me’olam ’otiyyot); This literally reads “the ones causing to hear from antiquity coming things,” but more idiomatically would read “as for those who predict from antiquity what will happen” (cf. NAB, NEB, REB). The emendation directs the attention of the reader to those who claim to be able to predict the future, challenging them to actually do what they claim they can do. The MT presents Yahweh as an example to whom these alleged “predictors of the future” can compare themselves. Since the ancient versions are unanimous in their support of the MT, the emendations should be set aside.

[44:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb and those things which are coming let them declare for themselves.”

[23:8]  ⁵¹ tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hamma’atirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (’atar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (’atarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.

[23:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”

[36:5]  ⁵³ tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.

[66:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “land,” but here אֶרֶץ (’erets) stands metonymically for an organized nation (see the following line).

[54:15]  ⁵⁵ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb here for emphasis.

[54:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “will fall over you.” The expression נָפַל עַל (nafal ’al) can mean “attack,” but here it means “fall over to,” i.e., “surrender to.”

[41:2]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.

[41:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”

[41:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”

[41:2]  ⁶¹ 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]  ⁶² sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.

[49:21]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and you will say in your heart.”

[49:21]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “exiled and thrust away”; NIV “exiled and rejected.”

[41:4]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “Who acts and accomplishes?”; NASB “Who has performed and accomplished it.”

[41:4]  ⁶⁶ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[41:4]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “I, the Lord, [am with] the first, and with the last ones I [am] he.”

[63:1]  ⁶⁸ sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.

[63:1]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”

[63:1]  ⁷⁰ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.

[63:1]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”

[63:1]  ⁷² tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsa’ah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsa’ad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).

[63:1]  ⁷³ tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”

[36:20]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?

[22:16]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.

[22:16]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “that you chisel out.”

[51:12]  ⁷⁷ tc The plural suffix should probably be emended to the second masculine singular (which is used in v. 13). The final mem (ם) is probably dittographic; note the mem at the beginning of the next word.

[51:12]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who [as] grass is given up?” The feminine singular forms should probably be emended to the masculine singular (see v. 13). They have probably been influenced by the construction אַתְּ־הִיא (’at-hi’) in vv. 9-10.

[10:3]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “the day of visitation” (so KJV, ASV), that is, the day when God arrives to execute justice on the oppressors.

[43:13]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”

[48:14]  ⁸¹ sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).

[48:14]  ⁸² tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”

[48:14]  sn The Lord’s ally is a reference to Cyrus.

[48:14]  ⁸³ tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”

[8:20]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “to [the] instruction and to [the] testimony.” The words “then you must recall” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 19-20a are one long sentence, reading literally, “When they say to you…, to the instruction and to the testimony.” On the identity of the “instruction” and “testimony” see the notes at v. 16.

[8:20]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “If they do not speak according to this word, [it is] because it has no light of dawn.” The literal translation suggests that “this word” refers to the instruction/testimony. However, it is likely that אִם־לֹא (’im-lo’) is asseverative here, as in 5:9. In this case “this word” refers to the quotation recorded in v. 19. For a discussion of the problem see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 230, n. 9. The singular pronoun in the second half of the verse is collective, referring back to the nation (see v. 19b).

[53:8]  ⁸⁶ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The present translation assumes that מִן (min) here has an instrumental sense (“by, through”) and understands עֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט (’otser umimmishpat, “coercion and legal decision”) as a hendiadys meaning “coercive legal decision,” thus “an unjust trial.” Other interpretive options include: (1) “without [for this sense of מִן, see BDB 578 s.v. 1.b] hindrance and proper judicial process,” i.e., “unfairly and with no one to defend him,” (2) “from [in the sense of “after,” see BDB 581 s.v. 4.b] arrest and judgment.”

[53:8]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and his generation, who considers?” (NASB similar). Some understand “his generation” as a reference to descendants. In this case the question would suggest that he will have none. However, אֶת (’et) may be taken here as specifying a new subject (see BDB 85 s.v. I אֵת 3). If “his generation” refers to the servant’s contemporary generation, one may then translate, “As for his contemporary generation, who took note?” The point would be that few were concerned about the harsh treatment he received.

[53:8]  ⁸⁸ sn The “land of the living” is an idiom for the sphere where people live, in contrast to the underworld realm of the dead. See, for example, Ezek 32:23-27.

[53:8]  ⁸⁹ tn The Hebrew text reads “my people,” a reading followed by most English versions, but this is problematic in a context where the first person plural predominates, and where God does not appear to speak again until v. 11b. Therefore, it is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a עמו (“his people”). In this case, the group speaking in these verses is identified as the servant’s people (compare פְּשָׁעֵנוּ [pÿsha’enu, “our rebellious deeds”] in v. 5 with פֶּשַׁע עַמִּי [pesha’ ’ammi, “the rebellion of his people”] in v. 8).

[41:26]  ⁹⁰ tn The words “who announced it” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The interrogative particle and verb are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).

[45:21]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “Declare! Bring near!”; NASB “Declare and set forth your case.” See 41:21.

[45:21]  ⁹² tn Or “a righteous God and deliverer”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “a righteous God and a Savior.”

[57:11]  ⁹³ tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”

[57:11]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”

[57:11]  ⁹⁵ sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.

[50:1]  ⁹⁶ sn The Lord challenges the exiles (Zion’s children) to bring incriminating evidence against him. The rhetorical questions imply that Israel accused the Lord of divorcing his wife (Zion) and selling his children (the Israelites) into slavery to pay off a debt.

[50:1]  ⁹⁷ sn The Lord admits that he did sell the Israelites, but it was because of their sins, not because of some debt he owed. If he had sold them to a creditor, they ought to be able to point him out, but the preceding rhetorical question implies they would not be able to do so.

[50:1]  ⁹⁸ sn The Lord admits he did divorce Zion, but that too was the result of the nation’s sins. The force of the earlier rhetorical question comes into clearer focus now. The question does not imply that a certificate does not exist and that no divorce occurred. Rather, the question asks for the certificate to be produced so the accuser can see the reason for the divorce in black and white. The Lord did not put Zion away arbitrarily.

[50:10]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “[who] listens to the voice of his servant?” The interrogative is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[50:10]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The plural indicates degree. Darkness may refer to exile and/or moral evil.

[40:26]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “Lift on high your eyes and see.”

[40:26]  ¹⁰² tn The words “heavenly lights” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the following lines.

[40:26]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “the one who brings out by number their host.” The stars are here likened to a huge army that the Lord leads out. Perhaps the next line pictures God calling roll. If so, the final line may be indicating that none of them dares “go AWOL.” (“AWOL” is a military acronym for “absent without leave.”)

[59:5]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”

[28:16]  ¹⁰⁵ tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.

[28:16]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.

[28:16]  ¹⁰⁷ sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).

[28:16]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.

[43:9]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “and the former things was causing us to hear?”

[20:6]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

[20:6]  ¹¹¹ sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).

[63:19]  ¹¹² tn Heb “we were from antiquity” (see v. 16). The collocation עוֹלָם + מִן + הָיָה (hayah + min + ’olam) occurs only here.

[63:19]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “you did not rule them, your name was not called over them.” The expression “the name is called over” indicates ownership; see the note at 4:1. As these two lines stand they are very difficult to interpret. They appear to be stating that the adversaries just mentioned in v. 18 have not been subject to the Lord’s rule in the past, perhaps explaining why they could commit the atrocity described in v. 18b.

[65:16]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “in the land” (NIV, NCV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs again later in this verse, with the same options.

[65:16]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “will pronounce a blessing by the God of truth.”

[65:16]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “will take an oath by the God of truth.”

[65:16]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “for the former distresses will be forgotten, and they will be hidden from my eyes.”

[49:3]  ¹¹⁸ sn This verse identifies the servant as Israel. This seems to refer to the exiled nation (cf. 41:8-9; 44:1-2, 21; 45:4; 48:20), but in vv. 5-6 this servant says he has been commissioned to reconcile Israel to God, so he must be distinct from the exiled nation. This servant is an ideal “Israel” who, like Moses of old, mediates a covenant for the nation (see v. 8), leads them out of bondage (v. 9a), and carries out God’s original plan for Israel by positively impacting the pagan nations (see v. 6b). By living according to God’s law, Israel was to be a model of God’s standards of justice to the surrounding nations (Deut 4:6-8). The sinful nation failed, but the servant, the ideal “Israel,” will succeed by establishing justice throughout the earth.

[47:15]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”

[47:15]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “that for which you toiled, your traders from your youth.” The omen readers and star gazers are likened to merchants with whom Babylon has had an ongoing economic relationship.

[47:15]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”

[53:3]  ¹²² tn Heb “lacking of men.” If the genitive is taken as specifying (“lacking with respect to men”), then the idea is that he lacked company because he was rejected by people. Another option is to take the genitive as indicating genus or larger class (i.e., “one lacking among men”). In this case one could translate, “he was a transient” (cf. the use of חָדֵל [khadel] in Ps 39:5 HT [39:4 ET]).

[53:3]  ¹²³ tn Heb “like a hiding of the face from him,” i.e., “like one before whom the face is hidden” (see BDB 712 s.v. מַסְתֵּר).

[53:3]  ¹²⁴ sn The servant is likened to a seriously ill person who is shunned by others because of his horrible disease.

[24:18]  ¹²⁵ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[24:18]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “from the height”; KJV “from on high.”

[24:18]  ¹²⁷ sn The language reflects the account of the Noahic Flood (see Gen 7:11).

[28:4]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “which the one seeing sees, while still it is in his hand he swallows it.”

[44:24]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[44:24]  ¹³⁰ tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “Who [was] with me?” The marginal reading (Qere) is “from with me,” i.e., “by myself.” See BDB 87 s.v. II אֵת 4.c.

[49:23]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ¹³² tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ¹³³ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”

[57:13]  ¹³⁴ tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.

[57:13]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”

[57:13]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”

[57:13]  ¹³⁷ tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”

[57:13]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.

[49:24]  ¹³⁹ tc The Hebrew text has צָדִיק (tsadiq, “a righteous [one]”), but this makes no sense in the parallelism. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads correctly עריץ (“violent [one], tyrant”; see v. 25).

[41:1]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV, CEV); TEV “distant lands”; NLT “lands beyond the sea.”

[41:1]  ¹⁴¹ tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) could be translated “judgment,” but here it seems to refer to the dispute or debate between the Lord and the nations.

[59:15]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”

[13:15]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “carried off,” i.e., grabbed from the fleeing crowd. See HALOT 764 s.v. ספה.

[13:15]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “will fall” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NLT “will be run through with a sword.”

[18:1]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “Woe [to] the land of buzzing wings.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.

[18:1]  sn The significance of the qualifying phrase “buzzing wings” is uncertain. Some suggest that the designation points to Cush as a land with many insects. Another possibility is that it refers to the swiftness with which this land’s messengers travel (v. 2a); they move over the sea as swiftly as an insect flies through the air. For a discussion of the options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:359-60.

[17:2]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Three cities are known by this name in the OT: (1) an Aroer located near the Arnon, (2) an Aroer in Ammon, and (3) an Aroer of Judah. (See BDB 792-93 s.v. עֲרֹעֵר, and HALOT 883 s.v. II עֲרוֹעֵר.) There is no mention of an Aroer in Syrian territory. For this reason some want to emend the text here to עֲזֻבוֹת עָרַיהָ עֲדֵי עַד (’azuvot ’arayha ’adey ’ad, “her cities are permanently abandoned”). However, Aroer near the Arnon was taken by Israel and later conquered by the Syrians. (See Josh 12:2; 13:9, 16; Judg 11:26; 2 Kgs 10:33). This oracle pertains to Israel as well as Syria (note v. 3), so it is possible that this is a reference to Israelite and/or Syrian losses in Transjordan.

[17:2]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “and they lie down and there is no one scaring [them].”

[22:15]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”

[22:15]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[63:13]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “in the desert [or “steppe”].”

[65:20]  ¹⁵¹ 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]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “or an old [man] who does not fill out his days.”

[65:20]  ¹⁵³ 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]  ¹⁵⁴ 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.”

[19:17]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”

[27:4]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense. For other examples of a cohortative expressing resolve after a hypothetical statement introduced by נָתַן with מִי (miwith natan), see Judg 9:29; Jer 9:1-2; Ps 55:6.

[27:4]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense.

[33:8]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Or “desolate” (NAB, NASB); NIV, NRSV, NLT “deserted.”

[33:8]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “the one passing by on the road ceases.”

[33:8]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “one breaks a treaty”; NAB “Covenants are broken.”

[33:8]  ¹⁶¹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “he despises cities.” The term עָרִים (’arim, “cities”) is probably a corruption of an original עֵדִים (’edim, “[legal] witnesses”), a reading that is preserved in the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a. Confusion of dalet (ד) and resh (ר) is a well-attested scribal error.

[33:8]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “he does not regard human beings.”

[40:31]  ¹⁶³ tn The words “for the Lord’s help” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[40:31]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “they rise up [on] wings like eagles” (TEV similar).

[41:11]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “the men of your strife”; NASB “those who contend with you.”

[41:11]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “like nothing”; NAB “come to nought.”

[44:25]  ¹⁶⁷ tc The Hebrew text has בַּדִּים (baddim), perhaps meaning “empty talkers” (BDB 95 s.v. III בַּד). In the four other occurrences of this word (Job 11:3; Isa 16:6; Jer 48:30; 50:36) the context does not make the meaning of the term very clear. Its primary point appears to be that the words spoken are meaningless or false. In light of its parallelism with “omen readers,” some have proposed an emendation to בָּרִים (barim, “seers”). The Mesopotamian baru-priests were divination specialists who played an important role in court life. See R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 93-98. Rather than supporting an emendation, J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:189, n. 79) suggests that Isaiah used בַּדִּים purposively as a derisive wordplay on the Akkadian word baru (in light of the close similarity of the d and r consonants).

[44:25]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Or “makes fools of” (NIV, NRSV); NAB and NASB both similar.

[44:25]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “who turns back the wise” (so NRSV); NIV “overthrows the learning of the wise”; TEV “The words of the wise I refute.”

[44:25]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “their knowledge” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[45:11]  ¹⁷¹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[45:11]  ¹⁷² tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsÿro, “the one who formed him”) to יֹצֵר (yotser, “the one who forms”; the suffixed form in the Hebrew text may be influenced by vv. 9-10, where the same form appears twice) and takes “coming things” as the object of the participle (either objective genitive or accusative): “the one who brings the future into being.”

[45:11]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “Ask me” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.

[45:11]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.

[47:12]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”

[47:12]  ¹⁷⁶ tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.

[47:12]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”

[47:12]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”

[47:12]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.

[32:6]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.

[32:6]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”

[32:6]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”

[32:6]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”

[32:6]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”

[33:15]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).

[33:15]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”

[33:15]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”

[33:15]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”

[33:15]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”

[37:4]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”

[37:4]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”

[37:4]  ¹⁹² tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”

[48:11]  ¹⁹³ tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (lÿma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.

[48:11]  ¹⁹⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).

[48:11]  ¹⁹⁵ sn See 42:8.

[63:5]  ¹⁹⁶ sn See Isa 59:16 for similar language.

[63:5]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “and my anger, it supported me”; NIV “my own wrath sustained me.”