Yesaya 6:13

6:13 Even if only a tenth of the people remain in the land, it will again be destroyed, ¹  like one of the large sacred trees ²  or an Asherah pole, when a sacred pillar on a high place is thrown down. ³  That sacred pillar symbolizes the special chosen family.” ⁴ 

Yesaya 33:15

33:15 The one who lives ⁵  uprightly ⁶ 

and speaks honestly;

the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures

and rejects a bribe; ⁷ 

the one who does not plot violent crimes ⁸ 

and does not seek to harm others ⁹  –

Yesaya 55:7

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ¹⁰ 

and sinful people their plans. ¹¹ 

They should return ¹²  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ¹³ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ¹⁴ 

Yesaya 60:17

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you ¹⁵  bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you ¹⁶  iron.

I will make prosperity ¹⁷  your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler. ¹⁸ 

Yesaya 64:5

64:5 You assist ¹⁹  those who delight in doing what is right, ²⁰ 

who observe your commandments. ²¹ 

Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.

How then can we be saved? ²² 

[6:13]  ¹ tn Or “be burned” (NRSV); NIV “laid waste.”

[6:13]  ² tn Heb “like a massive tree or like a big tree” (perhaps, “like a terebinth or like an oak”).

[6:13]  ³ tn The Hebrew text has “which in the felling, a sacred pillar in them.” Some take מַצֶּבֶת (matsevet) as “stump,” and translate, “which, when chopped down, have a stump remaining in them.” But elsewhere מַצֶּבֶת refers to a memorial pillar (2 Sam 18:18) and the word resembles מַצֶּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”). בָּם (bam, “in them”) may be a corruption of בָּמָה (bamah, “high place”; the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has במה). אֳשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) becomes a problem in this case, but one might emend the form to וּכְּאֲשֵׁרָה (ukÿ’asherah, “or like an Asherah pole”) and translate, “like one of the large sacred trees or an Asherah pole.” Though the text is difficult, the references to sacred trees and a sacred pillar suggest that the destruction of a high place is in view, an apt metaphor for the judgment of idolatrous Judah.

[6:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “a holy offspring [is] its sacred pillar.” If מַצֶּבֶת (matsevet) is taken as “stump,” one can see in this statement a brief glimpse of hope. The tree (the nation) is chopped down, but the stump (a righteous remnant) remains from which God can restore the nation. However, if מַצֶּבֶת is taken as “sacred pillar” (מַצֶּבָה, matsevah; see the previous note), it is much more difficult to take the final statement in a positive sense. In this case “holy offspring” alludes to God’s ideal for his covenant people, the offspring of the patriarchs. Ironically that “holy” nation is more like a “sacred pillar” and it will be thrown down like a sacred pillar from a high place and its land destroyed like the sacred trees located at such shrines. Understood in this way, the ironic statement is entirely negative in tone, just like the rest of the preceding announcement of judgment. It also reminds the people of their failure; they did not oppose pagan religion, instead they embraced it. Now they will be destroyed in the same way they should have destroyed paganism.

[33:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).

[33:15]  ⁶ tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”

[33:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”

[33:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”

[33:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”

[55:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹² tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ¹³ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ¹⁴ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[60:17]  ¹⁵ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).

[60:17]  ¹⁶ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).

[60:17]  ¹⁷ tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).

[60:17]  ¹⁸ tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.

[64:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”

[64:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”

[64:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”

[64:5]  ²² tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).