Deuteronomy 9:1-29 
Context9:1 Listen, Israel: Today you are about to cross the Jordan so you can dispossess the nations there, people greater and stronger than you who live in large cities with extremely high fortifications. 1 9:2 They include the Anakites, 2 a numerous 3 and tall people whom you know about and of whom it is said, “Who is able to resist the Anakites?” 9:3 Understand today that the Lord your God who goes before you is a devouring fire; he will defeat and subdue them before you. You will dispossess and destroy them quickly just as he 4 has told you. 9:4 Do not think to yourself after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, “Because of my own righteousness the Lord has brought me here to possess this land.” It is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out ahead of you. 9:5 It is not because of your righteousness, or even your inner uprightness, 5 that you have come here to possess their land. Instead, because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out ahead of you in order to confirm the promise he 6 made on oath to your ancestors, 7 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 9:6 Understand, therefore, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is about to give you this good land as a possession, for you are a stubborn 8 people!
9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget 9 – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. 10 9:8 At Horeb you provoked him and he was angry enough with you to destroy you. 9:9 When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained there 11 forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. 9:10 The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger 12 of God, and on them was everything 13 he 14 said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. 9:11 Now at the end of the forty days and nights the Lord presented me with the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 9:12 And he said to me, “Get up, go down at once from here because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have sinned! They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a cast metal image.” 15 9:13 Moreover, he said to me, “I have taken note of these people; they are a stubborn 16 lot! 9:14 Stand aside 17 and I will destroy them, obliterating their very name from memory, 18 and I will make you into a stronger and more numerous nation than they are.”
9:15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it 19 was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 9:16 When I looked, you had indeed sinned against the Lord your God and had cast for yourselves a metal calf; 20 you had quickly turned aside from the way he 21 had commanded you! 9:17 I grabbed the two tablets, threw them down, 22 and shattered them before your very eyes. 9:18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 9:19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger 23 that threatened to destroy you. But he 24 listened to me this time as well. 9:20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him 25 too. 9:21 As for your sinful thing 26 that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down, 27 ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain. 9:22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah, 28 Massah, 29 and Kibroth-Hattaavah. 30 9:23 And when he 31 sent you from Kadesh-Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God 32 and would neither believe nor obey him. 9:24 You have been rebelling against him 33 from the very first day I knew you!
9:25 I lay flat on the ground before the Lord for forty days and nights, 34 for he 35 had said he would destroy you. 9:26 I prayed to him: 36 O, Lord God, 37 do not destroy your people, your valued property 38 that you have powerfully redeemed, 39 whom you brought out of Egypt by your strength. 40 9:27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; ignore the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 9:28 Otherwise the people of the land 41 from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the desert.” 42 9:29 They are your people, your valued property, 43 whom you brought out with great strength and power. 44
Psalms 92:1--93:5
ContextA psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.
92:1 It is fitting 46 to thank the Lord,
and to sing praises to your name, O sovereign One! 47
92:2 It is fitting 48 to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,
and your faithfulness during the night,
92:3 to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,
to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
92:4 For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.
I will sing for joy because of what you have done. 49
92:5 How great are your works, O Lord!
Your plans are very intricate! 50
92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;
the fool does not understand this. 51
92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten, 52
it is so that they may be annihilated. 53
92:8 But you, O Lord, reign 54 forever!
92:9 Indeed, 55 look at your enemies, O Lord!
Indeed, 56 look at how your enemies perish!
All the evildoers are scattered!
92:10 You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. 57
I am covered 58 with fresh oil.
92:11 I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; 59
I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me. 60
92:12 The godly 61 grow like a palm tree;
they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. 62
92:13 Planted in the Lord’s house,
they grow in the courts of our God.
92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;
they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. 63
92:15 So they proclaim that the Lord, my protector,
is just and never unfair. 64
93:1 The Lord reigns!
He is robed in majesty,
the Lord is robed,
he wears strength around his waist. 66
Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.
93:2 Your throne has been secure from ancient times;
you have always been king. 67
93:3 The waves 68 roar, O Lord,
the waves roar,
the waves roar and crash. 69
93:4 Above the sound of the surging water, 70
and the mighty waves of the sea,
the Lord sits enthroned in majesty. 71
93:5 The rules you set down 72 are completely reliable. 73
Holiness 74 aptly adorns your house, O Lord, forever. 75
Isaiah 37:1-38
Context37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, 76 he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 37:2 Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, 77 clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 78 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 79 and humiliation, 80 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 81 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. 82 When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. 83 So pray for this remnant that remains.’” 84
37:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 85 37:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; 86 he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down 87 with a sword in his own land.”’”
37:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 88 37:9 The king 89 heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia 90 was marching out to fight him. 91 He again sent 92 messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 37:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. 93 Do you really think you will be rescued? 94 37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors 95 destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 96 37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, 97 Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
37:14 Hezekiah took the letter 98 from the messengers and read it. 99 Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! 100 You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 101 and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 102 37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations 103 and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, 104 for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 105 37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” 106
37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, 107 37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: 108
“The virgin daughter Zion 109
despises you – she makes fun of you;
daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 110
37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted
and looked so arrogantly? 111
At the Holy One of Israel! 112
37:24 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 113
‘With my many chariots I climbed up
the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions, 114
its thickest woods.
37:25 I dug wells
and drank water. 115
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
37:26 116 Certainly you must have heard! 117
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned 118 it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 119
37:27 Their residents are powerless; 120
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation. 121
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 122
when it is scorched by the east wind. 123
37:28 I know where you live
and everything you do
and how you rage against me. 124
37:29 Because you rage against me
and the uproar you create has reached my ears, 125
I will put my hook in your nose, 126
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back
the way you came.”
37:30 127 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: 128 This year you will eat what grows wild, 129 and next year 130 what grows on its own. But the year after that 131 you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 132 37:31 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 133
37:32 “For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies 134 will accomplish this.
37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here. 135
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, 136
nor will he build siege works against it.
37:34 He will go back the way he came –
he will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.
37:35 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 137
37:36 The Lord’s messenger 138 went out and killed 185,000 troops 139 in the Assyrian camp. When they 140 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 141 37:37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 142 37:38 One day, 143 as he was worshiping 144 in the temple of his god Nisroch, 145 his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. 146 They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
Revelation 7:1-17
Context7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 7:2 Then 147 I saw another angel ascending from the east, 148 who had 149 the seal 150 of the living God. He 151 shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission 152 to damage the earth and the sea: 153 7:3 “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants 154 of our God.” 7:4 Now 155 I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, 156 one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from all 157 the tribes of the people of Israel: 158
7:5 From the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand,
7:6 from the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand,
7:7 from the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand,
7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand,
from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
7:9 After these things I looked, and here was 159 an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, 160 people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 7:10 They were shouting out in a loud voice,
“Salvation belongs to our God, 161
to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
7:11 And all the angels stood 162 there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground 163 before the throne and worshiped God, 7:12 saying,
“Amen! Praise and glory,
and wisdom and thanksgiving,
and honor and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
7:13 Then 164 one of the elders asked 165 me, “These dressed in long white robes – who are they and where have they come from?” 7:14 So 166 I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” 167 Then 168 he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They 169 have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! 7:15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve 170 him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. 171 7:16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, 172 7:17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 173
1 tn Heb “fortified to the heavens” (so NRSV); NLT “cities with walls that reach to the sky.” This is hyperbole.
2 sn Anakites. See note on this term in Deut 1:28.
3 tn Heb “great and tall.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “strong,” NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).
4 tn Heb “the
5 tn Heb “uprightness of your heart” (so NASB, NRSV). The Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”), though essentially synonymous here with יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”), carries the idea of conformity to an objective standard. The term יֹשֶׁר has more to do with an inner, moral quality (cf. NAB, NIV “integrity”). Neither, however, was grounds for the
6 tn Heb “the
7 tn Heb “fathers.”
8 tn Heb “stiff-necked” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
sn The Hebrew word translated stubborn means “stiff-necked.” The image is that of a draft animal that is unsubmissive to the rein or yoke and refuses to bend its neck to draw the load. This is an apt description of OT Israel (Exod 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deut 9:13).
9 tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.
10 tn Heb “the
11 tn Heb “in the mountain.” The demonstrative pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
12 sn The very finger of God. This is a double figure of speech (1) in which God is ascribed human features (anthropomorphism) and (2) in which a part stands for the whole (synecdoche). That is, God, as Spirit, has no literal finger nor, if he had, would he write with his finger. Rather, the sense is that God himself – not Moses in any way – was responsible for the composition of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exod 31:18; 32:16; 34:1).
13 tn Heb “according to all the words.”
14 tn Heb “the
15 tc Heb “a casting.” The MT reads מַסֵּכָה (massekhah, “a cast thing”) but some
16 tn Heb “stiff-necked.” See note on the word “stubborn” in 9:6.
17 tn Heb “leave me alone.”
18 tn Heb “from under heaven.”
19 tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
20 tn On the phrase “metal calf,” see note on the term “metal image” in v. 12.
21 tn Heb “the
22 tn The Hebrew text includes “from upon my two hands,” but as this seems somewhat obvious and redundant, it has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
23 tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).
24 tn Heb “the
25 tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.
26 tn Heb “your sin.” This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the metal calf).
27 tn Heb “burned it with fire.”
28 sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (ba’ar, “to burn”), thus, here, “burning.” The reference is to the
29 sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.
30 sn Kibroth-Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew “burial places of appetite,” that is, graves that resulted from overindulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).
31 tn Heb “the
32 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.
33 tn Heb “the
34 tn The Hebrew text includes “when I prostrated myself.” Since this is redundant, it has been left untranslated.
35 tn Heb “the
36 tn Heb “the
37 tn Heb “Lord
38 tn Heb “your inheritance”; NLT “your special (very own NRSV) possession.” Israel is compared to landed property that one would inherit from his ancestors and pass on to his descendants.
39 tn Heb “you have redeemed in your greatness.”
40 tn Heb “by your strong hand.”
41 tc The MT reads only “the land.” Smr supplies עַם (’am, “people”) and LXX and its dependents supply “the inhabitants of the land.” The truncated form found in the MT is adequate to communicate the intended meaning; the words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
43 tn Heb “your inheritance.” See note at v. 26.
44 tn Heb “an outstretched arm.”
45 sn Psalm 92. The psalmist praises God because he defeats the wicked and vindicates his loyal followers.
46 tn Or “good.”
47 tn Traditionally “O Most High.”
48 tn The words “it is fitting” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Verses 1-3 are actually one long sentence in the Hebrew text, but this has been divided up into two shorter sentences in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
49 tn Heb “the works of your hands.”
50 tn Heb “very deep [are] your thoughts.” God’s “thoughts” refer here to his moral design of the world, as outlined in vv. 6-15.
51 tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).
52 tn Or “flourish.”
53 tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”
sn God allows the wicked to prosper temporarily so that he might reveal his justice. When the wicked are annihilated, God demonstrates that wickedness does not pay off.
54 tn Heb “[are elevated] on high.”
55 tn Or “for.”
56 tn Or “for.”
57 sn The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “to exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; Lam 2:17).
58 tn The Hebrew verb בָּלַל (balal) usually has the nuance “to mix.” Here it seems to mean “to smear” or “to anoint.” Some emend the form to בַּלֹּתַנִי (ballotaniy; a second person form of the verb with a first person suffix) and read, “you anoint me.”
59 tn Heb “my eye gazes upon those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2. The form שׁוּרָי (shuray) should be emended to שׁוֹרְרָי (shorÿray).
60 tn Heb “those who rise up against me, evil [foes], my ears hear.”
61 tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.
62 sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.
63 tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”
64 tn Heb “so that [they] proclaim that upright [is] the
65 sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the
66 sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.
67 tn Heb “from antiquity [are] you.” As the context suggests, this refers specifically to God’s royal position, not his personal existence.
68 tn The Hebrew noun translated “waves” often refers to rivers or streams, but here it appears to refer to the surging waves of the sea (see v. 4, Ps 24:2).
69 tn Heb “the waves lift up, O
70 tn Heb “mighty waters.”
sn The surging waters here symbolizes the hostile enemies of God who seek to destroy the order he has established in the world (see Pss 18:17; 29:3; 32:6; 77:20; 144:7; Isa 17:13; Jer 51:55; Ezek 26:19; Hab 3:15). But the Lord is depicted as elevated above and sovereign over these raging waters.
71 tn Heb “mighty on high [is] the
72 tn Traditionally “your testimonies.” The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law. See Ps 19:7.
73 sn The rules you set down. God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
74 sn Holiness refers here to God’s royal transcendence (see vv. 1-4), as well as his moral authority and perfection (see v. 5a).
75 tn Heb “for your house holiness is fitting, O
76 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
77 tn Heb “elders of the priests” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NCV “the older priests”; NRSV, TEV, CEV “the senior priests.”
78 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).
79 tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”
80 tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”
81 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
82 tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
83 tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”
84 tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
85 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
86 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
87 tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”
88 tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”
89 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
90 tn Heb “Cush” (so NASB); NIV, NCV “the Cushite king of Egypt.”
91 tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘He has come out to fight with you.’”
92 tn The Hebrew text has, “and he heard and he sent,” but the parallel in 2 Kgs 19:9 has וַיָּשָׁב וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyashav vayyishlakh, “and he returned and he sent”), i.e., “he again sent.”
93 tn Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
94 tn Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
95 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”
96 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
97 sn Lair was a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
98 tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).
99 tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).
100 sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.
101 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
102 tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
103 tn The Hebrew text here has “all the lands,” but the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:17 has “the nations.”
104 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
105 tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).
106 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”
107 tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:20 reads, “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense: “because.”
108 tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”
109 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
110 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
111 tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”
112 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
113 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
114 tn Heb “the height of its extremity”; ASV “its farthest height.”
115 tc The Hebrew text has simply, “I dug and drank water.” But the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:24 has “foreign waters.” זָרִים (zarim, “foreign”) may have accidentally dropped out of the Isaianic text by homoioteleuton (cf. NCV, NIV, NLT). Note that the preceding word, מַיִם (mayim, “water) also ends in mem (ם). The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has “foreign waters” for this line. However, in several other passages the 1QIsaa scroll harmonizes with 2 Kgs 19 against the MT (Isa 36:5; 37:9, 20). Since the addition of “foreign” to this text in Isaiah by a later scribe would be more likely than its deletion, the MT reading should be accepted.
116 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
117 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
118 tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).
119 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
120 tn Heb “short of hand”; KJV, ASV “of small power”; NASB “short of strength.”
121 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
122 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
123 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah, “standing grain”) to קָדִים (qadim, “east wind”) with the support of 1Q Isaa; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:657, n. 8.
124 tc Heb “your going out and your coming in and how you have raged against me.” Several scholars have suggested that this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line). However, most English translations include the statement in question at the end of v. 28 and the beginning of v. 29. Interestingly, the LXX does not have this clause at the end of v. 28 and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not have it at the beginning of v. 29. In light of this ambiguous manuscript evidence, it appears best to retain the clause in both verses.
125 tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךָ (sha’anankha, “your complacency”) is emended to שְׁאוֹנְךָ (shÿ’onÿkha, “your uproar”). See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38. However, the LXX seems to support the MT and Sennacherib’s cavalier dismissal of Yahweh depicts an arrogant complacency (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:658, n. 10).
126 sn The word-picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.
127 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).
128 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
129 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
130 tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).
131 tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).
132 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.
133 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
134 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to protect and restore them.
135 tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.
136 tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).
137 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
138 tn Traditionally, “the angel of the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
139 tn The word “troops” is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
140 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
141 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies”; NLT “they found corpses everywhere.”
142 tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”
143 sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681
144 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
145 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.
146 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
147 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
148 tn Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίου…from the east Rv 7:2; 16:12…simply ἀπὸ ἀ. …21:13.”
149 tn Grk “having,” but v. 3 makes it clear that the angel’s purpose is to seal others with the seal he carries.
150 tn Or “signet” (L&N 6.54).
151 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
152 tn The word “permission” is implied; Grk “to whom it was given to them to damage the earth.”
153 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
154 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
155 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of new but related material.
156 tn Grk “who were sealed.”
157 tn Normally, “every,” but since 144,000 is the total number, “all” is clearer here.
158 tn Grk “the sons of Israel,” normally an idiom for the Israelites as an ethnic entity (L&N 11.58). However, many scholars understand the expression in this context to refer to Christians rather than ethnic Israelites.
159 tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
160 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the following categories, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
161 tn The dative here has been translated as a dative of possession.
162 tn The verb is pluperfect, but the force is simple past. See ExSyn 586.
163 tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
164 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
165 tn Grk “spoke” or “declared to,” but in the context “asked” reads more naturally in English.
166 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the previous question.
167 tn Though the expression “the answer” is not in the Greek text, it is clearly implied. Direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context.
168 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
169 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
170 tn Or “worship.” The word here is λατρεύω (latreuw).
171 tn Grk “will spread his tent over them,” normally an idiom for taking up residence with someone, but when combined with the preposition ἐπί (epi, “over”) the idea is one of extending protection or shelter (BDAG 929 s.v. σκηνόω).
172 tn An allusion to Isa 49:10. The phrase “burning heat” is one word in Greek (καῦμα, kauma) that refers to a burning, intensely-felt heat. See BDAG 536 s.v.
