Isaiah 1:24

1:24 Therefore, the sovereign Lord who commands armies,

the powerful ruler of Israel, says this:

“Ah, I will seek vengeance against my adversaries,

I will take revenge against my enemies.

Isaiah 26:11

26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act,

but they don’t even notice.

They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind,

yes, fire will consume your enemies.

Isaiah 62:8

62:8 The Lord swears an oath by his right hand,

by his strong arm:

“I will never again give your grain

to your enemies as food,

and foreigners will not drink your wine,

which you worked hard to produce.


tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at v. 9.

tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Israel.”

tn Heb “console myself” (i.e., by getting revenge); NRSV “pour out my wrath on.”

sn The Lord here identifies with the oppressed and comes as their defender and vindicator.

tn Heb “O Lord, your hand is lifted up.”

tn Heb “They will see and be ashamed of zeal of people.” Some take the prefixed verbs as jussives and translate the statement as a prayer, “Let them see and be put to shame.” The meaning of the phrase קִנְאַת־עָם (qinat-am, “zeal of people”) is unclear. The translation assumes that this refers to God’s angry judgment upon people. Another option is to understand the phrase as referring to God’s zealous, protective love of his covenant people. In this case one might translate, “by your zealous devotion to your people.”

tn Heb “yes, fire, your enemies, will consume them.” Many understand the prefixed verb form to be jussive and translate, “let [fire] consume” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The mem suffixed to the verb may be enclitic; if a pronominal suffix, it refers back to “your enemies.”

tn The Lord’s right hand and strong arm here symbolize his power and remind the audience that his might guarantees the fulfillment of the following promise.