1:9 If the Lord who commands armies 1 had not left us a few survivors,
we would have quickly become like Sodom, 2
we would have become like Gomorrah.
1:31 The powerful will be like 3 a thread of yarn,
their deeds like a spark;
both will burn together,
and no one will put out the fire.
29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust,
the horde of tyrants 4 like chaff that is blown away.
It will happen suddenly, in a flash.
42:13 The Lord emerges like a hero,
like a warrior he inspires himself for battle; 5
he shouts, yes, he yells,
he shows his enemies his power. 6
48:4 I did this 7 because I know how stubborn you are.
Your neck muscles are like iron
and your forehead like bronze. 8
48:18 If only you had obeyed my 9 commandments,
prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, 10
deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea. 11
59:11 We all growl like bears,
we coo mournfully like doves;
we wait for deliverance, 12 but there is none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.
1 tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts.” The title pictures God as the sovereign king who has at his disposal a multitude of attendants, messengers, and warriors to do his bidding. In some contexts, like this one, the military dimension of his rulership is highlighted. In this case, the title pictures him as one who leads armies into battle against his enemies.
2 tc The translation assumes that כִּמְעָט (kim’at, “quickly,” literally, “like a little”) goes with what follows, contrary to the MT accents, which take it with what precedes. In this case, one could translate the preceding line, “If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors.” If כִּמְעָט goes with the preceding line (following the MT accents), this expression highlights the idea that there would only be a few survivors (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:20; H. Zobel, TDOT 8:456). Israel would not be almost like Sodom but exactly like Sodom.
3 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
4 tn Or “violent men”; cf. NASB “the ruthless ones.”
5 tn Heb “like a man of war he stirs up zeal” (NIV similar).
6 tn Or perhaps, “he triumphs over his enemies” (cf. NIV); NLT “will crush all his enemies.”
7 tn The words “I did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 4 is subordinated to v. 3.
8 sn The image is that of a person who has tensed the muscles of the face and neck as a sign of resolute refusal.
9 tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.”
10 tn Heb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant.
11 tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.
12 tn See the note at v. 9.