29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating,
only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. 4
It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking,
only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. 5
So it will be for the horde from all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; 6
he marks out an outline of its form; 7
he scrapes 8 it with chisels,
and marks it with a compass.
He patterns it after the human form, 9
like a well-built human being,
and puts it in a shrine. 10
53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, 11
he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, 12
because he willingly submitted 13 to death
and was numbered with the rebels,
when he lifted up the sin of many
and intervened 14 on behalf of the rebels.”
61:10 I 15 will greatly rejoice 16 in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God. 17
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. 18
I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. 19
1 tn Heb “him” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); the singular refers to the leader or king who stands for the entire nation. This is specified by NCV, CEV as “the Assyrians.”
2 sn According to Judg 7:25, the Ephraimites executed the Midianite general Oreb at a rock which was subsequently named after the executed enemy.
3 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his staff [will be] against the sea, and he will lift it in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.” If the text is retained, “the sea” symbolizes Assyria’s hostility, the metaphor being introduced because of the reference to Egypt. The translation above assumes an emendation of עַל הַיָּם (’al hayyam, “against the sea”) to עַלֵיהֶם (’alehem, “against them”). The proposed shift from the third singular pronoun (note “beat him” earlier in the verse) to the plural is not problematic, for the singular is collective. Note that a third plural pronoun is used at the end of v. 25 (“their destruction”). The final phrase, “in the way/manner of Egypt,” probably refers to the way in which God used the staff of Moses to bring judgment down on Egypt.
4 tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”
5 tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”
6 tn Heb “stretches out a line” (ASV similar); NIV “measures with a line.”
7 tn Heb “he makes an outline with the [?].” The noun שֶׂרֶד (shered) occurs only here; it apparently refers to some type of tool or marker. Cf. KJV “with a line”; ASV “with a pencil”; NAB, NRSV “with a stylus”; NASB “with red chalk”; NIV “with a marker.”
8 tn Heb “works” (so NASB) or “fashions” (so NRSV); NIV “he roughs it out.”
9 tn Heb “he makes it like the pattern of a man”; NAB “like a man in appearance.”
10 tn Heb “like the glory of man to sit [in] a house”; NIV “that it may dwell in a shrine.”
11 tn Scholars have debated the precise meaning of the term רַבִּים (rabbim) that occurs five times in this passage (Isa 52:14, 15; 53:11, 12 [2x]). Its two broad categories of translation are “much”/“many” and “great” (HALOT 1171-72 s.v. I רַב). Unlike other Hebrew terms for might or strength, this term is linked with numbers or abundance. In all sixteen uses outside of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (articular and plural) it signifies an inclusive meaning: “the majority” or “the multitude” (J. Jeremias, TDNT 6:536-37). This term occurs in parallelism with עֲצוּמִים (’atsumim), which normally signifies “numerous” or “large” or “powerful” (through large numbers). Like רַבִּים (rabbim), it refers to greatness in numbers (cf. Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:34). It emphasizes the multitudes with whom the Servant will share the spoil of his victory. As J. Olley wrote: “Yahweh has won the victory and vindicates his Servant, giving to him many subservient people, together with their spoils. These numerous peoples in turn receive blessing, sharing in the “peace” resulting from Yahweh’s victory and the Servant’s suffering” (John W. Olley, “‘The Many’: How Is Isa 53,12a to Be Understood,” Bib 68 [1987]: 330-56).
12 sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.
13 tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”
14 tn The Hiphil of פָּגַע (paga’) can mean “cause to attack” (v. 6), “urge, plead verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25), or “intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16). Perhaps the third nuance fits best here, for military imagery is employed in the first two lines of the verse.
15 sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.
16 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
17 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
18 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
19 tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.