14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave
like a shoot that is thrown away. 1
You lie among 2 the slain,
among those who have been slashed by the sword,
among those headed for 3 the stones of the pit, 4
as if you were a mangled corpse. 5
17:12 The many nations massing together are as good as dead, 6
those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea’s waves. 7
The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, 8
those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves. 9
31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, 10
those who rely on war horses,
and trust in Egypt’s many chariots 11
and in their many, many horsemen. 12
But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel 13
and do not seek help from the Lord.
66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, 14 those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice 15 – they will all be destroyed together,” 16 says the Lord.
1 tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
2 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
3 tn Heb “those going down to.”
4 tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.
5 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
6 tn Heb “Woe [to] the massing of the many nations.” The word הוֹי (hoy) could be translated as a simple interjection here (“ah!”), but since the following verses announce the demise of these nations, it is preferable to take הוֹי as a funeral cry. See the note on the first phrase of 1:4.
7 tn Heb “like the loud noise of the seas, they make a loud noise.”
8 tn Heb “the uproar of the peoples.” The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse; the words “are as good as dead” are supplied in the translation to reflect this.
9 tn Heb “like the uproar of mighty waters they are in an uproar.”
10 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”
11 tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”
12 tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”
13 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
14 tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.
15 tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”
16 tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”