15:5 My heart cries out because of Moab’s plight, 1
and for the fugitives 2 stretched out 3 as far as Zoar and Eglath Shelishiyah.
For they weep as they make their way up the ascent of Luhith;
they loudly lament their demise on the road to Horonaim. 4
49:7 This is what the Lord,
the protector 5 of Israel, their Holy One, 6 says
to the one who is despised 7 and rejected 8 by nations, 9
a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and rise in respect, 10
princes will bow down,
because of the faithful Lord,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
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
63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, 20
dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? 21
Who 22 is this one wearing royal attire, 23
who marches confidently 24 because of his great strength?
“It is I, the one who announces vindication,
and who is able to deliver!” 25
63:7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,
of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.
I will tell about all 26 the Lord did for us,
the many good things he did for the family of Israel, 27
because of 28 his compassion and great faithfulness.
65:12 I predestine you to die by the sword, 29
all of you will kneel down at the slaughtering block, 30
because I called to you, and you did not respond,
I spoke and you did not listen.
You did evil before me; 31
you chose to do what displeases me.”
66:4 So I will choose severe punishment 32 for them;
I will bring on them what they dread,
because I called, and no one responded,
I spoke and they did not listen.
They did evil before me; 33
they chose to do what displeases me.”
1 tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?, see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.
2 tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.
3 tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”
5 tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
6 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
7 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsaa reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”
8 tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”
9 tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).
10 tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.
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.
20 sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.
21 tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”
22 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.
23 tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”
24 tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsa’ah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsa’ad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).
25 tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”
26 tn Heb “according to all which.”
27 tn Heb “greatness of goodness to the house of Israel which he did for them.”
28 tn Heb “according to.”
29 tn Heb “I assign you to the sword.” Some emend the Qal verb form מָנִיתִי (maniti, “I assign”) to the Piel מִנִּיתִי (minniti, “ I ordain”). The verb sounds like the name of the god Meni (מְנִי, mÿni, “Destiny, Fate”). The sound play draws attention to the irony of the statement. The sinners among God’s people worship the god Meni, apparently in an effort to ensure a bright destiny for themselves. But the Lord is the one who really determines their destiny and he has decreed their demise.
30 tn Or “at the slaughter”; NIV “for the slaughter”; NLT “before the executioner.”
31 tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”
32 tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”
33 tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”