Isaiah 19:23

19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. ¹ 

Isaiah 29:13

29:13 The sovereign master ²  says,

“These people say they are loyal to me; ³ 

they say wonderful things about me, ⁴ 

but they are not really loyal to me. ⁵ 

Their worship consists of

nothing but man-made ritual. ⁶ 

Isaiah 36:7

36:7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’

Isaiah 46:6

46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse

and weigh out silver on the scale ⁷ 

hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.

They then bow down and worship it.

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¹ tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (’et) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.

² tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

³ tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”

⁴ tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”

⁵ tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.

⁶ tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”

⁷ tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.