2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares, 1
and their spears into pruning hooks. 2
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire 3 devours straw,
and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,
so their root will rot,
and their flower will blow away like dust. 4
For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,
they have spurned the commands 5 of the Holy One of Israel. 6
28:13 So the Lord’s word to them will sound like
meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there. 8
As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, 9
and be injured, ensnared, and captured. 10
42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits 11
and held captive 12 in prisons.
They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;
they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” 13
45:14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit 14 of Egypt and the revenue 15 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you 16 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. 17
They will bow down to you
and pray to you: 18
‘Truly God is with 19 you; he has no peer; 20
there is no other God!’”
46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not 21 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
49:23 Kings will be your children’s 22 guardians;
their princesses will nurse your children. 23
With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you
and they will lick the dirt on 24 your feet.
Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;
those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.
65:22 No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it, 25
or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit, 26
for my people will live as long as trees, 27
and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced. 28
66:3 The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man; 29
the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck; 30
the one who presents an offering includes pig’s blood with it; 31
the one who offers incense also praises an idol. 32
They have decided to behave this way; 33
they enjoy these disgusting practices. 34
66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, 35 those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice 36 – they will all be destroyed together,” 37 says the Lord.
1 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
2 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.
3 tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.
4 sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.
5 tn Heb “the word.”
6 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
7 tn Heb “and the house of Jacob will take possession of them [i.e., the nations], on the land of the Lord, as male servants and female servants.”
8 tn Heb “And the word of the Lord will be to them, ‘tsahv latsahv,’ etc.” See the note at v. 10. In this case the “Lord’s word” is not the foreigner’s strange sounding words (as in v. 10), but the Lord’s repeated appeals to them (like the one quoted in v. 12). As time goes on, the Lord’s appeals through the prophets will have no impact on the people; they will regard prophetic preaching as gibberish.
9 tn Heb “as a result they will go and stumble backward.” Perhaps an infant falling as it attempts to learn to walk is the background image here (cf. v. 9b). The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) could be taken as indicating purpose (“in order that”), rather than simple result. In this case the people’s insensitivity to the message is caused by the Lord as a means of expediting their downfall.
10 sn When divine warnings and appeals become gibberish to the spiritually insensitive, they have no guidance and are doomed to destruction.
11 tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).
12 tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”
13 tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”
14 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
15 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
16 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
17 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
18 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
19 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
20 tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.
21 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
22 tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).
23 tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.
24 tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”
25 tn Heb “they will not build, and another live [in it].”
26 tn Heb “they will not plant, and another eat.”
27 tn Heb “for like the days of the tree [will be] the days of my people.”
28 tn Heb “the work of their hands” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “their hard-won gains.”
29 tn Heb “one who slaughters a bull, one who strikes down a man.” Some understand a comparison here and in the following lines. In God’s sight the one who sacrifices is like (i.e., regarded as) a murderer or one whose worship is ritually defiled or idolatrous. The translation above assumes that the language is not metaphorical, but descriptive of the sinners’ hypocritical behavior. (Note the last two lines of the verse, which suggests they are guilty of abominable practices.) On the one hand, they act pious and offer sacrifices; but at the same time they commit violent crimes against men, defile their sacrifices, and worship other gods.
30 tn Heb “one who sacrifices a lamb, one who breaks a dog’s neck.” Some understand a comparison, but see the previous note.
sn The significance of breaking a dog’s neck is uncertain, though the structure of the statement when compared to the preceding and following lines suggests the action is viewed in a negative light. According to Exod 13:13 and 34:20, one was to “redeem” a firstborn donkey by offering a lamb; if one did not “redeem” the firstborn donkey in this way, then its neck must be broken. According to Deut 21:1-9 a heifer’s neck was to be broken as part of the atonement ritual to purify the land from the guilt of bloodshed. It is not certain if these passages relate in any way to the action described in Isa 66:3.
31 tn Heb “one who offers an offering, pig’s blood.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line.
32 tn Heb “one who offers incense as a memorial offering, one who blesses something false.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line. אָוֶן (’aven), which has a wide variety of attested nuances, here refers metonymically to an idol. See HALOT 22 s.v. and BDB 20 s.v. 2.
33 tn Heb “also they have chosen their ways.”
34 tn Heb “their being [or “soul”] takes delight in their disgusting [things].”
35 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.
36 tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”
37 tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”
38 tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”
39 tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
40 tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.