38:14 Like a swallow or a thrush I chirp,
I coo 3 like a dove;
my eyes grow tired from looking up to the sky. 4
O sovereign master, 5 I am oppressed;
help me! 6
40:31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help 7 find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, 8
they run without growing weary,
they walk without getting tired.
41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! 9
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! 10
50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman, 11
so that I know how to help the weary. 12
He wakes me up every morning;
he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do. 13
61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen 14 me. 15
He has commissioned 16 me to encourage 17 the poor,
to help 18 the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was shocked because there was no one offering support. 19
So my right arm accomplished deliverance;
my raging anger drove me on. 20
1 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
2 sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).
3 tn Or “moan” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); KJV, CEV “mourn.”
4 tn Heb “my eyes become weak, toward the height.”
5 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
6 tn Heb “stand surety for me.” Hezekiah seems to be picturing himself as a debtor who is being exploited; he asks that the Lord might relieve his debt and deliver him from the oppressive creditor.
7 tn The words “for the Lord’s help” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
8 tn Heb “they rise up [on] wings like eagles” (TEV similar).
9 tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishta’) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”) which is attested in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yare’, “fear”).
10 tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).
11 tn Heb “has given to me a tongue of disciples.”
sn Verses 4-11 contain the third of the so-called servant songs, which depict the career of the Lord’s special servant, envisioned as an ideal Israel (49:3) who rescues the exiles and fulfills God’s purposes for the world. Here the servant alludes to opposition (something hinted at in 49:4), but also expresses his determination to persevere with the Lord’s help.
12 tc Heb “to know [?] the weary with a word.” Comparing it with Arabic and Aramaic cognates yields the meaning of “help, sustain.” Nevertheless, the meaning of עוּת (’ut) is uncertain. The word occurs only here in the OT (see BDB 736 s.v.). Various scholars have suggested an emendation to עָנוֹת (’anot) from עָנָה (’anah, “answer”): “so that I know how to respond kindly to the weary.” Since the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and the Vulgate support the MT reading, that reading is retained.
13 tn Heb “he arouses for me an ear, to hear like disciples.”
14 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
15 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
16 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
17 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
18 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
19 sn See Isa 59:16 for similar language.
20 tn Heb “and my anger, it supported me”; NIV “my own wrath sustained me.”