22:2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;
the town is filled with revelry. 1
Your slain were not cut down by the sword;
they did not die in battle. 2
27:1 At that time 3 the Lord will punish
with his destructive, 4 great, and powerful sword
Leviathan the fast-moving 5 serpent,
Leviathan the squirming serpent;
he will kill the sea monster. 6
41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? 13
Who 14 officially commissions him for service? 15
He hands nations over to him, 16
and enables him to subdue 17 kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like windblown straw with his bow. 18
49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the hollow of his hand;
he made me like a sharpened 19 arrow,
he hid me in his quiver. 20
1 tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.
2 sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.
3 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).
4 tn Heb “hard, severe”; cf. NAB, NRSV “cruel”; KJV “sore”; NLT “terrible.”
5 tn Heb “fleeing” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Some translate “slippery” or “slithering.”
6 tn The description of Leviathan should be compared with the following excerpts from Ugaritic mythological texts: (1) “Was not the dragon (Ugaritic tnn, cognate with Hebrew תַנִּין [tannin, translated “sea monster” here]) vanquished and captured? I did destroy the wriggling (Ugaritic ’qltn, cognate to Hebrew עֲקַלָּתוֹן [’aqallaton, translated “squirming” here]) serpent, the tyrant with seven heads (cf. Ps 74:14).” (See CTA 3 iii 38-39.) (2) “for all that you smote Leviathan the slippery (Ugaritic brh, cognate to Hebrew בָּרִחַ [bariakh, translated “fast-moving” here]) serpent, [and] made an end of the wriggling serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (See CTA 5 i 1-3.)
sn In the Ugaritic mythological texts Leviathan is a sea creature that symbolizes the destructive water of the sea and in turn the forces of chaos that threaten the established order. Isaiah here applies imagery from Canaanite mythology to Yahweh’s eschatological victory over his enemies. Elsewhere in the OT, the battle with the sea motif is applied to Yahweh’s victories over the forces of chaos at creation and in history (cf. Pss 74:13-14; 77:16-20; 89:9-10; Isa 51:9-10). Yahweh’s subjugation of the chaos waters is related to His kingship (cf. Pss 29:3, 10; 93:3-4). Apocalyptic literature employs the imagery as well. The beasts of Dan 7 emerge from the sea, while Rev 13 speaks of a seven-headed beast coming from the sea.
7 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
8 tn Heb “cause him to fall” (so KJV, ASV, NAB), that is, “kill him.”
9 sn The assassination of King Sennacherib probably took place in 681
10 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
11 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name Nisroch is a corruption of Nusku.
12 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
13 sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).
14 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.
15 tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”
16 tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”
17 tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).
18 sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.
19 tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”
20 sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.