3:9 The look on their faces 1 testifies to their guilt; 2
like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. 3
Too bad for them! 4
For they bring disaster on themselves.
4:2 At that time 5
the crops given by the Lord will bring admiration and honor; 6
the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delight
to those who remain in Israel. 7
4:4 At that time 8 the sovereign master 9 will wash the excrement 10 from Zion’s women,
he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst, 11
as he comes to judge
and to bring devastation. 12
13:11 13 I will punish the world for its evil, 14
and wicked people for their sin.
I will put an end to the pride of the insolent,
I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants. 15
22:18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land. 16
There you will die,
and there with you will be your impressive chariots, 17
which bring disgrace to the house of your master. 18
25:11 Moab 19 will spread out its hands in the middle of it, 20
just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim;
the Lord 21 will bring down Moab’s 22 pride as it spreads its hands. 23
25:12 The fortified city (along with the very tops of your 24 walls) 25 he will knock down,
he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground. 26
31:2 Yet he too is wise 27 and he will bring disaster;
he does not retract his decree. 28
He will attack the wicked nation, 29
and the nation that helps 30 those who commit sin. 31
43:6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’
and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’
Bring my sons from distant lands,
and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,
43:23 You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings;
you did not honor me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you with offerings;
I did not make you weary by demanding 32 incense.
46:11 who summons an eagle 33 from the east,
from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.
Yes, I have decreed, 34
yes, I will bring it to pass;
I have formulated a plan,
yes, I will carry it out.
49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;
I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
65:9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains.
My chosen ones will take possession of the land; 35
my servants will live there.
1 sn This refers to their proud, arrogant demeanor.
2 tn Heb “answers against them”; NRSV “bears witness against them.”
3 tn Heb “their sin, like Sodom, they declare, they do not conceal [it].”
4 tn Heb “woe to their soul.”
5 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
6 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the Lord will become beauty and honor.” Many English versions understand the phrase צֶמַח יְהוָה (tsemakh yÿhvah) as a messianic reference and render it, “the Branch of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, and others). Though צֶמַח (tsemakh) is used by later prophets of a royal descendant (Jer 23;5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12), those passages contain clear contextual indicators that a human ruler is in view and that the word is being used in a metaphorical way of offspring. However, in Isa 4:2 there are no such contextual indicators. To the contrary, in the parallel structure of the verse צֶמַח יְהוָה corresponds to “produce of the land,” a phrase that refers elsewhere exclusively to literal agricultural produce (see Num 13:20, 26; Deut 1:25). In the majority of its uses צֶמַח refers to literal crops or vegetation (in Ps 65:10 the Lord is the source of this vegetation). A reference to the Lord restoring crops would make excellent sense in Isa 4 and the prophets frequently included this theme in their visions of the future age (see Isa 30:23-24; 32:20; Jer 31:12; Ezek 34:26-29; and Amos 9:13-14).
7 tn Heb “and the fruit of the land will become pride and beauty for the remnant of Israel.”
8 tn Heb “when” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); CEV “after”; NRSV “once.”
9 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
10 tn The word refers elsewhere to vomit (Isa 28:8) and fecal material (Isa 36:12). Many English versions render this somewhat euphemistically as “filth” (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV). Ironically in God’s sight the beautiful jewelry described earlier is nothing but vomit and feces, for it symbolizes the moral decay of the city’s residents (cf. NLT “moral filth”).
11 sn See 1:21 for a related concept.
12 tn Heb “by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.” The precise meaning of the second half of the verse is uncertain. רוּחַ (ruakh) can be understood as “wind” in which case the passage pictures the Lord using a destructive wind as an instrument of judgment. However, this would create a mixed metaphor, for the first half of the verse uses the imagery of washing and rinsing to depict judgment. Perhaps the image would be that of a windstorm accompanied by heavy rain. רוּחַ can also mean “spirit,” in which case the verse may be referring to the Lord’s Spirit or, more likely, to a disposition that the Lord brings to the task of judgment. It is also uncertain if בָּעַר (ba’ar) here means “burning” or “sweeping away, devastating.”
13 sn The Lord is definitely speaking (again?) at this point. See the note at v. 4.
14 tn Or “I will bring disaster on the world.” Hebrew רָעָה (ra’ah) could refer to the judgment (i.e., disaster, calamity) or to the evil that prompts it. The structure of the parallel line favors the latter interpretation.
15 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; cf. NASB, NIV “the ruthless.”
16 tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”
17 tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”
18 sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.
19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is probably the masculine noun מַתְבֵּן (matben, “heap of straw”) in v. 10 rather than the feminine noun מַדְמֵנָה (madmenah, “manure pile”), also in v. 10.
21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Moab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23 tn The Hebrew text has, “he will bring down his pride along with the [?] of his hands.” The meaning of אָרְבּוֹת (’arbot), which occurs only here in the OT, is unknown. Some (see BDB 70 s.v. אָרְבָּה) translate “artifice, cleverness,” relating the form to the verbal root אָרָב (’arav, “to lie in wait, ambush”), but this requires some convoluted semantic reasoning. HALOT 83 s.v. *אָרְבָּה suggests the meaning “[nimble] movements.” The translation above, which attempts to relate the form to the preceding context, is purely speculative.
24 sn Moab is addressed.
25 tn Heb “a fortification, the high point of your walls.”
26 tn Heb “he will bring [it] down, he will make [it] touch the ground, even to the dust.”
27 sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.
28 tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”
29 tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”
30 sn That is, Egypt.
31 tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”
32 tn Heb “with.” The words “by demanding” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
33 tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).
34 tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”
35 tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to the land which contains the aforementioned mountains.