33:9 The land 1 dries up 2 and withers away;
the forest of Lebanon shrivels up 3 and decays.
Sharon 4 is like the desert; 5
Bashan and Carmel 6 are parched. 7
1 tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.”
2 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4.
3 tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.
4 sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2.
5 tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.
6 sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.
7 tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”