Isaiah 37:22-23

37:22 this is what the Lord says about him:

“The virgin daughter Zion

despises you – she makes fun of you;

daughter Jerusalem

shakes her head after you.

37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?

At whom have you shouted

and looked so arrogantly?

At the Holy One of Israel!


tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”

sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.

sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.

tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”

sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.