Isaiah 38:10-11

38:10 “I thought, ¹ 

‘In the middle of my life ²  I must walk through the gates of Sheol,

I am deprived ³  of the rest of my years.’

38:11 “I thought,

‘I will no longer see the Lord ⁴  in the land of the living,

I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world. ⁵ 

Isaiah 39:8

39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” ⁶  Then he thought, ⁷  “For ⁸  there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”

Isaiah 49:4

49:4 But I thought, ⁹  “I have worked in vain;

I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” ¹⁰ 

But the Lord will vindicate me;

my God will reward me. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 53:4

53:4 But he lifted up our illnesses,

he carried our pain; ¹² 

even though we thought he was being punished,

attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. ¹³ 

---

¹ tn Or “I said” (KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

² tn The precise meaning of the phrase בִּדְמִי יָמַי (bidmi yamay, “in the [?] of my days”) is uncertain. According to HALOT 226 s.v. דְּמִי this word is a hapax legomenon meaning “half.” Others derive the form from דַּמִי (dami, “quiet, rest, peacefulness”).

³ tn The precise meaning of the verb is uncertain. The Pual of of פָּקַד (paqad) occurs only here and in Exod 38:21, where it appears to mean “passed in review” or “mustered.” Perhaps the idea is, “I have been called away for the remainder of my years.” To bring out the sense more clearly, one can translate, “I am deprived of the rest of my years.”

⁴ tn The Hebrew text has יָהּ יָהּ (yah yah, the abbreviated form of יְהוָה [yÿhvah] repeated), but this is probably a corruption of יְהוָה.

⁵ tc The Hebrew text has חָדֶל (khadel), which appears to be derived from a verbal root meaning “to cease, refrain.” But the form has probably suffered an error of transmission; the original form (attested in a few medieval Hebrew mss) was likely חֶלֶד (kheled, “world”).

⁶ tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”

⁷ tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).

⁸ tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”

⁹ tn Or “said” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “I replied.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “for nothing and emptiness.” Synonyms are combined to emphasize the common idea.

¹¹ tn Heb “But my justice is with the Lord, and my reward [or “wage”] with my God.”

¹² sn Illness and pain stand by metonymy (or perhaps as metaphors) for sin and its effects, as vv. 11-12 make clear.

¹³ tn The words “for something he had done” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The group now realizes he suffered because of his identification with them, not simply because he was a special target of divine anger.