5:12 They have stringed instruments, 1 tambourines, flutes,
and wine at their parties.
So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,
they do not perceive what he is bringing about. 2
5:29 Their roar is like a lion’s;
they roar like young lions.
They growl and seize their prey;
they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue.
11:14 They will swoop down 5 on the Philistine hills to the west; 6
together they will loot the people of the east.
They will take over Edom and Moab, 7
and the Ammonites will be their subjects.
26:10 If the wicked are shown mercy,
they do not learn about justice. 11
Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; 12
they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.
29:13 The sovereign master 13 says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; 14
they say wonderful things about me, 15
but they are not really loyal to me. 16
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. 17
40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;
yes, they are barely sown;
yes, they barely take root in the earth,
and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,
and the wind carries them away like straw.
61:7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion; 18
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive. 19
Yes, 20 they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
1 tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).
2 tn Heb “the work of the Lord they do not look at, and the work of his hands they do not see.” God’s “work” can sometimes be his creative deeds, but in this context it is the judgment that he is planning to bring upon his people (cf. vv. 19, 26; 10:12; 28:21).
3 tn Hebrew שָׂרָף (saraf, “seraph”) literally means “burning one,” perhaps suggesting that these creatures had a fiery appearance (cf. TEV, CEV “flaming creatures”; NCV “heavenly creatures of fire”). Elsewhere in the OT the word “seraph” refers to poisonous snakes (Num 21:6; Deut 8:15; Isa 14:29; 30:6). Perhaps they were called “burning ones” because of their appearance or the effect of their venomous bites, which would cause a victim to burn up with fever. It is possible that the seraphs seen by Isaiah were at least partially serpentine in appearance. Though it might seem strange for a snake-like creature to have wings, two of the texts where “seraphs” are snakes describe them as “flying” (Isa 14:29; 30:6), perhaps referring to their darting movements. See the note at 14:29.
4 sn Some understand “feet” here as a euphemistic reference to the genitals.
5 tn Heb “fly.” Ephraim/Judah are compared to a bird of prey.
6 tn Heb “on the shoulder of Philistia toward the sea.” This refers to the slopes of the hill country west of Judah. See HALOT 506 s.v. כָּתֵף.
7 tn Heb “Edom and Moab [will be the place of] the outstretching of their hand,” i.e., included in their area of jurisdiction (see HALOT 648 s.v. ח(וֹ)מִשְׁלֹ).
8 tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.
9 tn Heb “will know the Lord.”
10 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.
11 tn As in verse 9b, the translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “they do not learn to live in a righteous manner.”
12 tn Heb “in a land of uprightness they act unjustly”; NRSV “they deal perversely.”
13 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
14 tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
15 tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
16 tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
17 tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
18 tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
19 tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תָחָת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
20 tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”