Isaiah 5:24

5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire ¹  devours straw,

and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,

so their root will rot,

and their flower will blow away like dust. ² 

For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,

they have spurned the commands ³  of the Holy One of Israel. ⁴ 

Isaiah 7:3

7:3 So the Lord told Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub ⁵  and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ⁶ 

Isaiah 36:2

36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser ⁷  from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, ⁸  along with a large army. The chief adviser ⁹  stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 44:19

44:19 No one thinks to himself,

nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:

‘I burned half of it in the fire –

yes, I baked bread over the coals;

I roasted meat and ate it.

With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?

Should I bow down to dry wood?’ ¹¹ 

Isaiah 50:2

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call? ¹² 

Is my hand too weak ¹³  to deliver ¹⁴  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ¹⁵  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ¹⁶ 

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¹ tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.

² sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.

³ tn Heb “the word.”

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

⁵ tn The name means “a remnant will return.” Perhaps in this context, where the Lord is trying to encourage Ahaz, the name suggests that only a few of the enemy invaders will return home; the rest will be defeated.

⁶ tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “the Washerman’s Field.”

⁷ sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.

⁸ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

¹¹ tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.

¹² sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.

¹³ tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).

¹⁴ tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

¹⁵ tn Heb “with my rebuke.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”