5:30 At that time 1 they will growl over their prey, 2
it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks. 3
One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,
clouds will turn the light into darkness. 4
10:17 The light of Israel 5 will become a fire,
their Holy One 6 will become a flame;
it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s 7 briers
and his thorns in one day.
13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations
no longer give out their light; 8
the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,
and the moon does not shine. 9
42:6 “I, the Lord, officially commission you; 10
I take hold of your hand.
I protect you 11 and make you a covenant mediator for people, 12
and a light 13 to the nations, 14
50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys 15 his servant?
Whoever walks in deep darkness, 16
without light,
should trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; 17
your restoration will quickly arrive; 18
your godly behavior 19 will go before you,
and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. 20
1 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
2 tn Heb “over it”; the referent (the prey) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “like the growling of the sea.”
4 tn Heb “and one will gaze toward the land, and look, darkness of distress, and light will grow dark by its [the land’s?] clouds.”
sn The motif of light turning to darkness is ironic when compared to v. 20. There the sinners turn light (= moral/ethical good) to darkness (= moral/ethical evil). Now ironically the Lord will turn light (= the sinners’ sphere of existence and life) into darkness (= the judgment and death).
5 tn In this context the “Light of Israel” is a divine title (note the parallel title “his holy one”). The title points to God’s royal splendor, which overshadows and, when transformed into fire, destroys the “majestic glory” of the king of Assyria (v. 16b).
6 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
7 tn Heb “his.” In vv. 17-19 the Assyrian king and his empire is compared to a great forest and orchard that are destroyed by fire (symbolic of the Lord).
8 tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”
9 tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”
10 tn Heb “call you in righteousness.” The pronoun “you” is masculine singular, referring to the servant. See the note at 41:2.
11 tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצַר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצַר (yatsar, “form”).
12 tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. The precise identity of עָם (’am, “people”) is uncertain. In v. 5 עָם refers to mankind, and the following reference to “nations” also favors this. But in 49:8, where the phrase בְּרִית עָם occurs again, Israel seems to be in view.
13 sn Light here symbolizes deliverance from bondage and oppression; note the parallelism in 49:6b and in 51:4-6.
14 tn Or “the Gentiles” (so KJV, ASV, NIV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.
15 tn Heb “[who] listens to the voice of his servant?” The interrogative is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
16 tn The plural indicates degree. Darkness may refer to exile and/or moral evil.
17 tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.”
sn Light here symbolizes God’s favor and restored blessing, as the immediately following context makes clear.
18 tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”
19 tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.
20 sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.