5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, 1
those who also accumulate landed property 2
until there is no land left, 3
and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. 4
29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, 5
who do their work in secret and boast, 6
“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?” 7
30:1 “The rebellious 8 children are as good as dead,” 9 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 10
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 11
and thereby compound their sin. 12
52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains 13
the feet of a messenger who announces peace,
a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 14
1 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.
2 tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”
sn This verse does not condemn real estate endeavors per se, but refers to the way in which the rich bureaucrats of Judah accumulated property by exploiting the poor, in violation of the covenantal principle that the land belonged to God and that every family was to have its own portion of land. See the note at 1:23.
3 tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”
4 tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”
5 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who deeply hide counsel from the Lord.” This probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance. See 30:1-2 and 31:1.
6 tn Heb “and their works are in darkness and they say.”
7 tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “no one.” They are confident that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.
8 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
9 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
10 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
11 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
12 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
13 tn Heb “How delightful on the mountains.”
14 tn Or “has become king.” When a new king was enthroned, his followers would give this shout. For other examples of this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular מָלַךְ [malakh], followed by the name of the king), see 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13. The Lord is an eternal king, but here he is pictured as a victorious warrior who establishes his rule from Zion.