31:9 They will surrender their stronghold 5 because of fear; 6
their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” 7
This is what the Lord says –
the one whose fire is in Zion,
whose firepot is in Jerusalem. 8
40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O herald Zion!
Shout out loudly, O herald Jerusalem! 10
Shout, don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! 11
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! 12
41:13 For I am the Lord your God,
the one who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’
43:1 Now, this is what the Lord says,
the one who created you, O Jacob,
and formed you, O Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect 13 you.
I call you by name, you are mine.
44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –
the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:
“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, 14 whom I have chosen!
44:8 Don’t panic! Don’t be afraid! 15
Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?
You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?
There is no other sheltering rock; 16 I know of none.
51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,
you people who are aware of my law! 17
Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;
don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!
54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. 18
You will not experience oppression; 19
indeed, you will not be afraid.
You will not be terrified, 20
for nothing frightening 21 will come near you.
57:11 Whom are you worried about?
Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully
and not remember me
or think about me? 22
Because I have been silent for so long, 23
you are not afraid of me. 24
1 tn Heb “guard yourself and be quiet,” but the two verbs should be coordinated.
2 tn Heb “and let not your heart be weak”; ASV “neither let thy heart be faint.”
3 sn The derogatory metaphor indicates that the power of Rezin and Pekah is ready to die out.
4 tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”
5 tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.
6 tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”
7 tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”
8 sn The “fire” and “firepot” here symbolize divine judgment, which is heating up like a fire in Jerusalem, waiting to be used against the Assyrians when they attack the city.
9 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
10 tn The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good news of the Lord’s return to the other towns of Judah. Isa 41:27 and 52:7 speak of a herald sent to Zion, but the masculine singular form מְבַשֵּׂר (mÿvaser) is used in these verses, in contrast to the feminine singular form מְבַשֶּׂרֶת (mÿvaseret) employed in 40:9, where Zion is addressed as a herald.
11 tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishta’) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”) which is attested in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yare’, “fear”).
12 tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).
13 tn Or “redeem.” See the note at 41:14. Cf. NCV “saved you”; CEV “rescued you”; NLT “ransomed you.”
14 sn Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel; it occurs here and in Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26.
15 tn BDB 923 s.v. רָהָה derives this verb from an otherwise unattested root, while HALOT 403 s.v. יָרָה defines it as “be stupefied” on the basis of an Arabic cognate. The form is likely a corruption of תיראו, the reading attested in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
16 tn Heb “rock” or “rocky cliff,” a title that depicts God as a protective refuge in his role as sovereign king; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”
17 tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”
18 tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.
19 tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.
20 tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.
21 tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.
22 tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”
23 tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”
24 sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.