Isaiah 8:14

8:14 He will become a sanctuary, 1 

but a stone that makes a person trip,

and a rock that makes one stumble –

to the two houses of Israel. 2 

He will become 3  a trap and a snare

to the residents of Jerusalem. 4 

Isaiah 37:19

37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, 5  for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 6 

1 tn Because the metaphor of protection (“sanctuary”) does not fit the negative mood that follows in vv. 14b-15, some contend that מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “sanctuary”) is probably a corruption of an original מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), a word that appears in the next line (cf. NAB and H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:355-56). If the MT reading is retained (as in the above translation), the fact that Yahweh is a sanctuary wraps up the point of v. 13 and stands in contrast to God’s treatment of those who rebel against him (the rest of v. 14).

2 sn The two “houses” of Israel (= the patriarch Jacob) are the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

3 tn These words are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. וְהָיָה (vÿhayah, “and he will be”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.

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

5 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”

6 tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).