4:6 Raise a signal flag that tells people to go to Zion. 1
Run for safety! Do not delay!
For I am about to bring disaster out of the north.
It will bring great destruction. 2
4:16 They are saying, 3
‘Announce to the surrounding nations, 4
“The enemy is coming!” 5
Proclaim this message 6 to Jerusalem:
“Those who besiege cities 7 are coming from a distant land.
They are ready to raise the battle cry against 8 the towns in Judah.”’
“‘He will do what is just and right in the land.
51:14 The Lord who rules over all 10 has solemnly sworn, 11
‘I will fill your land with enemy soldiers.
They will swarm over it like locusts. 12
They will raise up shouts of victory over it.’
1 tn Heb “Raise up a signal toward Zion.”
2 tn Heb “out of the north, even great destruction.”
3 tn The words “They are saying” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
4 tn The word “surrounding” is not in the text but is implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarification.
5 tc Or “Here they come!” Heb “Look!” or “Behold!” Or “Announce to the surrounding nations, indeed [or yes] proclaim to Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers…’” The text is very elliptical here. Some of the modern English versions appear to be emending the text from הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) to either הֵנָּה (hennah, “these things”; so NEB), or הַזֶּה (hazzeh, “this”; so NIV). The solution proposed here is as old as the LXX which reads, “Behold, they have come.”
6 tn The words, “this message,” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to make the introduction of the quote easier.
7 tn Heb “Besiegers.” For the use of this verb to refer to besieging a city compare Isa 1:8.
8 tn Heb “They have raised their voices against.” The verb here, a vav (ו) consecutive with an imperfect, continues the nuance of the preceding participle “are coming.”
9 tn Heb “sprig” or “shoot.”
sn For the meaning of this term and its significance in biblical prophecy see the study note on 23:5.
10 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” For an explanation of this rendering see the study note on 2:19.
11 tn Heb “has sworn by himself.” See the study note on 22:5 for background.
12 tn Heb “I will fill you with men like locusts.” The “you” refers to Babylon (Babylon is both the city and the land it ruled, Babylonia) which has been alluded to in the preceding verses under descriptive titles. The words “your land” have been used because of the way the preceding verse has been rendered, alluding to people rather than to the land or city. The allusion of “men” is, of course, to enemy soldiers and they are here compared to locusts both for their quantity and their destructiveness (see Joel 1:4). For the use of the particles כִּי אִם (ki ’im) to introduce an oath see BDB 475 s.v. כִּי אִם 2.c and compare usage in 2 Kgs 5:20; one would normally expect אִם לֹא (cf. BDB 50 s.v. אִם 1.b[2]).