Discovery BoxIsaiah 10:20-22 
Context10:20 At that time 1 those left in Israel, those who remain of the family 2 of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them. 3 Instead they will truly 4 rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 5 10:21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. 6 10:22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as 7 the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. 8 Destruction has been decreed; 9 just punishment 10 is about to engulf you. 11
Isaiah 11:11
Context11:11 At that time 12 the sovereign master 13 will again lift his hand 14 to reclaim 15 the remnant of his people 16 from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, 17 Cush, 18 Elam, Shinar, 19 Hamath, and the seacoasts. 20
Isaiah 11:16
Context11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria
for the remnant of his people, 21
just as there was for Israel,
when 22 they went up from the land of Egypt.
1 tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
2 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
3 tn Heb “on one who strikes him down.” This individual is the king (“foreign leader”) of the oppressing nation (which NLT specifies as “the Assyrians”).
4 tn Or “sincerely”; KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV “in truth.”
5 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
6 tn The referent of אֵל גִּבּוֹר (’el gibbor, “mighty God”) is uncertain. The title appears only here and in 9:6, where it is one of the royal titles of the coming ideal Davidic king. (Similar titles appear in Deut 10:17 and Neh 9:32 [“the great, mighty, and awesome God”] and in Jer 32:18 [“the great and mighty God”]. Both titles refer to God.) Though Hos 3:5 pictures Israel someday seeking “David their king,” and provides some support for a messianic interpretation of Isa 10:21, the Davidic king is not mentioned in the immediate context of Isa 10:21 (see Isa 11, however). The preceding verse mentions Israel relying on the Lord, so it is likely that the title refers to God here.
7 tn Heb “are like.”
8 sn The twofold appearance of the statement “a remnant will come back” (שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב, she’ar yashuv) in vv. 21-22 echoes and probably plays off the name of Isaiah’s son Shear-jashub (see 7:3). In its original context the name was meant to encourage Ahaz (see the note at 7:3), but here it has taken on new dimensions. In light of Ahaz’s failure and the judgment it brings down on the land, the name Shear-jashub now foreshadows the destiny of the nation. According to vv. 21-22, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that a remnant of God’s people will return; the bad news is that only a remnant will be preserved and come back. Like the name Immanuel, this name foreshadows both judgment (see the notes at 7:25 and 8:8) and ultimate restoration (see the note at 8:10).
9 tn Or “predetermined”; cf. ASV, NASB “is determined”; TEV “is in store.”
10 tn צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) often means “righteousness,” but here it refers to God’s just judgment.
11 tn Or “is about to overflow.”
12 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
13 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
14 tc The Hebrew text reads, “the sovereign master will again, a second time, his hand.” The auxiliary verb יוֹסִיף (yosif), which literally means “add,” needs a main verb to complete it. Consequently many emend שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) to an infinitive. Some propose the form שַׁנֹּת (shannot, a Piel infinitive construct from שָׁנָה, shanah) and relate it semantically to an Arabic cognate meaning “to be high.” If the Hebrew text is retained a verb must be supplied. “Second time” would allude back to the events of the Exodus (see vv. 15-16).
15 tn Or “acquire”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “recover.”
16 tn Heb “the remnant of his people who remain.”
17 sn Perhaps a reference to Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt (so NIV, NLT; NCV “South Egypt”).
18 tn Or “Ethiopia” (NAB, NRSV, NLT).
19 tn Or “Babylonia” (NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).
20 tn Or perhaps, “the islands of the sea.”
21 tn Heb “and there will be a highway for the remnant of his people who remain, from Assyria.”
22 tn Heb “in the day” (so KJV).
