Discovery BoxIsaiah 1:11 
Context1:11 “Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” 1
says the Lord.
“I am stuffed with 2 burnt sacrifices
of rams and the fat from steers.
The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats
I do not want. 3
Isaiah 1:24
Context1:24 Therefore, the sovereign Lord who commands armies, 4
the powerful ruler of Israel, 5 says this:
“Ah, I will seek vengeance 6 against my adversaries,
I will take revenge against my enemies. 7
Isaiah 3:14
Context3:14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment
on the leaders of his people and their officials.
He says, 8 “It is you 9 who have ruined 10 the vineyard! 11
You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. 12
Isaiah 3:16
Context3:16 The Lord says,
“The women 13 of Zion are proud.
They walk with their heads high 14
and flirt with their eyes.
They skip along 15
and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. 16
Isaiah 10:13
Context10:13 For he says:
“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,
by my strategy that I devised.
I invaded the territory of nations, 17
and looted their storehouses.
Like a mighty conqueror, 18 I brought down rulers. 19
Isaiah 17:3
Context17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
and Damascus will lose its kingdom. 20
The survivors in Syria
will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 17:6
Context17:6 There will be some left behind,
like when an olive tree is beaten –
two or three ripe olives remain toward the very top,
four or five on its fruitful branches,”
says the Lord God of Israel.
Isaiah 22:14
Context22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 21 “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” 22 says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 23:4
Context23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon,
for the sea 23 says this, O fortress of the sea:
“I have not gone into labor
or given birth;
I have not raised young men
or brought up young women.” 24
Isaiah 28:16
Context28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:
“Look, I am laying 25 a stone in Zion,
an approved 26 stone,
set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. 27
The one who maintains his faith will not panic. 28
Isaiah 29:13
Context29:13 The sovereign master 29 says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; 30
they say wonderful things about me, 31
but they are not really loyal to me. 32
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. 33
Isaiah 29:22
Context29:22 So this is what the Lord, the one who delivered Abraham, says to the family of Jacob: 34
“Jacob will no longer be ashamed;
their faces will no longer show their embarrassment. 35
Isaiah 30:1
Context30:1 “The rebellious 36 children are as good as dead,” 37 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 38
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 39
and thereby compound their sin. 40
Isaiah 30:12
Context30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“You have rejected this message; 41
you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, 42
and rely on that kind of behavior. 43
Isaiah 30:15
Context30:15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:
“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; 44
if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, 45
but you are unwilling.
Isaiah 31:9
Context31:9 They will surrender their stronghold 46 because of fear; 47
their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” 48
This is what the Lord says –
the one whose fire is in Zion,
whose firepot is in Jerusalem. 49
Isaiah 32:6
Context32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; 50
his mind plans out sinful deeds. 51
He commits godless deeds 52
and says misleading things about the Lord;
he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite 53
and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. 54
Isaiah 36:18
Context36:18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 55
Isaiah 37:3
Context37:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 56 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 57 and humiliation, 58 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 59
Isaiah 37:6
Context37:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 60
Isaiah 37:10
Context37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.”
Isaiah 38:5
Context38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor 61 David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life,
Isaiah 39:6
Context39:6 ‘Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors 62 have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.
Isaiah 40:6
Context40:6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
Another asks, 63 “What should I cry out?”
The first voice responds: 64 “All people are like grass, 65
and all their promises 66 are like the flowers in the field.
Isaiah 41:13
Context41:13 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.’
Isaiah 43:1
Context43:1 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 67 you.
I call you by name, you are mine.
Isaiah 43:10
Context43:10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,
“my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may consider 68 and believe in me,
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me,
and none will outlive me. 69
Isaiah 43:14
Context43:14 This is what the Lord says,
your protector, 70 the Holy One of Israel: 71
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and make them all fugitives, 72
turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs. 73
Isaiah 44:2
Context44:2 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, 74 whom I have chosen!
Isaiah 44:6
Context44:6 This is what the Lord, Israel’s king, says,
their protector, 75 the Lord who commands armies:
“I am the first and I am the last,
there is no God but me.
Isaiah 44:16
Context44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –
over that half he cooks 76 meat;
he roasts a meal and fills himself.
Yes, he warms himself and says,
‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’
Isaiah 44:24
Context44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, 77 says,
the one who formed you in the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made everything,
who alone stretched out the sky,
who fashioned the earth all by myself, 78
Isaiah 45:1
Context45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen 79 one,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold 80
in order to subdue nations before him,
and disarm kings, 81
to open doors before him,
so gates remain unclosed:
Isaiah 48:17
Context48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, 82 says,
the Holy One of Israel: 83
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.
Isaiah 49:18
ContextAll of them gather to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;
you will put them on as if you were a bride.
Isaiah 49:22
Context49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;
I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their shoulders.
Isaiah 49:25
Context49:25 Indeed,” says the Lord,
“captives will be taken from a warrior;
spoils will be rescued from a conqueror.
I will oppose your adversary
and I will rescue your children.
Isaiah 51:22
Context51:22 This is what your sovereign master, 85 the Lord your God, says:
“Look, I have removed from your hand
the cup of intoxicating wine, 86
the goblet full of my anger. 87
You will no longer have to drink it.
Isaiah 52:7
Context52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains 88
the feet of a messenger who announces peace,
a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 89
Isaiah 54:6
Context54:6 “Indeed, the Lord will call you back
like a wife who has been abandoned and suffers from depression, 90
like a young wife when she has been rejected,” says your God.
Isaiah 54:10
Context54:10 Even if the mountains are removed
and the hills displaced,
my devotion will not be removed from you,
nor will my covenant of friendship 91 be displaced,”
says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:17
Context54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;
you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. 92
This is what the Lord will do for his servants –
I will vindicate them,” 93
says the Lord.
Isaiah 56:12
Context‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!
Let’s guzzle some beer!
Tomorrow will be just like today!
We’ll have everything we want!’ 95
Isaiah 57:19
Context57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. 96
Complete prosperity 97 is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”
says the Lord, “and I will heal them.
Isaiah 65:7
Context65:7 for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,” 98 says the Lord.
“Because they burned incense on the mountains
and offended 99 me on the hills,
I will punish them in full measure.” 100
Isaiah 65:13
Context65:13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says:
“Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry!
Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty!
Look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated!
Isaiah 65:25--66:2
Context65:25 A wolf and a lamb will graze together; 101
a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, 102
and a snake’s food will be dirt. 103
They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain,” 104 says the Lord.
66:1 This is what the Lord says:
“The heavens are my throne
and the earth is my footstool.
Where then is the house you will build for me?
Where is the place where I will rest?
that is how they came to be,” 106 says the Lord.
I show special favor 107 to the humble and contrite,
who respect what I have to say. 108
Isaiah 66:22
Context66:22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me,” says the Lord, “so your descendants and your name will remain.
1 tn Heb “Why to me the multitude of your sacrifices?” The sarcastic rhetorical question suggests that their many sacrifices are of no importance to the Lord. This phrase answers the possible objection that an Israelite could raise in response to God’s indictment: “But we are offering the sacrifices you commanded!”
sn In this section the Lord refutes a potential objection that his sinful people might offer in their defense. He has charged them with rebellion (vv. 2-3), but they might respond that they have brought him many sacrifices. So he points out that he requires social justice first and foremost, not empty ritual.
2 tn The verb שָׂבַע (sava’, “be satisfied, full”) is often used of eating and/or drinking one’s fill. See BDB 959 s.v. שָׂבַע. Here sacrifices are viewed, in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion, as food for the deity. God here declares that he has eaten and drunk, as it were, his fill.
3 sn In the chiastic structure of the verse, the verbs at the beginning and end highlight God’s displeasure, while the heaping up of references to animals, fat, and blood in the middle lines hints at why God wants no more of their sacrifices. They have, as it were, piled the food on his table and he needs no more.
4 tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at v. 9.
5 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Israel.”
6 tn Heb “console myself” (i.e., by getting revenge); NRSV “pour out my wrath on.”
7 sn The Lord here identifies with the oppressed and comes as their defender and vindicator.
8 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
9 tn The pronominal element is masculine plural; the leaders are addressed.
10 tn The verb בָּעַר (ba’ar, “graze, ruin”; HALOT 146 s.v. II בער) is a homonym of the more common בָּעַר (ba’ar, “burn”; see HALOT 145 s.v. I בער).
11 sn The vineyard is a metaphor for the nation here. See 5:1-7.
12 tn Heb “the plunder of the poor [is] in your houses” (so NASB).
13 tn Heb “daughters” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).
14 tn Heb “with an outstretched neck.” They proudly hold their heads high so that others can see the jewelry around their necks.
15 tn Heb “walking and skipping, they walk.”
16 tn Heb “and with their feet they jingle.”
17 tn Heb “removed the borders of nations”; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV “boundaries.”
18 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has כְּאַבִּיר (kÿ’abir, “like a strong one”); the marginal reading (Qere) is כַּבִיר (kavir, “mighty one”).
19 tn Heb “and I brought down, like a strong one, ones sitting [or “living”].” The participle יוֹשְׁבִים (yoshÿvim, “ones sitting”) could refer to the inhabitants of the nations, but the translation assumes that it refers to those who sit on thrones, i.e., rulers. See BDB 442 s.v. יָשַׁב and HALOT 444 s.v. ישׁב.
20 tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”
21 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
22 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
23 tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (ma’oz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.
24 tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).
sn The sea is personified here as a lamenting childless woman. The foreboding language anticipates the following announcement of Tyre’s demise, viewed here as a child of the sea, as it were.
25 tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.
26 tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.
27 sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).
28 tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.
29 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
30 tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
31 tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
32 tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
33 tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
34 tn Heb “So this is what the Lord says to the house of Jacob, the one who ransomed Abraham.” The relative pronoun must refer back to “the Lord,” not to the immediately preceding “Jacob.” It is uncertain to what event in Abraham’s experience this refers. Perhaps the name “Abraham” stands here by metonymy for his descendants through Jacob. If so, the Exodus is in view.
35 tn Heb “and his face will no longer be pale.”
36 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
37 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
38 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
39 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.
40 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
41 tn The sentence actually begins with the word “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
42 tn Heb “and you trust in oppression and cunning.”
43 tn Heb “and you lean on it”; NAB “and depend on it.”
44 tn Heb “in returning and in quietness you will be delivered.” Many English versions render the last phrase “shall be saved” or something similar (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).
45 tn Heb “in quietness and in trust is your strength” (NASB and NRSV both similar).
46 tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.
47 tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”
48 tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”
49 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.
50 tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.
51 tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”
52 tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”
53 tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”
54 tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”
55 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
56 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him” (cf. NRSV).
57 tn Or “rebuke” (KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “correction.”
58 tn Or “contempt”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “disgrace.”
59 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
60 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
61 tn Heb “father” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).
62 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).
63 tn Heb “and he says.” Apparently a second “voice” responds to the command of the first “voice.”
64 tn The words “the first voice responds” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first voice tells the second one what to declare.
65 tn Heb “all flesh is grass.” The point of the metaphor is explained in v. 7.
66 tn Heb “and all his loyalty.” The antecedent of the third masculine suffix is בָּשָׂר (basar, “flesh”), which refers collectively to mankind. The LXX, apparently understanding the antecedent as “grass,” reads “glory,” but חֶסֶד (khesed) rarely, if ever, has this nuance. The normal meaning of חֶסֶד (“faithfulness, loyalty, devotion”) fits very well in the argument. Human beings and their faithfulness (verbal expressions of faithfulness are specifically in view; cf. NRSV “constancy”) are short-lived and unreliable, in stark contrast to the decrees and promises of the eternal God.
67 tn Or “redeem.” See the note at 41:14. Cf. NCV “saved you”; CEV “rescued you”; NLT “ransomed you.”
68 tn Or “know” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
69 tn Heb “and after me, there will not be”; NASB “there will be none after Me.”
70 tn Or “kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
71 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
72 tn Heb “and I bring down [as] fugitives all of them.”
73 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “as for the Babylonians, in ships their joyful shout.” This might be paraphrased, “even the Babylonians in the ships [over which] they joyfully shouted.” The point would be that the Lord caused the Babylonians to flee for safety in the ships in which they took such great pride. A slight change in vocalization yields the reading “into mourning songs,” which provides a good contrast with “joyful shout.” The prefixed bet (בְּ) would indicate identity.
74 sn Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel; it occurs here and in Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26.
75 tn Heb “his kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
76 tn Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.”
77 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
78 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “Who [was] with me?” The marginal reading (Qere) is “from with me,” i.e., “by myself.” See BDB 87 s.v. II אֵת 4.c.
79 tn Heb “anointed” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “his appointed king.”
80 sn The “right hand” is a symbol of activity and strength; the Lord directs Cyrus’ activities and assures his success.
81 tn Heb “and the belts of kings I will loosen”; NRSV “strip kings of their robes”; NIV “strip kings of their armor.”
82 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
83 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
84 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see.”
85 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
86 tn Heb “the cup of [= that causes] staggering” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV); NASB “the cup of reeling.”
87 tn Heb “the goblet of the cup of my anger.”
88 tn Heb “How delightful on the mountains.”
89 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.
90 tn Heb “like a woman abandoned and grieved in spirit.”
91 tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”
92 tn Heb “and every tongue that rises up for judgment with you will prove to be guilty.”
93 tn Heb “this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me.”
94 tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
95 tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.
96 tc The Hebrew text has literally, “one who creates fruit of lips.” Perhaps the pronoun אֲנִי (’ani) should be inserted after the participle; it may have been accidentally omitted by haplography: נוּב שְׂפָתָיִם[אֲנִי] בּוֹרֵא (bore’ [’ani] nuv sÿfatayim). “Fruit of the lips” is often understood as a metonymy for praise; perhaps it refers more generally to joyful shouts (see v. 18).
97 tn Heb “Peace, peace.” The repetition of the noun emphasizes degree.
98 tn Heb “the iniquities of your fathers.”
99 tn Or perhaps, “taunted”; KJV “blasphemed”; NAB “disgraced”; NASB “scorned”; NIV “defied”; NRSV “reviled.”
100 tn Heb “I will measure out their pay [from the] beginning into their lap,” i.e., he will give them everything they have earned.
101 sn A similar statement appears in 11:6.
102 sn These words also appear in 11:7.
103 sn Some see an allusion to Gen 3:14 (note “you will eat dirt”). The point would be that even in this new era the snake (often taken as a symbol of Satan) remains under God’s curse. However, it is unlikely that such an allusion exists. Even if there is an echo of Gen 3:14, the primary allusion is to 11:8, where snakes are pictured as no longer dangerous. They will no longer attack other living creatures, but will be content to crawl along the ground. (The statement “you will eat dirt” in Gen 3:14 means “you will crawl on the ground.” In the same way the statement “dirt will be its food” in Isa 65:25 means “it will crawl on the ground.”)
104 tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” These same words appear in 11:9. See the note there.
sn As in 11:1-9 the prophet anticipates a time when the categories predator-prey no longer exist. See the note at the end of 11:8.
105 tn Heb “all these.” The phrase refers to the heavens and earth, mentioned in the previous verse.
106 tn Heb “and all these were.” Some prefer to emend וַיִּהְיוּ (vayyihyu, “and they were”) to וְלִי הָיוּ (vÿli hayu, “and to me they were”), i.e., “and they belong to me.”
107 tn Heb “and to this one I look” (KJV and NASB both similar).
108 tn Heb “to the humble and the lowly in spirit and the one who trembles at my words.”
