Discovery BoxIsaiah 1:18 
Context1:18 1 Come, let’s consider your options,” 2 says the Lord.
“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,
you can become 3 white like snow;
though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,
you can become 4 white like wool. 5
Isaiah 10:24
Context10:24 So 6 here is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did. 7
Isaiah 14:23
Context14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 8
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 9
says the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 22:25
Context22:25 “At that time,” 10 says the Lord who commands armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” 11 Indeed, 12 the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 36:16
Context36:16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 13 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,
Isaiah 37:33
Context37:33 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here. 14
He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, 15
nor will he build siege works against it.
Isaiah 38:1
Context38:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 16 The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’”
Isaiah 42:5
Context42:5 This is what the true God, 17 the Lord, says –
the one who created the sky and stretched it out,
the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, 18
the one who gives breath to the people on it,
and life to those who live on it: 19
Isaiah 42:22
Context42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits 20
and held captive 21 in prisons.
They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;
they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” 22
Isaiah 44:26
Context44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants 23
and brings to pass the announcements 24 of his messengers,
who says about Jerusalem, 25 ‘She will be inhabited,’
and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,
her ruins I will raise up,’
Isaiah 45:11
Context45:11 This is what the Lord says,
the Holy One of Israel, 26 the one who formed him,
concerning things to come: 27
“How dare you question me 28 about my children!
How dare you tell me what to do with 29 the work of my own hands!
Isaiah 45:13-14
Context45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; 30
I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city;
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
45:14 This is what the Lord says:
“The profit 31 of Egypt and the revenue 32 of Ethiopia,
along with the Sabeans, those tall men,
will be brought to you 33 and become yours.
They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. 34
They will bow down to you
and pray to you: 35
‘Truly God is with 36 you; he has no peer; 37
there is no other God!’”
Isaiah 45:18
Context45:18 For this is what the Lord says,
the one who created the sky –
he is the true God, 38
the one who formed the earth and made it;
he established it,
he did not create it without order, 39
he formed it to be inhabited –
“I am the Lord, I have no peer.
Isaiah 47:8
Context47:8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly, 40
who lives securely,
who says to herself, 41
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! 42
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’ 43
Isaiah 49:5-8
Context49:5 So now the Lord says,
the one who formed me from birth 44 to be his servant –
he did this 45 to restore Jacob to himself,
so that Israel might be gathered to him;
and I will be honored 46 in the Lord’s sight,
for my God is my source of strength 47 –
49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,
to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the remnant 48 of Israel? 49
I will make you a light to the nations, 50
so you can bring 51 my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”
49:7 This is what the Lord,
the protector 52 of Israel, their Holy One, 53 says
to the one who is despised 54 and rejected 55 by nations, 56
a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and rise in respect, 57
princes will bow down,
because of the faithful Lord,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
49:8 This is what the Lord says:
“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;
in the day of deliverance I will help you;
I will protect you 58 and make you a covenant mediator for people, 59
and to reassign the desolate property.
Isaiah 50:1
Context50:1 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s divorce certificate
by which I divorced her?
Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? 62
Look, you were sold because of your sins; 63
because of your rebellious acts I divorced your mother. 64
Isaiah 54:1
Context54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!
Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one are more numerous
than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 57:15
Context57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,
the one who rules 65 forever, whose name is holy:
“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,
but also with the discouraged and humiliated, 66
in order to cheer up the humiliated
and to encourage the discouraged. 67
Isaiah 66:12
Context66:12 For this is what the Lord says:
“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,
the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. 68
You will nurse from her breast 69 and be carried at her side;
you will play on her knees.
Isaiah 66:17
Context66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, 70 those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice 71 – they will all be destroyed together,” 72 says the Lord.
Isaiah 66:20
Context66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen 73 from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them 74 on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels 75 to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers.
1 sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).
2 tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.
3 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
4 tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.
5 tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.
6 tn Heb “therefore.” The message that follows is one of encouragement, for it focuses on the eventual destruction of the Assyrians. Consequently “therefore” relates back to vv. 5-21, not to vv. 22-23, which must be viewed as a brief parenthesis in an otherwise positive speech.
7 tn Heb “in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.”
8 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
9 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
10 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
11 sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.
12 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
13 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
14 tn Heb “there” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). In terms of English style “here” is expected in collocation with “this” in the previous line.
15 tn Heb “[with] a shield” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV).
16 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying”; NRSV “became sick and was at the point of death.”
17 tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.
18 tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”
19 tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).
20 tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).
21 tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”
22 tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”
23 tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.
24 tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה.
25 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
26 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
27 tc The Hebrew text reads “the one who formed him, the coming things.” Among various suggestions, some have proposed an emendation of יֹצְרוֹ (yotsÿro, “the one who formed him”) to יֹצֵר (yotser, “the one who forms”; the suffixed form in the Hebrew text may be influenced by vv. 9-10, where the same form appears twice) and takes “coming things” as the object of the participle (either objective genitive or accusative): “the one who brings the future into being.”
28 tn Heb “Ask me” The rhetorical command sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
29 tn Heb “Do you command me about…?” The rhetorical question sarcastically expresses the Lord’s disgust with those who question his ways.
30 tn Heb “I stir him up in righteousness”; NASB “I have aroused him.” See the note at 41:2. Cyrus (cf. 44:28) is in view here.
31 tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”
32 tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”
33 tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”
34 sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.
35 sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.
36 tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”
37 tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.
38 tn Heb “he [is] the God.” The article here indicates uniqueness.
39 tn Or “unformed.” Gen 1:2 describes the world as “unformed” (תֹהוּ, tohu) prior to God’s creative work, but God then formed the world and made it fit for habitation.
40 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
41 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
42 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
43 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
44 tn Heb “from the womb” (so KJV, NASB).
45 tn The words “he did this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct of purpose is subordinated to the previous statement.
46 tn The vav (ו) + imperfect is translated here as a result clause; one might interpret it as indicating purpose, “and so I might be honored.”
47 tn Heb “and my God is [perhaps, “having been”] my strength.” The disjunctive structure (vav [ו] + subject + verb) is interpreted here as indicating a causal circumstantial clause.
48 tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”
49 sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.
51 tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”
52 tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
53 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
54 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsaa reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”
55 tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”
56 tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).
57 tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.
58 tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצָר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצָר (yatsar, “form”).
59 tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. Here עָם (’am, “people”) appears to refer to Israel. See the note at 42:6.
60 tn The Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “arise”) is probably used here in the sense of “rebuild.”
61 tn The “land” probably stands by metonymy for the ruins within it.
62 sn The Lord challenges the exiles (Zion’s children) to bring incriminating evidence against him. The rhetorical questions imply that Israel accused the Lord of divorcing his wife (Zion) and selling his children (the Israelites) into slavery to pay off a debt.
63 sn The Lord admits that he did sell the Israelites, but it was because of their sins, not because of some debt he owed. If he had sold them to a creditor, they ought to be able to point him out, but the preceding rhetorical question implies they would not be able to do so.
64 sn The Lord admits he did divorce Zion, but that too was the result of the nation’s sins. The force of the earlier rhetorical question comes into clearer focus now. The question does not imply that a certificate does not exist and that no divorce occurred. Rather, the question asks for the certificate to be produced so the accuser can see the reason for the divorce in black and white. The Lord did not put Zion away arbitrarily.
65 tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.
66 tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.
67 tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”
68 tn Heb “Look, I am ready to extend to her like a river prosperity [or “peace”], and like an overflowing stream, the riches of nations.”
69 tn The words “from her breast” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 11).
70 tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.
71 tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”
72 tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”
73 tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”
74 tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
75 tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.
