Discovery BoxIsaiah 1:3 
Context1:3 An ox recognizes its owner,
a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; 1
but Israel does not recognize me, 2
my people do not understand.”
Isaiah 3:15
Context3:15 Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?” 3
The sovereign Lord who commands armies 4 has spoken.
Isaiah 5:13
Context5:13 Therefore my 5 people will be deported 6
because of their lack of understanding.
Their 7 leaders will have nothing to eat, 8
their 9 masses will have nothing to drink. 10
Isaiah 6:7
Context6:7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Look, this coal has touched your lips. Your evil is removed; your sin is forgiven.” 11
Isaiah 8:16
Context8:16 Tie up the scroll as legal evidence, 12
seal the official record of God’s instructions and give it to my followers. 13
Isaiah 10:5
Context10:5 Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, 14
a cudgel with which I angrily punish. 15
Isaiah 14:30
Context14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; 16
the needy will rest securely.
But I will kill your root by famine;
it will put to death all your survivors. 17
Isaiah 21:8
Context21:8 Then the guard 18 cries out:
“On the watchtower, O sovereign master, 19
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
Isaiah 22:4
Context22:4 So I say:
“Don’t look at me! 20
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try 21 to console me
concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.” 22
Isaiah 26:20
Context26:20 Go, my people! Enter your inner rooms!
Close your doors behind you!
Hide for a little while,
until his angry judgment is over! 23
Isaiah 30:2
Context30:2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will, 24
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. 25
Isaiah 32:13
Context32:13 Mourn 26 over the land of my people,
which is overgrown with thorns and briers,
and over all the once-happy houses 27
in the city filled with revelry. 28
Isaiah 34:5
Context34:5 He says, 29 “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. 30
Look, it now descends on Edom, 31
on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
Isaiah 36:8-9
Context36:8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 36:9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 32
Isaiah 36:19
Context36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? 33 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 34 from my power? 35
Isaiah 37:12
Context37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors 36 destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 37
Isaiah 38:15
Context38:15 What can I say?
He has decreed and acted. 38
I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. 39
Isaiah 39:8
Context39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” 40 Then he thought, 41 “For 42 there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”
Isaiah 42:9
Context42:9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; 43
now I announce new events.
Before they begin to occur,
I reveal them to you.” 44
Isaiah 43:12-13
Context43:12 I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,
and there was no other god among you.
You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.
43:13 From this day forward I am he;
no one can deliver from my power; 45
I will act, and who can prevent it?”
Isaiah 46:10
Context46:10 who announces the end from the beginning
and reveals beforehand 46 what has not yet occurred,
who says, ‘My plan will be realized,
I will accomplish what I desire,’
Isaiah 48:18-19
Context48:18 If only you had obeyed my 47 commandments,
prosperity would have flowed to you like a river, 48
deliverance would have come to you like the waves of the sea. 49
48:19 Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand, 50
and your children 51 like its granules.
Their name would not have been cut off
and eliminated from my presence. 52
Isaiah 50:8
Context50:8 The one who vindicates me is close by.
Who dares to argue with me? Let us confront each other! 53
Who is my accuser? 54 Let him challenge me! 55
Isaiah 52:4
Context52:4 For this is what the sovereign Lord says:
“In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt;
Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.
Isaiah 58:1
Context58:1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!
Yell as loud as a trumpet!
Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; 56
confront Jacob’s family with their sin! 57
Isaiah 61:8
Context61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness; 58
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
Isaiah 65:10
Context65:10 Sharon 59 will become a pasture for sheep,
and the Valley of Achor 60 a place where cattle graze; 61
they will belong to my people, who seek me. 62
Isaiah 65:15
Context65:15 Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. 63
The sovereign Lord will kill you,
but he will give his servants another name.
Isaiah 65:19
Context65:19 Jerusalem will bring me joy,
and my people will bring me happiness. 64
The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow
will never be heard in her again.
Isaiah 66:18
Context66:18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming 65 to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; 66 they will come and witness my splendor.
1 tn Heb “and the donkey the feeding trough of its owner.” The verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
2 tn Although both verbs have no object, the parallelism suggests that Israel fails to recognize the Lord as the one who provides for their needs. In both clauses, the placement of “Israel” and “my people” at the head of the clause focuses the reader’s attention on the rebellious nation (C. van der Merwe, J. Naudé, J. Kroeze, A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, 346-47).
3 sn The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s outrage at what the leaders have done to the poor. He finds it almost unbelievable that they would have the audacity to treat his people in this manner.
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 1:9.
sn The use of this title, which also appears in v. 1, forms an inclusio around vv. 1-15. The speech begins and ends with a reference to “the master, the Lord who commands armies.”
5 sn It is not certain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking at this point.
6 tn The suffixed (perfect) form of the verb is used; in this way the coming event is described for rhetorical effect as occurring or as already completed.
7 tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”
8 tn Heb “Their glory will be men of hunger.” כָּבוֹד (kavod, “glory”) is in opposition to הָמוֹן (hamon, “masses”) and refers here to the rich and prominent members of the nation. Some prefer to repoint מְתֵי (mÿtey, “men of”) as מִתֵי (mitey, “dead ones of”).
9 tn The third masculine singular suffix refers back to “my people.”
10 tn Heb “and their masses will be parched [by] thirst.”
11 tn Or “ritually cleansed,” or “atoned for” (NIV).
12 tn Heb “tie up [the] testimony.” The “testimony” probably refers to the prophetic messages God has given him. When the prophecies are fulfilled, he will be able to produce this official, written record to confirm the authenticity of his ministry and to prove to the people that God is sovereign over events.
13 tn Heb “seal [the] instruction among my followers.” The “instruction” probably refers to the prophet’s exhortations and warnings. When the people are judged for the sins, the prophet can produce these earlier messages and essentially say, “I told you so.” In this way he can authenticate his ministry and impress upon the people the reality of God’s authority over them.
14 tn Heb “Woe [to] Assyria, the club of my anger.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.
15 tn Heb “a cudgel is he, in their hand is my anger.” It seems likely that the final mem (ם) on בְיָדָם (bÿyadam) is not a pronominal suffix (“in their hand”), but an enclitic mem. If so, one can translate literally, “a cudgel is he in the hand of my anger.”
16 tc The Hebrew text has, “the firstborn of the poor will graze.” “Firstborn” may be used here in an idiomatic sense to indicate the very poorest of the poor. See BDB 114 s.v. בְּכוֹר. The translation above assumes an emendation of בְּכוֹרֵי (bÿkhorey, “firstborn of”) to בְּכָרַי (bekharay, “in my pastures”).
17 tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).
18 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6.
19 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
20 tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
21 tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).
22 tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.
23 tn Heb “until anger passes by.”
24 tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
25 tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”
26 tn “Mourn” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
27 tn Heb “indeed, over all the houses of joy.” It is not certain if this refers to individual homes or to places where parties and celebrations were held.
28 sn This same phrase is used in 22:2.
29 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.
30 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”
sn In v. 4 the “host of the heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13). As in 24:21, they are viewed here as opposing God and being defeated in battle.
31 sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.
32 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
33 tn The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
34 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
35 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 18, 20).
36 tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”
37 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
38 tn Heb “and he has spoken and he has acted.”
39 tn Heb “because of the bitterness of my soul.”
40 tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”
41 tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).
42 tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”
43 tn Heb “the former things, look, they have come.”
44 tn Heb “before they sprout up, I cause you to hear.” The pronoun “you” is plural, referring to the people of Israel. In this verse “the former things” are the Lord’s earlier predictive oracles which have come to pass, while “the new things” are predicted events that have not yet begun to take place. “The former things” are earlier events in Israel’s history which God announced beforehand, such as the Exodus (see 43:16-18). “The new things” are the predictions about the servant (42:1-7). and may also include Cyrus’ conquests (41:25-27).
45 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”
46 tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”
47 tn Heb “paid attention to” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “had listened to.”
48 tn Heb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant.
49 tn Heb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.
50 tn Heb “like sand”; NCV “as many as the grains of sand.”
51 tn Heb “and the issue from your inner parts.”
52 tn Heb “and his name would not be cut off and would not be destroyed from before me.”
53 tn Heb “Let us stand together!”
54 tn Heb “Who is the master of my judgment?”
55 tn Heb “let him approach me”; NAB, NIV “Let him confront me.”
56 tn Heb “declare to my people their rebellion.”
57 tn Heb “and to the house of Jacob their sin.” The verb “declare” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
58 tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
59 sn Sharon was a plain located to the west, along the Mediterranean coast north of Joppa and south of Carmel.
60 sn The Valley of Achor (“Achor” means “trouble” in Hebrew) was the site of Achan’s execution. It was located to the east, near Jericho.
61 tn Heb “a resting place for cattle”; NASB, NIV “for herds.”
62 tn Heb “for my people who seek me.”
63 tn Heb “you will leave your name for an oath to my chosen ones.”
sn For an example of such a curse formula see Jer 29:22.
64 tn Heb “and I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be happy in my people.”
65 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming.” The syntax here is very problematic, suggesting that the text may have suffered corruption. Some suggest that the words “their deeds and their thoughts” have been displaced from v. 17. This line presents two primary challenges. In the first place, the personal pronoun “I” has no verb after it. Most translations insert “know” for the sake of clarity (NASB, NRSV, NLT, ESV). The NIV has “I, because of their actions and their imaginations…” Since God’s “knowledge” of Israel’s sin occasions judgment, the verb “hate” is an option as well (see above translation). The feminine form of the next verb (בָּאָה, ba’ah) could be understood in one of two ways. One could provide an implied noun “time” (עֵת, ’et) and render the next line “the time is coming/has come” (NASB, ESV). One could also emend the feminine verb to the masculine בָּא (ba’) and have the “I” at the beginning of the line govern this verb as well (for the Lord is speaking here): “I am coming” (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
66 tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”
