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 9:13
Context9:13 The people did not return to the one who struck them,
they did not seek reconciliation 3 with the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 10:7
Context10:7 But he does not agree with this,
his mind does not reason this way, 4
for his goal is to destroy,
and to eliminate many nations. 5
Isaiah 28:28
Context28:28 Grain is crushed,
though one certainly does not thresh it forever.
The wheel of one’s wagon rolls over it,
but his horses do not crush it.
Isaiah 29:9
Context29:9 You will be shocked and amazed! 6
You are totally blind! 7
They are drunk, 8 but not because of wine;
they stagger, 9 but not because of beer.
Isaiah 33:19
Context33:19 You will no longer see a defiant 10 people
whose language you do not comprehend, 11
whose derisive speech you do not understand. 12
Isaiah 40:20
Context40:20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; 13
he then seeks a skilled craftsman
to make 14 an idol that will not fall over.
Isaiah 47:7
Context47:7 You said,
‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ 15
You did not think about these things; 16
you did not consider how it would turn out. 17
Isaiah 50:7
Context50:7 But the sovereign Lord helps me,
so I am not humiliated.
For that reason I am steadfastly resolved; 18
I know I will not be put to shame.
Isaiah 59:1
Context59:1 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak 19 to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you. 20
Isaiah 64:9
Context64:9 Lord, do not be too angry!
Do not hold our sins against us continually! 21
Take a good look at your people, at all of us! 22
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 tn This verse describes the people’s response to the judgment described in vv. 11-12. The perfects are understood as indicating simple past.
4 tn Heb “but he, not so does he intend, and his heart, not so does it think.”
5 tn Heb “for to destroy [is] in his heart, and to cut off nations, not a few.”
6 tn The form הִתְמַהְמְהוּ (hitmahmÿhu) is a Hitpalpel imperative from מָהַהּ (mahah, “hesitate”). If it is retained, one might translate “halt and be amazed.” The translation assumes an emendation to הִתַּמְּהוּ (hittammÿhu), a Hitpael imperative from תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). In this case, the text, like Hab 1:5, combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of תָּמַה (tamah). A literal translation might be “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sound draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572 §34.4c.
7 tn Heb “Blind yourselves and be blind!” The Hitpalpel and Qal imperatival forms of שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blind”) are combined to draw attention to the statement. The imperatives have the force of an emphatic assertion.
8 tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.
9 tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts.
10 tn The Hebrew form נוֹעָז (no’az) is a Niphal participle derived from יָעַז (ya’az, an otherwise unattested verb) or from עָזָז (’azaz, “be strong,” unattested elsewhere in the Niphal). Some prefer to emend the form to לוֹעֵז (lo’ez) which occurs in Ps 114:1 with the meaning “speak a foreign language.” See HALOT 809 s.v. עזז, 533 s.v. לעז. In this case, one might translate “people who speak a foreign language.”
11 tn Heb “a people too deep of lip to hear.” The phrase “deep of lip” must be an idiom meaning “lips that speak words that are unfathomable [i.e., incomprehensible].”
12 tn Heb “derision of tongue there is no understanding.” The Niphal of לָעַג (la’ag) occurs only here. In the Qal and Hiphil the verb means “to deride, mock.” A related noun is used in 28:11.
13 tn The first two words of the verse (הַמְסֻכָּן תְּרוּמָה, hamsukan tÿrumah) are problematic. Some take מְסֻכָּן as an otherwise unattested Pual participle from סָכַן (sakhan, “be poor”) and translate “the one who is impoverished.” תְּרוּמָה (tÿrumah, “contribution”) can then be taken as an adverbial accusative, “with respect to a contribution,” and the entire line translated, “the one who is too impoverished for such a contribution [i.e., the metal idol of v. 19?] selects wood that will not rot.” However, מְסֻכָּן is probably the name of a tree used in idol manufacturing (cognate with Akkadian musukkanu, cf. H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena [SBLDS], 133). מְסֻכָּן may be a scribal interpretive addition attempting to specify עֵץ (’ets) or עֵץ may be a scribal attempt to categorize מְסֻכָּן. How an idol constitutes a תְּרוּמָה (“contribution”) is not entirely clear.
14 tn Or “set up” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NASB “to prepare.”
15 tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”
16 tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”
17 tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”
18 tn Heb “Therefore I set my face like flint.”
19 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
20 tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”
21 tn Heb “do not remember sin continually.”
22 tn Heb “Look, gaze at your people, all of us.” Another option is to translate, “Take a good look! We are all your people.”
