Discovery BoxIsaiah 10:22 
Context10:22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as 1 the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. 2 Destruction has been decreed; 3 just punishment 4 is about to engulf you. 5
Isaiah 25:4
Context25:4 For you are a protector for the poor,
a protector for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm,
a shade from the heat.
Though the breath of tyrants 6 is like a winter rainstorm, 7
Isaiah 33:23
Context33:23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, 8
the mast is not secured, 9
and the sail 10 is not unfurled,
at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; 11
even the lame will drag off plunder. 12
Isaiah 45:4
Context45:4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I call you by name
and give you a title of respect, even though you do not recognize 13 me.
Isaiah 53:10
Context53:10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,
once restitution is made, 14
he will see descendants and enjoy long life, 15
and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.
Isaiah 59:10
Context59:10 We grope along the wall like the blind,
we grope like those who cannot see; 16
we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.
Though others are strong, we are like dead men. 17
Isaiah 60:10
Context60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;
their kings will serve you.
Even though I struck you down in my anger,
I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. 18
Isaiah 63:16
Context63:16 For you are our father,
though Abraham does not know us
and Israel does not recognize us.
You, Lord, are our father;
you have been called our protector from ancient times. 19
1 tn Heb “are like.”
2 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).
3 tn Or “predetermined”; cf. ASV, NASB “is determined”; TEV “is in store.”
4 tn צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) often means “righteousness,” but here it refers to God’s just judgment.
5 tn Or “is about to overflow.”
6 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; NIV, NRSV “the ruthless.”
7 tc The Hebrew text has, “like a rainstorm of a wall,” which might be interpreted to mean, “like a rainstorm battering against a wall.” The translation assumes an emendation of קִיר (qir, “wall”) to קֹר (qor, “cold, winter”; cf. Gen 8:22). See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:457, n. 6, for discussion.
8 tn The words “though at this time” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first half of the verse is addressed to Judah and contrasts the nation’s present weakness with its future prosperity. Judah is compared to a ship that is incapable of sailing.
9 tn Heb “they do not fasten the base of their mast.” On כֵּן (ken, “base”) see BDB 487 s.v. III כֵּן and HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן.
10 tn Or perhaps, “flag.”
11 tn Heb “then there will be divided up loot of plunder [in] abundance.”
12 sn Judah’s victory over its enemies will be so thorough there will be more than enough plunder for everyone, even slow-moving lame men who would normally get left out in the rush to gather the loot.
13 tn Or “know” (NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT); NIV “acknowledge.”
14 tn The meaning of this line is uncertain. It reads literally, “if you/she makes, a reparation offering, his life.” The verb תָּשִׂים (tasim) could be second masculine singular,in which case it would have to be addressed to the servant or to God. However, the servant is only addressed once in this servant song (see 52:14a), and God either speaks or is spoken about in this servant song; he is never addressed. Furthermore, the idea of God himself making a reparation offering is odd. If the verb is taken as third feminine singular, then the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) at the end of the line is the likely subject. In this case one can take the suffixed form of the noun as equivalent to a pronoun and translate, “if he [literally, “his life”] makes a reparation offering.”
sn What constitutes the servant’s reparation offering? Some might think his suffering, but the preceding context views this as past, while the verb here is imperfect in form. The offering appears to be something the servant does after his suffering has been completed. Perhaps the background of the language can be found in the Levitical code, where a healed leper would offer a reparation offering as part of the ritual to achieve ceremonial cleanliness (see Lev 14). The servant was pictured earlier in the song as being severely ill. This illness (a metaphor for the effects of the people’s sin) separated him from God. However, here we discover the separation is not final; once reparation is made, so to speak, he will again experience the Lord’s favor.
15 sn The idiomatic and stereotypical language emphasizes the servant’s restoration to divine favor. Having numerous descendants and living a long life are standard signs of divine blessing. See Job 42:13-16.
16 tn Heb “like there are no eyes.”
17 tn Heb among the strong, like dead men.”
18 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
19 tn Heb “our protector [or “redeemer”] from antiquity [is] your name.”
