Discovery BoxIsaiah 11:15 
Context11:15 The Lord will divide 1 the gulf 2 of the Egyptian Sea; 3
he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River 4 and send a strong wind, 5
he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, 6
and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
Isaiah 17:13
Context17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, 7
when he shouts at 8 them, they will flee to a distant land,
driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,
or like dead thistles 9 before a strong gale.
Isaiah 37:27
Context37:27 Their residents are powerless; 10
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation. 11
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 12
when it is scorched by the east wind. 13
Isaiah 57:13
Context57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols 14 help you!
The wind blows them all away, 15
a breeze carries them away. 16
But the one who looks to me for help 17 will inherit the land
and will have access to 18 my holy mountain.”
1 tn The verb is usually understood as “put under the ban, destroy,” or emended to חָרָב (kharav, “dry up”). However, HALOT 354 s.v. II חרם proposes a homonymic root meaning “divide.”
2 tn Heb “tongue” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
3 sn That is, the Red Sea.
4 tn Heb “the river”; capitalized in some English versions (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) as a reference to the Euphrates River.
5 tn Heb “with the [?] of his wind” [or “breath”]. The Hebrew term עַיָם (’ayam) occurs only here. Some attempt to relate the word to an Arabic root and translate, “scorching [or “hot”] wind.” This interpretation fits especially well if one reads “dry up” in the previous line. Others prefer to emend the form to עֹצֶם (’otsem, “strong”). See HALOT 817 s.v. עֲצַם.
6 tn Heb “seven streams.” The Hebrew term נַחַל (nakhal, “stream”) refers to a wadi, or seasonal stream, which runs during the rainy season, but is otherwise dry. The context (see v. 15b) here favors the translation, “dried up streams.” The number seven suggests totality and completeness. Here it indicates that God’s provision for escape will be thorough and more than capable of accommodating the returning exiles.
7 tn Heb “the peoples are in an uproar like the uproar of mighty waters.”
8 tn Or “rebukes.” The verb and related noun are used in theophanies of God’s battle cry which terrifies his enemies. See, for example, Pss 18:15; 76:7; 106:9; Isa 50:2; Nah 1:4, and A. Caquot, TDOT 3:49-53.
9 tn Or perhaps “tumbleweed” (NAB, NIV, CEV); KJV “like a rolling thing.”
10 tn Heb “short of hand”; KJV, ASV “of small power”; NASB “short of strength.”
11 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
12 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
13 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah, “standing grain”) to קָדִים (qadim, “east wind”) with the support of 1Q Isaa; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:657, n. 8.
14 tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.
15 tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”
16 tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”
17 tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”
18 tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.
