Discovery BoxIsaiah 11:2 
Context11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him 1 –
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, 2
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, 3
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. 4
Isaiah 25:1
Context25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 5
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 6
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 7
Isaiah 29:15
Context29:15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead, 8
who do their work in secret and boast, 9
“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?” 10
Isaiah 30:1
Context30:1 “The rebellious 11 children are as good as dead,” 12 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 13
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 14
and thereby compound their sin. 15
Isaiah 32:6
Context32:6 For a fool speaks disgraceful things; 16
his mind plans out sinful deeds. 17
He commits godless deeds 18
and says misleading things about the Lord;
he gives the hungry nothing to satisfy their appetite 19
and gives the thirsty nothing to drink. 20
Isaiah 55:7
Context55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle 21
and sinful people their plans. 22
They should return 23 to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, 24
and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. 25
1 sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.
2 tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.
3 tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).
4 tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).
5 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
6 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
7 tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.
8 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who deeply hide counsel from the Lord.” This probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance. See 30:1-2 and 31:1.
9 tn Heb “and their works are in darkness and they say.”
10 tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “no one.” They are confident that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.
11 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
12 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
13 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
14 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
15 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
16 tn Or “foolishness,” in a moral-ethical sense. See 9:17.
17 tn Heb “and his heart commits sin”; KJV, ASV “his heart will work iniquity”; NASB “inclines toward wickedness.”
18 tn Heb “in order to do [or “so that he does”] what is godless [or “defiled”].”
19 tn Heb “so that he leaves empty the appetite [or “desire”] of the hungry.”
20 tn Heb “and the drink of the thirsty he causes to fail.”
21 tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.
22 tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.
23 tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”
24 tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.
25 sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.
