Discovery BoxIsaiah 11:8 
Contextover the hole of a snake; 2
over the nest 3 of a serpent
an infant 4 will put his hand. 5
Isaiah 19:4
Context19:4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;
a powerful king will rule over them,”
says the sovereign master, 6 the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 25:7
Context25:7 On this mountain he will swallow up
the shroud that is over all the peoples, 7
the woven covering that is over all the nations; 8
Isaiah 32:13
Context32:13 Mourn 9 over the land of my people,
which is overgrown with thorns and briers,
and over all the once-happy houses 10
in the city filled with revelry. 11
Isaiah 62:5
Context62:5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons 12 will marry you.
As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,
so your God will rejoice over you.
1 tn Heb “one sucking,” i.e., still being nursed by his mother.
2 tn Or perhaps, “cobra” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV); KJV, ASV, NRSV “asp.”
3 tc The Hebrew text has the otherwise unattested מְאוּרַת (mÿ’urat, “place of light”), i.e., opening of a hole. Some prefer to emend to מְעָרַת (mÿ’arat, “cave, den”).
4 tn Heb “one who is weaned” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
5 sn The transformation of the animal kingdom depicted here typifies what will occur in human society under the just rule of the ideal king (see vv. 3-5). The categories “predator-prey” (i.e., oppressor-oppressed) will no longer exist.
6 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
7 tn The Hebrew text reads, “the face of the shroud, the shroud over all the nations.” Some emend the second הַלּוֹט (hallot) to a passive participle הַלּוּט (hallut, “that is wrapped”).
8 sn The point of the imagery is unclear. Perhaps the shroud/covering referred to was associated with death in some way (see v. 8).
9 tn “Mourn” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
10 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.
11 sn This same phrase is used in 22:2.
12 tc The Hebrew text has “your sons,” but this produces an odd metaphor and is somewhat incongruous with the parallelism. In the context (v. 4b, see also 54:5-7) the Lord is the one who “marries” Zion. Therefore several prefer to emend “your sons” to בֹּנָיִךְ (bonayikh, “your builder”; e.g., NRSV). In Ps 147:2 the Lord is called the “builder of Jerusalem.” However, this emendation is not the best option for at least four reasons. First, although the Lord is never called the “builder” of Jerusalem in Isaiah, the idea of Zion’s children possessing the land does occur (Isa 49:20; 54:3; cf. also 14:1; 60:21). Secondly, all the ancient versions support the MT reading. Thirdly, although the verb בָּעַל (ba’al) can mean “to marry,” its basic idea is “to possess.” Consequently, the verb stresses a relationship more than a state. All the ancient versions render this verb “to dwell in” or “to dwell with.” The point is not just that the land will be reinhabited, but that it will be in a relationship of “belonging” to the Israelites. Hence a relational verb like בָּעַל is used (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:581). Finally, “sons” is a well-known metaphor for “inhabitants” (J. de Waard, Isaiah, 208).
