Discovery BoxIsaiah 14:23 
Context14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 1
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 2
says the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 37:30
Context37:30 3 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: 4 This year you will eat what grows wild, 5 and next year 6 what grows on its own. But the year after that 7 you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 8
1 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
2 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
3 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).
4 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
5 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
6 tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).
7 tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).
8 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.
