Discovery BoxIsaiah 2:4 
Context2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares, 1
and their spears into pruning hooks. 2
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
Isaiah 3:24
Context3:24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, 3
a rope will replace a belt,
baldness will replace braided locks of hair,
a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe,
and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.
Isaiah 5:7
Context5:7 Indeed 4 Israel 5 is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,
the people 6 of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.
He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! 7
He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! 8
Isaiah 23:18
Context23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. 9
Isaiah 33:15
Context33:15 The one who lives 10 uprightly 11
and speaks honestly;
the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures
and rejects a bribe; 12
the one who does not plot violent crimes 13
and does not seek to harm others 14 –
Isaiah 42:22
Context42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits 15
and held captive 16 in prisons.
They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;
they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” 17
Isaiah 63:1
Context63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, 18
dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? 19
Who 20 is this one wearing royal attire, 21
who marches confidently 22 because of his great strength?
“It is I, the one who announces vindication,
and who is able to deliver!” 23
1 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
2 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.
3 tn Heb “and it will be in place of spices there will be a stench.” The nouns for “spices” and “stench” are right next to each other in the MT for emphatic contrast. The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
4 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
5 tn Heb “the house of Israel” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
6 tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.
7 tn Heb “but, look, disobedience.” The precise meaning of מִשְׂפָּח (mishpakh), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Some have suggested a meaning “bloodshed.” The term is obviously chosen for its wordplay value; it sounds very much like מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “justice”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.
8 tn Heb “but, look, a cry for help.” The verb (“he waited”) does double duty in the parallelism. צְעָקָה (tsa’qah) refers to the cries for help made by the oppressed. It sounds very much like צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.
9 tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”
sn The point of this verse, which in its blatant nationalism comes precariously close to comparing the Lord to one who controls or manages a prostitute, is that Tyre will become a subject of Israel and her God. Tyre’s commercial profits will be used to enrich the Lord’s people.
10 tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV).
11 tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”
12 tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”
13 tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”
14 tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.”
15 tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).
16 tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”
17 tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”
18 sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.
19 tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”
20 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.
21 tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”
22 tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsa’ah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsa’ad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).
23 tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”
