Discovery BoxIsaiah 22:11 
Context22:11 You made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool –
but you did not trust in 1 the one who made it; 2
you did not depend on 3 the one who formed it long ago!
Isaiah 22:14
Context22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: 4 “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” 5 says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 25:1
Context25:1 O Lord, you are my God! 6
I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. 7
For you have done extraordinary things,
and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. 8
Isaiah 37:26
Context37:26 9 Certainly you must have heard! 10
Long ago I worked it out,
in ancient times I planned 11 it,
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 12
Isaiah 52:5
Context52:5 And now, what do we have here?” 13 says the Lord.
“Indeed my people have been carried away for nothing,
those who rule over them taunt,” 14 says the Lord,
“and my name is constantly slandered 15 all day long.
Isaiah 53:10
Context53:10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,
once restitution is made, 16
he will see descendants and enjoy long life, 17
and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.
Isaiah 57:10-11
Context57:10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired, 18
but you do not say, ‘I give up.’ 19
You get renewed energy, 20
so you don’t collapse. 21
57:11 Whom are you worried about?
Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully
and not remember me
or think about me? 22
Because I have been silent for so long, 23
you are not afraid of me. 24
Isaiah 65:5
Context65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!
Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’
These people are like smoke in my nostrils,
like a fire that keeps burning all day long.
1 tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”
2 tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.
3 tn Heb “did not see.”
4 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”
5 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
6 sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.
7 tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.
8 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.
9 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
10 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
11 tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).
12 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
13 tn Heb “and now what [following the marginal reading (Qere)] to me here?”
14 tn The verb appears to be a Hiphil form from the root יָלַל (yalal, “howl”), perhaps here in the sense of “mock.” Some emend the form to יְהוֹלָּלוֹ (yÿhollalo) and understand a Polel form of the root הָלַל meaning here “mock, taunt.”
15 tn The verb is apparently a Hitpolal form (with assimilated tav, ת) from the root נָאַץ (na’ats), but GKC 151-52 §55.b explains it as a mixed form, combining Pual and Hitpolel readings.
16 tn The meaning of this line is uncertain. It reads literally, “if you/she makes, a reparation offering, his life.” The verb תָּשִׂים (tasim) could be second masculine singular,in which case it would have to be addressed to the servant or to God. However, the servant is only addressed once in this servant song (see 52:14a), and God either speaks or is spoken about in this servant song; he is never addressed. Furthermore, the idea of God himself making a reparation offering is odd. If the verb is taken as third feminine singular, then the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) at the end of the line is the likely subject. In this case one can take the suffixed form of the noun as equivalent to a pronoun and translate, “if he [literally, “his life”] makes a reparation offering.”
sn What constitutes the servant’s reparation offering? Some might think his suffering, but the preceding context views this as past, while the verb here is imperfect in form. The offering appears to be something the servant does after his suffering has been completed. Perhaps the background of the language can be found in the Levitical code, where a healed leper would offer a reparation offering as part of the ritual to achieve ceremonial cleanliness (see Lev 14). The servant was pictured earlier in the song as being severely ill. This illness (a metaphor for the effects of the people’s sin) separated him from God. However, here we discover the separation is not final; once reparation is made, so to speak, he will again experience the Lord’s favor.
17 sn The idiomatic and stereotypical language emphasizes the servant’s restoration to divine favor. Having numerous descendants and living a long life are standard signs of divine blessing. See Job 42:13-16.
18 tn Heb “by the greatness [i.e., “length,” see BDB 914 s.v. רֹב 2] of your way you get tired.”
19 tn Heb “it is hopeless” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NRSV “It is useless.”
20 tn Heb “the life of your hand you find.” The term חַיָּה (khayyah, “life”) is here used in the sense of “renewal” (see BDB 312 s.v.) while יָד (yad) is used of “strength.”
21 tn Heb “you do not grow weak.”
22 tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”
23 tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”
24 sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.
