Discovery BoxIsaiah 26:9 
Context26:9 I 1 look for 2 you during the night,
my spirit within me seeks you at dawn,
for when your judgments come upon the earth,
those who live in the world learn about justice. 3
Isaiah 47:9
Context47:9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed. 4
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, 5
despite 6 your many incantations
and your numerous amulets. 7
Isaiah 60:19
Context60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,
nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;
the Lord will be your permanent source of light –
the splendor of your God will shine upon you. 8
Isaiah 61:1
Context61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen 9 me. 10
He has commissioned 11 me to encourage 12 the poor,
to help 13 the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
1 tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).
2 tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).
3 tn The translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “those who live in the world learn to live in a righteous manner” (cf. NCV).
4 tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
5 tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
6 tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.
7 sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.
8 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
9 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
10 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
11 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
12 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
13 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
