Discovery BoxIsaiah 28:20 
Context28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 1
Isaiah 54:2
Context54:2 Make your tent larger,
stretch your tent curtains farther out! 2
Spare no effort,
lengthen your ropes,
and pound your stakes deep. 3
Isaiah 34:11
Context34:11 Owls and wild animals 4 will live there, 5
all kinds of wild birds 6 will settle in it.
The Lord 7 will stretch out over her
the measuring line of ruin
1 sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.
2 tn Heb “the curtains of our dwelling places let them stretch out.”
3 tn Heb “your stakes strengthen.”
4 tn קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).
5 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).
6 tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof vÿ’orev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.
7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.
9 sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.
