Discovery BoxIsaiah 29:13 
Context29:13 The sovereign master 1 says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; 2
they say wonderful things about me, 3
but they are not really loyal to me. 4
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. 5
Isaiah 43:10
Context43:10 You are my witnesses,” says the Lord,
“my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may consider 6 and believe in me,
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before me,
and none will outlive me. 7
Isaiah 49:2
Context49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the hollow of his hand;
he made me like a sharpened 8 arrow,
he hid me in his quiver. 9
Isaiah 50:4
Context50:4 The sovereign Lord has given me the capacity to be his spokesman, 10
so that I know how to help the weary. 11
He wakes me up every morning;
he makes me alert so I can listen attentively as disciples do. 12
Isaiah 57:11
Context57:11 Whom are you worried about?
Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully
and not remember me
or think about me? 13
Because I have been silent for so long, 14
you are not afraid of me. 15
Isaiah 61:1
Context61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen 16 me. 17
He has commissioned 18 me to encourage 19 the poor,
to help 20 the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
1 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
2 tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
3 tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
4 tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
5 tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
6 tn Or “know” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
7 tn Heb “and after me, there will not be”; NASB “there will be none after Me.”
8 tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”
9 sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.
10 tn Heb “has given to me a tongue of disciples.”
sn Verses 4-11 contain the third of the so-called servant songs, which depict the career of the Lord’s special servant, envisioned as an ideal Israel (49:3) who rescues the exiles and fulfills God’s purposes for the world. Here the servant alludes to opposition (something hinted at in 49:4), but also expresses his determination to persevere with the Lord’s help.
11 tc Heb “to know [?] the weary with a word.” Comparing it with Arabic and Aramaic cognates yields the meaning of “help, sustain.” Nevertheless, the meaning of עוּת (’ut) is uncertain. The word occurs only here in the OT (see BDB 736 s.v.). Various scholars have suggested an emendation to עָנוֹת (’anot) from עָנָה (’anah, “answer”): “so that I know how to respond kindly to the weary.” Since the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and the Vulgate support the MT reading, that reading is retained.
12 tn Heb “he arouses for me an ear, to hear like disciples.”
13 tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”
14 tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”
15 sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.
16 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
17 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).
18 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
19 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
20 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
