Discovery BoxIsaiah 29:8 
Context29:8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating,
only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty. 1
It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking,
only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched. 2
So it will be for the horde from all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
Isaiah 50:2
Context50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?
Why does no one respond when I call? 3
Is my hand too weak 4 to deliver 5 you?
Do I lack the power to rescue you?
Look, with a mere shout 6 I can dry up the sea;
I can turn streams into a desert,
so the fish rot away and die
from lack of water. 7
1 tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”
2 tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”
3 sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.
4 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).
5 tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).
6 tn Heb “with my rebuke.”
7 tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”
