Discovery BoxIsaiah 3:4 
Context3:4 The Lord says, 1 “I will make youths their officials;
malicious young men 2 will rule over them.
Isaiah 5:3
Context5:3 So now, residents of Jerusalem, 3
people 4 of Judah,
you decide between me and my vineyard!
Isaiah 8:16
Context8:16 Tie up the scroll as legal evidence, 5
seal the official record of God’s instructions and give it to my followers. 6
Isaiah 14:26
Context14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth;
my hand is ready to strike all the nations.” 7
Isaiah 26:7
Context26:7 8 The way of the righteous is level,
the path of the righteous that you make is straight. 9
Isaiah 31:6
Context31:6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled! 10
Isaiah 33:24
Context33:24 No resident of Zion 11 will say, “I am ill”;
the people who live there will have their sin forgiven.
Isaiah 41:27
Context41:27 I first decreed to Zion, ‘Look, here’s what will happen!’ 12
I sent a herald to Jerusalem. 13
Isaiah 62:7
Context62:7 Don’t allow him to rest until he reestablishes Jerusalem, 14
until he makes Jerusalem the pride 15 of the earth.
Isaiah 65:6
ContextI will not keep silent, but will pay them back;
I will pay them back exactly what they deserve, 17
1 tn The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The prophet speaks in vv. 1-3 (note the third person reference to the Lord in v. 1), but here the Lord himself announces that he will intervene in judgment. It is unclear where the Lord’s words end and the prophet’s pick up again. The prophet is apparently speaking again by v. 8, where the Lord is referred to in the third person. Since vv. 4-7 comprise a thematic unity, the quotation probably extends through v. 7.
2 tn תַעֲלוּלִים (ta’alulim) is often understood as an abstract plural meaning “wantonness, cruelty” (cf. NLT). In this case the chief characteristic of these leaders is substituted for the leaders themselves. However, several translations make the parallelism tighter by emending the form to עוֹלְלִים (’olÿlim, “children”; cf. ESV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV). This emendation is unnecessary for at least two reasons. The word in the MT highlights the cruelty or malice of the “leaders” who are left behind in the wake of God’s judgment. The immediate context makes clear the fact that they are mere youths. The coming judgment will sweep away the leaders, leaving a vacuum which will be filled by incompetent, inexperienced youths.
3 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
4 tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.
5 tn Heb “tie up [the] testimony.” The “testimony” probably refers to the prophetic messages God has given him. When the prophecies are fulfilled, he will be able to produce this official, written record to confirm the authenticity of his ministry and to prove to the people that God is sovereign over events.
6 tn Heb “seal [the] instruction among my followers.” The “instruction” probably refers to the prophet’s exhortations and warnings. When the people are judged for the sins, the prophet can produce these earlier messages and essentially say, “I told you so.” In this way he can authenticate his ministry and impress upon the people the reality of God’s authority over them.
7 tn Heb “and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations.”
8 sn The literary structure of chap. 26 is not entirely clear. The chapter begins with an eschatological song of praise and ends with a lament and prophetic response (vv. 16-21). It is not certain where the song of praise ends or how vv. 7-15 fit into the structure. Verses 10-11a seem to lament the presence of evil and v. 11b anticipates the arrival of judgment, so it is possible that vv. 7-15 are a prelude to the lament and announcement that conclude the chapter.
9 tc The Hebrew text has, “upright, the path of the righteous you make level.” There are three possible ways to translate this line. Some take יָשָׁר (yashar) as a divine title: “O Upright One” (cf. NASB, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). Others regard יָשָׁר as the result of dittography (מֵישָׁרִים יָשָׁר ַמעְגַּל, mesharim yashar ma’gal) and do not include it in the translation. Another possibility is to keep יָשָׁר and render the line as “the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight.”
sn The metaphor of a level/smooth road/path may refer to their morally upright manner of life (see v. 8a), but verse 7b, which attributes the smooth path to the Lord, suggests that the Lord’s vindication and blessing may be the reality behind the metaphor here.
10 tn Heb “Return to the one [against] whom the sons of Israel made deep rebellion.” The syntax is awkward here. A preposition is omitted by ellipsis after the verb (see GKC 446 §138.f, n. 2), and there is a shift from direct address (note the second plural imperative “return”) to the third person (note “they made deep”). For other examples of abrupt shifts in person in poetic style, see GKC 462 §144.p.
11 tn The words “of Zion” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
12 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “First to Zion, ‘Look here they are!’” The words “I decreed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
13 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
14 tn “Jerusalem” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons; note the following line.
15 tn Heb “[the object of] praise.”
16 tn Heb “Look, it is written before me.”
17 tn Heb “I will pay back into their lap.”
