Discovery BoxIsaiah 3:6 
Context3:6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother
right in his father’s house 1 and say, 2
‘You own a coat –
you be our leader!
This heap of ruins will be under your control.’ 3
Isaiah 9:12
Context9:12 Syria from the east,
and the Philistines from the west,
they gobbled up Israelite territory. 4
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 5
Isaiah 9:21
Context9:21 Manasseh fought against 6 Ephraim,
and Ephraim against Manasseh;
together they fought against Judah.
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 7
Isaiah 10:4
Context10:4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,
or to fall among those who have been killed. 8
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 9
Isaiah 11:11
Context11:11 At that time 10 the sovereign master 11 will again lift his hand 12 to reclaim 13 the remnant of his people 14 from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, 15 Cush, 16 Elam, Shinar, 17 Hamath, and the seacoasts. 18
Isaiah 30:32
Context30:32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel, 19
with which the Lord will beat them, 20
will be accompanied by music from the 21 tambourine and harp,
and he will attack them with his weapons. 22
Isaiah 41:2
Context41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? 23
Who 24 officially commissions him for service? 25
He hands nations over to him, 26
and enables him to subdue 27 kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like windblown straw with his bow. 28
Isaiah 42:24
Context42:24 Who handed Jacob over to the robber?
Who handed Israel over to the looters? 29
Was it not the Lord, against whom we sinned?
They refused to follow his commands;
they disobeyed his law. 30
Isaiah 48:14
Context48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!
Who among them 31 announced these things?
The Lord’s ally 32 will carry out his desire against Babylon;
he will exert his power against the Babylonians. 33
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 34 arrow,
he hid me in his quiver. 35
Isaiah 50:10
Context50:10 Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys 36 his servant?
Whoever walks in deep darkness, 37
without light,
should trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
Isaiah 53:7
Context53:7 He was treated harshly and afflicted, 38
but he did not even open his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block,
like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not even open his mouth. 39
Isaiah 62:8
Context62:8 The Lord swears an oath by his right hand,
by his strong arm: 40
“I will never again give your grain
to your enemies as food,
and foreigners will not drink your wine,
which you worked hard to produce.
Isaiah 63:9
Context63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. 41
The messenger sent from his very presence 42 delivered them.
In his love and mercy he protected 43 them;
he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. 44
1 tn Heb “[in] the house of his father” (so ASV); NIV “at his father’s home.”
2 tn The words “and say” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
3 tn Heb “your hand”; NASB “under your charge.”
sn The man’s motives are selfish. He tells his brother to assume leadership because he thinks he has some wealth to give away.
4 tn Heb “and they devoured Israel with all the mouth”; NIV “with open mouth”; NLT “With bared fangs.”
5 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched.” One could translate in the past tense here (and in 9:17b and 21b), but the appearance of the refrain in 10:4b, where it follows a woe oracle prophesying a future judgment, suggests it is a dramatic portrait of the judge which did not change throughout this period of past judgment and will remain unchanged in the future. The English present tense is chosen to best reflect this dramatic mood. (See also 5:25b, where the refrain appears following a dramatic description of coming judgment.)
6 tn The words “fought against” are supplied in the translation both here and later in this verse for stylistic reasons.
7 tn Heb “in all this his anger is not turned, and still his hand is outstretched” (KJV and ASV both similar); NIV “his hand is still upraised.”
sn See the note at 9:12.
8 tn Heb “except one kneels in the place of the prisoner, and in the place of the slain [who] fall.” On the force of בִּלְתִּי (bilti, “except”) and its logical connection to what precedes, see BDB 116 s.v. בֵלֶת. On the force of תַּחַת (takhat, “in the place of”) here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:258, n. 6.
9 tn Heb “in all this his anger was not turned, and still his hand was outstretched”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “his had is stretched out still.”
sn See the note at 9:12.
10 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
11 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
12 tc The Hebrew text reads, “the sovereign master will again, a second time, his hand.” The auxiliary verb יוֹסִיף (yosif), which literally means “add,” needs a main verb to complete it. Consequently many emend שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) to an infinitive. Some propose the form שַׁנֹּת (shannot, a Piel infinitive construct from שָׁנָה, shanah) and relate it semantically to an Arabic cognate meaning “to be high.” If the Hebrew text is retained a verb must be supplied. “Second time” would allude back to the events of the Exodus (see vv. 15-16).
13 tn Or “acquire”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “recover.”
14 tn Heb “the remnant of his people who remain.”
15 sn Perhaps a reference to Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt (so NIV, NLT; NCV “South Egypt”).
16 tn Or “Ethiopia” (NAB, NRSV, NLT).
17 tn Or “Babylonia” (NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).
18 tn Or perhaps, “the islands of the sea.”
19 tc The Hebrew text has “every blow from a founded [i.e., “appointed”?] cudgel.” The translation above, with support from a few medieval Hebrew
20 tn Heb “which the Lord lays on him.”
21 tn Heb “will be with” (KJV similar).
22 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and with battles of brandishing [weapons?] he will fight against him.” Some prefer to emend וּבְמִלְחֲמוֹת (uvÿmilkhamot, “and with battles of”) to וּבִמְחֹלוֹת (uvimkholot, “and with dancing”). Note the immediately preceding references to musical instruments.
23 sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).
24 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.
25 tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”
26 tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”
27 tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).
28 sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.
29 tn Heb “Who gave to the robber Jacob, and Israel to the looters?” In the first line the consonantal text (Kethib) has מְשׁוֹסֶה (mÿshoseh), a Polel participle from שָׁסָה (shasah, “plunder”). The marginal reading (Qere) is מְשִׁיסָּה (mÿshissah), a noun meaning “plunder.” In this case one could translate “Who handed Jacob over as plunder?”
30 tn Heb “they were not willing in his ways to walk, and they did not listen to his law.”
31 sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).
32 tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”
sn The
33 tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”
34 tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”
35 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.
36 tn Heb “[who] listens to the voice of his servant?” The interrogative is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
37 tn The plural indicates degree. Darkness may refer to exile and/or moral evil.
38 tn The translation assumes the Niphal is passive; another option is take the clause (note the subject + verb pattern) as concessive and the Niphal as reflexive, “though he humbled himself.”
39 sn This verse emphasizes the servant’s silent submission. The comparison to a sheep does not necessarily suggest a sacrificial metaphor. Sheep were slaughtered for food as well as for sacrificial rituals, and טֶבַח (tevakh) need not refer to sacrificial slaughter (see Gen 43:16; Prov 7:22; 9:2; Jer 50:27; note also the use of the related verb in Exod 21:37; Deut 28:31; 1 Sam 25:11).
40 tn The Lord’s right hand and strong arm here symbolize his power and remind the audience that his might guarantees the fulfillment of the following promise.
41 tn Heb “in all their distress, there was distress to him” (reading לוֹ [lo] with the margin/Qere).
42 tn Heb “the messenger [or “angel”] of his face”; NIV “the angel of his presence.”
sn This may refer to the “angel of God” mentioned in Exod 14:19, who in turn may be identical to the divine “presence” (literally, “face”) referred to in Exod 33:14-15 and Deut 4:37. Here in Isa 63 this messenger may be equated with God’s “holy Spirit” (see vv. 10-11) and “the Spirit of the Lord” (v. 14). See also Ps 139:7, where God’s “Spirit” seems to be equated with his “presence” (literally, “face”) in the synonymous parallelistic structure.
43 tn Or “redeemed” (KJV, NAB, NIV), or “delivered.”
44 tn Heb “all the days of antiquity”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “days of old.”
