Discovery BoxIsaiah 40:28 
Context40:28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is an eternal God,
the creator of the whole earth. 1
He does not get tired or weary;
there is no limit to his wisdom. 2
Isaiah 43:2
Context43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;
when you pass 3 through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not harm 4 you.
Isaiah 54:14
Context54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. 5
You will not experience oppression; 6
indeed, you will not be afraid.
You will not be terrified, 7
for nothing frightening 8 will come near you.
Isaiah 65:1
Context65:1 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; 9
I appeared to those who did not look for me. 10
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
to a nation that did not invoke 11 my name.
1 tn Heb “the ends of the earth,” but this is a merism, where the earth’s extremities stand for its entirety, i.e., the extremities and everything in between them.
2 sn Exiled Israel’s complaint (v. 27) implies that God might be limited in some way. Perhaps he, like so many of the pagan gods, has died. Or perhaps his jurisdiction is limited to Judah and does not include Babylon. Maybe he is unable to devise an adequate plan to rescue his people, or is unable to execute it. But v. 28 affirms that he is not limited temporally or spatially nor is his power and wisdom restricted in any way. He can and will deliver his people, if they respond in hopeful faith (v. 31a).
3 tn The verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
4 tn Heb “burn” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV, NLT “consume”; NIV “set you ablaze.”
5 tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.
6 tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.
7 tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.
8 tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.
9 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be sought by those who did not ask.”
10 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be found by those who did not seek.”
11 tn Heb “call out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “call on.”
