Discovery BoxIsaiah 41:10 
Context41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! 1
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! 2
Isaiah 46:4
Context46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, 3
even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.
I made you and I will support you;
I will carry you and rescue you. 4
Isaiah 65:1
Context65:1 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; 5
I appeared to those who did not look for me. 6
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
to a nation that did not invoke 7 my name.
1 tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishta’) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”) which is attested in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yare’, “fear”).
2 tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).
3 tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”
4 sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.
5 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be sought by those who did not ask.”
6 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be found by those who did not seek.”
7 tn Heb “call out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “call on.”
