Discovery BoxIsaiah 47:8-9 
Context47:8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly, 1
who lives securely,
who says to herself, 2
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! 3
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’ 4
47:9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed. 5
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, 6
despite 7 your many incantations
and your numerous amulets. 8
1 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
2 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
3 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
4 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
5 tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
6 tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
7 tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.
8 sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.
