Discovery BoxIsaiah 5:20 
Context5:20 Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead, 1
who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,
who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. 2
Isaiah 5:30
Context5:30 At that time 3 they will growl over their prey, 4
it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks. 5
One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,
clouds will turn the light into darkness. 6
Isaiah 59:9
Context59:9 For this reason deliverance 7 is far from us 8
and salvation does not reach us.
We wait for light, 9 but see only darkness; 10
we wait for 11 a bright light, 12 but live 13 in deep darkness. 14
1 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who call.” See the note at v. 8.
2 sn In this verse the prophet denounces the perversion of moral standards. Darkness and bitterness are metaphors for evil; light and sweetness symbolize uprightness.
3 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
4 tn Heb “over it”; the referent (the prey) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “like the growling of the sea.”
6 tn Heb “and one will gaze toward the land, and look, darkness of distress, and light will grow dark by its [the land’s?] clouds.”
sn The motif of light turning to darkness is ironic when compared to v. 20. There the sinners turn light (= moral/ethical good) to darkness (= moral/ethical evil). Now ironically the Lord will turn light (= the sinners’ sphere of existence and life) into darkness (= the judgment and death).
7 tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.
8 sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.
9 sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.
10 tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”
11 tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
12 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
13 tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”
14 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
