¹ tn Isaiah uses the suffixed (perfect) form of the verb for rhetorical purposes. In this way his destruction is described as occurring or as already completed. Rather than understanding the verb as derived from דָּמַה (damah, “be destroyed”), some take it from a proposed homonymic root דמה, which would mean “be silent.” In this case, one might translate, “I must be silent.”

² tn Heb “a man unclean of lips am I.” Isaiah is not qualified to praise the king. His lips (the instruments of praise) are “unclean” because he has been contaminated by sin.

³ tn Heb “and among a nation unclean of lips I live.”

⁴ tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

⁵ sn Throughout this section singular forms are used to refer to Assyria; perhaps the king of Assyria is in view (see v. 12).

⁶ tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “impious”; NCV “separated from God.”

⁷ tn Heb “and against the people of my anger I ordered him.”

⁸ tn Heb “to make it [i.e., the people] a trampled place.”

⁹ sn The Lord is definitely speaking (again?) at this point. See the note at v. 4.

¹⁰ tn Or “I will bring disaster on the world.” Hebrew רָעָה (ra’ah) could refer to the judgment (i.e., disaster, calamity) or to the evil that prompts it. The structure of the parallel line favors the latter interpretation.

¹¹ tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; cf. NASB, NIV “the ruthless.”

¹² tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”

¹³ sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.

¹⁴ sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.

¹⁵ tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”

¹⁶ tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”

¹⁷ tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.

¹⁸ tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.

¹⁹ tn Heb “formed” (so KJV, ASV).

²⁰ tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.

²¹ tn Heb “father” (so KJV, NAB, NIV).

²² tn Or “moan” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); KJV, CEV “mourn.”

²³ tn Heb “my eyes become weak, toward the height.”

²⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in v. 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

²⁵ tn Heb “stand surety for me.” Hezekiah seems to be picturing himself as a debtor who is being exploited; he asks that the Lord might relieve his debt and deliver him from the oppressive creditor.

²⁶ tn Heb “whom I have taken hold of [i.e., to lead back].”

²⁷ sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

²⁸ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

²⁹ sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

³⁰ tn Heb “call you in righteousness.” The pronoun “you” is masculine singular, referring to the servant. See the note at 41:2.

³¹ tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצַר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצַר (yatsar, “form”).

³² tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. The precise identity of עָם (’am, “people”) is uncertain. In v. 5 עָם refers to mankind, and the following reference to “nations” also favors this. But in 49:8, where the phrase בְּרִית עָם occurs again, Israel seems to be in view.

³³ sn Light here symbolizes deliverance from bondage and oppression; note the parallelism in 49:6b and in 51:4-6.

³⁴ tn Or “the Gentiles” (so KJV, ASV, NIV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “nations” or “Gentiles” depending on the context.

³⁵ tn Heb “I will dry up the mountains and hills.” The “mountains and hills” stand by synecdoche for the trees that grow on them. Some prefer to derive the verb from a homonymic root and translate, “I will lay waste.”

³⁶ tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will turn streams into coastlands [or “islands”].” Scholars who believe that this reading makes little sense have proposed an emendation of אִיִּים (’iyyim, “islands”) to צִיּוֹת (tsiyyot, “dry places”; cf. NCV, NLT, TEV). However, since all the versions support the MT reading, there is insufficient grounds for an emendation here. Although the imagery of changing rivers into islands is somewhat strange, J. N. Oswalt describes this imagery against the backdrop of rivers of the Near East. The receding of these rivers at times occasioned the appearance of previously submerged islands (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:126).

³⁷ sn The imagery of this verse, which depicts the Lord bringing a curse of infertility to the earth, metaphorically describes how the Lord will destroy his enemies.

³⁸ tn The words “who live” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³⁹ tn Heb “I, even my hands”; NASB “I stretched out…with My hands”; NRSV “it was my hands that stretched out.” The same construction occurs at the beginning of v. 13.

⁴⁰ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

⁴¹ tn Heb “and to all their host I commanded.” See the notes at 40:26.

⁴² tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”

⁴³ tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”

⁴⁴ tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”

⁴⁵ tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”] is near.”

⁴⁶ tn Heb “my deliverance goes forth.”

⁴⁷ tn Heb “and my arms will judge [on behalf of] nations.”

⁴⁸ tn Or “islands” (NIV); TEV “Distant lands.”

⁴⁹ tn Heb “for my arm” (so NIV, NRSV).

⁵⁰ tn Heb “so is the word which goes out from my mouth, it does not return to empty.” “Word” refers here to divine promises, like the ones made just prior to and after this (see vv. 7b, 12-13).

⁵¹ tn Heb “but it accomplishes what I desire, and succeeds [on the mission] which I send it.”

sn Verses 8-11 focus on the reliability of the divine word and support the promises before (vv. 3-5, 7b) and after (vv. 12-13) this. Israel can be certain that repentance will bring forgiveness and a new covenantal relationship because God’s promises are reliable. In contrast to human plans (or “thoughts”), which are destined to fail (Ps 94:11) apart from divine approval (Prov 19:21), and human deeds (or “ways”), which are evil and lead to destruction (Prov 1:15-19; 3:31-33; 4:19), God’s plans are realized and his deeds accomplish something positive.