Discovery BoxIsaiah 5:7 
Context5:7 Indeed 1 Israel 2 is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,
the people 3 of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.
He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! 4
He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! 5
Isaiah 5:24
Context5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire 6 devours straw,
and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,
so their root will rot,
and their flower will blow away like dust. 7
For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,
they have spurned the commands 8 of the Holy One of Israel. 9
Isaiah 10:24
Context10:24 So 10 here is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did. 11
Isaiah 10:26
Context10:26 The Lord who commands armies is about to beat them 12 with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. 13 He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt. 14
Isaiah 14:23
Context14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 15
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 16
says the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 22:25
Context22:25 “At that time,” 17 says the Lord who commands armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.” 18 Indeed, 19 the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 45:13
Context45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; 20
I will make all his ways level.
He will rebuild my city;
he will send my exiled people home,
but not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
1 tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
2 tn Heb “the house of Israel” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
3 tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.
4 tn Heb “but, look, disobedience.” The precise meaning of מִשְׂפָּח (mishpakh), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Some have suggested a meaning “bloodshed.” The term is obviously chosen for its wordplay value; it sounds very much like מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “justice”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.
5 tn Heb “but, look, a cry for help.” The verb (“he waited”) does double duty in the parallelism. צְעָקָה (tsa’qah) refers to the cries for help made by the oppressed. It sounds very much like צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.
6 tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.
7 sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.
8 tn Heb “the word.”
9 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
10 tn Heb “therefore.” The message that follows is one of encouragement, for it focuses on the eventual destruction of the Assyrians. Consequently “therefore” relates back to vv. 5-21, not to vv. 22-23, which must be viewed as a brief parenthesis in an otherwise positive speech.
11 tn Heb “in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.”
12 tn Heb “him” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); the singular refers to the leader or king who stands for the entire nation. This is specified by NCV, CEV as “the Assyrians.”
13 sn According to Judg 7:25, the Ephraimites executed the Midianite general Oreb at a rock which was subsequently named after the executed enemy.
14 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his staff [will be] against the sea, and he will lift it in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.” If the text is retained, “the sea” symbolizes Assyria’s hostility, the metaphor being introduced because of the reference to Egypt. The translation above assumes an emendation of עַל הַיָּם (’al hayyam, “against the sea”) to עַלֵיהֶם (’alehem, “against them”). The proposed shift from the third singular pronoun (note “beat him” earlier in the verse) to the plural is not problematic, for the singular is collective. Note that a third plural pronoun is used at the end of v. 25 (“their destruction”). The final phrase, “in the way/manner of Egypt,” probably refers to the way in which God used the staff of Moses to bring judgment down on Egypt.
15 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
16 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
17 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
18 sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.
19 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
20 tn Heb “I stir him up in righteousness”; NASB “I have aroused him.” See the note at 41:2. Cyrus (cf. 44:28) is in view here.
