Discovery BoxIsaiah 51:2 
Context51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,
and Sarah, who gave you birth. 1
When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, 2
but I blessed him 3 and gave him numerous descendants. 4
Isaiah 51:11
Context51:11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;
they will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them, 5
happiness and joy will overwhelm 6 them;
grief and suffering will disappear. 7
1 sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.
2 tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”
3 tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.
4 tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”
5 tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
6 tn Heb “overtake” (so NIV); NASB “they will obtain.”
7 tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee.”
