Discovery BoxIsaiah 55:4-5 
Context55:4 Look, I made him a witness to nations, 1
a ruler and commander of nations.”
55:5 Look, you will summon nations 2 you did not previously know;
nations 3 that did not previously know you will run to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, 4
for he bestows honor on you.
Isaiah 55:13
Context55:13 Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes,
firs will grow in place of nettles;
they will be a monument to the Lord, 5
a permanent reminder that will remain. 6
1 sn Ideally the Davidic king was to testify to the nations of God’s greatness (cf. Pss 18:50 HT [18:49 ET]; 22:28 HT [22:27 ET]). See J. H. Eaton, Kingship in the Psalms (SBT), 182-84.
2 tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs in the next line indicate (note that both “know” and “run” are third plural forms).
3 tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs that follow indicate.
4 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
5 tn Heb “to the Lord for a name.” For שֵׁם (shem) used in the sense of “monument,” see also 56:5, where it stands parallel to יָד (yad).
6 tn Or, more literally, “a permanent sign that will not be cut off.”
