Discovery BoxIsaiah 63:11-16 
Context63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. 1
Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,
along with the shepherd of 2 his flock?
Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, 3
63:12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, 4
who divided the water before them,
gaining for himself a lasting reputation, 5
63:13 who led them through the deep water?
Like a horse running on flat land 6 they did not stumble.
63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, 7
so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.
In this way 8 you guided your people,
gaining for yourself an honored reputation. 9
63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,
from your holy, majestic palace!
Where are your zeal 10 and power?
Do not hold back your tender compassion! 11
63:16 For you are our father,
though Abraham does not know us
and Israel does not recognize us.
You, Lord, are our father;
you have been called our protector from ancient times. 12
1 tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.
2 tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, ra’ah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.
4 tn Heb “who caused to go at the right hand of Moses the arm of his splendor.”
5 tn Heb “making for himself a lasting name.”
6 tn Heb “in the desert [or “steppe”].”
7 tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
8 tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).
9 tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”
10 tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.
11 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.
12 tn Heb “our protector [or “redeemer”] from antiquity [is] your name.”
