Discovery BoxIsaiah 8:19 
Context8:19 1 They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. 2 Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?” 3
Isaiah 10:24
Context10:24 So 4 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. 5
Isaiah 11:15
Context11:15 The Lord will divide 6 the gulf 7 of the Egyptian Sea; 8
he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River 9 and send a strong wind, 10
he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, 11
and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
Isaiah 14:9
Context14:9 Sheol 12 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 13 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 14
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 15
Isaiah 16:8
Context16:8 For the fields of Heshbon are dried up,
as well as the vines of Sibmah.
The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines,
which reach Jazer and spread to the desert;
their shoots spread out and cross the sea.
Isaiah 28:13
Context28:13 So the Lord’s word to them will sound like
meaningless gibberish,
senseless babbling,
a syllable here, a syllable there. 16
As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, 17
and be injured, ensnared, and captured. 18
Isaiah 30:26
Context30:26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare
and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,
like the light of seven days, 19
when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones 20
and heals their severe wound. 21
Isaiah 31:1
Context31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, 22
those who rely on war horses,
and trust in Egypt’s many chariots 23
and in their many, many horsemen. 24
But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel 25
and do not seek help from the Lord.
Isaiah 37:27
Context37:27 Their residents are powerless; 26
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field
or green vegetation. 27
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 28
when it is scorched by the east wind. 29
Isaiah 37:30
Context37:30 30 “This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: 31 This year you will eat what grows wild, 32 and next year 33 what grows on its own. But the year after that 34 you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 35
Isaiah 46:7
Context46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not 36 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
Isaiah 47:13
Context47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. 37
Let them take their stand –
the ones who see omens in the sky,
who gaze at the stars,
who make monthly predictions –
let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 38
Isaiah 49:7
Context49:7 This is what the Lord,
the protector 39 of Israel, their Holy One, 40 says
to the one who is despised 41 and rejected 42 by nations, 43
a servant of rulers:
“Kings will see and rise in respect, 44
princes will bow down,
because of the faithful Lord,
the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”
Isaiah 56:7
Context56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;
I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. 45
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,
for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” 46
Isaiah 58:2
Context58:2 They seek me day after day;
they want to know my requirements, 47
like a nation that does what is right
and does not reject the law of their God.
They ask me for just decrees;
they want to be near God.
Isaiah 58:5
Context58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? 48
Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, 49
bowing their heads like a reed
and stretching out 50 on sackcloth and ashes?
Is this really what you call a fast,
a day that is pleasing to the Lord?
Isaiah 60:9
Context60:9 Indeed, the coastlands 51 look eagerly for me,
the large ships 52 are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God, 53
the Holy One of Israel, 54 for he has bestowed honor on you.
Isaiah 63:3
Context63:3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;
no one from the nations joined me.
I stomped on them 55 in my anger;
I trampled them down in my rage.
Their juice splashed on my garments,
and stained 56 all my clothes.
Isaiah 66:17
Context66:17 “As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, 57 those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice 58 – they will all be destroyed together,” 59 says the Lord.
1 tn It is uncertain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking in vv. 19-22. If the latter, then vv. 19-22 resume the speech recorded in vv. 12-15, after the prophet’s response in vv. 16-18.
2 tn Heb “inquire of the ritual pits and of the magicians who chirp and mutter.” The Hebrew word אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a אוֹב-בַּעֲלַת (ba’alat-’ov, “owner of a ritual pit”). See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401.
3 tn Heb “Should a nation not inquire of its gods on behalf of the living, (by inquiring) of the dead?” These words appear to be a continuation of the quotation begun in the first part of the verse. אֱלֹהָיו (’elohayv) may be translated “its gods” or “its God.” Some take the second half of the verse as the prophet’s (or the Lord’s) rebuke of the people who advise seeking oracles at the ritual pits, but in this case the words “the dead on behalf of the living” are difficult to explain.
4 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.
5 tn Heb “in the way [or “manner”] of Egypt.”
6 tn The verb is usually understood as “put under the ban, destroy,” or emended to חָרָב (kharav, “dry up”). However, HALOT 354 s.v. II חרם proposes a homonymic root meaning “divide.”
7 tn Heb “tongue” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
8 sn That is, the Red Sea.
9 tn Heb “the river”; capitalized in some English versions (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) as a reference to the Euphrates River.
10 tn Heb “with the [?] of his wind” [or “breath”]. The Hebrew term עַיָם (’ayam) occurs only here. Some attempt to relate the word to an Arabic root and translate, “scorching [or “hot”] wind.” This interpretation fits especially well if one reads “dry up” in the previous line. Others prefer to emend the form to עֹצֶם (’otsem, “strong”). See HALOT 817 s.v. עֲצַם.
11 tn Heb “seven streams.” The Hebrew term נַחַל (nakhal, “stream”) refers to a wadi, or seasonal stream, which runs during the rainy season, but is otherwise dry. The context (see v. 15b) here favors the translation, “dried up streams.” The number seven suggests totality and completeness. Here it indicates that God’s provision for escape will be thorough and more than capable of accommodating the returning exiles.
12 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
13 tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.
14 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
15 tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.
16 tn Heb “And the word of the Lord will be to them, ‘tsahv latsahv,’ etc.” See the note at v. 10. In this case the “Lord’s word” is not the foreigner’s strange sounding words (as in v. 10), but the Lord’s repeated appeals to them (like the one quoted in v. 12). As time goes on, the Lord’s appeals through the prophets will have no impact on the people; they will regard prophetic preaching as gibberish.
17 tn Heb “as a result they will go and stumble backward.” Perhaps an infant falling as it attempts to learn to walk is the background image here (cf. v. 9b). The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) could be taken as indicating purpose (“in order that”), rather than simple result. In this case the people’s insensitivity to the message is caused by the Lord as a means of expediting their downfall.
18 sn When divine warnings and appeals become gibberish to the spiritually insensitive, they have no guidance and are doomed to destruction.
19 sn Light here symbolizes restoration of divine blessing and prosperity. The number “seven” is used symbolically to indicate intensity. The exact meaning of the phrase “the light of seven days” is uncertain; it probably means “seven times brighter” (see the parallel line).
20 tn Heb “the fracture of his people” (so NASB).
sn The Lord is here compared to a physician setting a broken bone in a bandage or cast.
21 tn Heb “the injury of his wound.” The joining of synonyms emphasizes the severity of the wound. Another option is to translate, “the wound of his blow.” In this case the pronominal suffix might refer to the Lord, not the people, yielding the translation, “the wound which he inflicted.”
22 tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”
23 tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”
24 tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”
25 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
26 tn Heb “short of hand”; KJV, ASV “of small power”; NASB “short of strength.”
27 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
28 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
29 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah, “standing grain”) to קָדִים (qadim, “east wind”) with the support of 1Q Isaa; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:657, n. 8.
30 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 22-29) ends and the Lord again addresses Hezekiah and the people directly (see v. 21).
31 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) is a future reminder of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
32 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
33 tn Heb “and in the second year” (so ASV).
34 tn Heb “in the third year” (so KJV, NAB).
35 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 30b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity.
36 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
37 tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”
38 tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”
39 tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
40 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
41 tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsaa reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”
42 tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”
43 tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).
44 tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.
45 tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.”
46 tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”
47 tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”
48 tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”
49 tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
50 tn Or “making [their] bed.”
51 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
52 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
53 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
54 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
55 sn Nations, headed by Edom, are the object of the Lord’s anger (see v. 6). He compares military slaughter to stomping on grapes in a vat.
56 tn Heb “and I stained.” For discussion of the difficult verb form, see HALOT 170 s.v. II גאל. Perhaps the form is mixed, combining the first person forms of the imperfect (note the alef prefix) and perfect (note the תי- ending).
57 tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.
58 tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”
59 tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”
