Discovery BoxIsaiah 9:2 
Context9:2 (9:1) The people walking in darkness
see a bright light; 1
light shines
on those who live in a land of deep darkness. 2
Isaiah 14:16
Context14:16 Those who see you stare at you,
they look at you carefully, thinking: 3
“Is this the man who shook the earth,
the one who made kingdoms tremble?
Isaiah 30:20
Context30:20 The sovereign master 4 will give you distress to eat
and suffering to drink; 5
but your teachers will no longer be hidden;
your eyes will see them. 6
Isaiah 33:19
Context33:19 You will no longer see a defiant 7 people
whose language you do not comprehend, 8
whose derisive speech you do not understand. 9
Isaiah 38:11
Context38:11 “I thought,
‘I will no longer see the Lord 10 in the land of the living,
I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world. 11
Isaiah 40:5
Context40:5 The splendor 12 of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people 13 will see it at the same time.
For 14 the Lord has decreed it.” 15
Isaiah 44:9
Context44:9 All who form idols are nothing;
the things in which they delight are worthless.
Their witnesses cannot see;
they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.
Isaiah 52:8
Context52:8 Listen, 16 your watchmen shout;
in unison they shout for joy,
for they see with their very own eyes 17
the Lord’s return to Zion.
Isaiah 61:9
Context61:9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize that
the Lord has blessed them.” 18
Isaiah 62:2
Context62:2 Nations will see your vindication,
and all kings your splendor.
You will be called by a new name
that the Lord himself will give you. 19
Isaiah 66:14
Context66:14 When you see this, you will be happy, 20
and you will be revived. 21
The Lord will reveal his power to his servants
and his anger to his enemies. 22
1 sn The darkness symbolizes judgment and its effects (see 8:22); the light represents deliverance and its effects, brought about by the emergence of a conquering Davidic king (see vv. 3-6).
2 tn Traditionally צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has been interpreted as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (so KJV, ASV, NIV), but usage indicates that the word, though it sometimes refers to death, means “darkness.” The term should probably be repointed as an abstract noun צַלְמוּת (tsalmut). See the note at Ps 23:4.
3 tn The word “thinking” is supplied in the translation in order to make it clear that the next line records their thoughts as they gaze at him.
4 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
5 tn Heb “and the Master will give to you bread – distress, and water – oppression.”
6 tn Heb “but your teachers will no longer be hidden, your eyes will be seeing your teachers.” The translation assumes that the form מוֹרֶיךָ (morekha) is a plural participle, referring to spiritual leaders such as prophets and priests. Another possibility is that the form is actually singular (see GKC 273-74 §93.ss) or a plural of respect, referring to God as the master teacher. See HALOT 560-61 s.v. III מוֹרֶה. For discussion of the views, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:560.
7 tn The Hebrew form נוֹעָז (no’az) is a Niphal participle derived from יָעַז (ya’az, an otherwise unattested verb) or from עָזָז (’azaz, “be strong,” unattested elsewhere in the Niphal). Some prefer to emend the form to לוֹעֵז (lo’ez) which occurs in Ps 114:1 with the meaning “speak a foreign language.” See HALOT 809 s.v. עזז, 533 s.v. לעז. In this case, one might translate “people who speak a foreign language.”
8 tn Heb “a people too deep of lip to hear.” The phrase “deep of lip” must be an idiom meaning “lips that speak words that are unfathomable [i.e., incomprehensible].”
9 tn Heb “derision of tongue there is no understanding.” The Niphal of לָעַג (la’ag) occurs only here. In the Qal and Hiphil the verb means “to deride, mock.” A related noun is used in 28:11.
10 tn The Hebrew text has יָהּ יָהּ (yah yah, the abbreviated form of יְהוָה [yÿhvah] repeated), but this is probably a corruption of יְהוָה.
11 tc The Hebrew text has חָדֶל (khadel), which appears to be derived from a verbal root meaning “to cease, refrain.” But the form has probably suffered an error of transmission; the original form (attested in a few medieval Hebrew
12 tn Or “glory.” The Lord’s “glory” is his theophanic radiance and royal splendor (see Isa 6:3; 24:23; 35:2; 60:1; 66:18-19).
13 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NAB, NIV “mankind”; TEV “the whole human race.”
14 tn Or “indeed.”
15 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
16 tn קוֹל (qol, “voice”) is used at the beginning of the verse as an interjection.
17 tn Heb “eye in eye”; KJV, ASV “eye to eye”; NAB “directly, before their eyes.”
18 tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
19 tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”
20 tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”
21 tn Heb “and your bones like grass will sprout.”
22 tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, and anger to his enemies.”
