Discovery BoxIsaiah 9:9-10 
Context9:9 All the people were aware 1 of it,
the people of Ephraim and those living in Samaria. 2
Yet with pride and an arrogant attitude, they said, 3
9:10 “The bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with chiseled stone;
the sycamore fig trees have been cut down,
but we will replace them with cedars.” 4
1 tn The translation assumes that vv. 9-10 describe the people’s response to a past judgment (v. 8). The perfect is understood as indicating simple past and the vav (ו) is taken as conjunctive. Another option is to take the vav on the perfect as consecutive and translate, “all the people will know.”
2 tn Heb “and the people, all of them, knew; Ephraim and the residents of Samaria.”
3 tn Heb “with pride and arrogance of heart, saying.”
4 sn Though judgment (see v. 8) had taken away the prosperity they did have (symbolized by the bricks and sycamore fig trees), they arrogantly expected the future to bring even greater prosperity (symbolized by the chiseled stone and cedars).
