Isaiah 27:8

When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; ¹  he drives her away ²  with his strong wind in the day of the east wind. ³ 

By warfare and exile you contend with her—with his fierce blast he drives her out, as on a day the east wind blows.

You contended with them by banishing them, by driving them away. With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind.

but he has punished Israel only a little. He has exiled her from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east.

He was hard on them all right. The exile was a harsh sentence. He blew them away on a fierce blast of wind.

Your anger against her has been made clear by driving her away; he has taken her away with his storm-wind in the day of his east wind.

By expulsion, by exile you struggled against them; with his fierce blast he removed them in the day of the east wind.

In measure, by sending it away, You contended with it. He removes it by His rough wind In the day of the east wind.

When you summon her for divorce, you prosecute her; ¹  he drives her away ²  with his strong wind in the day of the east wind. ³ 

¹ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “in [?], in sending her away, you oppose her.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. The form בְּסַאסְּאָה (bÿsa’ssÿ’ah) is taken as an infinitive from סַאסְּאָה (sa’ssÿ’ah) with a prepositional prefix and a third feminine singular suffix. (The MT does not have a mappiq in the final he [ה], however). According to HALOT 738 s.v. סַאסְּאָה the verb is a Palpel form from an otherwise unattested root cognate with an Arabic verb meaning “to gather beasts with a call.” Perhaps it means “to call, summon” here, but this is a very tentative proposal. בְּשַׁלְחָהּ (bÿshalkhah, “in sending her away”) appears to be a Piel infinitive with a prepositional prefix and a third feminine singular suffix. Since the Piel of שָׁלָח (shalakh) can sometimes mean “divorce” (HALOT 1514-15 s.v.) and the following verb רִיב (riv, “oppose”) can be used in legal contexts, it is possible that divorce proceedings are alluded to here. This may explain why Israel is referred to as feminine in this verse, in contrast to the masculine forms used in vv. 6-7 and 9.

² tn The Hebrew text has no object expressed, but one can understand a third feminine singular pronominal object and place a mappiq in the final he (ה) of the form to indicate the suffix.

³ sn The “east wind” here symbolizes violent divine judgment.