Isaiah 13-16

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 13:1 sn Isa 13-23 contains a series of judgment oracles against various nations. It is likely that Israel, not the nations mentioned, actually heard these oracles. The oracles probably had a twofold purpose. For those leaders who insisted on getting embroiled in international politics, these oracles were a reminder that Judah need not fear foreign nations or seek international alliances for security reasons. For the righteous remnant within the nation, these oracles were a reminder that Israel’s God was indeed the sovereign ruler of the earth, worthy of his people’s trust.
2. Isaiah 13:1 tn The term מַשָּׂא (massaʾ, “pronouncement, a lifting up [of the voice]”) is a technical term introducing a message from the Lord (cf. Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1; Zech 9:1; Mal 1:1). Derived from the root נָשָׂא (nasaʾ, “to lift”), it is probably connected to the phrase “to raise one’s voice” (HALOT 639 s.v. II מַשָּׂא) and is usually translated as “oracle” or “utterance.” Because the root can also mean “to carry (a burden)” it has also been suggested that its nuance is of a burdensome message (KJV). Here it is the message which the prophet saw, suggesting that it is the report of a prophetic vision. In Nahum 1:1, the oracle is called “the book of vision.”
3. Isaiah 13:2 sn The Lord is speaking here (see v. 3).
4. Isaiah 13:3 tn Heb “my consecrated ones,” i.e., those who have been set apart by God for the special task of carrying out his judgment.
5. Isaiah 13:3 tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”
6. Isaiah 13:3 tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”
7. Isaiah 13:4 sn In vv. 4-10 the prophet appears to be speaking, since the Lord is referred to in the third person. However, since the Lord refers to himself in the third person later in this chapter (see v. 13), it is possible that he speaks throughout the chapter.
8. Isaiah 13:4 tn Heb “a sound, a roar, [is] on the mountains, like many people.”
9. Isaiah 13:4 tn Heb “a sound, tumult of kingdoms.”
10. Isaiah 13:5 tn Heb “from the end of the sky.”
11. Isaiah 13:5 tn Or “anger”; cf. KJV, ASV “the weapons of his indignation.”
12. Isaiah 13:5 tn Or perhaps, “land” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT). Even though the heading and subsequent context (see v. 17) indicate Babylon’s judgment is in view, the chapter has a cosmic flavor suggesting that the coming judgment is universal in scope. Perhaps Babylon’s downfall occurs in conjunction with a wider judgment, or the cosmic style is poetic hyperbole used to emphasize the magnitude and importance of the coming event.
13. Isaiah 13:6 tn Heb “the day of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).
14. Isaiah 13:6 tn Heb “like destruction from the Sovereign One it comes.” The comparative preposition (כ, kaf) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the destruction unleashed will have all the earmarks of divine judgment. One could paraphrase, “it comes as only destructive divine judgment can.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x.sn The divine name used here is שַׁדַּי (shaddai, “Shaddai”). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name is uncertain (see discussion below), its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appears to Abram, introduces himself as El Shaddai, and announces his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeats these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing upon Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prays that his sons will be treated with mercy when they return to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (cf. 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, tells him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (cf. chapter 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob refers to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, and Syriac) as the one who provides abundant blessings, including “blessings of the breast and womb” (49:25). (The direct association of the name with שָׁדַיִם [shadayim, “breasts”] suggests the name might mean “the one of the breast” [i.e., the one who gives fertility], but the juxtaposition is probably better explained as wordplay. Note the wordplay involving the name and the root שָׁדַד [shadad, “destroy”] here in Isa 13:6 and in Joel 1:15.) Outside Genesis the name Shaddai (minus El, “God”) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14; Isa 13:6; and Joel 1:15 Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. (In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubim’s wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.) Last but not least, the name occurs 31 times in the Book of Job. Job and his “friends” assume that Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world (11:7; 37:23a) who is the source of life (33:4b) and is responsible for maintaining justice (8:3; 34:10-12; 37:23b). He provides abundant blessings, including children (22:17-18; 29:4-6), but can also discipline, punish, and destroy (5:17; 6:4; 21:20; 23:16). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God’s justice is primary and even called into question (24:1; 27:2). The most likely proposal is that the name means “God, the one of the mountain” (an Akkadian cognate means “mountain,” to which Heb. שַׁד [shad, “breast”] is probably related). For a discussion of proposed derivations see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 70-71. The name may originally depict God as the sovereign judge who, in Canaanite style, rules from a sacred mountain. Isa 14:13 and Ezek 28:14, 16 associate such a mountain with God, while Ps 48:2 refers to Zion as “Zaphon,” the Canaanite Olympus from which the high god El ruled. (In Isa 14 the Canaanite god El may be in view. Note that Isaiah pictures pagan kings as taunting the king of Babylon, suggesting that pagan mythology may provide the background for the language and imagery.)
15. Isaiah 13:7 tn Heb “drop”; KJV “be faint”; ASV “be feeble”; NAB “fall helpless.”
16. Isaiah 13:7 tn Heb “melts” (so NAB).
17. Isaiah 13:8 tn Heb “their faces are faces of flames.” Their faces are flushed with fear and embarrassment.
18. Isaiah 13:9 tn Heb “the day of the Lord.”
19. Isaiah 13:9 tn Heb “[with] cruelty, and fury, and rage of anger.” Three synonyms for “anger” are piled up at the end of the line to emphasize the extraordinary degree of divine anger that will be exhibited in this judgment.
20. Isaiah 13:9 tn Heb “making desolate.”
21. Isaiah 13:9 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT).
22. Isaiah 13:10 tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”
23. Isaiah 13:10 tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”
24. Isaiah 13:11 sn The Lord is definitely speaking (again?) at this point. See the note at v. 4.
25. Isaiah 13:11 tn Or “I will bring disaster on the world.” Hebrew רָעָה (raʿah) could refer to the judgment (i.e., disaster, calamity) or to the evil that prompts it. The structure of the parallel line favors the latter interpretation.
26. Isaiah 13:11 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; cf. NASB, NIV “the ruthless.”
27. Isaiah 13:12 tn The verb is supplied in the translation from the first line. The verb in the first line (“I will make scarce”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.
28. Isaiah 13:13 tn Or “the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
29. Isaiah 13:13 tn Heb “from its place” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV).
30. Isaiah 13:13 tn Heb “and in the day of the raging of his anger.”
31. Isaiah 13:14 tn Or “like a gazelle being chased.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
32. Isaiah 13:14 tn Heb “his people” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “his nation” (cf. TEV “their own countries”).
33. Isaiah 13:15 tn Heb “carried off,” i.e., grabbed from the fleeing crowd. See HALOT 764 s.v. ספה.
34. Isaiah 13:15 tn Heb “will fall” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NLT “will be run through with a sword.”
35. Isaiah 13:17 tn Heb “against them”; NLT “against Babylon.”
36. Isaiah 13:17 sn They cannot be bought off, for they have a lust for bloodshed.
37. Isaiah 13:18 tn Heb “and bows cut to bits young men.” “Bows” stands by metonymy for arrows.
38. Isaiah 13:18 tn Heb “the fruit of the womb.”
39. Isaiah 13:18 tn Heb “their eye does not.” Here “eye” is a metonymy for the whole person.
40. Isaiah 13:19 tn Or “most beautiful” (NCV, TEV).
41. Isaiah 13:19 tn Heb “the beauty of the pride of the Chaldeans.”sn The Chaldeans were a group of tribes who lived in southern Mesopotamia. They established the so-called neo-Babylonian empire in the late seventh century b.c. Their most famous king, Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Judah in 605 b.c. and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 b.c.
42. Isaiah 13:19 tn Heb “and Babylon…will be like the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah.” On מַהְפֵּכַת (mahpekhat, “overthrow”) see the note on the word “destruction” in 1:7.
43. Isaiah 13:20 tn Heb “she will not be inhabited forever, and she will not be dwelt in to generation and generation (i.e., forever).” The Lord declares that Babylon, personified as a woman, will not be inhabited. In other words, her people will be destroyed, and the Chaldean empire will come to a permanent end.
44. Isaiah 13:20 tn Or “Arab” (NAB, NASB, NIV); cf. CEV, NLT “nomads.”
45. Isaiah 13:20 tn יַהֵל (yahel) is probably an alternate form or a scribal error of יֶאֱהַל (yeʾehal). See GKC 186 §68.k.
46. Isaiah 13:20 tn The words “their flocks” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text does not supply the object here, but see Jer 33:12.
47. Isaiah 13:21 tn The word “ruined” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
48. Isaiah 13:21 tn The precise referent of this word in uncertain. See HALOT 29 s.v. *אֹחַ. Various English versions translate as “owls” (e.g., NAB, NASB), “wild dogs” (NCV); “jackals” (NIV); “howling creatures” (NRSV, NLT).
49. Isaiah 13:21 tn Heb “will skip there.”
50. Isaiah 13:22 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “wild dogs will yip among his widows, and jackals in the palaces of pleasure.” The verb “yip” is supplied in the second line; it does double duty in the parallel structure. “His widows” makes little sense in this context; many emend the form (אַלְמנוֹתָיו, ʾalmnotayv) to the graphically similar אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ (ʾarm^enoteha, “her fortresses”), a reading that is assumed in the present translation. The use of “widows” may represent an intentional wordplay on “fortresses,” indicating that the fortresses are like dejected widows (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:308, n. 1).
51. Isaiah 13:22 tn Heb “near to come is her time.”
52. Isaiah 13:22 sn When was the prophecy of Babylon’s fall fulfilled? Some argue that the prophecy was fulfilled in 689 b.c. when the Assyrians under Sennacherib sacked and desecrated the city (this event is alluded to in 23:13). This may have been an initial phase in the fulfillment of the prophecy, but the reference to the involvement of the Medes (v. 17) and the suggestion that Babylon’s demise will bring about the restoration of Israel (14:1-2) indicate that the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians in 538 b.c. is the primary focus of the prophecy. (After all, the Lord did reveal to Isaiah that the Chaldeans [not the Assyrians] would someday conquer Jerusalem and take the people into exile [see 39:5-7].) However, the vivid picture of destruction in vv. 15-22 raises a problem. The Medes and Persians did not destroy the city; in fact Cyrus’ takeover of Babylon, though preceded by a military campaign, was relatively peaceful and even welcomed by some Babylonian religious officials. How then does one explain the prophecy’s description of the city’s violent fall? As noted above, the events of 689 b.c. and 538 b.c. may have been merged in the prophecy. However, it is more likely that the language is stylized and exaggerated for rhetorical effect. See Isa 34:11-15; Jer 50:39-40 (describing Babylon’s fall in 538 b.c.); 51:36-37 (describing Babylon’s fall in 538 b.c.); Zeph 2:13-15; the extra-biblical Sefire treaty curses; and Ashurbanipal’s description of the destruction of Elam in his royal annals. In other words, the events of 538 b.c. essentially, though not necessarily literally, fulfill the prophecy.
53. Isaiah 14:1 tn The sentence begins with כִּי (ki), which is understood as asseverative (“certainly”) in the translation. Another option is to translate, “For the Lord will have compassion.” In this case one of the reasons for Babylon’s coming demise (13:22b) is the Lord’s desire to restore his people.
54. Isaiah 14:1 tn The words “as his special people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
55. Isaiah 14:1 tn Or “settle” (NASB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
56. Isaiah 14:1 tn Heb “house.”
57. Isaiah 14:2 tn Heb “and the house of Israel will take possession of them [i.e., the nations], on the land of the Lord, as male servants and female servants.”
58. Isaiah 14:3 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
59. Isaiah 14:4 tn Heb “you will lift up this taunt over the king of Babylon, saying.”
60. Isaiah 14:4 tc The word in the Hebrew text (מַדְהֵבָה, madhevah) is unattested elsewhere and of uncertain meaning. Many (following the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a) assume a confusion of dalet and resh (ד and ר) and emend the form to מַרְהֵבָה (marhevah, “onslaught”). See HALOT 548 s.v. II *מִדָּה and HALOT 633 s.v. *מַרְהֵבָה.
61. Isaiah 14:6 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
62. Isaiah 14:6 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
63. Isaiah 14:6 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
64. Isaiah 14:8 tn Heb “concerning you.”
65. Isaiah 14:8 tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.
66. Isaiah 14:8 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
67. Isaiah 14:8 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
68. Isaiah 14:9 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
69. Isaiah 14:9 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.
70. Isaiah 14:9 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
71. Isaiah 14:9 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.
72. Isaiah 14:11 tn Or “pride” (NCV, CEV); KJV, NIV, NRSV “pomp.”
73. Isaiah 14:11 tn Or “harps” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
74. Isaiah 14:11 tn Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”
75. Isaiah 14:12 tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל. sn What is the background for the imagery in vv. 12-15? This whole section (vv. 4b-21) is directed to the king of Babylon, who is clearly depicted as a human ruler. Other kings of the earth address him in vv. 9ff., he is called “the man” in v. 16, and, according to vv. 19-20, he possesses a physical body. Nevertheless the language of vv. 12-15 has led some to see a dual referent in the taunt song. These verses, which appear to be spoken by other pagan kings to a pagan king (cf. vv. 9-11), contain several titles and motifs that resemble those of Canaanite mythology, including references to Helel son of Shachar, the stars of El, the mountain of assembly, the recesses of Zaphon, and the divine title Most High. Apparently these verses allude to a mythological story about a minor god (Helel son of Shachar) who tried to take over Zaphon, the mountain of the gods. His attempted coup failed, and he was hurled down to the underworld. The king of Babylon is taunted for having similar unrealized delusions of grandeur. Some Christians have seen an allusion to the fall of Satan here, but this seems contextually unwarranted (see J. Martin, “Isaiah,” BKCOT, 1061).
76. Isaiah 14:12 tn Some understand the verb חָלַשׁ (khalash) to mean “weaken,” but HALOT 324 s.v. II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here meaning “defeat.”
77. Isaiah 14:12 sn In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gadaʿ, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.
78. Isaiah 14:13 tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”
79. Isaiah 14:13 sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.
80. Isaiah 14:13 sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.
81. Isaiah 14:14 tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.
82. Isaiah 14:14 sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.
83. Isaiah 14:15 tn The prefixed verb form is taken as a preterite. Note the use of perfects in v. 12 to describe the king’s downfall.
84. Isaiah 14:15 tn The Hebrew term בּוּר (bor, “cistern”) is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to the place of the dead or the entrance to the underworld.
85. Isaiah 14:16 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.
86. Isaiah 14:17 tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (ʿarayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (ʿareha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement between a suffix and its antecedent noun.
87. Isaiah 14:17 tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.” On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.
88. Isaiah 14:18 sn It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b-10a) has resumed. In fact, the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.
89. Isaiah 14:18 tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a.
90. Isaiah 14:18 sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
91. Isaiah 14:18 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, ASV), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.
92. Isaiah 14:19 tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
93. Isaiah 14:19 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
94. Isaiah 14:19 tn Heb “those going down to.”
95. Isaiah 14:19 tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.
96. Isaiah 14:19 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
97. Isaiah 14:20 tn Heb “you will not be united with them in burial” (so NASB).
98. Isaiah 14:21 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
99. Isaiah 14:21 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
100. Isaiah 14:21 sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
101. Isaiah 14:22 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
102. Isaiah 14:22 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
103. Isaiah 14:23 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others, an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
104. Isaiah 14:23 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
105. Isaiah 14:24 sn Having announced the downfall of the Chaldean empire, the Lord appends to this prophecy a solemn reminder that the Assyrians, the major Mesopotamian power of Isaiah’s day, would be annihilated, foreshadowing what would subsequently happen to Babylon and the other hostile nations.
106. Isaiah 14:25 tn Heb “to break Assyria.”
107. Isaiah 14:25 tn Heb “him.” This is a collective singular referring to the nation, or a reference to the king of Assyria, who by metonymy stands for the entire nation.
108. Isaiah 14:25 tn Heb “and his [i.e., Assyria’s] yoke will be removed from them [the people?], and his [Assyria’s] burden from his [the nation’s?] shoulder will be removed.” There are no antecedents in this oracle for the suffixes in the phrases “from them” and “from his shoulder.” Since the Lord’s land and hills are referred to in the preceding line and the statement seems to echo 10:27, it is likely that God’s people are the referents of the suffixes; the translation uses “my people” to indicate this.
109. Isaiah 14:26 tn Heb “and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations.”
110. Isaiah 14:27 tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
111. Isaiah 14:27 tn Heb “His hand is outstretched, and who will turn it back?”
112. Isaiah 14:28 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
113. Isaiah 14:28 sn Perhaps 715 b.c., but the precise date is uncertain.
114. Isaiah 14:29 sn The identity of this “club” (also referred to as a “serpent” in the next line) is uncertain. It may refer to an Assyrian king, or to Ahaz. For discussion see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:331-32. The viper/adder referred to in the second half of the verse is his successor.
115. Isaiah 14:29 tn Heb “flying burning one.” The designation “burning one” may allude to the serpent’s appearance or the effect of its poisonous bite. (See the note at 6:2.) The qualifier “flying” probably refers to the serpent’s quick, darting movements, though one might propose a homonym here, meaning “biting.” (See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:332, n. 18.) Some might think in terms of a mythological flying, fire-breathing dragon (cf. NAB “a flying saraph”; CEV “a flying fiery dragon”), but this proposal does not make good sense in 30:6, where the phrase “flying burning one” appears again in a list of desert animals.
116. Isaiah 14:30 tc The Hebrew text has, “the firstborn of the poor will graze.” “Firstborn” may be used here in an idiomatic sense to indicate the very poorest of the poor. See BDB 114 s.v. בְּכוֹר. The translation above assumes an emendation of בְּכוֹרֵי (b^ekhore, “firstborn of”) to בְּכָרַי (bekharay, “in my pastures”).
117. Isaiah 14:30 tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).
118. Isaiah 14:31 tn Or “despair” (see HALOT 555 s.v. מוג). The form נָמוֹג (namog) should be taken here as an infinitive absolute functioning as an imperative. See GKC 199-200 §72.v.
119. Isaiah 14:31 tn Heb “and there is no one going alone in his appointed places.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. בּוֹדֵד (boded) appears to be a participle from בָּדַד (badad, “be separate”; see BDB 94 s.v. בָּדַד). מוֹעָד (moʿad) may mean “assembly” or, by extension, “multitude” (see HALOT 558 s.v. *מוֹעָד), but the referent of the third masculine pronominal suffix attached to the noun is unclear. It probably refers to the “nation” mentioned in the next line.
120. Isaiah 14:32 sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face—surrender and oppression, or battle and death.
121. Isaiah 15:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
122. Isaiah 15:2 tn Heb “house.”
123. Isaiah 15:2 tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.
124. Isaiah 15:2 tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”
125. Isaiah 15:2 sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.
126. Isaiah 15:4 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
127. Isaiah 15:4 tc The Hebrew text has, “For this reason the soldiers of Moab shout; his inner being quivers for him.” To achieve tighter parallelism, some emend the first line, changing חֲלֻצֵי (khalutse, “soldiers”) to חַלְצֵי (khaltse, “loins”) and יָרִיעוּ (yariʿu, “they shout,” from רוּעַ, ruaʿ) to יָרְעוּ (yorʿu, “they quiver”), a verb from יָרַע (yaraʿ), which also appears in the next line. One can then translate v. 4b as “For this reason the insides of the Moabites quiver; their whole body shakes” (cf. NAB, NRSV).
128. Isaiah 15:5 tn Heb “for Moab.” For rhetorical purposes the speaker (the Lord?; see v. 9) plays the role of a mourner.
129. Isaiah 15:5 tn The vocalization of the Hebrew text suggests “the bars of her gates,” but the form should be repointed to yield, “her fugitives.” See HALOT 156-57 s.v. בָּרִחַ, and BDB 138 s.v. בָּרִיהַ.
130. Isaiah 15:5 tn The words “are stretched out” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
131. Isaiah 15:5 tn Heb “For the ascent of Luhith, with weeping they go up it; for [on] the road to Horonaim an outcry over shattering they raise up.”
132. Isaiah 15:6 tn Heb “are waste places”; cf. NRSV “are a desolation.”
133. Isaiah 15:8 tn Heb “to Eglaim [is] her wailing, and [to] Beer Elim [is] her wailing.”
134. Isaiah 15:9 tc The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a reads “Dibon” instead of “Dimon” in this verse.
135. Isaiah 15:9 tn Heb “Indeed, I will place on Dimon added things.” Apparently the Lord is speaking.
136. Isaiah 15:9 tn The words “will attack” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
137. Isaiah 16:1 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Send [a plural imperatival form is used] a ram [to] the ruler of the land.” The term כַּר (kar, “ram”) should be emended to the plural כָּרִים (karim). The singular form in the text is probably the result of haplography; note that the next word begins with a mem (מ).
138. Isaiah 16:1 tn The Hebrew text has “toward [across?] the desert.”
139. Isaiah 16:2 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
140. Isaiah 16:2 tn Heb “like a bird fleeing, thrust away [from] a nest, the daughters of Moab are [at] the fords of Arnon.”
141. Isaiah 16:3 sn It is unclear who is being addressed in this verse. Perhaps the prophet, playing the role of a panic-stricken Moabite refugee, requests the leaders of Judah (the imperatives are plural) to take pity on the fugitives.
142. Isaiah 16:3 tn Heb “Make your shade like night in the midst of noonday.” “Shade” here symbolizes shelter, while the heat of noonday represents the intense suffering of the Moabites. By comparing the desired shade to night, the speaker visualizes a huge, dark shadow cast by a large tree that would provide relief from the sun’s heat.
143. Isaiah 16:3 tn Heb “disclose, uncover.”
144. Isaiah 16:4 tn That is, “live as resident foreigners.”
145. Isaiah 16:4 tn Heb “Be a hiding place for them.”
146. Isaiah 16:4 tn The present translation understands כִּי (ki) as asseverative, but one could take it as explanatory (“for,” KJV, NASB) or temporal (“when,” NAB, NRSV). In the latter case, v. 4b would be logically connected to v. 5.
147. Isaiah 16:4 tn A perfect verbal form is used here and in the next two lines for rhetorical effect; the demise of the oppressor(s) is described as if it had already occurred.
148. Isaiah 16:4 tc The Hebrew text has, “they will be finished, the one who tramples, from the earth.” The plural verb form תַּמּוּ, (tammu, “disappear”) could be emended to agree with the singular subject רֹמֵס (romes, “the one who tramples”) or the participle can be emended to a plural (רֹמֵסִם, romesim) to agree with the verb. The translation assumes the latter. Haplography of mem (ם) seems likely; note that the word after רֹמֵס begins with a mem.
149. Isaiah 16:5 tn Heb “and a throne will be established in faithfulness, and he will sit on it in reliability, in the tent of David.”
150. Isaiah 16:5 tn Heb “one who judges and seeks justice, and one experienced in fairness.” Many understand מְהִר (m^ehir) to mean “quick, prompt” (see BDB 555 s.v. מָהִיר), but HALOT 552 s.v. מָהִיר offers the meaning “skillful, experienced,” and translates the phrase in v. 5 “zealous for what is right.”
151. Isaiah 16:6 tn עֶבְרָה (ʿevrah) often means “anger, fury,” but here it appears to refer to boastful outbursts or excessive claims. See HALOT 782 s.v. עֶבְרָה.
152. Isaiah 16:6 tn Heb “not so his boasting.”
153. Isaiah 16:7 tn Heb “So Moab wails for Moab.”
154. Isaiah 16:7 tn The Hebrew text has, “for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth you [masculine plural] moan, surely destroyed.” The “raisin cakes” could have cultic significance (see Hos 3:1), but the next verse focuses on agricultural disaster, so here the raisin cakes are mentioned as an example of the fine foods that are no longer available (see 2 Sam 6:19; Song 2:5) because the vines have been destroyed by the invader (see v. 8). Some prefer to take אֲשִׁישֵׁי (ʾashishe, “raisin cakes of”) as “men of” (see HALOT 95 s.v. *אָשִׁישׁ; cf. NIV). The verb form תֶהְגּוּ (tehgu, “you moan”) is probably the result of dittography (note that the preceding word ends in tav [ת]) and should be emended to הגו (a perfect, third plural form), “they moan.”
155. Isaiah 16:9 tn Heb “So I weep with the weeping of Jazer.” Once more the speaker (the Lord?—see v. 10b) plays the role of a mourner (see 15:5).
156. Isaiah 16:9 tc The form אֲרַיָּוֶךְ (ʾarayyavekh) should be emended to אֲרַוָּיֶךְ (ʾaravvayekh; the vav [ו] and yod [י] have been accidentally transposed) from רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated”).
157. Isaiah 16:9 tn Heb “for over your fruit and over your harvest shouting has fallen.” The translation assumes that the shouting is that of the conqueror (Jer 51:14). Another possibility is that the shouting is that of the harvesters (see v. 10b, as well as Jer 25:30), in which case one might translate, “for the joyful shouting over the fruit and crops has fallen silent.”
158. Isaiah 16:10 tn Heb “wine in the vats the treader does not tread.”
159. Isaiah 16:10 sn The Lord appears to be the speaker here. See 15:9.
160. Isaiah 16:11 tn Heb “so my intestines sigh for Moab like a harp.” The word מֵעַי (meʿay, “intestines”) is used here of the seat of the emotions. English idiom requires the word “heart.” The point of the comparison to a harp is not entirely clear. Perhaps his sighs of mourning resemble a harp in sound, or his constant sighing is like the repetitive strumming of a harp.
161. Isaiah 16:11 tn The verb is supplied in the translation; “sighs” in the preceding line does double duty in the parallel structure.
162. Isaiah 16:11 tn Heb “Kir Heres” (so ASV, NRSV, TEV, CEV), a variant name for “Kir Hareseth” (see v. 7).
163. Isaiah 16:12 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
164. Isaiah 16:12 tn Heb “when he appears, when he grows tired, Moab on the high places, and enters his temple to pray, he will not prevail.” It is possible that “when he grows tired” is an explanatory gloss for the preceding “when he appears.”
165. Isaiah 16:14 tn Heb “in three years, like the years of a hired worker.” The three years must be reckoned exactly, just as a hired worker would carefully keep track of the time he had agreed to work for an employer in exchange for a predetermined wage.
166. Isaiah 16:14 tn Heb “and the splendor of Moab will be disgraced with all the great multitude, and a small little remnant will not be strong.”