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The Lord Will Judge Babylon

21 This is an oracle[a] about the wilderness by the Sea:[b]
Like strong winds blowing in the south,[c]
one invades from the wilderness,
from a land that is feared.
I have received a distressing message:[d]
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning.”[e]
For this reason my stomach churns;[f]
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed[g] by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
My heart palpitates,[h]
I shake in fear;[i]
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
Arrange the table,
lay out[j] the carpet,
eat and drink![k]
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields![l]

For this is what the Lord[m] has told me:

“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
When he sees chariots,
teams of horses,[n]
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
Then the guard[o] cries out:
“On the watchtower, O Lord,[p]
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.”[q]
When questioned, he replies,[r]
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor,[s]
what I have heard
from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.

Bad News for Seir

11 This is an oracle about Dumah:[t]
Someone calls to me from Seir,[u]
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”[v]
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night.[w]
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.”[x]

The Lord Will Judge Arabia

13 This is an oracle about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
15 For they flee from the swords—
from the drawn sword,
and from the battle-ready bow,
and from the severity of the battle.

16 For this is what the Lord[y] has told me: “Within exactly one year[z] all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.”[aa] Indeed,[ab] the Lord God of Israel has spoken.

The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem

22 This is an oracle[ac] about the Valley of Vision:[ad]
What is the reason[ae]
that all of you go up to the rooftops?
The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;
the town is filled with revelry.[af]
Your slain were not cut down by the sword;
they did not die in battle.[ag]
[ah] All your leaders ran away together—
they fled to a distant place;
all your refugees[ai] were captured together—
they were captured without a single arrow being shot.[aj]
So I say:
“Don’t look at me![ak]
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try[al] to console me
concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”[am]
For the Sovereign[an] Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion.[ao]
In the Valley of Vision[ap] people shout[aq]
and cry out to the hill.[ar]
The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen;[as]
the men of Kir[at] prepared[au] the shield.[av]
Your very best valleys were full of chariots;[aw]
horsemen confidently took their positions[ax] at the gate.
They[ay] removed the defenses[az] of Judah.
At that time[ba] you looked
for the weapons in the House of the Forest.[bb]
You saw the many breaks
in the walls of the City of David;[bc]
you stored up water in the lower pool.
10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem,
and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.[bd]
11 You made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool—
but you did not trust in[be] the one who made it;[bf]
you did not depend on[bg] the one who formed it long ago.
12 At that time the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies called for weeping and mourning,
for shaved heads and sackcloth.[bh]
13 But look, there is outright celebration![bi]
You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”[bj]

14 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies told me this:[bk] “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,”[bl] says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

15 This is what the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace,[bm] and tell him:[bn]
16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here?[bo]
Why[bp] do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?
He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away,[bq] you mere man![br]
He will wrap you up tightly.[bs]
18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land.[bt]
There you will die,
and there with you will be your impressive chariots,[bu]
which bring disgrace to the house of your master.[bv]
19 I will remove you from[bw] your office;
you will be thrown down[bx] from your position.

20 “‘At that time[by] I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him.[bz] He will become a protector of[ca] the residents of Jerusalem and of the people[cb] of Judah. 22 I will place the key[cc] to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place;[cd] he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family.[ce] 24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him,[cf] including the offspring and the offshoots.[cg] All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars, will hang from this peg.’[ch]

25 “At that time,”[ci] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.”[cj] Indeed,[ck] the Lord has spoken.

The Lord Will Judge Tyre

23 This is an oracle[cl] about Tyre:
Wail, you large ships,[cm]
for the port is too devastated to enter![cn]
From the land of Cyprus[co] this news is announced to them.
Lament,[cp] you residents of the coast,
you merchants of Sidon who travel over the sea,
whose agents sail over the deep waters.[cq]
Grain from the Shihor region,[cr]
crops grown near the Nile[cs] she receives;[ct]
she is the trade center[cu] of the nations.
Be ashamed, O Sidon,
for the sea[cv] says this, O fortress of the sea:
“I have not gone into labor
or given birth;
I have not raised young men
or brought up young women.”[cw]
When the news reaches Egypt,
they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre.[cx]
Travel to Tarshish!
Wail, you residents of the coast!
Is this really your boisterous city[cy]
whose origins are in the distant past,[cz]
and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
Who planned this for royal Tyre,[da]
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are the dignitaries[db] of the earth?
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies planned it—
to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty,[dc]
to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.
10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile;
there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre.[dd]
11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea,[de]
he shook kingdoms;
he[df] gave the order
to destroy Canaan’s fortresses.[dg]
12 He said,
“You will no longer celebrate,
oppressed[dh] virgin daughter Sidon!
Get up, travel to Cyprus,
but you will find no relief there.”[di]
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
these people who have lost their identity![dj]
The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals.
They erected their siege towers,[dk]
demolished[dl] its fortresses,
and turned it into a heap of ruins.[dm]
14 Wail, you large ships,[dn]
for your fortress is destroyed!

15 At that time[do] Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years,[dp] the typical life span of a king.[dq] At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song:[dr]

16 “Take the harp,
go through the city,
forgotten prostitute!
Play it well,
play lots of songs,
so you’ll be noticed.”[ds]

17 At the end of seventy years[dt] the Lord will revive[du] Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms.[dv] 18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes.[dw]

The Lord Will Judge the Earth

24 Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth
and leave it in ruins;
he will mar its surface
and scatter its inhabitants.
Everyone will suffer—the priest as well as the people,[dx]
the master as well as the servant,[dy]
the elegant lady as well as the female attendant,[dz]
the seller as well as the buyer,[ea]
the borrower as well as the lender,[eb]
the creditor as well as the debtor.[ec]
The earth will be completely devastated
and thoroughly ransacked.
For the Lord has decreed this judgment.[ed]
The earth[ee] dries up[ef] and withers,
the world shrivels up and withers;
the prominent people of the earth[eg] fade away.
The earth is defiled by[eh] its inhabitants,[ei]
for they have violated laws,
disregarded the regulation,[ej]
and broken the permanent treaty.[ek]
So a treaty curse[el] devours the earth;
its inhabitants pay for their guilt.[em]
This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear,[en]
and are reduced to just a handful of people.[eo]
The new wine dries up,
the vines shrivel up,
all those who like to celebrate[ep] groan.
The happy sound[eq] of the tambourines stops,
the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,
the happy sound of the harp ceases.
They no longer sing and drink wine;[er]
the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.
10 The ruined town[es] is shattered;
all the houses are shut up tight.[et]
11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine;[eu]
all joy turns to sorrow;[ev]
celebrations disappear from the earth.[ew]
12 The city is left in ruins;[ex]
the gate is reduced to rubble.[ey]
13 This is what will happen throughout[ez] the earth,
among the nations.
It will be like when they beat an olive tree,
and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest.[fa]
14 They[fb] lift their voices and shout joyfully;
they praise[fc] the majesty of the Lord in the west.
15 So in the east[fd] extol the Lord,
along the seacoasts extol[fe] the fame[ff] of the Lord God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we[fg] hear songs—
the Just One is majestic.[fh]
But I[fi] say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!”[fj]
17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake, you inhabitants of the earth![fk]
18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit;[fl]
the one who climbs out of the pit
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens[fm] are opened up[fn]
and the foundations of the earth shake.
19 The earth is broken in pieces,
the earth is ripped to shreds,
the earth shakes violently.[fo]
20 The earth will stagger around[fp] like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm.[fq]
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.

The Lord Will Become King

21 At that time[fr] the Lord will punish[fs]
the heavenly forces in the heavens[ft]
and the earthly kings on the earth.
22 They will be imprisoned in a pit,[fu]
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time,[fv] they will be punished.[fw]
23 The full moon will be covered up,[fx]
the bright sun[fy] will be darkened;[fz]
for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule[ga]
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor.[gb]

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 21:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  2. Isaiah 21:1 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “wilderness” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like an uninhabited wilderness.
  3. Isaiah 21:1 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
  4. Isaiah 21:2 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
  5. Isaiah 21:2 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
  6. Isaiah 21:3 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
  7. Isaiah 21:3 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
  8. Isaiah 21:4 tn Heb “wanders”; perhaps here, “is confused.”
  9. Isaiah 21:4 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
  10. Isaiah 21:5 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
  11. Isaiah 21:5 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
  12. Isaiah 21:5 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
  13. Isaiah 21:6 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  14. Isaiah 21:7 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
  15. Isaiah 21:8 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (ʾaryeh, “lion”) probably needs to be emended to an original הָרֹאֶה (haroʾeh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6. The Dead Sea Scrolls (1Q Isaa) and the Syriac support an original הָרֹאֶה (haroʾeh, “the one who sees”).
  16. Isaiah 21:8 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
  17. Isaiah 21:9 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
  18. Isaiah 21:9 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
  19. Isaiah 21:10 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
  20. Isaiah 21:11 tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
  21. Isaiah 21:11 sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
  22. Isaiah 21:11 sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
  23. Isaiah 21:12 sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
  24. Isaiah 21:12 sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
  25. Isaiah 21:16 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  26. Isaiah 21:16 tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.
  27. Isaiah 21:17 tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”
  28. Isaiah 21:17 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
  29. Isaiah 22:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  30. Isaiah 22:1 sn The following message pertains to Jerusalem. The significance of referring to the city as the Valley of Vision is uncertain. Perhaps the Hinnom Valley is in view, but why it is associated with a prophetic revelatory “vision” is not entirely clear. Maybe the Hinnom Valley is called this because the destruction that will take place there is the focal point of this prophetic message (see v. 5).
  31. Isaiah 22:1 tn Heb “What to you, then?”
  32. Isaiah 22:2 tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.
  33. Isaiah 22:2 sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.
  34. Isaiah 22:3 tn Verse 3 reads literally, “All your leaders ran away; apart from a bow they were captured; all your found ones were captured together; to a distant place they fled.” J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:403, n. 3) suggests that the lines of the verse are arranged chiastically; lines 1 and 4 go together, while lines 2 and 3 are parallel. To translate the lines in the order they appear in the Hebrew text is misleading to the English reader, who is likely unfamiliar with, or at least insensitive to, chiastic parallelism. Consequently, the main translation arranges the lines as follows: line 1 (Hebrew) = line 1 (in translation); line 2 (Hebrew) = line 4 (in translation); line 3 (Hebrew) = line 3 (in translation); line 4 (Hebrew) = line 2 (in translation).
  35. Isaiah 22:3 tn Heb “all your found ones.” To achieve tighter parallelism (see “your leaders”) some prefer to emend the form to אַמִּיצַיִךְ (ʾammitsayikh, “your strong ones”) or to נֶאֱמָצַיִךְ (neʾematsayikh, “your strengthened ones”).
  36. Isaiah 22:3 tn Heb “apart from [i.e., without] a bow they were captured”; cf. NAB, NRSV “without the use of a bow.”
  37. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
  38. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).
  39. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.
  40. Isaiah 22:5 tn The Hebrew term translated “Sovereign” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  41. Isaiah 22:5 tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”].”
  42. Isaiah 22:5 tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.
  43. Isaiah 22:5 tn The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Some take קִר (qir) as “wall” and interpret the verb to mean “tear down.” However, tighter parallelism (note the reference to crying for help in the next line) is achieved if one takes both the verb and noun from a root, attested in Ugaritic and Arabic, meaning “make a sound.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:404, n. 5.
  44. Isaiah 22:5 sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.
  45. Isaiah 22:6 tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”
  46. Isaiah 22:6 sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.
  47. Isaiah 22:6 tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).
  48. Isaiah 22:6 sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.
  49. Isaiah 22:7 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  50. Isaiah 22:7 tn Heb “taking a stand, take their stand.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. The translation attempts to bring out this emphasis with the adverb “confidently.”
  51. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “he,” i.e., the enemy invader. NASB, by its capitalization of the pronoun, takes this to refer to the Lord.
  52. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “covering.”
  53. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV); likewise at the beginning of v. 12.
  54. Isaiah 22:8 sn Perhaps this refers to a royal armory, or to Solomon’s “House of the Forest of Lebanon,” where weapons may have been kept (see 1 Kgs 10:16-17).
  55. Isaiah 22:9 tn Heb “the breaks of the City of David, you saw that they were many.”
  56. Isaiah 22:10 tn Heb “you demolished the houses to fortify the wall.”
  57. Isaiah 22:11 tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”
  58. Isaiah 22:11 tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.
  59. Isaiah 22:11 tn Heb “did not see.”
  60. Isaiah 22:12 tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.
  61. Isaiah 22:13 tn Heb “happiness and joy.”
  62. Isaiah 22:13 tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.
  63. Isaiah 22:14 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”].”
  64. Isaiah 22:14 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
  65. Isaiah 22:15 tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”
  66. Isaiah 22:15 tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  67. Isaiah 22:16 tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.
  68. Isaiah 22:16 tn Heb “that you chisel out.”
  69. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”
  70. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”
  71. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”
  72. Isaiah 22:18 tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”
  73. Isaiah 22:18 tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”
  74. Isaiah 22:18 sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.
  75. Isaiah 22:19 tn Heb “I will push you away from.”
  76. Isaiah 22:19 tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.
  77. Isaiah 22:20 tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  78. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”
  79. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (ʾav, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.
  80. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “house.”
  81. Isaiah 22:22 sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.
  82. Isaiah 22:23 sn The metaphor depicts how secure his position will be.
  83. Isaiah 22:23 tn Heb “and he will become a glorious throne for the house of his father.”
  84. Isaiah 22:24 tn Heb “and all the glory of the house of his father they will hang on him.” The Lord returns to the peg metaphor of v. 23a. Eliakim’s secure position of honor will bring benefits and jobs to many others in the family.
  85. Isaiah 22:24 tn The precise meaning and derivation of this word are uncertain. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “the issue”; CEV “relatives.”
  86. Isaiah 22:24 tn Heb “all the small vessels, from the vessels that are bowls to all the vessels that are jars.” The picture is that of a single peg holding the weight of all kinds of containers hung from it.
  87. Isaiah 22:25 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
  88. Isaiah 22:25 sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.
  89. Isaiah 22:25 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
  90. Isaiah 23:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  91. Isaiah 23:1 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant, western port of Tarshish.
  92. Isaiah 23:1 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for it is destroyed, from a house, from entering.” The translation assumes that the mem (מ) on בַּיִת (bayit) was originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. This assumption allows one to take בַּיִת as the subject of the preceding verb. It is used in a metaphorical sense for the port city of Tyre. The preposition min (מִן) prefixed to בּוֹא (boʾ) indicates negative consequence: “so that no one can enter.” See BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b.
  93. Isaiah 23:1 tn Heb “the Kittim,” a designation for the people of Cyprus. See HALOT 504-05 s.v. כִּתִּיִּים.
  94. Isaiah 23:2 tn Or “keep quiet”; NAB “Silence!”
  95. Isaiah 23:3 tc The Hebrew text (23:2b-3a) reads literally, “merchant of Sidon, the one who crosses the sea, they filled you, and on the deep waters.” Instead of מִלְאוּךְ (milʾukh, “they filled you”) the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads מלאכיך (“your messengers”). The translation assumes an emendation of מִלְאוּךְ to מַלְאָכָו (malʾakhav, “his messengers”), taking the vav (ו) on וּבְמַיִם (uvemayim) as improperly placed; instead it should be the final letter of the preceding word.
  96. Isaiah 23:3 tn Heb “seed of Shihor.” “Shihor” probably refers to the east branch of the Nile. See Jer 2:18 and BDB 1009 s.v. שִׁיחוֹר.
  97. Isaiah 23:3 tn Heb “the harvest of the Nile.”
  98. Isaiah 23:3 tn Heb “[is] her revenue.”
  99. Isaiah 23:3 tn Heb “merchandise”; KJV, ASV “a mart of nations”; NLT “the merchandise mart of the world.”
  100. Isaiah 23:4 tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (maʿoz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.
  101. Isaiah 23:4 tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).sn The sea is personified here as a lamenting childless woman. The foreboding language anticipates the following announcement of Tyre’s demise, viewed here as a child of the sea, as it were.
  102. Isaiah 23:5 tn Heb “they will be in pain at the report of Tyre.”
  103. Isaiah 23:7 tn Heb “Is this to you, boisterous one?” The pronoun “you” is masculine plural, like the imperatives in v. 6, so it is likely addressed to the Egyptians and residents of the coast. “Boisterous one” is a feminine singular form, probably referring to the personified city of Tyre.
  104. Isaiah 23:7 tn Heb “in the days of antiquity [is] her beginning.”
  105. Isaiah 23:8 tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hammaʿatirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (ʿatar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (ʿatarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.
  106. Isaiah 23:8 tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”
  107. Isaiah 23:9 tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”
  108. Isaiah 23:10 tc This meaning of this verse is unclear. The Hebrew text reads literally, “Cross over your land, like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish, there is no more waistband.” The translation assumes an emendation of מֵזַח (mezakh, “waistband”) to מָחֹז (makhoz, “harbor, marketplace”; see Ps 107:30). The term עָבַר (ʿavar, “cross over”) is probably used here of traveling over the water (as in v. 6). The command is addressed to personified Tarshish, who here represents her merchants. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has עבדי (“work, cultivate”) instead of עִבְרִי (ʿivri, “cross over”). In this case one might translate “Cultivate your land, like they do the Nile region” (cf. NIV, CEV). The point would be that the people of Tarshish should turn to agriculture because they will no longer be able to get what they need through the marketplace in Tyre.
  109. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”
  110. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
  111. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.
  112. Isaiah 23:12 tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.
  113. Isaiah 23:12 tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.
  114. Isaiah 23:13 tn Heb “this people [that] is not.”
  115. Isaiah 23:13 tn For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 118 s.v. *בַּחוּן.
  116. Isaiah 23:13 tn Or “laid bare.” For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 889 s.v. ערר.
  117. Isaiah 23:13 sn This verse probably refers to the Assyrian destruction of Babylon.
  118. Isaiah 23:14 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” See the note at v. 1.
  119. Isaiah 23:15 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  120. Isaiah 23:15 sn The number seventy is probably used in a stereotypical, nonliteral sense here to indicate a long period of time that satisfies completely the demands of God’s judgment.
  121. Isaiah 23:15 tn Heb “like the days of a king.”
  122. Isaiah 23:15 tn Heb “At the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute.”
  123. Isaiah 23:16 tn Heb “so you will be remembered.”
  124. Isaiah 23:17 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  125. Isaiah 23:17 tn Heb “visit [with favor]” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “will deal with.”
  126. Isaiah 23:17 tn Heb “and she will return to her [prostitute’s] wages and engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the earth.”
  127. Isaiah 23:18 tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”sn The point of this verse, which in its blatant nationalism comes precariously close to comparing the Lord to one who controls or manages a prostitute, is that Tyre will become a subject of Israel and her God. Tyre’s commercial profits will be used to enrich the Lord’s people.
  128. Isaiah 24:2 tn Heb “and it will be like the people, like the priest.”
  129. Isaiah 24:2 tn Heb “like the servant, like his master.”
  130. Isaiah 24:2 tn Heb “like the female servant, like her mistress.”
  131. Isaiah 24:2 tn Heb “like the buyer, like the seller.”
  132. Isaiah 24:2 tn Heb “like the lender, like the borrower.”
  133. Isaiah 24:2 tn Heb “like the creditor, just as the one to whom he lends.”
  134. Isaiah 24:3 tn Heb “for the Lord has spoken this word.”
  135. Isaiah 24:4 tn Some prefer to read “land” here, but the word pair אֶרֶץ/תֵּבֵל (ʾerets/tevel [see the corresponding term in the parallel line]) elsewhere clearly designates the earth/world (see 1 Sam 2:8; 1 Chr 16:30; Job 37; 12; Pss 19:4; 24:1; 33:8; 89:11; 90:2; 96:13; 98:9; Prov 8:26, 31; Isa 14:16-17; 34:1; Jer 10:12; 51:15; Lam 4:12). According to L. Stadelmann, תבל designates “the habitable part of the world” (The Hebrew Conception of the World [AnBib], 130).
  136. Isaiah 24:4 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists the homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism.
  137. Isaiah 24:4 tn Heb “the height of the people of the earth.” The translation assumes an emendation of the singular form מְרוֹם (merom, “height of”) to the plural construct מְרֹמֵי (merome, “high ones of”; note the plural verb at the beginning of the line), and understands the latter as referring to the prominent people of human society.
  138. Isaiah 24:5 tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”
  139. Isaiah 24:5 sn Isa 26:21 suggests that the earth’s inhabitants defiled the earth by shedding the blood of their fellow human beings. See also Num 35:33-34, which assumes that bloodshed defiles a land.
  140. Isaiah 24:5 tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”
  141. Isaiah 24:5 tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”sn For a lengthy discussion of the identity of this covenant/treaty, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24, ” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In this context, where judgment comes upon both the pagan nations and God’s covenant community, the phrase “permanent treaty” is intentionally ambiguous. For the nations this treaty is the Noahic mandate of Gen 9:1-7 with its specific stipulations and central regulation (Gen 9:7). By shedding blood, the warlike nations violated this treaty, which promotes population growth and prohibits murder. For Israel, which was also guilty of bloodshed (see Isa 1:15, 21; 4:4), this “permanent treaty” would refer more specifically to the Mosaic Law and its regulations prohibiting murder (Exod 20:13; Num 35:6-34), which are an extension of the Noahic mandate.
  142. Isaiah 24:6 sn Ancient Near Eastern treaties often had “curses,” or threatened judgments, attached to them. (See Deut 28 for a biblical example of such curses.) The party or parties taking an oath of allegiance acknowledged that disobedience would activate these curses, which typically threatened loss of agricultural fertility as depicted in the following verses.
  143. Isaiah 24:6 tn The verb אָשַׁם (ʾasham, “be guilty”) is here used metonymically to mean “pay, suffer for one’s guilt” (see HALOT 95 s.v. אשׁם).
  144. Isaiah 24:6 tn BDB 359 s.v. חָרַר derives the verb חָרוּ (kharu) from חָרַר (kharar, “burn”), but HALOT 351 s.v. II חרה understands a hapax legomenon חָרָה (kharah, “to diminish in number,” a homonym of חָרָה) here, relating it to an alleged Arabic cognate meaning “to decrease.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חורו, perhaps understanding the root as חָוַר (khavar, “grow pale”; see Isa 29:22 and HALOT 299 s.v. I חור).
  145. Isaiah 24:6 tn Heb “and mankind is left small [in number].”
  146. Isaiah 24:7 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.
  147. Isaiah 24:8 tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).
  148. Isaiah 24:9 tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”
  149. Isaiah 24:10 tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24, ” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.
  150. Isaiah 24:10 tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”
  151. Isaiah 24:11 tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”
  152. Isaiah 24:11 tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.
  153. Isaiah 24:11 tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”
  154. Isaiah 24:12 tn Heb “and there is left in the city desolation.”
  155. Isaiah 24:12 tn Heb “and [into] rubble the gate is crushed.”
  156. Isaiah 24:13 tn Heb “in the midst of” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).
  157. Isaiah 24:13 sn The judgment will severely reduce the earth’s population. See v. 6.
  158. Isaiah 24:14 sn The remnant of the nations (see v. 13) may be the unspecified subject. If so, then those who have survived the judgment begin to praise God.
  159. Isaiah 24:14 tn Heb “they yell out concerning.”
  160. Isaiah 24:15 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (baʾurim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (beʾiyye hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).
  161. Isaiah 24:15 tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.
  162. Isaiah 24:15 tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.
  163. Isaiah 24:16 sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.
  164. Isaiah 24:16 tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.
  165. Isaiah 24:16 sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.
  166. Isaiah 24:16 tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”tn Verse 16b is a classic example of Hebrew wordplay. In the first line (“I’m wasting away….”) four consecutive words end with hireq yod ( ִי); in the second line all forms are derived from the root בָּגַד (bagad). The repetition of sound draws attention to the prophet’s lament.
  167. Isaiah 24:17 tn Heb “[are] upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.” The first line of v. 17 provides another classic example of Hebrew wordplay. The names of the three instruments of judgment (פָח,פַחַת ,פַּחַד [pakhad, fakhat, fakh]) all begin with the letters פ and ח (pe and khet) and the first two end in dental consonants (ד and ת, dalet and tav). Once again the repetition of sound draws attention to the statement and contributes to the theme of the inescapability of judgment. As their similar-sounding names suggest, terror, pit, and snare are allies in destroying the objects of divine wrath.
  168. Isaiah 24:18 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  169. Isaiah 24:18 tn Heb “from the height”; KJV “from on high.”
  170. Isaiah 24:18 sn The language reflects the account of the Noahic Flood (see Gen 7:11).
  171. Isaiah 24:19 tn Once more repetition is used to draw attention to a statement. In the Hebrew text each line ends with אֶרֶץ (ʾerets, “earth”). Each line also uses a Hitpolel verb form from a geminate root preceded by an emphatic infinitive absolute.
  172. Isaiah 24:20 tn Heb “staggering, staggers.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis and sound play.
  173. Isaiah 24:20 tn The words “in a windstorm” are supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.
  174. Isaiah 24:21 tn Or “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  175. Isaiah 24:21 tn Heb “visit [in judgment].”
  176. Isaiah 24:21 tn Heb “the host of the height in the height.” The “host of the height/heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets; see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13).
  177. Isaiah 24:22 tn Heb “they will be gathered [in] a gathering [as] a prisoner in a cistern.” It is tempting to eliminate אֲסֵפָה (ʾasefah, “a gathering”) as dittographic or as a gloss, but sound repetition is one of the main characteristics of the style of this section of the chapter.
  178. Isaiah 24:22 tn Heb “and after a multitude of days.”
  179. Isaiah 24:22 tn Heb “visited” (so KJV, ASV). This verse can mean to visit for good or for evil. The translation assumes the latter, based on v. 21a. However, BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד B.Niph.2 suggests the meaning “visit graciously” here, in which case one might translate “they will be released.”
  180. Isaiah 24:23 tn Heb “will be ashamed.”
  181. Isaiah 24:23 tn Or “glow of the sun.”
  182. Isaiah 24:23 tn Heb “will be ashamed” (so NCV).
  183. Isaiah 24:23 tn Or “take his throne,” “become king.”
  184. Isaiah 24:23 tn Heb “and before his elders [in] splendor.”