Isaiah 57-61

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 57:1 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”
2. Isaiah 57:1 tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”
3. Isaiah 57:1 tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (ʾasaf) here means “to die.”
4. Isaiah 57:1 tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (b^eʾen) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11; 14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.
5. Isaiah 57:1 tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
6. Isaiah 57:1 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”
7. Isaiah 57:1 tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (ʾasaf) here means “to die.”
8. Isaiah 57:1 tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mipp^ene, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (ʾasaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַםִ מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (ʾasher-neʾespu ʾel-y^erushalaim mipp^ene shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).
9. Isaiah 57:1 tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.
10. Isaiah 57:2 tn Heb “he enters peace, they rest on their beds, the one who walks straight ahead of himself.” The tomb is here viewed in a fairly positive way as a place where the dead are at peace and sleep undisturbed.
11. Isaiah 57:3 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “offspring of an adulterer [masculine] and [one who] has committed adultery.” Perhaps the text has suffered from transposition of vav (ו) and tav (ת) and מְנָאֵף וַתִּזְנֶה (m^enaʾef vattizneh) should be emended to מְנָאֶפֶת וְזֹנָה (m^enaʾefet v^ezonah, “an adulteress and a prostitute”). Both singular nouns would be understood in a collective sense. Most modern English versions render both forms as nouns.
12. Isaiah 57:4 tn Heb “Are you not children of rebellion, offspring of a lie?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “Of course you are!”
13. Isaiah 57:5 tn Heb “inflame yourselves”; NRSV “burn with lust.” This verse alludes to the practice of ritual sex that accompanied pagan fertility rites.
14. Isaiah 57:5 tn The term אֵלִים (ʾelim) may be from a root meaning “mighty ones,” referring to mighty trees. The form may also refer to “gods,” a less common masculine plural of (ʾel). This would fit the context of idolatry (lusting after gods).
15. Isaiah 57:5 sn This apparently alludes to the practice of child sacrifice (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
16. Isaiah 57:6 tn Heb “among the smooth stones of the stream [is] your portion, they, they [are] your lot.” The next line indicates idols are in view.
17. Isaiah 57:6 tn The text reads literally as a question, “Because of these am I relenting?” However, the initial letter he may be dittographic (note the final he [ה] on the preceding word). In this case one could understand the verb in the sense of “Because of these I will seek vengeance,” as in 1:24. If the prefixed interrogative particle is retained at the beginning of the sentence, then the question is rhetorical, with the Niphal of נָחָם (nakham) probably being used in the sense of “relent, change one’s mind.”
18. Isaiah 57:8 tn The precise referent of זִכָּרוֹן (zikkaron) in this context is uncertain. Elsewhere the word refers to a memorial or commemorative sign. Here it likely refers to some type of idolatrous symbol.
19. Isaiah 57:8 tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).
20. Isaiah 57:8 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “from me you uncover.” The translation assumes an emendation of the Piel form גִּלִּית (gillit, “you uncover”), which has no object expressed here, to the Qal גָּלִית (galit, “you depart”).
21. Isaiah 57:8 tn Heb “you make wide your bed” (NASB similar).
22. Isaiah 57:8 tc Heb “and you [second masculine singular, unless the form be taken as third feminine singular] cut for yourself [feminine singular] from them.” Most English translations retain the MT reading in spite of at least three problems. This section makes significant use of feminine verbs and noun suffixes because of the sexual imagery. The verb in question is likely a second person masculine singular verb. Nevertheless, this kind of fluctuation in gender appears elsewhere (GKC 127-28 §47.k and 462 §144.p; cf. Jer 3:5; Ezek 22:4; 23:32; cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:473, n. 13). Secondly, when this verbal root signifies establishing a covenant, it is normally accompanied by the noun for “covenant” (בְּרִית, b^erit). Finally, this juxtaposition of the verb “to cut” and “covenant” normally is followed by the preposition “with,” while here it is “from.” The translation above assumes an emendation of וַתִּכְרָת (vatikhrat, “and you cut”) to וְכָרִית (v^ekharit, “and you purchase”) from the root כָּרָה (kharah); see HALOT 497 s.v. II כרה.
23. Isaiah 57:8 tn The Hebrew text has simply חָזָה (khazah, “gaze”). The adverb “longingly” is interpretive (see the context, where sexual lust is depicted).
24. Isaiah 57:8 tn Heb “[at] a hand you gaze.” The term יָד (yad, “hand”) probably has the sense of “power, manhood” here, where it is used, as in Ugaritic, as a euphemism for the genitals. See HALOT 387 s.v. I יָד.
25. Isaiah 57:9 tn Heb “you journey with oil.”
26. Isaiah 57:9 tn Heb “the king.” Since the context refers to idolatry and child sacrifice (see v. 5), some emend מֶלֶך (melekh, “king”) to “Molech.” Perhaps Israel’s devotion to her idols is likened here to a subject taking tribute to a ruler.
27. Isaiah 57:9 tn Heb “and you multiply your perfumes.”
28. Isaiah 57:9 sn Israel’s devotion to her idols is inordinate, irrational, and self-destructive.
29. Isaiah 57:10 tn Heb “by the greatness [i.e., “length,” see BDB 914 s.v. רֹב 2] of your way you get tired.”
30. Isaiah 57:10 tn Heb “it is hopeless” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NRSV “It is useless.”
31. Isaiah 57:10 tn Heb “the life of your hand you find.” The term חַיָּה (khayyah, “life”) is here used in the sense of “renewal” (see BDB 312 s.v.) while יָד (yad) is used of “strength.”
32. Isaiah 57:10 tn Heb “you do not grow weak.”
33. Isaiah 57:11 tn Heb “you do not place [it] on your heart.”
34. Isaiah 57:11 tn Heb “Is it not [because] I have been silent, and from long ago?”
35. Isaiah 57:11 sn God’s patience with sinful Israel has caused them to think that they can sin with impunity and suffer no consequences.
36. Isaiah 57:12 tn Heb “I, I will declare your righteousness and your deeds.”
37. Isaiah 57:13 tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.
38. Isaiah 57:13 tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”
39. Isaiah 57:13 tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”
40. Isaiah 57:13 tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”
41. Isaiah 57:13 tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.
42. Isaiah 57:14 tn Since God is speaking throughout this context, perhaps we should emend the text to “and I say.” However, divine speech is introduced in v. 15.
43. Isaiah 57:15 tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ʿad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ʿad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.
44. Isaiah 57:15 tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.
45. Isaiah 57:15 tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”
46. Isaiah 57:16 tn Or perhaps, “argue,” or “accuse” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
47. Isaiah 57:16 tn Heb “for a spirit from before me would be faint.”
48. Isaiah 57:17 tn Heb “and I struck him, hiding, and I was angry.” פָּנִים (panim, “face”) is the implied object of “hiding.”
49. Isaiah 57:17 tn Heb “and he walked [as an] apostate in the way of his heart.”
50. Isaiah 57:18 tn Heb “his ways” (so KJV, NASB, NIV); TEV “how they acted.”
51. Isaiah 57:18 tc The MT has וְאַנְחֵהוּ (v^eʾankhehu) from נָחָה (nakhah) “I will lead them,” but the consonantal text may also be read as וַאֲנִחֵהוּ (vaʾanikhehu) from נוּחַ (nuakh) “I will give them rest.” The MT is supported by Aquila and the Vulgate, though 1QIsa^a omits the verb and the LXX and Targum offer mixed evidence.
52. Isaiah 57:18 tn The verb וַאֲשַׁלֵּם (vaʾashallem), the Piel form of the verb שָׁלֵם (shalem), means “to make whole, make restitution, compensate, reward” (HALOT 1534, s.v.). The noun נִחֻמִים (nikhumim) uses the plural form for the abstract concept, “comfort.” The Lord will bestow comfort as restitution to Israel.
53. Isaiah 57:18 tn Heb “to him and to his mourners.” Since Israel is represented by the singular pronoun “to him” (rendered as plural “them” for style throughout vv. 17-19), those who mourn for, or with, him are likely religious converts or others who sympathize with Israel (see J. D. W. Watts, Isaiah [WBC], 25:835).
54. Isaiah 57:19 tc The Hebrew text has literally, “one who creates fruit of lips.” Perhaps the pronoun אֲנִי (ʾani) should be inserted after the participle; it may have been accidentally omitted by haplography: נוּב שְׂפָתָיִם [אֲנִי] בּוֹרֵי (boreʾ [ʾani] nuv s^efatayim). “Fruit of the lips” is often understood as a metonymy for praise; perhaps it refers more generally to joyful shouts (see v. 18).
55. Isaiah 57:19 tn Heb “Peace, peace.” The repetition of the noun emphasizes degree.
56. Isaiah 58:1 tn Heb “declare to my people their rebellion.”
57. Isaiah 58:1 tn Heb “and to the house of Jacob their sin.” The verb “declare” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
58. Isaiah 58:2 tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”
59. Isaiah 58:3 tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
60. Isaiah 58:3 tn Heb “you find pleasure”; NASB “you find your desire.”
61. Isaiah 58:3 tn Or perhaps, “debtors.” See HALOT 865 s.v. * עָצֵב.
62. Isaiah 58:4 tn Heb “you fast for” (so NASB); NRSV “you fast only to quarrel.”
63. Isaiah 58:4 tn Heb “and for striking with a sinful fist.”
64. Isaiah 58:5 tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”
65. Isaiah 58:5 tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
66. Isaiah 58:5 tn Or “making [their] bed.”
67. Isaiah 58:6 tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
68. Isaiah 58:6 tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
69. Isaiah 58:6 tn Heb “crushed.”
70. Isaiah 58:7 tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”
71. Isaiah 58:7 tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (m^erudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.
72. Isaiah 58:7 tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”
73. Isaiah 58:8 tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.” sn Light here symbolizes God’s favor and restored blessing, as the immediately following context makes clear.
74. Isaiah 58:8 tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”
75. Isaiah 58:8 tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.
76. Isaiah 58:8 sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.
77. Isaiah 58:9 tn Heb “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 9b-10 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (multiple “if” clauses here) appears in vv. 9b-10a, with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 10b.
78. Isaiah 58:10 tn Heb “if you.” See the note on “you must” in v. 9b.
79. Isaiah 58:10 tn Heb “If you furnish for the hungry [with] your being, and the appetite of the oppressed you satisfy.”
80. Isaiah 58:10 tn Heb “will rise in the darkness.”
81. Isaiah 58:10 tn Heb “and your darkness [will be] like noonday.”
82. Isaiah 58:11 tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”
83. Isaiah 58:11 tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”
84. Isaiah 58:12 tn Heb “and they will build from you ancient ruins.”
85. Isaiah 58:12 tc The Hebrew text has “the one who restores paths for dwelling.” The idea of “paths to dwell in” is not a common notion. Some have proposed emending נְתִיבוֹת (n^etivot, “paths”) to נְתִיצוֹת (n^etitsot, “ruins”), a passive participle from נָתַץ (natats, “tear down”; see HALOT 732 s.v. *נְתִיצָה), because tighter parallelism with the preceding line is achieved. However, none of the textual sources support this emendation. The line may mean that paths must be repaired in order to dwell in the land.
86. Isaiah 58:13 tn Lit., “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 13-14 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (multiple “if” clauses here) appears in v. 13, with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 14.
87. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “if you turn from the Sabbath your feet.”
88. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “[from] doing your desires on my holy day.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a supplies the preposition מִן (min) on “doing.”
89. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “and call the Sabbath a pleasure”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “a delight.”
90. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “and [call] the holy [day] of the Lord honored.” On קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy”) as indicating a time period, see BDB 872 s.v. 2.e (cf. also Neh 8:9-11).
91. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “and you honor it [by refraining] from accomplishing your ways, from finding your desire and speaking a word.” It is unlikely that the last phrase (“speaking a word”) is a prohibition against talking on the Sabbath; instead it probably refers to making transactions or plans (see Hos 10:4). Some see here a reference to idle talk (cf. 2 Sam 19:29).
92. Isaiah 58:14 tn For a parallel use of the phrase “find joy in” (Hitpael of עָנַג [ʿanag] followed by the preposition עַל [ʿal]), see Ps 37:4.
93. Isaiah 58:14 tn Heb “and I will cause you to ride upon the heights of the land.” The statement seems to be an allusion to Deut 32:13, where it is associated, as here, with God’s abundant provision of food.
94. Isaiah 58:14 tn Heb “and I will cause you to eat the inheritance of Jacob your father.” The Hebrew term נַחֲלָה (nakhalah) likely stands by metonymy for the crops that grow on Jacob’s “inheritance” (i.e., the land he inherited as a result of God’s promise).
95. Isaiah 58:14 tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the preceding promise will become reality (because it is guaranteed by the divine word).
96. Isaiah 59:1 tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
97. Isaiah 59:1 tn Heb “or his ear too heavy [i.e., “dull”] to hear.”
98. Isaiah 59:2 tn Heb “and your sins have caused [his] face to be hidden from you so as not to hear.”
99. Isaiah 59:4 tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”
100. Isaiah 59:4 tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”
101. Isaiah 59:4 tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”
102. Isaiah 59:5 tn Heb “that which is pressed in hatches [as] a snake.”
103. Isaiah 59:6 tn Heb “their deeds are deeds of sin, and the work of violence [is] in their hands.”
104. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”
105. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”
106. Isaiah 59:7 tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”
107. Isaiah 59:8 tn Heb “a way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their pathways.”
108. Isaiah 59:8 tn Heb “their paths they make crooked; everyone who walks in it does not know peace.”
109. Isaiah 59:9 tn מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), which refers to “justice” in the earlier verses, here refers to “justice from God,” or “vindication.” Because the people are unjust, God refuses to vindicate them before their enemies. See v. 11.
110. Isaiah 59:9 sn The prophet speaks on behalf of the sinful nation and confesses its sins.
111. Isaiah 59:9 sn Light here symbolizes prosperity and blessing.
112. Isaiah 59:9 tn Heb “but, look, darkness”; NIV “but all is darkness.”
113. Isaiah 59:9 tn The words “we wait for” are supplied in the translation; the verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
114. Isaiah 59:9 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
115. Isaiah 59:9 tn Or “walk about”; NCV “all we have is darkness.”
116. Isaiah 59:9 tn The plural noun form may indicate degree here.
117. Isaiah 59:10 tn Heb “like there are no eyes.”
118. Isaiah 59:10 tn Heb among the strong, like dead men.”
119. Isaiah 59:11 tn See the note at v. 9.
120. Isaiah 59:12 tn Heb “for many are our rebellious deeds before you.”
121. Isaiah 59:12 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] our rebellious deeds (are) with us, and our sins, we know them.”
122. Isaiah 59:13 tn Heb “speaking.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
123. Isaiah 59:13 tn Heb “conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”
124. Isaiah 59:14 tn Or “righteousness” (ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); KJV, NAB “justice.”
125. Isaiah 59:14 tn Or “for” (KJV, NRSV).
126. Isaiah 59:15 tn Heb “and it is displeasing in his eyes.”
127. Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “man” (so KJV, ASV); TEV “no one to help.”
128. Isaiah 59:16 tn Or “appalled” (NAB, NIV, NRSV), or “disgusted.”
129. Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “and his arm delivers for him.”
130. Isaiah 59:16 tn Heb “and his justice [or “righteousness”] supports him.”
131. Isaiah 59:17 tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “goodness.”
132. Isaiah 59:17 tn Or “a breastplate” (traditional; so many English versions); TEV “a coat of armour.”
133. Isaiah 59:17 tn Heb “and [as] a helmet deliverance on his head.”
134. Isaiah 59:17 tn Heb “and he puts on the clothes of vengeance [as] a garment.”
135. Isaiah 59:18 tn Heb “in accordance with deeds, so he repays, anger to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies.”
136. Isaiah 59:18 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV).
137. Isaiah 59:19 tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read “see.”
138. Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”
139. Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”
140. Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”
141. Isaiah 59:19 tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).
142. Isaiah 59:20 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
143. Isaiah 59:20 tn Heb “and to those who turn from rebellion in Jacob.”
144. Isaiah 59:21 tn Or “my covenant with” (so many English versions); NCV “my agreement with.”sn The Lord promises the repentant (note “to them”) that they and their offspring will possess his spirit and function as his spokesmen. In this regard they follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s special servant. See 42:1; 49:2; 51:16.
145. Isaiah 59:21 tn Heb “from now and on into the future.”
146. Isaiah 60:1 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).
147. Isaiah 60:2 tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
148. Isaiah 60:2 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”
149. Isaiah 60:4 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”
150. Isaiah 60:5 tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
151. Isaiah 60:5 tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”
152. Isaiah 60:5 tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.
153. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
154. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
155. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
156. Isaiah 60:7 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
157. Isaiah 60:7 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (ʿal) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [yaʿalu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (l^eratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleting the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (ʿal) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111), and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
158. Isaiah 60:8 tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”
159. Isaiah 60:8 tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.
160. Isaiah 60:9 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
161. Isaiah 60:9 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
162. Isaiah 60:9 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
163. Isaiah 60:9 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
164. Isaiah 60:10 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
165. Isaiah 60:11 tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.
166. Isaiah 60:12 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”
167. Isaiah 60:12 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
168. Isaiah 60:13 tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”
169. Isaiah 60:13 tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”
170. Isaiah 60:14 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
171. Isaiah 60:15 tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”
172. Isaiah 60:16 sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.
173. Isaiah 60:16 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
174. Isaiah 60:16 sn See 1:24 and 49:26.
175. Isaiah 60:17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).
176. Isaiah 60:17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).
177. Isaiah 60:17 tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).
178. Isaiah 60:17 tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.
179. Isaiah 60:18 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
180. Isaiah 60:19 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
181. Isaiah 60:20 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
182. Isaiah 60:20 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
183. Isaiah 60:21 tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”
184. Isaiah 60:21 tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”
185. Isaiah 60:22 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
186. Isaiah 60:22 tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”
187. Isaiah 61:1 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
188. Isaiah 61:1 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
189. Isaiah 61:1 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
190. Isaiah 61:1 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
191. Isaiah 61:1 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
192. Isaiah 61:2 tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.
193. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
194. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
195. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
196. Isaiah 61:3 tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
197. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
198. Isaiah 61:4 tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
199. Isaiah 61:5 sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech.
200. Isaiah 61:5 tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”
201. Isaiah 61:6 tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”
202. Isaiah 61:6 tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.”
203. Isaiah 61:6 tc The form in the Hebrew text probably needs to be emended to יִתְאַמְּרוּ (yitʾamm^eru), a Hitpael from אָמַר (ʾamar), meaning “boast about” (see HALOT 67 s.v. II אמר, HALOT 416 s.v. ימר, and BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר).
204. Isaiah 61:6 tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).
205. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
206. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תַחַת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
207. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”
208. Isaiah 61:8 tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
209. Isaiah 61:9 tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
210. Isaiah 61:10 sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.
211. Isaiah 61:10 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
212. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
213. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
214. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.
215. Isaiah 61:11 tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1).
216. Isaiah 61:11 tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”