Isaiah 19:1–23:18

tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”

tn Heb I will provoke Egypt against Egypt” (NAB similar).

tn Heb “and they will fight, a man against his brother, and a man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.” Civil strife will extend all the way from the domestic level to the provincial arena.

tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”

tn The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (bala’, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.

tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.

tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

tn Heb “will dry up and be dry.” Two synonyms are joined for emphasis.

tn Heb “rivers” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, CEV “streams”; TEV “channels.”

tn The verb form appears as a Hiphil in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa; the form in MT may be a so-called “mixed form,” reflecting the Hebrew Hiphil stem and the functionally corresponding Aramaic Aphel stem. See HALOT 276 s.v. I זנח.

tn Heb “the plants by the river, by the mouth of the river.”

tn Heb “will dry up, [being] scattered, and it will vanish.”

tn Or perhaps, “will disappear”; cf. TEV “will be useless.”

tn BDB 301 s.v. חוֹרִי suggests the meaning “white stuff” for חוֹרִי (khori); the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חָוֵרוּ (khaveru), probably a Qal perfect, third plural form of חוּר, (khur, “be white, pale”). See HALOT 299 s.v. I חור. The latter reading is assumed in the translation above.

tn Some interpret שָׁתֹתֶיהָ (shatoteha) as “her foundations,” i.e., leaders, nobles. See BDB 1011 s.v. שָׁת. Others, on the basis of alleged cognates in Akkadian and Coptic, repoint the form שְׁתִיתֶיהָ (shétiteha) and translate “her weavers.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:370.

tn Heb “crushed.” Emotional distress is the focus of the context (see vv. 8–9, 10b).

tn Heb “sad of soul”; cf. NIV, NLT “sick at heart.”

tn Or “certainly the officials of Zoan are fools.” אַךְ (’akh) can carry the sense, “only, nothing but,” or “certainly, surely.”

tn Heb “A son of wise men am I, a son of ancient kings.” The term בֶּן (ben, “son of”) could refer to literal descent, but many understand the word, at least in the first line, in its idiomatic sense of “member [of a guild].” See HALOT 138 s.v. בֶּן and J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:371. If this is the case, then one can take the word in a figurative sense in the second line as well, the “son of ancient kings” being one devoted to their memory as preserved in their literature.

tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.

tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”

tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.

tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”

tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”

tn Heb “And there will not be for Egypt a deed, which head and tail, shoot and stalk can do.” In 9:14–15 the phrase “head or tail” refers to leaders and prophets, respectively. This interpretation makes good sense in this context, where both leaders and advisers (probably including prophets and diviners) are mentioned (vv. 11–14). Here, as in 9:14, “shoots and stalk” picture a reed, which symbolizes the leadership of the nation in its entirety.

tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 18 and 19.

tn Heb “Egypt,” which stands by metonymy for the country’s inhabitants.

sn As the rest of the verse indicates, the point of the simile is that the Egyptians will be relatively weak physically and will wilt in fear before the Lord’s onslaught.

tn Heb “and he will tremble and be afraid because of the brandishing of the hand of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], which he brandishes against him.” Since according to the imagery here the Lord’s “hand” is raised as a weapon against the Egyptians, the term “fist” has been used in the translation.

tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”

sn The significance of the number “five” in this context is uncertain. For a discussion of various proposals, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:376–77.

tc The Hebrew text has עִיר הַהֶרֶס (’ir haheres, “City of Destruction”; cf. NASB, NIV) but this does not fit the positive emphasis of vv. 18–22. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and some medieval Hebrew mss read עִיר הָחֶרֶס (’ir hakheres, “City of the Sun,” i.e., Heliopolis). This reading also finds support from Symmachus’ Greek version, the Targum, and the Vulgate. See HALOT 257 s.v. חֶרֶס and HALOT 355 s.v. II חֶרֶס.

tn This word is sometimes used of a sacred pillar associated with pagan worship, but here it is associated with the worship of the Lord.

tn The masculine noun מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbbeakh, “altar”) in v. 19 is probably the subject of the masculine singular verb הָיָה (hayah) rather than the feminine noun מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”), also in v. 19.

tn Heb “a sign and a witness to the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] in the land of Egypt.”

tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”

tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.

tn Heb “will know the Lord.”

tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.

tn Heb “he will be entreated.” The Niphal has a tolerative sense here, “he will allow himself to be entreated.”

tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23–25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (’et) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.

tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).

tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).

tn Heb “which the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will bless [it], saying.” The third masculine singular suffix on the form בֵּרֲכוֹ (berakho) should probably be emended to a third feminine singular suffix בֵּרֲכָהּ (berakhah), for its antecedent would appear to be the feminine noun אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) at the end of v. 24.

tn Or “my inheritance” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

tn Heb “In the year the commanding general came to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and captured it.”

sn This probably refers to the Assyrian campaign against Philistia in 712 or 711 b.c.

tn Heb “spoke by the hand of.”

tn The word used here (עָרוֹם, ’arom) sometimes means “naked,” but here it appears to mean simply “lightly dressed,” i.e., stripped to one’s undergarments. See HALOT 883 s.v. עָרוֹם. The term also occurs in vv. 3, 4.

tn Heb “lightly dressed and barefoot, and bare with respect to the buttocks, the nakedness of Egypt.”

tn Heb “and they will be afraid and embarrassed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their beauty.”

tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).

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 “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.

tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).

tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”

sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.

tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”

tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”

tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”

tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”

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”).

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.

sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.

tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”

tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6.

tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). 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).

tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”

tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).

tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”

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.

sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.

sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.

sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.

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.”

tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.

tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”

tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

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).

tn Heb “What to you, then?”

tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.

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.

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 translation above 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).

tn Heb “all your found ones.” To achieve tighter parallelism (see “your leaders”) some prefer to emend the form to אַמִּיצַיִךְ (’ammitsayikh, “your strong ones”) or to נֶאֱמָצַיִךְ (ne’ematsayikh, “your strengthened ones”).

tn Heb “apart from [i.e., without] a bow they were captured”; cf. NAB, NRSV “without the use of a bow.”

tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).

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.

tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.

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.

sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.

tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”

sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.

tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).

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.

tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

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.”

tn Heb “he,” i.e., the enemy invader. NASB, by its capitalization of the pronoun, takes this to refer to the Lord.

tn Heb “covering.”

tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of v. 12.

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).

tn Heb “the breaks of the city of David, you saw that they were many.”

map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

tn Heb “you demolished the houses to fortify the wall.”

tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”

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.

tn Heb “did not see.”

tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.

tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

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.

tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

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.

tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”

tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

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.

tn Heb “that you chisel out.”

tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”

tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”

tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”

tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”

tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”

sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.