Isaiah 1:7–9

Footnotes

1. 23 Heb “As for your land, before you foreigners are devouring it.”
2. 24 Heb “and [there is] devastation like an overthrow by foreigners.” The comparative preposition ךְּ (ké, “like, as”) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the land has all the earmarks of a destructive foreign invasion because that is what has indeed happened. One could paraphrase, “it is desolate as it can only be when foreigners destroy.” On this use of the preposition in general, see §118.x. Many also prefer to emend “foreigners” here to “Sodom,” though there is no external attestation for such a reading in the or ancient versions. Such an emendation finds support from the following context (vv. 9–10) and usage of the preceding noun מַהְפֵּכָה (mahpekhah, “overthrow”). In its five other uses, this noun is associated with the destruction of Sodom. If one accepts the emendation, then one might translate, “the devastation resembles the destruction of Sodom.”
3. 25 Heb “daughter of Zion” (so , , ). The genitive is appositional, identifying precisely which daughter is in view. By picturing Zion as a daughter, the prophet emphasizes her helplessness and vulnerability before the enemy.
4. 26 Heb “like a city besieged.” Unlike the preceding two comparisons, which are purely metaphorical, this third one identifies the reality of Israel’s condition. In this case the comparative preposition, as in v. 7b, has the force, “in every way like,” indicating that all the earmarks of a siege are visible because that is indeed what is taking place. The verb form in is Qal passive participle of נָצַר (natsar, “guard”), but since this verb is not often used of a siege (see 666 I נָצַר), some prefer to repoint the form as a Niphal participle from II צוּר (tsur, “besiege”). However, the latter is not attested elsewhere in the Niphal (see 848 II צוּר).
5. 27 Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts.” The title pictures God as the sovereign king who has at his disposal a multitude of attendants, messengers, and warriors to do his bidding. In some contexts, like this one, the military dimension of his rulership is highlighted. In this case, the title pictures him as one who leads armies into battle against his enemies.
6. 28 The translation assumes that כִּמְעָט (kim’at, “quickly,” literally, “like a little”) goes with what follows, contrary to the accents, which take it with what precedes. In this case, one could translate the preceding line, “If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors.” If כִּמְעָט goes with the preceding line (following the accents), this expression highlights the idea that there would only be a few survivors (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:; H. Zobel, 8:456). Israel would not be almost like Sodom but exactly like Sodom.