Isaiah 30
30
The Warning of Judah
1#Isa 1:2; 29:15 Woe to the rebellious children,
says the Lord,
who take counsel, but not from Me,
and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
in order to add sin to sin;
2#Nu 27:21; Isa 36:6 they walk down to Egypt
and have not asked from My mouth,
to strengthen themselves in the safety of Pharaoh
and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
3#Isa 20:5 Therefore the safety of Pharaoh shall be your shame
and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your humiliation.
4#Isa 19:11; Jer 43:7 For their princes were at Zoan,
and their ambassadors came to Hanes.
5#Jer 2:36; Isa 30:7 They all will be ashamed
of a people who cannot profit them,
who are not a help or profit,
but a shame and also a reproach.
6#Dt 8:15; Isa 46:1–2; Jer 11:4The burden of the beasts of the Negev.
Through a land of trouble and anguish,
from which comes the lioness and lion,
the viper and fiery flying serpent,
they will carry their riches on the shoulders of young donkeys,
and their treasures on the humps of camels,
to a people who shall not profit them.
7For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose.
Therefore, I have called her,
“Rahab who has been exterminated.”
8#Isa 8:1; Hab 2:2 Now go, write it before them on a tablet,
and note it in a book,
that it may serve in the time to come
as a witness forever;
9#Isa 30:1 for this is a rebellious people, lying children,
children who refuse to listen to the law of the Lord;
10#Am 7:13; Jer 11:21 they say to the seers,
“You must not see visions,”
and to the prophets,
“You must not prophesy to us right things;
speak to us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11Get out of the way,
turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more
about the Holy One of Israel.”
12#Isa 5:24Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel:
Because you despise this word
and trust in oppression and perverseness,
and rely on them,
13#1Ki 20:30; Ps 62:3 therefore this iniquity shall be to you
as a breach ready to fall, swelling up in a high wall,
whose collapse comes suddenly, in an instant.
14#Ps 2:9; Jer 19:10–11 He shall break it as the breaking of the potter’s vessel
that is broken in pieces;
He shall not spare so that there shall not be found in the breaking of it a shard
to take fire from the hearth
or with which to take water out of a cistern.
15#Isa 32:17; 7:4For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
Yet you were not willing,
16#Isa 31:1; 31:3 and you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”;
therefore you shall flee.
“And we will ride on swift horses”;
therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17#Lev 26:8; 26:36 One thousand shall flee
at the threat of one man;
at the threat of five
you shall flee
until you are left
as a flag on the top of a mountain
and as a banner on a hill.
God’s Promise to Zion
18#Isa 25:9; 2Pe 3:9 Therefore, the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
and therefore, He waits on high to have mercy on you;
for the Lord is a God of justice;
how blessed are all who long for Him.
19#Ps 50:15; Isa 58:9O people in Zion, inhabitants in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When He hears it, He will answer you. 20#1Ki 22:27; Ps 74:9Though the Lord has given you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet He, your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21#Ps 25:8–9; Isa 35:8–9Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. 22#Jdg 17:3–4; Isa 46:6You shall defile also your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molded images ornamented with gold. You shall scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, “Be gone!”
23#Isa 32:20; Ps 65:9–13Then He shall give you rain for the seed which you shall sow in the ground and bread of the increase of the earth. And it shall be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle shall feed in large pastures. 24#Ge 45:6The oxen likewise and the young donkeys that work the ground shall eat cured fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and fork. 25#Isa 35:6–7; 43:19–20There shall be on every high mountain and on every high hill rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26#Isa 60:19–20; Dt 32:39Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord binds up the breach of His people and heals the wound from His blow.
Judgment on Assyria
27See, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
burning with His anger, and its burden is heavy;
His lips are full of indignation,
and His tongue as a devouring fire.
28#Isa 8:8; 11:4 And His breath is as an overflowing stream
which reaches to the middle of the neck,
to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity;
and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people,
causing them to err.
29#Ps 42:4; Isa 2:3 You shall have songs,
as in the night when a festival is kept,
and gladness of heart,
as when one goes with a flute
to come into the mountain of the Lord,
to the Mighty One of Israel.
30#Ps 18:13–14; Jos 10:11 The Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard,
and shall show the descending of His arm
with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire,
with scattering, and cloudburst, and hailstones.
31#Isa 9:4; 10:5 For through the voice of the Lord the Assyrian shall be beaten down
when He strikes with a rod.
32#Isa 11:15; 2:19 And every blow of the rod of punishment
which the Lord shall lay on him
shall be with tambourines and harps;
and in battles, brandishing weapons, He will fight them.
33#2Ki 23:10; Ge 19:24; Jer 19:6 For Topheth has been long prepared,
indeed, for the king it has been prepared.
He has made it deep and large,
a pile of fire with much wood;
the breath of the Lord,
like a stream of brimstone,
kindles it.
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Isaiah 30: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Isaiah 30
30
Egypt Will Prove Unreliable
1 “The rebellious#tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.” children are as good as dead,”#tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.” says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me,#tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit,#tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
and thereby compound their sin.#tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will,#tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade.#tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”
3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,
and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.
4 Though his#sn This probably refers to Judah’s officials and messengers. officials are in Zoan
and his messengers arrive at Hanes,#sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta in the north; Hanes was located somewhere in southern region of lower Egypt, south of Memphis; the exact location is debated.
5 all will be put to shame#tn The present translation follows the marginal (Qere) reading of the Hebrew text; the consonantal text (Kethib) has “made to stink, decay.”
because of a nation that cannot help them,
who cannot give them aid or help,
but only shame and disgrace.”
6 This is a message#tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.” about the animals in the Negev:
Through a land of distress and danger,
inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions,#tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.
by snakes and darting adders,#tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.
they transport#tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). their wealth on the backs of donkeys,
their riches on the humps of camels,
to a nation that cannot help them.#sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.
7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping.#tn Heb “As for Egypt, with vanity and emptiness they help.”
For this reason I call her
‘Proud one#tn Heb “Rahab” (רַהַב, rahav), which also appears as a name for Egypt in Ps 87:4. The epithet is also used in the OT for a mythical sea monster symbolic of chaos. See the note at 51:9. A number of English versions use the name “Rahab” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) while others attempt some sort of translation (cf. CEV “a helpless monster”; TEV, NLT “the Harmless Dragon”). who is silenced.’”#tn The MT reads “Rahab, they, sitting.” The translation above assumes an emendation of הֵם שָׁבֶת (hem shavet) to הַמָּשְׁבָּת (hammashbat), a Hophal participle with prefixed definite article, meaning “the one who is made to cease,” i.e., “destroyed,” or “silenced.” See HALOT 444-45 s.v. ישׁב.
8 Now go, write it#tn The referent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix is uncertain. Perhaps it refers to the preceding message, which accuses the people of rejecting the Lord’s help in favor of an alliance with Egypt. down on a tablet in their presence,#tn Heb “with them.” On the use of the preposition here, see BDB 86 s.v. II אֵת.
inscribe it on a scroll,
so that it might be preserved for a future time
as an enduring witness.#sn Recording the message will enable the prophet to use it in the future as evidence that God warned his people of impending judgment and clearly spelled out the nation’s guilt. An official record of the message will also serve as proof of the prophet’s authority as God’s spokesman.
9 For these are rebellious people –
they are lying children,
children unwilling to obey the Lord’s law.#tn Or perhaps, “instruction” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV, TEV “teachings.”
10 They#tn Heb “who” (so NASB, NRSV). A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons. say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!”
and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right!#tn Heb “Do not see for us right things.”
Tell us nice things,
relate deceptive messages.#tn Heb “Tell us smooth things, see deceptive things.”
11 Turn aside from the way,
stray off the path.#sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.
Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.”#sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“You have rejected this message;#tn The sentence actually begins with the word “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick,#tn Heb “and you trust in oppression and cunning.”
and rely on that kind of behavior.#tn Heb “and you lean on it”; NAB “and depend on it.”
13 So this sin will become your downfall.
You will be like a high wall
that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse;
it crumbles suddenly, in a flash.#tn The verse reads literally, “So this sin will become for you like a breach ready to fall, bulging on a high wall, the breaking of which comes suddenly, in a flash.” Their sin produces guilt and will result in judgment. Like a wall that collapses their fall will be swift and sudden.
14 It shatters in pieces like a clay jar,
so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged.#tn Heb “Its shattering is like the shattering of a jug of [i.e., “made by”] potters, [so] shattered one cannot save [any of it].”
Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough#tn The words “large enough” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
to scoop a hot coal from a fire#tn Heb “to remove fire from the place of kindling.”
or to skim off water from a cistern.”#tn On the meaning of גֶבֶא (geveh, “cistern”) see HALOT 170 s.v.
15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:
“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered;#tn Heb “in returning and in quietness you will be delivered.” Many English versions render the last phrase “shall be saved” or something similar (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).
if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength,#tn Heb “in quietness and in trust is your strength” (NASB and NRSV both similar).
but you are unwilling.
16 You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’
so you will indeed flee.
You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’
so your pursuers will be fast.
17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier;#tn Heb “One thousand from before [or “because of”] one battle cry.” גְּעָרָה (gÿ’arah) is often defined as “threat,” but in war contexts it likely refers to a shout or battle cry. See Ps 76:6.
at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away,#tn Heb “from before [or “because of”] the battle cry of five you will flee.
until the remaining few are as isolated#tn Heb “until you are left” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).
as a flagpole on a mountaintop
or a signal flag on a hill.”
The Lord Will Not Abandon His People
18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you.#tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.
Indeed, the Lord is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.#tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”
19 For people will live in Zion;
in Jerusalem#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. you will weep no more.#tn Heb “For people in Zion will live, in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.” The phrase “in Jerusalem” could be taken with what precedes. Some prefer to emend יֵשֵׁב (yeshev, “will live,” a Qal imperfect) to יֹשֵׁב (yoshev, a Qal active participle) and translate “For [you] people in Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.”
When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;
when he hears it, he will respond to you.#tn Heb “he will indeed show you mercy at the sound of your crying out; when he hears, he will answer you.”
20 The sovereign master#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai). will give you distress to eat
and suffering to drink;#tn Heb “and the Master will give to you bread – distress, and water – oppression.”
but your teachers will no longer be hidden;
your eyes will see them.#tn Heb “but your teachers will no longer be hidden, your eyes will be seeing your teachers.” The translation assumes that the form מוֹרֶיךָ (morekha) is a plural participle, referring to spiritual leaders such as prophets and priests. Another possibility is that the form is actually singular (see GKC 273-74 §93.ss) or a plural of respect, referring to God as the master teacher. See HALOT 560-61 s.v. III מוֹרֶה. For discussion of the views, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:560.
21 You#tn Heb “your ears” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,
“This is the correct#tn The word “correct’ is supplied in the translation for clarification. way, walk in it,”
whether you are heading to the right or the left.
22 You will desecrate your silver-plated idols#tn Heb “the platings of your silver idols.”
and your gold-plated images.#tn Heb “the covering of your gold image.”
You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag,
saying to them, “Get out!”
23 He will water the seed you plant in the ground,
and the ground will produce crops in abundance.#tn Heb “and he will give rain for your seed which you plant in the ground, and food [will be] the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and abundant.”
At that time#tn Or “in that day” (KJV). your cattle will graze in wide pastures.
24 The oxen and donkeys used in plowing#tn Heb “the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground.”
will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork.#sn Crops will be so abundant that even the work animals will eat well.
25 On every high mountain
and every high hill
there will be streams flowing with water,
at the time of#tn Or “in the day of” (KJV). great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.
26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare
and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,
like the light of seven days,#sn Light here symbolizes restoration of divine blessing and prosperity. The number “seven” is used symbolically to indicate intensity. The exact meaning of the phrase “the light of seven days” is uncertain; it probably means “seven times brighter” (see the parallel line).
when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones#tn Heb “the fracture of his people” (so NASB). sn The Lord is here compared to a physician setting a broken bone in a bandage or cast.
and heals their severe wound.#tn Heb “the injury of his wound.” The joining of synonyms emphasizes the severity of the wound. Another option is to translate, “the wound of his blow.” In this case the pronominal suffix might refer to the Lord, not the people, yielding the translation, “the wound which he inflicted.”
27 Look, the name#sn The “name” of the Lord sometimes stands by metonymy for the Lord himself, see Exod 23:21; Lev 24:11; Pss 54:1 (54:3 HT); 124:8. In Isa 30:27 the point is that he reveals that aspect of his character which his name suggests – he comes as Yahweh (“he is present”), the ever present helper of his people who annihilates their enemies and delivers them. The name “Yahweh” originated in a context where God assured a fearful Moses that he would be with him as he confronted Pharaoh and delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. See Exod 3. of the Lord comes from a distant place
in raging anger and awesome splendor.#tn Heb “his anger burns, and heaviness of elevation.” The meaning of the phrase “heaviness of elevation” is unclear, for מַשָּׂאָה (masa’ah, “elevation”) occurs only here. Some understand the term as referring to a cloud (elevated above the earth’s surface), in which case one might translate, “and in heavy clouds” (cf. NAB “with lowering clouds”). Others relate the noun to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”) and interpret it as a reference to judgment. In this case one might translate, “and with severe judgment.” The present translation assumes that the noun refers to his glory and that “heaviness” emphasizes its degree.
He speaks angrily
and his word is like destructive fire.#tn Heb “his lips are full of anger, and his tongue is like consuming fire.” The Lord’s lips and tongue are used metonymically for his word (or perhaps his battle cry; see v. 31).
28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river#tn Heb “his breath is like a flooding river.” This might picture the Lord breathing heavily as he runs down his enemy, but in light of the preceding verse, which mentions his lips and tongue, “breath” probably stands metonymically for the word or battle cry that he expels from his mouth as he shouts. In Isa 34:16 and Ps 33:6 the Lord’s “breath” is associated with his command.
that reaches one’s neck.
He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff;#tn Heb “shaking nations in a sieve of worthlessness.” It is not certain exactly how שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness, worthlessness”) modifies “sieve.” A sieve is used to separate grain from chaff and isolate what is worthless so that it might be discarded. Perhaps the nations are likened to such chaff; God’s judgment will sift them out for destruction.
he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction.#tn Heb “and a bit that leads astray [is] in the jaws of the peoples.” Here the nations are likened to horse that can be controlled by a bit placed in its mouth. In this case the Lord uses his sovereign control over the “horse” to lead it to its demise.
29 You will sing
as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.
You will be happy like one who plays a flute
as he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel.#tn Heb “[you will have] joy of heart, like the one going with a flute to enter the mountain of the Lord to the Rock of Israel.” The image here is not a foundational rock, but a rocky cliff where people could hide for protection (for example, the fortress of Masada).
30 The Lord will give a mighty shout#tn Heb “the Lord will cause the splendor of his voice to be heard.”
and intervene in power,#tn Heb “and reveal the lowering of his arm.”
with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire,#tn Heb “and a flame of consuming fire.”
with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.
31 Indeed, the Lord’s shout will shatter Assyria;#tn Heb “Indeed by the voice of the Lord Assyria will be shattered.”
he will beat them with a club.
32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel,#tc The Hebrew text has “every blow from a founded [i.e., “appointed”?] cudgel.” The translation above, with support from a few medieval Hebrew mss, assumes an emendation of מוּסָדָה (musadah, “founded”) to מוּסָרֹה (musaroh, “his discipline”).
with which the Lord will beat them,#tn Heb “which the Lord lays on him.”
will be accompanied by music from the#tn Heb “will be with” (KJV similar). tambourine and harp,
and he will attack them with his weapons.#tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and with battles of brandishing [weapons?] he will fight against him.” Some prefer to emend וּבְמִלְחֲמוֹת (uvÿmilkhamot, “and with battles of”) to וּבִמְחֹלוֹת (uvimkholot, “and with dancing”). Note the immediately preceding references to musical instruments.
33 For#tn Or “indeed.” the burial place is already prepared;#tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for arranged from before [or “yesterday”] is [?].” The meaning of תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh), which occurs only here, is unknown. The translation above (as with most English versions) assumes an emendation to תֹּפֶת (tofet, “Topheth”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) and places the final hey (ה) on the beginning of the next word as an interrogative particle. Topheth was a place near Jerusalem used as a burial ground (see Jer 7:32; 19:11).
it has been made deep and wide for the king.#tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Also it is made ready for the king, one makes it deep and wide.” If one takes the final hey (ה) on תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh) and prefixes it to גָּם (gam) as an interrogative particle (see the preceding note), one can translate, “Is it also made ready for the king?” In this case the question is rhetorical and expects an emphatic affirmative answer, “Of course it is!”
The firewood is piled high on it.#tn Heb “its pile of wood, fire and wood one makes abundant.”sn Apparently this alludes to some type of funeral rite.
The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone,
will ignite it.
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