Isaiah 33
33
Isaiah 33
A Prophecy of Deliverance from Foes
1 #
Isa 21.2; 24.16; Jer 25.12–14; Hab 2.8; Mt 7.2 Woe to the destroyer,
who yourself have not been destroyed;
you treacherous one,
with whom no one has dealt treacherously!
When you have ceased to destroy,
you will be destroyed;
and when you have stopped dealing treacherously,
you will be dealt with treacherously.
2 #
Isa 25.9
O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you.
Be our arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 #
Isa 17.13; Jer 25.30, 31 At the sound of tumult, peoples fled;
before your majesty, nations scattered.
4Spoil was gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
as locusts leap, they leaped#33.4 Meaning of Heb uncertain upon it.
5 #
Ps 97.9
The Lord is exalted; he dwells on high;
he filled Zion with justice and righteousness;
6 #
v 20
; Isa 11.9; 45.17; Mt 6.33he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.#33.6 Heb his treasure
7 #
2 Kings 18.18, 37 Listen! The people of Ariel#33.7 Heb mss: Meaning of MT uncertain cry out in the streets;
the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8The highways are deserted;
travelers have quit the road.
The treaty is broken;
its oaths#33.8 Q ms: MT cities are despised,
the people are disregarded.
9The land mourns and languishes;
Lebanon is confounded and withers away;
Sharon is like a desert,
and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10“Now I will arise,” says the Lord,
“now I will lift myself up;
now I will be exalted.
11You conceive chaff; you bring forth stubble;
wind like a fire#33.11 Cn: Heb your breath will consume you.
12And the peoples will be as if burned to lime,
like thorns cut down that are burned in the fire.”
13Hear, you who are far away, what I have done,
and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
14The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling has seized the godless:
“Who among us can live with the devouring fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting flames?”
15Those who walk righteously and speak uprightly,
who despise the gain of oppression,
who wave away a bribe instead of accepting it,
who stop their ears from hearing of bloodshed
and shut their eyes from looking on evil,
16they will live on the heights;
their refuge will be the fortresses of rocks;
their food will be supplied, their water assured.
The Land of the Majestic King
17Your eyes will see the king in his beauty;
they will behold a land that stretches far away.
18 #
Isa 17.14; 1 Cor 1.20 Your mind will muse on the terror:
“Where is the one who counted?
Where is the one who weighed the tribute?
Where is the one who counted the towers?”
19 #
Deut 28.49, 50; 2 Kings 19.32; Jer 5.15 No longer will you see the insolent people,
the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend,
stammering in a language that you cannot understand.
20 #
Ps 46.5; 48.12; 125.1, 2; Isa 37.33; 54.2 Look on Zion, the city of our appointed festivals!
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a quiet habitation, an immovable tent
whose stakes will never be pulled up
and none of whose ropes will be broken.
21 #
Isa 41.18
But there the Lord in majesty will be for us
a place of broad rivers and streams
where no galley with oars can go
nor stately ship can pass.
22 #
v 17
; Isa 2.4; 35.4; Zech 9.9; Jas 4.12For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our ruler;
the Lord is our king; he will save us.
23 #
2 Kings 7.8, 16 Your rigging hangs loose;
it cannot hold the mast firm in its place
or keep the sail spread out.
Then the blind will divide abundant spoil,#33.23 Cn: Heb Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided
and the lame will take plunder.
24 #
Jer 30.17; 50.20 And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”;
the people who live there will be forgiven their iniquity.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 33: NRSVUE
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Isaiah 33
33
The Lord Will Restore Zion
1 The destroyer is as good as dead,#tn Heb “Woe [to] the destroyer.”sn In this context “the destroyer” appears to refer collectively to the hostile nations (vv. 3-4). Assyria would probably have been primary in the minds of the prophet and his audience.
you who have not been destroyed!
The deceitful one is as good as dead,#tn Heb “and the deceitful one”; NAB, NIV “O traitor”; NRSV “you treacherous one.” In the parallel structure הוֹי (hoy, “woe [to]”) does double duty.
the one whom others have not deceived!
When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed;
when you finish#tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to derive from an otherwise unattested verb נָלָה (nalah). The translation follows the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa in reading ככלתך, a Piel infinitival form from the verbal root כָּלָה (kalah), meaning “finish.” deceiving, others will deceive you!
2 Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you.
Give us strength each morning!#tn Heb “Be their arm each morning.” “Arm” is a symbol for strength. The mem suffixed to the noun has been traditionally understood as a third person suffix, but this is contrary to the context, where the people speak of themselves in the first person. The mem (מ) is probably enclitic with ellipsis of the pronoun, which can be supplied from the context. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:589, n. 1.
Deliver us when distress comes.#tn Heb “[Be] also our deliverance in the time of distress.”
3 The nations run away when they hear a loud noise;#tn Heb “at the sound of tumult the nations run away.”
the nations scatter when you spring into action!#tn Heb “because of your exaltation the nations scatter.”
4 Your plunder#tn The pronoun is plural; the statement is addressed to the nations who have stockpiled plunder from their conquests of others. disappears as if locusts were eating it;#tn Heb “and your plunder is gathered, the gathering of the locust.”
they swarm over it like locusts!#tn Heb “like a swarm of locusts swarming on it.”
5 The Lord is exalted,#tn Or “elevated”; NCV, NLT “is very great.”
indeed,#tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NIV). he lives in heaven;#tn Heb “on high” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “in the heavens.”
he fills Zion with justice and fairness.
6 He is your constant source of stability;#tn Heb “and he is the stability of your times.”
he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom;#tn Heb “a rich store of deliverance, wisdom, and knowledge.”
he gives all this to those who fear him.#tn Heb “the fear of the Lord, it is his treasure.”
7 Look, ambassadors#tn The meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown. Proposals include “heroes” (cf. KJV, ASV “valiant ones”; NASB, NIV “brave men”); “priests,” “residents [of Jerusalem].” The present translation assumes that the term is synonymous with “messengers of peace,” with which it corresponds in the parallel structure of the verse. cry out in the streets;
messengers sent to make peace#tn Heb “messengers of peace,” apparently those responsible for negotiating the agreements that have been broken (see v. 8). weep bitterly.
8 Highways are empty,#tn Or “desolate” (NAB, NASB); NIV, NRSV, NLT “deserted.”
there are no travelers.#tn Heb “the one passing by on the road ceases.”
Treaties are broken,#tn Heb “one breaks a treaty”; NAB “Covenants are broken.”
witnesses are despised,#tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “he despises cities.” The term עָרִים (’arim, “cities”) is probably a corruption of an original עֵדִים (’edim, “[legal] witnesses”), a reading that is preserved in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa. Confusion of dalet (ד) and resh (ר) is a well-attested scribal error.
human life is treated with disrespect.#tn Heb “he does not regard human beings.”
9 The land#tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.” dries up#tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4. and withers away;
the forest of Lebanon shrivels up#tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation. and decays.
Sharon#sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2. is like the desert;#tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.
Bashan and Carmel#sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2. are parched.#tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”
10 “Now I will rise up,” says the Lord.
“Now I will exalt myself;
now I will magnify myself.#tn Or “lift myself up” (KJV); NLT “show my power and might.”
11 You conceive straw,#tn The second person verb and pronominal forms in this verse are plural. The hostile nations are the addressed, as the next verse makes clear.
you give birth to chaff;
your breath is a fire that destroys you.#sn The hostile nations’ plans to destroy God’s people will come to nothing; their hostility will end up being self-destructive.
12 The nations will be burned to ashes;#tn Heb “will be a burning to lime.” See Amos 2:1.
like thorn bushes that have been cut down, they will be set on fire.
13 You who are far away, listen to what I have done!
You who are close by, recognize my strength!”
14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;
panic#tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.” grips the godless.#tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”
They say,#tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?
Who among us can coexist with unquenchable#tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV). fire?’
15 The one who lives#tn Heb “walks” (so NASB, NIV). uprightly#tn Or, possibly, “justly”; NAB “who practices virtue.”
and speaks honestly;
the one who refuses to profit from oppressive measures
and rejects a bribe;#tn Heb “[who] shakes off his hands from grabbing hold of a bribe.”
the one who does not plot violent crimes#tn Heb “[who] shuts his ear from listening to bloodshed.”
and does not seek to harm others#tn Heb “[who] closes his eyes from seeing evil.” –
16 This is the person who will live in a secure place;#tn Heb “he [in the] exalted places will live.”
he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds;#tn Heb “mountain strongholds, cliffs [will be] his elevated place.”
he will have food
and a constant supply of water.
17 You will see a king in his splendor;#tn Heb “your eyes will see a king in his beauty”; NIV, NRSV “the king.”
you will see a wide land.#tn Heb “a land of distances,” i.e., an extensive land.
18 Your mind will recall the terror you experienced,#tn Heb “your heart will meditate on terror.”
and you will ask yourselves,#tn The words “and you will ask yourselves” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons. “Where is the scribe?
Where is the one who weighs the money?
Where is the one who counts the towers?”#sn The people refer to various Assyrian officials who were responsible for determining the amount of taxation or tribute Judah must pay to the Assyrian king.
19 You will no longer see a defiant#tn The Hebrew form נוֹעָז (no’az) is a Niphal participle derived from יָעַז (ya’az, an otherwise unattested verb) or from עָזָז (’azaz, “be strong,” unattested elsewhere in the Niphal). Some prefer to emend the form to לוֹעֵז (lo’ez) which occurs in Ps 114:1 with the meaning “speak a foreign language.” See HALOT 809 s.v. עזז, 533 s.v. לעז. In this case, one might translate “people who speak a foreign language.” people
whose language you do not comprehend,#tn Heb “a people too deep of lip to hear.” The phrase “deep of lip” must be an idiom meaning “lips that speak words that are unfathomable [i.e., incomprehensible].”
whose derisive speech you do not understand.#tn Heb “derision of tongue there is no understanding.” The Niphal of לָעַג (la’ag) occurs only here. In the Qal and Hiphil the verb means “to deride, mock.” A related noun is used in 28:11.
20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals!
You#tn Heb “your eyes” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV). will see Jerusalem,#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
a peaceful settlement,
a tent that stays put;#tn Or “that does not travel”; NASB “which shall not be folded.”
its stakes will never be pulled up;
none of its ropes will snap in two.
21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king.#tn Heb “But there [as] a mighty one [will be] the Lord for us.”
Rivers and wide streams will flow through it;#tn Heb “a place of rivers, streams wide of hands [i.e., on both sides].”
no war galley will enter;#tn Heb “a ship of rowing will not go into it.”
no large ships will sail through.#tn Heb “and a mighty ship will not pass through it.”
22 For the Lord, our ruler,
the Lord, our commander,
the Lord, our king –
he will deliver us.
23 Though at this time your ropes are slack,#tn The words “though at this time” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The first half of the verse is addressed to Judah and contrasts the nation’s present weakness with its future prosperity. Judah is compared to a ship that is incapable of sailing.
the mast is not secured,#tn Heb “they do not fasten the base of their mast.” On כֵּן (ken, “base”) see BDB 487 s.v. III כֵּן and HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן.
and the sail#tn Or perhaps, “flag.” is not unfurled,
at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot;#tn Heb “then there will be divided up loot of plunder [in] abundance.”
even the lame will drag off plunder.#sn Judah’s victory over its enemies will be so thorough there will be more than enough plunder for everyone, even slow-moving lame men who would normally get left out in the rush to gather the loot.
24 No resident of Zion#tn The words “of Zion” are supplied in the translation for clarification. will say, “I am ill”;
the people who live there will have their sin forgiven.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC