Isaiah 35
35
1The wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and shouting: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of Jehovah, the excellency of our God#GodHebrew: Elohim 3Strengthen the weak hands and confirm the tottering knees. 4Say to them that are of a timid heart, Be strong, fear not; behold your God#GodHebrew: Elohim vengeance cometh, the recompense of God#GodHebrew: Elohim He will come himself, and save you.
5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf be unstopped; 6then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and torrents in the desert. 7And the mirage shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of wild dogs, where they lay down, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8And a highway shall be there and a way, and it shall be called, The way of holiness: the unclean shall not pass through it; but it shall be for these. Those that go this way — even fools, — shall not err therein. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall ravenous beast go up thereon, nor be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there. 10And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with singing; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 35: DARBY
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Isaiah 35
35
The Land and Its People Are Transformed
1 Let the desert and dry region be happy;#tn The final mem (ם) on the verb יְשֻׂשׂוּם (yÿsusum) is dittographic (note the initial mem on the following noun מִדְבָּר [midbar]). The ambiguous verbal form is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel). The jussive is used rhetorically here, not as a literal command or prayer.
let the wilderness#tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); NAB, NIV, TEV “desert.” rejoice and bloom like a lily!
2 Let it richly bloom;#tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).
let it rejoice and shout with delight!#tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).
It is given the grandeur#tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse. of Lebanon,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the grandeur of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp,
steady the knees that shake!#tn Heb “staggering knees”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “feeble knees”; NIV “knees that give way.”
4 Tell those who panic,#tn Heb “Say to the hasty of heart,” i.e., those whose hearts beat quickly from fear.
“Be strong! Do not fear!
Look, your God comes to avenge!
With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.”#tn The jussive form וְיֹשַׁעֲכֶם (vÿyosha’akhem), which is subordinated to the preceding imperfect with vav conjunctive, indicates purpose.
5 Then blind eyes will open,
deaf ears will hear.
6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
the mute tongue will shout for joy;
for water will flow#tn Heb “burst forth” (so NAB); KJV “break out.” in the desert,
streams in the wilderness.#tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT “desert.”
7 The dry soil will become a pool of water,
the parched ground springs of water.
Where jackals once lived and sprawled out,
grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.
8 A thoroughfare will be there –
it will be called the Way of Holiness.#tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and there will be there a road and a way, and the Way of Holiness it will be called.” וְדֶרֶךְ (vÿderekh, “and a/the way”) is accidentally duplicated; the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not reflect the repetition of the phrase.
The unclean will not travel on it;
it is reserved for those authorized to use it#tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The text reads literally “and it is for them, the one who walks [on the] way.” In this context those authorized to use the Way of Holiness would be morally upright people who are the recipients of God’s deliverance, in contrast to the morally impure and foolish who are excluded from the new covenant community. –
fools#tn In this context “fools” are those who are morally corrupt, not those with limited intellectual capacity. will not stray into it.
9 No lions will be there,
no ferocious wild animals will be on it#tn Heb “will go up on it”; TEV “will pass that way.” –
they will not be found there.
Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,
10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way.#tn Heb “and the redeemed will walk, the ransomed of the Lord will return.”
They will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them,#tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
happiness and joy will overwhelm#tn Heb “will overtake” (NIV); NLT “they will be overcome with.” them;
grief and suffering will disappear.#tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee”; KJV “sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
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