Isaiah 29
29
The Siege of Jerusalem
1Ah, Ariel, Ariel,
the city #[2 Sam. 5:9]where David encamped!
Add year to year;
let the feasts run their round.
2Yet I will distress Ariel,
and there shall be moaning and lamentation,
and she shall be to me like an Ariel.#29:2 Ariel could mean lion of God, or hero (2 Samuel 23:20), or altar hearth (Ezekiel 43:15–16)
3 # [2 Kgs. 25:1; Ezek. 4:2] And I will encamp against you all around,
and will besiege you #[Ezek. 21:22; 26:8]with towers
and I will raise siegeworks against you.
4 # [ch. 2:11, 12] And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak,
and from the dust your speech will be bowed down;
your voice shall come from the ground like #See ch. 8:19the voice of a ghost,
and from the dust your speech shall whisper.
5But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like #ch. 17:13; Ps. 18:42 small dust,
and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff.
# [ch. 17:14; 37:36; 2 Kgs. 19:35] And in an instant, suddenly,
6 # [1 Kgs. 19:11, 12] you will be visited by the Lord of hosts
with thunder and with earthquake and great noise,
with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.
7And #[Zech. 12:9]; See Mic. 4:11-13 the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel,
all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her,
shall be #ch. 17:14; [Job 20:8]like a dream, a vision of the night.
8 # [Ps. 73:20; 90:5] As when a hungry man dreams, and behold, he is eating,
and awakes with his hunger not satisfied,
or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he is drinking,
and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched,
so shall the multitude of all the nations be
that fight against Mount Zion.
9Astonish yourselves#29:9 Or Linger awhile and be astonished;
blind yourselves and be blind!
Be drunk,#29:9 Or They are drunk but not with wine;
# [ch. 19:14; 24:20] stagger,#29:9 Or they stagger but not with strong drink!
10 # [ch. 6:10; Rom. 11:8] For the Lord has poured out upon you
a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).
11And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is #ch. 8:16; Dan. 12:4sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”
13And the Lord said:
“Because #Cited Matt. 15:8, 9; Mark 7:6, 7; [Ezek. 33:31] this people #[ch. 1:12; 58:2]draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14therefore, behold, #Hab. 1:5; See ch. 3:1-4 I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and #Jer. 49:7; Cited 1 Cor. 1:19the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
15Ah, #[ch. 30:1] you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
whose deeds are #Ezek. 8:12in the dark,
and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
16 # See ch. 10:15 You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?
17Is it not yet a very little while
# [Ps. 107:33, 35] until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
18In that day #[ch. 32:3; 35:5; Matt. 11:5] the deaf shall hear
# ver. 12 the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
# [ch. 35:5; Matt. 11:5] the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 # ch. 61:1; [ch. 14:32; Zeph. 3:12; Matt. 5:3] The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
20For the ruthless shall come to nothing
and #ch. 28:14, 22the scoffer cease,
and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
21who by a word make a man out to be an offender,
and #Amos 5:10; [Ps. 127:5] lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
and with an empty plea #Amos 5:12turn aside him who is in the right.
22Therefore thus says the Lord, #[ch. 51:2]who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob shall no more be ashamed,
no more shall his face grow pale.
23For when he sees his children,
# ch. 19:25; 60:21; [Ps. 100:3] the work of my hands, in his midst,
they will sanctify my name;
# ch. 8:13 they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24And those #[ch. 28:7]who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will accept instruction.”
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Isaiah 29: ESV
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Isaiah 29
29
Ariel is Besieged
1 Ariel is as good as dead#tn Heb “Woe [to] Ariel.” The meaning of the name “Ariel” is uncertain. The name may mean “altar hearth” (see v. 2) or, if compound, “lion of God.” The name is used here as a title for Mount Zion/Jerusalem (see v. 8). –
Ariel, the town David besieged!#tn Heb “the town where David camped.” The verb חָנָה (khanah, “camp”) probably has the nuance “lay siege to” here. See v. 3. Another option is to take the verb in the sense of “lived, settled.”
Keep observing your annual rituals,
celebrate your festivals on schedule.#tn Heb “Add year to year, let your festivals occur in cycles.” This is probably a sarcastic exhortation to the people to keep up their religious rituals, which will not prevent the coming judgment. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:527.
2 I will threaten Ariel,
and she will mourn intensely
and become like an altar hearth#tn The term אֲרִיאֵל (’ari’el, “Ariel”) is the word translated “altar hearth” here. The point of the simile is not entirely clear. Perhaps the image likens Jerusalem’s coming crisis to a sacrificial fire. before me.
3 I will lay siege to you on all sides;#tc The Hebrew text has כַדּוּר (khadur, “like a circle”), i.e., “like an encircling wall.” Some emend this phrase to כְּדָוִד (kÿdavid, “like David”), which is supported by the LXX (see v. 1). However, the rendering in the LXX could have arisen from a confusion of the dalet (ד) and resh (ר).
I will besiege you with troops;#tn The meaning of מֻצָּב (mutsav) is not certain. Because of the parallelism (note “siege works”), some translate “towers.” The noun is derived from נָצַב (natsav, “take one’s stand”) and may refer to the troops stationed outside the city to prevent entrance or departure.
I will raise siege works against you.
4 You will fall;
while lying on the ground#tn Heb “from the ground” (so NIV, NCV). you will speak;
from the dust where you lie, your words will be heard.#tn Heb “and from the dust your word will be low.”
Your voice will sound like a spirit speaking from the underworld;#tn Heb “and your voice will be like a ritual pit from the earth.” The 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. Here the word is used metonymically for the voice that emerges from such a pit.
from the dust you will chirp as if muttering an incantation.#tn Heb “and from the dust your word will chirp.” The words “as if muttering an incantation” are supplied in the translation for clarification. See the parallelism and 8:19.
5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust,
the horde of tyrants#tn Or “violent men”; cf. NASB “the ruthless ones.” like chaff that is blown away.
It will happen suddenly, in a flash.
6 Judgment will come from the Lord who commands armies,#tn Heb “from the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] there will be visitation.” The third feminine singular passive verb form תִּפָּקֵד (tippaqed, “she/it will be visited”) is used here in an impersonal sense. See GKC 459 §144.b.
accompanied by thunder, earthquake, and a loud noise,
by a strong gale, a windstorm, and a consuming flame of fire.
7 It will be like a dream, a night vision.
There will be a horde from all the nations that fight against Ariel,
those who attack her and her stronghold and besiege her.
8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming that he is eating,
only to awaken and find that his stomach is empty.#tn Or “that he [or “his appetite”] is unsatisfied.”
It will be like a thirsty man dreaming that he is drinking,
only to awaken and find that he is still weak and his thirst unquenched.#tn Or “that he is faint and that he [or “his appetite”] longs [for water].”
So it will be for the horde from all the nations
that fight against Mount Zion.
God’s People are Spiritually Insensitive
9 You will be shocked and amazed!#tn The form הִתְמַהְמְהוּ (hitmahmÿhu) is a Hitpalpel imperative from מָהַהּ (mahah, “hesitate”). If it is retained, one might translate “halt and be amazed.” The translation assumes an emendation to הִתַּמְּהוּ (hittammÿhu), a Hitpael imperative from תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). In this case, the text, like Hab 1:5, combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of תָּמַה (tamah). A literal translation might be “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sound draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572 §34.4c.
You are totally blind!#tn Heb “Blind yourselves and be blind!” The Hitpalpel and Qal imperatival forms of שָׁעַע (sha’a’, “be blind”) are combined to draw attention to the statement. The imperatives have the force of an emphatic assertion.
They are drunk,#tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts. but not because of wine;
they stagger,#tc Some prefer to emend the perfect form of the verb to an imperative (e.g., NAB, NCV, NRSV), since the people are addressed in the immediately preceding and following contexts. but not because of beer.
10 For the Lord has poured out on you
a strong urge to sleep deeply.#tn Heb “a disposition [or “spirit”] of deep sleep.” Through this mixed metaphor (sleep is likened to a liquid which one pours and in turn symbolizes spiritual dullness) the prophet emphasizes that God himself has given the people over to their spiritual insensitivity as a form of judgment.
He has shut your eyes (the prophets),
and covered your heads (the seers).
11 To you this entire prophetic revelation#tn Heb “vision” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV). is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read#tn Heb “one who knows a/the scroll.” and say, “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t, because it is sealed.” 12 Or when they hand the scroll to one who can’t read#tn Heb “and if the scroll is handed to one who does not know a scroll.” and say, “Read this,” he says, “I can’t read.”#tn Heb “I do not know a scroll.”
13 The sovereign master#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai). says,
“These people say they are loyal to me;#tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
they say wonderful things about me,#tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
but they are not really loyal to me.#tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual.#tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
14 Therefore I will again do an amazing thing for these people –
an absolutely extraordinary deed.#tn Heb “Therefore I will again do something amazing with these people, an amazing deed, an amazing thing.” This probably refers to the amazing transformation predicted in vv. 17-24, which will follow the purifying judgment implied in vv. 15-16.
Wise men will have nothing to say,
the sages will have no explanations.”#tn Heb “the wisdom of their wise ones will perish, the discernment of their discerning ones will keep hidden.”
15 Those who try to hide their plans from the Lord are as good as dead,#tn Heb “Woe [to] those who deeply hide counsel from the Lord.” This probably alludes to political alliances made without seeking the Lord’s guidance. See 30:1-2 and 31:1.
who do their work in secret and boast,#tn Heb “and their works are in darkness and they say.”
“Who sees us? Who knows what we’re doing?”#tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “no one.” They are confident that their deeds are hidden from others, including God.
16 Your thinking is perverse!#tn Heb “your overturning.” The predicate is suppressed in this exclamation. The idea is, “O your perversity! How great it is!” See GKC 470 §147.c. The people “overturn” all logic by thinking their authority supersedes God’s.
Should the potter be regarded as clay?#tn The expected answer to this rhetorical question is “of course not.” On the interrogative use of אִם (’im), see BDB 50 s.v.
Should the thing made say#tn Heb “that the thing made should say.” about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?
Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”?
Changes are Coming
17 In just a very short time#tn The Hebrew text phrases this as a rhetorical question, “Is it not yet a little, a short [time]?”
Lebanon will turn into an orchard,
and the orchard will be considered a forest.#sn The meaning of this verse is debated, but it seems to depict a reversal in fortunes. The mighty forest of Lebanon (symbolic of the proud and powerful, see 2:13; 10:34) will be changed into a common orchard, while the common orchard (symbolic of the oppressed and lowly) will grow into a great forest. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:538.
18 At that time#tn Or “In that day” (KJV). the deaf will be able to hear words read from a scroll,
and the eyes of the blind will be able to see through deep darkness.#tn Heb “and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.”sn Perhaps this depicts the spiritual transformation of the once spiritually insensitive nation (see vv. 10-12, cf. also 6:9-10).
19 The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord;
the poor among humankind will take delight#tn Or “will rejoice” (NIV, NCV, NLT). in the Holy One of Israel.#sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
20 For tyrants will disappear,
those who taunt will vanish,
and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated#tn Heb “and all the watchers of wrong will be cut off.” –
21 those who bear false testimony against a person,#tn Heb “the ones who make a man a sinner with a word.” The Hiphil of חָטָא (khata’) here has a delocutive sense: “declare a man sinful/guilty.”
who entrap the one who arbitrates at the city gate#sn Legal disputes were resolved at the city gate, where the town elders met. See Amos 5:10.
and deprive the innocent of justice by making false charges.#tn Heb “and deprive by emptiness the innocent.”
22 So this is what the Lord, the one who delivered Abraham, says to the family of Jacob:#tn Heb “So this is what the Lord says to the house of Jacob, the one who ransomed Abraham.” The relative pronoun must refer back to “the Lord,” not to the immediately preceding “Jacob.” It is uncertain to what event in Abraham’s experience this refers. Perhaps the name “Abraham” stands here by metonymy for his descendants through Jacob. If so, the Exodus is in view.
“Jacob will no longer be ashamed;
their faces will no longer show their embarrassment.#tn Heb “and his face will no longer be pale.”
23 For when they see their children,
whom I will produce among them,#tn Heb “for when he sees his children, the work of my hands in his midst.”
they will honor#tn Or “treat as holy” (also in the following line); NASB, NRSV “will sanctify.” my name.
They will honor the Holy One of Jacob;#sn Holy One of Jacob is similar to the phrase “Holy One of Israel” common throughout Isaiah; see the sn at Isa 1:4.
they will respect#tn Or “fear,” in the sense of “stand in awe of.” the God of Israel.
24 Those who stray morally will gain understanding;#tn Heb “and the ones who stray in spirit will know understanding.”
those who complain will acquire insight.#tn Heb “will learn instruction”; cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “will accept instruction.”
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