1tnHeb “house of Jacob”; TEV, CEV “people of Israel.”
2tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and from the waters of Judah came out.” מִמֵּי (mimme) could be a corruption of מִמְּעֵי (mimm˙’e, “from the inner parts of”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT, NRSV) as suggested in the above translation. Some translations (ESV, NKJV) retain the MT reading because the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa, which corrects a similar form to “from inner parts of” in 39:7, does not do it here.
3tnHeb “cause to remember”; KJV, ASV “make mention of.”
4tnHeb “not in truth and not in righteousness.”
5tnHeb “they call themselves [or “are called”] from the holy city.” The precise meaning of the statement is uncertain. The Niphal of קָרָא (qara’) is combined with the preposition מִן (min) only here. When the Qal of קָרָא is used with מִן, the preposition often indicates the place from which one is summoned (see 46:11). So one could translate, “from the holy city they are summoned,” meaning that they reside there.
17tnHeb “deceiving, you deceive.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
18tn Or “called” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
19tnHeb “for the sake of my name” (so NAB, NASB); NLT “for my own sake.”
20tnHeb “and my praise.” לְמַעַן (l˙ma’an, “for the sake of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
21tnHeb “I restrain [myself] concerning you not to cut you off.”
22tc The Hebrew text has בְּחַרְתִּיךָ (b˙khartikha, “I have chosen you”), but the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly בחנתיכה (“I have tested you”). The metallurgical background of the imagery suggests that purification through testing is the idea.
23tn The Hebrew text repeats לְמַעֲנִי (l˙ma’ani, “for my sake”) for emphasis.
24tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “for how can it be defiled?” The subject of the verb is probably “name” (v. 9).
25sn See 42:8.
26tnHeb “I [am] he, I [am the] first, also I [am the] last.”
27sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).
28tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”
snThe Lord’s ally is a reference to Cyrus.
29tnHeb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”
30tnHeb “and his way will be prosperous.”
31tnHeb “from the time of its occurring.”
32sn The speaker here is not identified specifically, but he is probably Cyrus, the Lord’s “ally” mentioned in vv. 14-15.
33tnHeb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
34sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
36tnHeb “like a river your peace would have been.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom) probably refers here to the peace and prosperity which God promised in return for obedience to the covenant.
37tnHeb “and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” צְדָקָה (ts˙daqah) probably refers here to divine deliverance from enemies. See v. 19.
38tnHeb “like sand”; NCV “as many as the grains of sand.”
39tnHeb “and the issue from your inner parts.”
40tnHeb “and his name would not be cut off and would not be destroyed from before me.”
41tnHeb “to the end of the earth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
42tnHeb “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.
43sn The translation above (present tense) assumes that this verse describes God’s provision for returning Babylonian exiles (see v. 20; 35:6; 49:10) in terms reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exod 17:6).