1sn In BHS the chapter division occurs in a different place from the English Bible: 64:1 ET (63:19b HT) and 64:2-12 (64:1-11 HT). Beginning with 65:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same. 2tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context. 3tn Or “quake.” נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) is from the verbal root זָלַל (zalal, “quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). Perhaps there is a verbal allusion to Judg 5:5, the only other passage where this verb occurs. In that passage the poet tells how the Lord’s appearance to do battle caused the mountains to shake. 4tn Heb “to make known your name to your adversaries.” Perhaps the infinitive construct with preposition -לְ (lamed) should be construed with “come down” in v. 1a, or subordinated to the following line: “To make known your name to your adversaries, let the nations shake from before you.” 5tn Heb “[for which] we were not waiting.” 6tn See the note at v. 1. 7tn Heb “from ancient times they have not heard, they have not listened.” 8tn Heb “meet [with kindness].” 9tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.” 10tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.” 11tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above). 12tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.” 13tn Or “calls out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “calls on.” 14tn Or “rouses himself”; NASB “arouses himself.” 15tn Heb “for you have hidden your face from us.” 16tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and you caused us to melt in the hand of our sin.” The verb וַתְּמוּגֵנוּ (vatt˙mugenu) is a Qal preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the root מוּג (mug, “melt”). However, elsewhere the Qal of this verb is intransitive. If the verbal root מוּג (mug) is retained here, the form should be emended to a Polel pattern (וַתְּמֹגְגֵנוּ, vatt˙mog˙genu). The translation assumes an emendation to וַתְּמַגְּנֵנוּ (vatt˙magg˙nenu, “and you handed us over”). This form is a Piel preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the verbal root מִגֵּן (miggen, “hand over, surrender”; see HALOT 545 s.v. מגן and BDB 171 s.v. מָגָן). The point is that God has abandoned them to their sinful ways and no longer seeks reconciliation. 17tn On the force of וְעַתָּה (v˙’attah) here, see HALOT 902 s.v. עַתָּה. 18tn Heb “the work of your hand.” 19tn Heb “do not remember sin continually.” 20tn Heb “Look, gaze at your people, all of us.” Another option is to translate, “Take a good look! We are all your people.” 21tn Heb “holy” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT); NIV “sacred.” 22map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 23tn Heb “our source of pride.” 24tn Or “all that we valued has become a ruin.” 25tn Heb “because of these”; KJV, ASV “for these things.”
1sn In BHS the chapter division occurs in a different place from the English Bible: 64:1 ET (63:19b HT) and 64:2-12 (64:1-11 HT). Beginning with 65:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
2tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
3tn Or “quake.” נָזֹלּוּ (nazollu) is from the verbal root זָלַל (zalal, “quake”; see HALOT 272 s.v. II זלל). Perhaps there is a verbal allusion to Judg 5:5, the only other passage where this verb occurs. In that passage the poet tells how the Lord’s appearance to do battle caused the mountains to shake.
4tn Heb “to make known your name to your adversaries.” Perhaps the infinitive construct with preposition -לְ (lamed) should be construed with “come down” in v. 1a, or subordinated to the following line: “To make known your name to your adversaries, let the nations shake from before you.”
5tn Heb “[for which] we were not waiting.”
6tn See the note at v. 1.
7tn Heb “from ancient times they have not heard, they have not listened.”
8tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”
9tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”
10tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”
11tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).
12tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”
13tn Or “calls out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “calls on.”
14tn Or “rouses himself”; NASB “arouses himself.”
15tn Heb “for you have hidden your face from us.”
16tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and you caused us to melt in the hand of our sin.” The verb וַתְּמוּגֵנוּ (vatt˙mugenu) is a Qal preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the root מוּג (mug, “melt”). However, elsewhere the Qal of this verb is intransitive. If the verbal root מוּג (mug) is retained here, the form should be emended to a Polel pattern (וַתְּמֹגְגֵנוּ, vatt˙mog˙genu). The translation assumes an emendation to וַתְּמַגְּנֵנוּ (vatt˙magg˙nenu, “and you handed us over”). This form is a Piel preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the verbal root מִגֵּן (miggen, “hand over, surrender”; see HALOT 545 s.v. מגן and BDB 171 s.v. מָגָן). The point is that God has abandoned them to their sinful ways and no longer seeks reconciliation.
17tn On the force of וְעַתָּה (v˙’attah) here, see HALOT 902 s.v. עַתָּה.
18tn Heb “the work of your hand.”
19tn Heb “do not remember sin continually.”
20tn Heb “Look, gaze at your people, all of us.” Another option is to translate, “Take a good look! We are all your people.”
21tn Heb “holy” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT); NIV “sacred.”
22map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
23tn Heb “our source of pride.”
24tn Or “all that we valued has become a ruin.”
25tn Heb “because of these”; KJV, ASV “for these things.”