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Isaiah 48
Isaiah 48:1
Hear this
"Listen to my message." Yahweh is speaking.
house of Jacob
Here "house" refers to the descendants of Jacob. Alternate translation: "descendants of Jacob" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
who are called by the name Israel
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "whom everyone calls the people of Israel" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
have come from the sperm of Judah
This phrase emphasizes that they are the direct, physical descendants of Judah. Alternate translation: "are the descendants of Judah" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
invoke the God of Israel
"call on the God of Israel"
Isaiah 48:2
they call themselves
This refers to the people of Israel. Alternate translation: "you call yourselves" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-123person)
the holy city
This refers to Jerusalem.
Yahweh of hosts
See how you translated this phrase in Isaiah 1:9.
Isaiah 48:3
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
they came out from my mouth
"Mouth" refers to someone speaking. Alternate translation: "I spoke these things" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche)
Isaiah 48:4
your neck muscles tight as iron, and your forehead like bronze
Yahweh compares the tightness of their neck muscles and the hardness of their foreheads to the hardness of iron and bronze. Here, to have a tight neck or a hard forehead is a metaphor that means the people are stubborn. Alternate translation: "it is as if your necks were iron and your heads were bronze" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-simile and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Isaiah 48:5
I declared these things to you beforehand; before they happened I informed you
This is saying the same thing twice for emphasis. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism)
Isaiah 48:6
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
will you not admit what I said is true?
Yahweh uses a question to scold the people of Israel for not admitting what they should know is true. Alternate translation: "you are stubborn and will not admit what I said is true." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion)
Isaiah 48:7
General Information:
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Isaiah 48:8
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
these things were not unfolded to your ears beforehand
Yahweh speaks of explaining something as if it were unfolding it. The word "ears" represents the people who are listening. This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "I did not explain these things to you beforehand" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
from birth
Yahweh speaks of the nation's beginning as if it were its birth. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Isaiah 48:9
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
For the sake of my name I will defer my anger
Here the word "name" refers to Yahweh's reputation. Alternate translation: "For the sake of my reputation I will delay my anger" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
for my honor I will hold back from destroying you
This part of the sentence means basically the same thing as the first part. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism)
Isaiah 48:10
Look, I refined you, but not as silver; I have purified you in the furnace of affliction
Yahweh speaks of using affliction to purify his people as if they were precious metals and affliction were a furnace in which he refines them. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Isaiah 48:11
for how can I allow my name to be profaned?
Yahweh uses a question to emphasize that he can never allow his own name to be dishonored. This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "for I cannot allow anyone to profane my name." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion)
Isaiah 48:12
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
Jacob, and Israel
Both of these refer to the people of Israel. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-doublet and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
I am the first, I also am the last
This phrase emphasizes Yahweh's eternal nature. Possible meanings are 1) "I am the one who began all things, and I am the one who ends all things" or 2) "I am the one who has always lived, and I am the one who always will live." See how you translated a similar phrase in Isaiah 44:6. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-merism)
Isaiah 48:13
my hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens
Here "hand" refers to Yahweh. Alternate translation: "I laid the foundation of the earth, and I spread out the heavens" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche)
the foundation of the earth
The word "foundation" normally refers to a stone structure that gives support to a building from underneath. Here it describes a similar structure that was thought to support and hold the earth in place. See how you translated this in Isaiah 24:18.
spread out the heavens
Yahweh speaks of creating the heavens as if they were fabric which Yahweh stretched out. See how you translated a similar phrase in Isaiah 42:5. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
when I call to them, they stand up together
Standing up when Yahweh calls is a metaphor for being ready to obey him. Yahweh speaks of the earth and the heavens as if they were able to hear him and obey him. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-personification)
when I call to them
Possible meanings are 1) "when I call the earth and the heavens" or 2) "when I call the stars in the heavens."
Isaiah 48:14
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
Who among you has announced these things?
Yahweh uses a question to emphasize that the idols have not told them these things. Alternate translation: "None of your idols has told this to you." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion)
Yahweh's ally will accomplish his purpose against Babylon. He will carry out Yahweh's will against the Chaldeans
Here "ally" refers to Cyrus. Both of these sentences mean the same thing and are used for emphasis. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism)
his purpose
"Yahweh's purpose"
Isaiah 48:15
I, I
The word "I" is repeated for emphasis. Alternate translation: "I myself" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-doublet)
Isaiah 48:16
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
I have not spoken in secret
"I have spoken plainly and clearly"
sent me
Here "me" refers to an unknown servant of Yahweh, maybe Isaiah or Cyrus or the promised Messiah.
Isaiah 48:17
your Redeemer ... your God
Here "your" refers to the people of Israel. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-you)
Redeemer
See how you translated this word in Isaiah 41:14.
Holy One of Israel
See how you translated this phrase in Isaiah 1:4.
who leads you by the way that you should go
Yahweh teaching the people how they should live is spoken of as if he were leading them to walk on the correct paths. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Isaiah 48:18
If only you had obeyed my commandments
Yahweh describes something that could have happened but did not. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-hypo)
Then your peace and prosperity would have flowed like a river, and your salvation like the waves of the sea
These two phrases share similar meanings. In both, Yahweh speaks of Israel's experiencing abundant blessings as if those blessings flowed like water. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism)
your salvation like the waves of the sea
The verb may be supplied from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: "your salvation would have flowed like the waves of the sea" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-ellipsis)
Isaiah 48:19
General Information:
Yahweh continues telling Israel what would have happened if they had obeyed his commandments, but they had not obeyed. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-hypo)
Your descendants would have been as numerous as the sand, and the children from your womb as numerous as the grains of sand
These both mean that the people would have had more descendants than they could count. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism)
the children from your womb
Yahweh speaks of the descendants of the people of Israel as if they were children to which the nation gives birth. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
their name would not have been cut off nor blotted out
The people of Israel being destroyed is spoken of as if their name had been cut off, as one would cut a piece of cloth or cut a branch from a tree, or blotted out. This can be translated in active form. Alternate translation: "I would not have cut off nor blotted out their name" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
their name
Here the word "name" refers to the descendants who would carry on the name of Israel. Alternate translation: "they" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
cut off nor blotted out
These two expressions in this context refer to destroying the people. Alternate translation: "destroyed" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-doublet)
Isaiah 48:20
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
to the ends of the earth
The places on the earth that are very far away are spoken of as if they were the places where the earth ends. This phrase also forms a merism and refers to everywhere in between the ends. Alternate translation: "to all the farthest places of the earth" or "to the entire earth" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-merism)
his servant Jacob
This refers to the descendants of Jacob. Alternate translation: "the people of Israel, his servants" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
Isaiah 48:21
They did not thirst ... the waters gushed out
This refers to an event in the history of the people of Israel when Yahweh took care of them while they lived in the desert after escaping Egypt.
Isaiah 48:22
General Information:
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