Awakening of Zion and Proclamation of Salvation
Isaiah 51:17-52:12
Isa.51.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- התעוררי: VERB,hitp,imp,2,f,sg
- התעוררי: VERB,hitp,imp,2,f,sg
- קומי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שתית: VERB,qal,perf,2,f,sg
- מיד: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כוס: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- חמתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+pr,3,m
- את: PRT,acc
- קבעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,f,sg
- כוס: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- התרעלה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- שתית: VERB,qal,perf,2,f,sg
- מצית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 25:15 (quotation): Uses the same image of God handing out a 'cup' as an instrument of wrath — 'Take the cup of the wine of wrath' — closely paralleling Isaiah's 'cup of his fury' that Jerusalem has drunk.
- Isaiah 51:22-23 (structural): Immediate context and response: verse 17 describes Jerusalem drinking the cup of wrath; 51:22-23 continues the cup motif, with God declaring He will lift the cup from Jerusalem and pour it out on her oppressors.
- Psalm 75:8 (Hebrew 75:8/MT 75:9) (verbal): Speaks of a cup in the hand of the LORD used in judgment ('For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red'), echoing the motif of a divine cup representing punitive wrath.
- Jeremiah 51:7 (thematic): Describes Babylon as a 'golden cup in the LORD's hand' that made the nations drink — the combined themes of cup, drunkenness, and divine judgment parallel Isaiah's depiction of Jerusalem's drinking the cup of God's fury.
- Revelation 14:10 (allusion): New Testament application of the 'cup' motif: the wicked 'will drink the wine of God's wrath' — an eschatological echo of the prophetic image of nations/Jerusalem drinking God's cup of anger.
Alternative generated candidates
- Awake, awake; rise up, Jerusalem—you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath; you have drunk the cup that made you stagger, the cup of staggering you have drained.
- Awake, awake! Arise, Jerusalem; you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath—the goblet of reeling you have drained to the dregs.
Isa.51.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אין: PART,neg
- מנהל: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- מכל: PREP
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ילדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- מחזיק: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- בידה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,f,sg
- מכל: PREP
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- גדלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 41:13 (verbal): God promises, “I will hold your right hand,” directly countering the image here of having “no one to hold her hand.”
- Psalm 27:10 (thematic): “When my father and my mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up” echoes the motif of abandonment and lack of human protector found in Isa. 51:18.
- Psalm 68:5-6 (thematic): Describes God as a father to the fatherless and defender of widows — a divine remedy for the orphaned, helpless condition Isaiah depicts.
- Isaiah 49:15-16 (thematic): Speaks of human forgetfulness and God’s unfailing remembrance of the deserted — a theological response to the plight of being without caretakers.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (structural): Law’s concern that God “executes the judgment of the fatherless and widow” parallels the social-legal context behind images of children and guardianship in Isaiah 51:18.
Alternative generated candidates
- There is no guide for her among all her sons born; there is no one to take her by the hand among all her grown sons.
- There is none to tend her—she who bore many; none to take her hand from among all her children; from all her grown ones there is no one to uphold her.
Isa.51.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שתים: NUM,f,pl,abs
- הנה: PART
- קראתיך: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- ינוד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- השד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והשבר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- והרעב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- והחרב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- אנחמך: VERB,hiphil,impf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Lamentations 2:13 (verbal): Rhetorical lament nearly identical in tone and wording—’to what shall I compare you, that I may comfort you?/who will comfort you?’ — a direct motif of inability to comfort the devastated city.
- Jeremiah 8:21-22 (thematic): Speaks of the nation’s incurable suffering and asks rhetorically about healing/comfort (‘Is there no balm in Gilead?’), paralleling the question ‘who will comfort you?’ amid pestilence and famine.
- Joel 1:10-12 (thematic): Graphic catalogue of agricultural and social devastation (fields wasted, grain ruined) and the ensuing call to mourn—echoes Isa.51:19’s juxtaposition of multiple calamities and the summons to lament.
- Amos 4:6-9 (thematic): God’s enumerated judgments—lack of bread, blight, pestilence, destruction—mirror the list of calamities (plague/blight, famine, sword) in Isa.51:19 and the consequent helplessness to find comfort.
Alternative generated candidates
- Two calamities have called to me; who will console you? Your devastation and destruction, the famine and the sword— who will comfort you?
- Behold, I called to you twice: 'Who will lament for you?'—the devastator, the breaker, the famine, and the sword; who will comfort you?
Isa.51.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בניך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+POSS,2,m,sg
- עלפו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שכבו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בראש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- כל: DET
- חוצות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כתוא: PREP+ADJ,m,sg
- מכמר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המלאים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- חמת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- גערת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
Parallels
- Lamentations 2:11 (verbal): Lamentations 2:11 uses almost the same wording—'my young children have fainted in the streets of the city'—echoing the image of sons lying faint in the public thoroughfares.
- Proverbs 6:5 (verbal): Proverbs 6:5 employs a parallel simile—'deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter'—comparable to the antelope/gazelle-caught imagery of Isaiah 51:20.
- Psalm 124:7 (verbal): Psalm 124:7 uses the imagery of being caught in a snare ('we have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler'), resonating with Isaiah's simile of an antelope trapped in a net.
- Nahum 1:2 (thematic): Nahum 1:2 emphasizes God's consuming wrath and vengeance ('the LORD is a jealous and avenging God... full of wrath'), paralleling Isaiah's reference to the 'fury of the LORD' and 'rebuke of your God.'
- Isaiah 51:21 (structural): Isaiah 51:21–23 immediately continues the same oracle, expanding on the consequences (nakedness, shame, spoil) and so functions as a direct structural parallel to 51:20.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner like antelope caught in a snare; they are filled with the LORD’s fury at the rebuke of your God.
- Your sons fainted; they lie at the head of every street like an antelope caught in a snare; they are full of the LORD's fierce anger—the rebuke of your God.
Isa.51.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- שמעי: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- נא: PART
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- עניה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- ושכרת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- מיין: NOUN,m,pl,construct
Parallels
- Isaiah 29:9-10 (verbal): Uses virtually the same phrasing—'drunken, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink'—describing a divinely caused stupor and bewilderment.
- Isaiah 28:7 (verbal): Speaks of priests and prophets who 'stagger from wine' and 'are out of the way'—similar language and imagery of reeling/drunkenness for moral/spiritual failure.
- Isaiah 51:17 (structural): Same chapter's cup imagery: Jerusalem/Israel has 'drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath,' providing immediate context for the description of being 'drunk' in v.21.
- Jeremiah 51:7 (thematic): Portrays Babylon as a cup that made the nations 'drunk'—a related motif of nations/peoples rendered senseless by God's punitive cup.
- Revelation 14:10 (allusion): Speaks of sinners drinking 'the wine of the wrath of God,' a later New Testament echo of the prophetic motif of drinking God's cup leading to devastation and bewilderment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted and drunk, yet not with wine.
- Therefore hear this, you afflicted and drunken one—yet not with wine.
Isa.51.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדניך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואלהיך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,pronominal_2ms
- יריב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- הנה: PART
- לקחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- מידך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כוס: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- התרעלה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- קבעת: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- כוס: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- חמתי: NOUN,f,sg,pronominal_1cs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תוסיפי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- לשתותה: PREP+VERB,qal,inf,pronominal_3fs
- עוד: ADV
Parallels
- Jer.25.15 (verbal): Jeremiah 25:15 uses nearly identical imagery and wording—'Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath'—linking the motif of God giving/taking a cup of wrath and judgment.
- Isa.51.17 (structural): Earlier in the same chapter the people are described as having drunk 'the cup of the Lord's wrath' (Isa. 51:17); Isa.51:22 resolves that motif by announcing the cup is taken away.
- Ps.75.8 (thematic): Psalm 75:8 portrays 'a cup' in God's hand used for judgment—'For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup'—a parallel image of divine retribution administered or withheld.
- Rev.14.10 (thematic): Revelation 14:10 speaks of drinking the 'wine of God's wrath,' echoing the New Testament reception of the Old Testament cup-of-wrath motif and its association with divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says your Lord, the LORD, and your God, ‘I will contend with him: behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering, the cup of my fury—you shall not drink it again.’
- Thus says your Lord, the LORD, and your God who contends for him: 'Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of reeling, the goblet of my wrath; you shall not drink it again.'
Isa.51.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושמתיה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg+PRON,3,f,sg
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מוגיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לנפשך: PREP
- שחי: VERB,qal,impv,2,,sg
- ונעברה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- ותשימי: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
- כארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גוך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m
- וכחוץ: CONJ
- לעברים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 14:22-23 (thematic): Like Isa.51:23 this passage announces judgment on a proud foreign power (Babylon) and depicts God reducing it to desolation and humiliation — a parallel theme of overthrow and abasement of an enemy city/people.
- Jeremiah 51:37 (thematic): Jer.51:37 speaks of Babylon becoming a haunt/desolation (jackals, pools) — imagery and outcome echo Isa.51:23’s promise to hand over and abase the enemy so that it becomes like street‑mire/desolate ground.
- Isaiah 41:11-12 (verbal): Isa.41:11–12 promises that those who oppose Israel will be put to shame and handed over, using similar language of God delivering/confounding enemies — a close verbal/thematic parallel to 'I will put it into the hand of your foes' in Isa.51:23.
- Psalm 2:1-4 (thematic): Psalm 2 portrays the nations’ mocking and plotting against the Lord and his anointed (boastful scorn), paralleling Isa.51:23’s reference to enemies who deride and exult over God’s people before facing divine judgment.
- Ezekiel 26:20-21 (thematic): Ezek.26 pronounces the ruin of a great city (Tyre) and says it will become a bare rock/harbor for detritus — similar prophetic motifs of urban humiliation and being made desolate that appear in Isa.51:23.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will put it into the hand of your oppressors— those who said in their hearts, ‘We will trample her down’— and you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked over.
- I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who said to your soul, 'Bow down, that we may pass over'; and you made your back like the ground, like the road, for those who passed by.
Isa.52.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עורי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- עורי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- לבשי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- עזך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2fs
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- לבשי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- בגדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- תפארתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2fs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הקדש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- יוסיף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יבא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- ערל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וטמא: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 61:10 (verbal): Uses the same clothing imagery—'I will greatly rejoice... he has clothed me with garments of salvation'—paralleling Zion’s command to 'put on your garments of splendor' as a sign of vindication and joy.
- Isaiah 62:1-4 (thematic): Continues the theme of Jerusalem’s restoration and exaltation (new name, renewed dignity, God’s delight), echoing the call for Zion to assume a transformed, honored status in 52:1.
- Zechariah 3:4-5 (verbal): The prophet’s scene of removal of filthy garments and clothing with clean robes parallels the cleansing and re‑clothing motif in Isaiah 52:1 (no more 'defiled' coming into you) and the theme of purification and restoration.
- Ezekiel 16:10-14 (structural): Ezekiel’s depiction of Jerusalem being adorned with fine garments and jewelry by God mirrors Isaiah’s clothing imagery—both portray the city’s elevation from shame to beauty through divine action.
- Revelation 21:2; 19:7-8 (thematic): Apocalyptic fulfillment imagery: the holy city as a bride 'clothed' in fine linen, pure and holy, echoes Isaiah’s portrayal of Jerusalem putting on splendor and being cleansed from defilement.
Alternative generated candidates
- Awake, awake; clothe yourself with strength, O Zion; put on your robes of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for no longer shall the uncircumcised and the unclean come into you.
- Awake, awake! Put on your strength, Zion; clothe yourself with your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city; for no more shall the uncircumcised or the defiled enter you.
Isa.52.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- התנערי: VERB,hitpael,imp,2,f,sg
- מעפר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קומי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- שבי: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- התפתחי: VERB,hitpael,imp,2,f,sg
- מוסרי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- צוארך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms_suff
- שביה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 52:1 (structural): Immediate context: same chapter's opening summons to Jerusalem to awake, put on strength and beauty—closely parallel imperatives and the call to restore Zion's status.
- Isaiah 61:1 (thematic): Proclaims release and restoration—'to proclaim liberty to the captives' and deliver the oppressed, resonating with 'loose the bands from thy neck' and liberation of Zion.
- Zechariah 2:10 (thematic): A call for the 'daughter of Zion' to sing and rejoice because God comes to dwell with her—parallels the address to Zion and the theme of renewal and restoration.
- Matthew 10:14 (verbal): Uses the same shake-off imagery ('shake off the dust of your feet')—different context, but a verbal parallel to the imperative to 'shake off the dust' in Isaiah 52:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- Shake off the dust; rise up, sit down, Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
- Shake off the dust; rise up, sit up, Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, captive daughter of Zion.
Isa.52.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- חנם: ADV
- נמכרתם: VERB,nifal,perf,2,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- בכסף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תגאלו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- 1 Peter 1:18-19 (thematic): Speaks of believers being redeemed not with perishable (monetary) goods but with the precious blood of Christ — echoes Isaiah’s claim that the people were sold for nothing and will be redeemed without money (redemption beyond commercial means).
- Psalm 49:7-9 (thematic): Asserts that no one can ransom a brother with wealth or give God a ransom — relates to Isaiah’s theme that Israel’s situation and redemption are not governed by ordinary monetary transactions.
- Isaiah 43:1-3 (structural): Earlier Isaiah promise of God’s personal redemption and deliverance of Israel (‘I have redeemed you; I have called you by name’) — complements 52:3’s proclamation of divine, non-market redemption.
- Zechariah 11:12-13 (allusion): Describes the prophet being paid thirty pieces of silver and the money thrown to the potter — shares the motif of being ‘sold’/paid for and functions as a contrasting use of sale/payment imagery in prophetic reflection on Israel’s fate.
- 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23 (verbal): Paul’s declaration that believers were 'bought at a price' and therefore belong to Christ uses the same purchase/redemption vocabulary; serves as a verbal parallel (and theological contrast) to Isaiah’s statement about being sold for nothing and redeemed apart from money.
Alternative generated candidates
- For thus says the LORD: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.
- For thus says the LORD: 'You were sold for nothing, and without money you shall be redeemed.'
Isa.52.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ירד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- בראשנה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לגור: VERB,qal,inf
- שם: ADV
- ואשור: CONJ+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- באפס: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 1:7-14 (thematic): Both passages recall Israel's settlement in Egypt and the subsequent oppression they suffered while dwelling there (the motif of descent to Egypt and subjugation).
- Hosea 11:1 (allusion): Hosea invokes Israel's early ‘going down to Egypt’ and God's later action to bring them out—an echo of the motif of Israel's initial sojourn in Egypt referenced in Isaiah 52:4.
- 2 Kings 17:6 (thematic): Narrates Assyria's conquest and deportation of Israel; parallels Isaiah's reference to Assyria’s oppression of the people without cause.
- Isaiah 10:5-6 (structural): Within Isaiah the theme of Assyria as an instrument of judgment recurs; these verses frame Assyria's oppression as God‑ordained punishment, contextualizing Isaiah 52:4’s mention of Assyrian oppression.
Alternative generated candidates
- For thus says the Lord GOD: My people went down at first to sojourn in Egypt, and later Assyria oppressed them without cause.
- For thus says the Lord GOD: 'At first my people went down into Egypt to sojourn there, and Assyria oppressed them without cause.'
Isa.52.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- מה: PRON,int
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- פה: ADV
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- לקח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- חנם: ADV
- משליו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,sg
- יהילילו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ותמיד: CONJ+ADV
- כל: DET
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1cs
- מנאץ: PTCP,qal,act,m,sg
Parallels
- Ezekiel 36:20-23 (verbal): Ezekiel likewise states that when Israel was carried into exile the nations 'profaned my holy name'—linking Israel's deportation with the reproach and blasphemy of God's name and promising God's vindication.
- Psalm 74:18 (Heb. 74:19) (thematic): The psalm pleads with God to 'remember' how enemies have reviled and blasphemed God's name continually—echoing the complaint that God's name is despised day by day because of Israel's plight.
- Deuteronomy 28:37 (structural): As part of the covenant curses, Israel is said to become a byword and proverb among the nations—paralleling Isaiah's theme that the people's removal has led to reproach and slander against God and Israel.
- Isaiah 49:4 (allusion): The servant's lament ('I have laboured in vain...') shares the motif of apparent loss and reproach connected to God's servant/people, resonating with Isaiah 52:5's tone of suffering, shame, and the blasphemy attracted by Israel's fate.
Alternative generated candidates
- And now what have I here, declares the LORD, that my people have been taken for nothing? Their rulers jeer—declares the LORD— and my name is reviled continually.
- declares the LORD— 'that my people are taken for nothing, that those who rule mock? Therefore my name is continually reviled all day.'
Isa.52.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- שמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1cs
- לכן: ADV
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- המדבר: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Exod.3.14 (quotation): God's self‑identification ('I AM THAT I AM') echoes Isaiah's declaration 'I am he'—a revelation of divine name/being.
- Isa.43.10-11 (verbal): Both passages stress Israel (and witnesses) recognising God's identity with the formula 'I am' and that there is no savior besides him.
- Ezek.36.23 (thematic): God acts so that Israel and the nations 'may know that I am the LORD'—same aim as Isaiah 52:6: the people will know God's name/identity.
- Ps.46.10 (verbal): The imperative 'Be still, and know that I am God' parallels the theme of recognizing God's unique identity and sovereignty.
- John 8.58 (allusion): Jesus' 'Before Abraham was, I am' alludes to the divine 'I AM' tradition, resonating with Isaiah's claim 'I am he' as an assertion of divine identity.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore my people shall know my name; in that day they shall know that it is I who speak—‘It is I.’
- Therefore my people shall know my name; on that day they shall know that it is I who speak—'Behold, I am.'
Isa.52.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- נאוו: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- ההרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- רגלי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- מבשר: PREP
- משמיע: VERB,hiph,ptc,act,NA,m,sg
- שלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מבשר: PREP
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- משמיע: VERB,hiph,ptc,act,NA,m,sg
- ישועה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לציון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
Parallels
- Romans 10:15 (quotation): Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 nearly verbatim about the beauty of those who bring the gospel of peace, applying the image to Christian preachers.
- Nahum 1:15 (verbal): Shares near‑identical wording and motif — 'behold upon the mountains the feet of him that brings good tidings' — repeating the heralding image.
- Isaiah 40:9 (verbal): Uses the mountain/harald motif and the phrase 'good tidings' (proclaiming to Zion), showing a parallel prophetic commission to announce salvation.
- Isaiah 61:1 (thematic): Both verses speak of proclaiming good tidings and salvation; Isaiah 61 frames this as the messenger's mission under the Spirit to announce freedom and comfort.
- Luke 2:10 (thematic): The angel's announcement 'I bring you good tidings of great joy' echoes the theme of proclaiming peace and salvation to God’s people.
Alternative generated candidates
- How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, who announces peace, who brings good tidings, who proclaims salvation, saying to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’
- How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings the good news of salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'
Isa.52.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צפיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נשאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יחדו: ADV
- ירננו: VERB,piel,impf,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- בעין: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בשוב: PREP+VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 62:6-7 (thematic): Watchmen on Jerusalem's walls are charged to keep calling and not be silent until the LORD establishes Zion—same motif of watchmen crying out with expectation of the LORD's restoration.
- Ezekiel 33:7 (thematic): God appoints a watchman who must sound the alarm to warn Israel—parallel role and imagery of a watchman who watches and speaks for impending divine action.
- Zechariah 14:4-5 (thematic): Eschatological scene of the LORD coming to Jerusalem (Zion); parallels the expectation and ‘‘return of the LORD to Zion’’ pictured in Isaiah 52:8.
- Revelation 1:7 (verbal): “Every eye shall see him” echoes Isaiah's language about seeing with their eyes at the LORD's coming—both emphasize visible, universal revelation at the Lord’s return.
- Psalm 98:4-9 (thematic): Joyful, triumphant acclaim at God's coming—rivers, hills and people make a joyful noise, resonating with the watchmen's loud singing and rejoicing at the LORD's return.
Alternative generated candidates
- The watchmen lift up their voice; together they shout for joy, for they shall see eye to eye when the LORD returns to Zion.
- The watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy; for they will see with their own eyes the return of the LORD to Zion.
Isa.52.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- פצחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- רננו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- יחדו: ADV
- חרבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- נחם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- גאל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 51:11 (verbal): Speaks of the 'redeemed of the LORD' returning with singing to Zion — language and theme (redemption + singing for Jerusalem/Zion) directly echo Isaiah 52:9.
- Zephaniah 3:14-17 (thematic): Calls for Zion/Israel to 'sing' and 'rejoice' because the LORD has removed judgment and is present as a saving, rejoicing God — parallels the motive for singing in Isa 52:9 (the LORD has comforted/redeemed).
- Psalm 126:1-3 (thematic): Describes the restoration of Zion leading to laughter and singing ('our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with shouts of joy') — a close thematic parallel of joy following divine restoration.
- Isaiah 52:7 (structural): Earlier verse in the same song extolling the 'beautiful feet' of the messenger of good news who brings peace and salvation — part of the contiguous proclamation of redemption that culminates in the shout to sing in 52:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- Shout aloud together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
- Break forth together into singing, ruins of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
Isa.52.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- חשף: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- זרוע: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קדשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cons
- כל: DET
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- וראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- אפסי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ישועת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 98:2-3 (verbal): Closely parallels Isaiah 52:10 in language and idea: 'The LORD has made known his salvation' and 'All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.'
- Isaiah 49:6 (thematic): Shares the mission-theme that God's salvation/light is for the nations and will reach 'the ends of the earth.'
- Isaiah 40:5 (thematic): Speaks of the revelation of the glory of the LORD that all flesh/nations will see—parallel theme of divine revelation visible to all peoples.
- Acts 13:47 (allusion): Paul cites the prophetic mission to bring salvation to the Gentiles ('a light for the nations…to the ends of the earth'), echoing Isaiah's universal-salvation motif.
- Revelation 7:9 (thematic): Vision of a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language before God—eschatological realization of the salvation seen by all nations.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
- The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Isa.52.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- סורו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- סורו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- צאו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- משם: PREP
- טמא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- תגעו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- צאו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- מתוכה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- הברו: VERB,hiph,imp,2,m,pl
- נשאי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- כלי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Corinthians 6:17 (quotation): Paul almost verbatim cites Isaiah's summons — “Come out from among them... touch not the unclean thing” — using it to urge separation from pagan society.
- Numbers 4:4–15 (structural): Instructions for the Kohathite Levites who are to carry the holy vessels of the Tabernacle; parallels Isaiah’s address to those who 'bear the vessels of the LORD.'
- 1 Chronicles 15:12–15 (structural): David commands the Levites to sanctify themselves and to carry the ark on their shoulders, echoing Isaiah’s call for cleanliness and proper handling of the Lord’s vessels.
- Psalm 24:3–4 (thematic): Both passages stress purity as a prerequisite for approaching or handling the presence of the LORD — 'clean hands' and 'be clean, you who bear the vessels.'
- Leviticus 10:10 (thematic): God’s command to distinguish holy from common and clean from unclean resonates with Isaiah’s injunction not to touch unclean things and to be sanctified as bearers of God’s holy instruments.
Alternative generated candidates
- Depart, depart! Go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD.
- Depart, depart! Go out from there; touch no unclean thing. Go out from her midst; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the LORD.
Isa.52.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- בחפזון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תצאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- ובמנוסה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תלכון: VERB,qal,imperf,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לפניכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ומאספכם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deut.31.8 (verbal): Both passages state that the LORD goes before his people and will be with them (’will go before you’), assuring they need not fear—close verbal and theological parallel.
- Exod.23.20 (allusion): God promises to send an escort/angel before Israel to lead them into the place he has prepared—an earlier expression of divine one who ‘goes before’ and secures the people’s movement.
- Ps.68.7-8 (verbal): The psalm celebrates God going out before his people and marching through the wilderness—imagery that echoes Isaiah’s language of the LORD going ahead of the returning exiles.
- Jer.31.8 (verbal): Jeremiah speaks of God bringing back and gathering Israel from the lands—directly parallels Isaiah’s promise that ‘the God of Israel will gather you.’
- Ezek.34.11-13 (thematic): Ezekiel depicts God as the shepherd who seeks, rescues and gathers his scattered flock—a thematic counterpart to Isaiah’s assurance that God will go before and gather his people.
Alternative generated candidates
- For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rearguard.
- For you shall not go out in haste, nor shall you flee; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
Awake, awake, arise, Jerusalem— you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath; the cup of staggering you drank, you drained it to dregs.
None rules over her from among all the children she bore; none of her grown sons can take her by the hand.
Twice I called, 'Who will comfort you?'— Despoiling and ruin, famine and sword— who will console you?
Your children fainted; they lie at the head of every street like antelopes caught in a snare; they are filled with the heat of the LORD's anger— the rebuke of your God.
Therefore hear this, O you drunkard, yet not with wine. Thus says your Lord, the LORD, and your God who contends for you: Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of reeling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; you shall drink it no more. And I will give it into the hand of your oppressors who said about your life, 'Aha! we have swallowed her up'; and you shall become a derision and a disgrace among the peoples.
Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city; for no longer shall the uncircumcised and the unclean enter you.
Shake off the dust, rise up; sit, Jerusalem— loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
For thus says the LORD: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.
For thus says the Lord GOD: At first my people went down to Egypt to dwell there; and Assyria oppressed them without cause. Now therefore what have I here, declares the LORD, that my people are taken for nothing? Their oppressors gloat, says the LORD, and all day my name is reviled.
Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore on that day they shall know that it is I who speak— behold, it is I.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'
The watchmen lift up their voice, together they shout for joy; for they shall see with their own eyes the return of the LORD to Zion.
Break forth into joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Depart, depart; go forth from there— touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD.
For you shall not go out in haste, nor shall you go by flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.