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ISAIAH 33
PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
| NASB | NKJV | NRSV | TEV | NJB |
| The Judgment of God | A Prayer of Deep Distress | A Prophetic Liturgy | A Prayer for Help | The Expected Deliverance |
| 33:1-12 (1-12) |
33:1-4 (1) |
33:1-24 (1) |
33:1 | 33:1-16 (1-5) |
| (2-4) | (2-6) | 33:2-4 | ||
| 33:5-9 (5-6) |
33:5-6 | |||
| (6) | ||||
| (7-9) | (7-12) | 33:7-9 | (7-16) | |
| Impending Judgment on Zion | The Lord Warns His Enemies | |||
| 33:10-13 (10-13) |
33:10-13 | |||
| 33:13-16 (13-16) |
(13-16) | |||
| 33:14-16 (14-16) |
33:14-16 | |||
| The Land of the Majestic King | The Glorious Future | The Return to Jerusalem | ||
| 33:17-24 (17-24) |
33:17-24 (17-19) |
(17-22) | 33:17-24 | 33:17-24 (17-20) |
| (20-23a) | ||||
| (21-24) | ||||
| (23a) | ||||
| (23b-24) | (23b-24) |
READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the
light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not
relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 33:1-12
1Woe to you, O destroyer,
While you were not destroyed;
And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.
2O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You.
Be their strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of distress.
3At the sound of the tumult peoples flee;
At the lifting up of Yourself nations disperse.
4Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
As locusts rushing about men rush about on it.
5The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure.
7Behold, their brave men cry in the streets,
The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased,
He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for man.
9The land mourns and pines away,
Lebanon is shamed and withers;
Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.
10"Now I will arise," says the Lord,
"Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
11You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
My breath will consume you like a fire.
12The peoples will be burned to lime,
Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
33:1 "Woe" Isaiah 28-33 forms a unit often called the "Unit of Doom" because of the recurrent use of the term "woe," (cf. Isa. 28:1; 29:1,15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1). See note on "Woe" at Isa. 5:8.
▣ "O destroyer" Isaiah 33:1 speaks of Assyria, as does Isa. 33:3,4,7-9,11-12,17-19,23; even Isa. 33:21 may refer to the cities located on the Tigris and Euphrates. This chapter follows a common theme pattern of Isaiah.
Both "destroyed" (BDB 994, KB 1418 twice, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE, NEGATED Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE) and "treacherous" (lit. "act faithlessly," BDB 93, KB 108 twice, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE, negated Qal PERFECT) are also used in Isa. 21:2 about the fall of old Babylon. In a theological sense Isaiah's ambiguity is purposeful. He intentionally makes the identity of Israel/Judah's aggressors fuzzy so that his poems can function as "multiple-fulfillment" prophecies. Enemies come and go by YHWH's hand and purpose, but YHWH Himself and His eternal redemptive purpose, using Abraham's seed, does not!
| NASB, NKJV, NRSV | "cease" |
| NJB, JPSOA, NET | "finished" |
The MT has the VERBAL (BDB 649, KB 701, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT), which is found only here. Most translations, ancient and modern, follow the DSS, which has "to complete" or "to finish" (BDB 477, KB 476, Piel INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT), used often in Isaiah (cf. Isa. 1:28; 10:18,25; 15:6; 16:4; 21:16; 24:13; 27:10; 29:20; 31:3; 32:10; 49;4).
33:2 The content of Judah's prayer is listed.
YHWH is Judah's only hope (cf. Isa. 59:16; 63:1,5), not Assyria (alliance) and not Egypt (alliance), only YHWH. Humans tend to panic and lose trust in times of crisis and uncertainty. They try to save themselves using their resources or the resources of other humans, to no avail!
▣ "strength" It is literally "arm" (BDB 283). This is a biblical anthropomorphic metaphor to describe God's presence and power on a daily basis.
▣ "salvation" This term (BDB 447) is used in the OT for physical deliverance (cf. Isa. 12:2 [twice], 3; 25:9; 26:1,18; 33:6).
SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT term)
| 33:3 | |
| NASB, Peshitta | "the lifting up of Yourself" |
| NKJV | "when You lift Yourself up" |
| NRSV | "before your majesty" |
| TEV | "when you fight for us" |
| NJB | "when you stand up" |
| JPSOA | "before Your majesty" |
The NOUN (BDB 928, KB 1206) occurs only here and its meaning is uncertain. The UBS Text Project, p. 74, gives "at the lifting up (the voice)" a "C" rating (considerable doubt). It seems there is a parallel with line one, therefore, some type of shout or noise. The NRSV, JPSOA, and NET think it refers to YHWH's actions.
33:4 In this verse "spoil"(BDB 1021) is imagery which denotes the destruction of YHWH's enemies.
The VERB "gathered" (BDB 62, KB 74, Pual PERFECT with waw) is also used in Isa. 32:10 to describe the judgment of Jerusalem. It is also used in Isa. 24:22 (same stem) to denote world-wide eschatological judgment. Humans "gather" for self, greed, and power, but God gathers for judgment. The NT describes the end-time gathering of
▣ "locusts" Locust invasions were common in the ANE. They are often compared to an invading army (cf. Deut. 28:38,42; Joel 1:4; 2:25; Amos 7:1-2). God directs armies as He directs all things! These locusts gather the ill-gotten spoils of Assyria.
There are many Semitic words for this insect which apparently denote
33:5 "He dwells on high" This phrase is imagery for heaven (cf. Isa. 32:15; Job 16:19; 31:2). The ANE viewed heaven as above. For the Israelites the smoke from their sacrifices rose to God, therefore, He must be up. There was also the theological contrast with "down" as imagery for death. Sheol was down, but heaven was up. In our modern era these spacial images seem inaccurate, but remember they are ancient metaphors never intended to carry a literalness. The language of the OT is phenomenological, which means the language of description using the five human senses. The Bible is not anti-scientific, it is pre-scientific! Taking ancient imagery literally is not a sign of biblical conservatism, but of missing the intended meaning of the original historical setting of inspired authors.
▣ "justice and righteousness" See note at Isa. 32:16 and SPECIAL TOPIC: IMMANUEL'S PERSON AND REIGN.
| 33:6 | |
| NASB, NKJV, NRSV | "He will be the stability of your times" |
| NJB | "You can count on this all your days" |
| Peshitta | "Faith shall be the stability of your times" |
| REB | "her strength will be in your unchanging stability" |
| NET | "He is your constant source of stability" |
YHWH brings "stability," lit. "faithful," BDB 53, cf. Isa. 25:1. Judah's hope and stability is the faithful character of her God (cf. Deut. 32:4; Ps. 36:5; 89:1-2,5,24,33,49; 88:11; 92:2; 143:1). This is the answer to the prayer of Isa. 33:2. Because of His faithful character He gives to His wayward people
33:7-9 This reflects the sad state of the impending siege because negotiations have failed (cf. 2 Kgs. 18:13-16).
33:7 These two poetic lines may not be synonymous (LXX, Peshitta). Biblical scholars have been influenced by Robert Lowth, who tried to fit all Hebrew parallelism into three or four categories. Today scholars are understanding the multiplicity of poetic parallelism. Currently it is best to say that the second line "adds something" or "goes beyond" (Adele Berlin, The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism: Revised and Expanded, p. 64).
There may be two different groups addressed.
They do similar/parallel things
Parallelism is one of the main keys in interpreting Hebrew poetry, but we must recognize it is used in many forms and at many literary levels.
| NASB, TEV | "brave men" |
| NKJV, NRSV, REB | "valiant ones" |
| NJB | "Ariel" |
| JPSOA | "Arielites" |
| NET | "ambassadors" |
The MT has אראלם (BDB 72, KB 82), which is found only here. This root is
| 33:8 | |
| NASB, NKJV, JPSOA, Peshitta | "cities" |
| NRSV | "oaths" |
| NJB, RSV | "witnesses" |
| REB | "treaties" |
| TEV | "agreements" |
| DSS | "a pact" |
The MT has "cities" (ערים, BDB 746 and DSS), but because of the parallelism, "witnesses" (עדים, BDB 729) fits better. This could be another "R" ‒ "D" confusion. The UBS Hebrew Text Project, p. 77 gives "witness" a C rating (i.e., considerable doubt).
33:9 This verse uses agricultural imagery for the problems involved in the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C. These types of agricultural imagery are common in Isaiah (cf. Isa. 16:8; 24:4,7). YHWH controls the weather for His purposes (cf. Deuteronomy 27-28). There is no distinction between the "natural" and "supernatural" in the Bible, as in the worldview of the ANE. Deity is intimately involved in His creation. Be careful of your modern, scientific worldview placing a theological grid over Scripture!
33:10-12 These possibly relate to Assyria as in Isa. 33:1.
33:11-12 The imagery of "chaff" and "fire" are common in Isaiah (cf. Isa. 1:7; 5:24; 9:18-19; 10:16-19; 26:11; 29:6; 30:27-28; 33:11-14; 47:14, also Joel 2:3). See Special Topic: Fire.
Isaiah uses imagery from human reproduction.
▣ "My breath" This is the term ruah (BDB 924) used as an anthropomorphic imagery for the wind of judgment from YHWH's nostrils (see SPECIAL TOPIC: BREATH, WIND, SPIRIT). It is obviously a way of showing YHWH's personal participation (cf. Exodus 15:18; 2 Sam. 22:16; Ps. 18:15) in judgment (cf. Isa. 11:4; 30:28; 40:7).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 33:13-16
13"You who are far away, hear what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might."
14Sinners in Zion are terrified;
Trembling has seized the godless.
"Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with continual burning?"
15He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
16He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.
33:13 "You who are far away. . .you who are near" In context, this refers to God's people in exile in Assyria and to God's people still in Judah (cf. Dan. 9:7). However, seen in the wider context of the new age, it may be related to the Gentile and the Jewish people (cf. Isa. 49:1; it is imagery for all, cf. Jer. 25:26).
33:14 "Sinners in Zion are terrified" Again the reality of a mixture of the faithful and unfaithful within the people of God is acknowledged. Sinners
The "godless" (BDB 338) are described in Isa. 32:6 as those who practice godlessness and speak error against the Lord (cf. Isa. 9:17; 10:6).
▣ "Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with the continual burning" This refers to God's holiness as seen through the imagery of fire connected with His righteousness and His judgment (cf. Deut. 4:24; 5:24; Isa. 30:27,30).
For "continual" (lit. "forever") see Special Topic: Forever ('olam).
33:15 This reflects the character of YHWH as seen in His people.
33:16 The person who lives the life described in Isa. 33:15
This describes the new age person. The ideal of Deuteronomy is actualized!
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: ISAIAH 33:17-24
17Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will behold a far-distant land.
18Your heart will meditate on terror:
"Where is he who counts?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?"
19You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.
20Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed habitation,
A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its cords be torn apart.
21But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us
A place of rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass -
22For the Lord is our judge,
The Lord is our lawgiver,
The Lord is our king;
He will save us -
23Your tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
The lame will take the plunder.
24And no resident will say, "I am sick";
The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.
33:17 "Your eyes will see" This VERB (BDB 302, KB 301) is often used to refer to spiritual insight (cf. Isa. 26:11; 33:17,20; 48:6; Job 23:8-9; Ps. 46:8; 63:2). Humans were created to function in two realms.
The Fall of Genesis 3 has disrupted both!
▣ "the King and his beauty" This is a purposeful ambiguity, much like Isa. 32:1, where the context fits both Hezekiah in his day and the coming Messiah of Isa. 7:14.
33:18 "Where is he who counts" This refers to Assyrian scouts reconnoitering Jerusalem for the coming siege.
| 33:19 | |
| NASB, NKJV, Peshitta | "a fierce people" |
| NRSV, NJB | "the insolent people" |
| TEV | "arrogant foreigners" |
| REB, JPSOA | "barbarous people" |
| NET | "a defiant people" |
The PARTICIPLE describing "people" is BDB 418, KB 420, Niphal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE, and is found only here. Some scholars take it from another root, "to be strong" (BDB 738), but never found in the Niphal stem.
There is one more interpretive option. Take it from another root (BDB 541, KB 533, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE), "to stammer" or "speak unintelligibly," which is used in the third line of v. 19, thereby paralleling all three lines.
| NASB, NJB | "unintelligible speech" |
| NKJV, NRSV, REB, JPSOA | "obscure speech" |
| LXX | "deep speech" |
| Peshitta | "deeper speech" |
The MT has the ADJECTIVE (BDB 771, KB 849) "deep" or "unfathomable" (cf. Ezek. 3:5-6). This relates to YHWH's warning of His sending foreign invaders into Canaan if His people do not keep His law (cf. Deut. 28:49). They did not; He did (cf. Isa. 28:11; Jer. 5:15). In this context, it refers to Assyria.
Paul uses this imagery to describe speaking in tongues in the NT (cf. 1 Cor. 14:21).
33:20 This is Isaiah's recurrent theology that Jerusalem will never fall (cf. Isaiah 36-37). For a full discussion of "city" see notes at Isa. 24:10 and the chart at the Introduction to chapter 26, D. This prophecy must be understood in context because in Jeremiah's day, God gave exactly the opposite prophecy.
The imagery of "a tent" is an anachronistic allusion back to the Exodus. It may also denote "the tabernacle" built as a portable tent. The same allusion (i.e., tent) is used in Isa. 54:2 for a worldwide expansion.
33:21 The imagery of "rivers and sailing ships" seems to be a play on their alliances with Egypt (cf. Isa. 33:23). Instead of Egypt, YHWH (the Majestic One) will be their provider and protector (cf. Isa. 33:22).
33:22 Jerusalem (cf. Isa. 33:20) is again the city of the Great King (YHWH Himself) as represented in His righteous surrogate (the Davidic Messiah).
YHWH is
33:23 Poetry is ambiguous. This could refer to
In Isaiah 33:17, both "your eyes" and "they will behold" have uncertain antecedents. Isaiah 33:18 seems to refer to Assyria checking out Jerusalem for invasion and siege. Isaiah 33:19 seems to allude to the strange-sounding language of the Assyrian invaders. Yet at Isa. 33:20 the scene changes to an undisturbed Jerusalem. Therefore, Isa. 33:21 and 22 could refer to Jerusalem, obviously Isa. 33:24 does.
Some see the "plunder" (BDB 1021) in Isa. 33:23 as related to the items that the Assyrian army abandoned before the walls of Jerusalem in 701 B.C. and not the sack of Nineveh itself, which occurred in 612 B.C.
33:24 YHWH is characterized as the healer. This is an allusion to chapter 1 where God's people are characterized as ill (cf. Isa. 1:5-6). Illness is imagery for "sin" and "rebellion" (cf. Ps. 41:4; 103:3; Isa. 53:5). The NT continues the Jewish concept of sickness relating to sin (cf. John 5:14; James 5:14-15). The term "save" in the OT denotes physical deliverance.
SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT Term)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
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