Chapter Overview
Summary
Isaiah 30 is the WOE-TO-EGYPT-RELIANCE oracle. Verse 15's 'in returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength' is one of the OT's-most-quoted devotional-axioms — though-immediately-followed-by 'and you would not.' Verse 18's 'blessed are all those who wait for him' is the chapter's-promise.
Notable Variants
30:15 'in returning and rest, in quietness and trust' — devotional-classic but-rejected by-the-people; 30:18 'blessed are all those who wait for him' beatitude; 30:26 'the moon will be as bright as the sun' eschatological-cosmology.
Structural Notes
MT Isaiah 30 = LXX Isaiah 30. 33 verses. WOE-TO-EGYPT-RELIANCE.
Woe to the rebellious children, declares the LORD, who carry out plans, but not mine, who forge alliances, but not by my Spirit, piling sin upon sin.
'Ah, stubborn children, declares the LORD, who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin' tracks MT.
They set out to go down to Egypt without consulting me, to take refuge in Pharaoh's protection and shelter in Egypt's shadow.
'Who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!' tracks MT.
But Pharaoh's protection will become your shame, and shelter in Egypt's shadow your humiliation.
'Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation' tracks MT.
Though their officials have reached Zoan and their envoys have arrived at Hanes,
'For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes' tracks MT.
everyone will be put to shame by a people who cannot help them — no aid, no benefit, only shame and disgrace.
'Everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace' tracks MT.
An oracle concerning the beasts of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lioness and roaring lion, of viper and darting serpent, they carry their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels to a people who cannot help them.
'An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the adder and the flying fiery serpent, they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them' tracks MT.
Egypt's help is worthless and empty. Therefore I call her 'Rahab who sits still.'
'Egypt's help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her Rahab who sits still' tracks MT. RAHAB — chaos-monster as-Egypt's-name. Cf. Ps 89:10.
Now go, write it on a tablet in their presence and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may serve for the days to come as a witness forever.
'And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever' tracks MT. WRITE-FOR-THE-FUTURE. Habakkuk 2:2 ('write the vision') parallels.
For this is a rebellious people, deceitful children, children who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD.
'For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD' tracks MT.
They say to the seers, 'Do not see!' and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy what is right to us. Speak smooth things to us; prophesy illusions!'
'Who say to the seers: Do not see, and to the prophets: Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions' tracks MT. DO-NOT-PROPHESY-TRUTH. 2 Tim 4:3 ('the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching') extends.
'Leave the way! Get off the path! Stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!'
'Leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel' tracks MT.
Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says: Because you have rejected this word and trusted in oppression and deceit, leaning on them for support,
'Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them' tracks MT.
this guilt will become for you like a crack in a high wall, bulging outward, ready to collapse — whose shattering comes suddenly, in an instant.
'Therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant' tracks MT.
He will shatter it like a potter's jar, crushed without mercy — so thoroughly broken that among its fragments not a shard will be found large enough to scoop a coal from a hearth or dip water from a cistern.
'And its breaking is like that of a potter's vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern' tracks MT.
For this is what the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.' But you would not.
'For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you were unwilling' tracks MT. RETURNING-AND-REST devotional-classic. The four-fold rest-saving formula: returning, rest, quietness, trust. The tragic-NEXT-CLAUSE: 'BUT YOU WERE UNWILLING' — the verse celebrates-and-laments simultaneously.
But you said, 'No! We will flee on horses' — therefore you will flee indeed! 'We will ride on swift steeds' — therefore your pursuers will be swifter!
'And you said: No! We will flee upon horses; therefore you shall flee away; and: We will ride upon swift steeds; therefore your pursuers shall be swift' tracks MT.
A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee, until you are left like a flagpole on a mountaintop, like a signal banner on a hill.
'A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill' tracks MT.
Yet the LORD waits to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice — blessed are all who wait for Him.
'Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him' tracks MT. BLESSED-ARE-THOSE-WHO-WAIT. Lamentations 3:25 ('the LORD is good to those who wait for him') parallel.
O people in Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.
'For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you' tracks MT. WEEP-NO-MORE. Revelation 21:4 ('he will wipe away every tear') Christologically-extends.
Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your Teacher will no longer be hidden. Your own eyes will see your Teacher.
'And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher' tracks MT. SEE-YOUR-TEACHER. John 1:38 ('Rabbi, where are you staying?'), 13:13 ('you call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am') Christologically-fulfills.
And your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way — walk in it,' whether you turn to the right or to the left.
'And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying: This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left' tracks MT. THIS-IS-THE-WAY. John 14:6's 'I am the way' Christologically-extends.
Then you will defile the silver plating of your carved idols and the gold overlay of your cast images. You will scatter them like filthy rags, saying to them, 'Get out!'
'Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them: Be gone!' tracks MT.
He will give rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the bread that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. On that day your livestock will graze in broad pastures.
'And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures' tracks MT.
The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat seasoned fodder winnowed with shovel and fork.
'And the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork' tracks MT.
On every high mountain and every lofty hill there will be streams and channels of water, on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
'And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall' tracks MT.
The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold — like the light of seven days combined — on the day the LORD binds up the brokenness of His people and heals the wound He inflicted.
'Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow' tracks MT. SEVENFOLD-SUN — eschatological-cosmology. Revelation 21:23 (no-need-of-sun) extends.
Look — the name of the LORD comes from afar, burning with anger, heavy with fury. His lips are full of wrath, and His tongue is like a devouring fire.
'Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire' tracks MT.
His breath is like an overflowing torrent rising to the neck, to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads them astray.
'His breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads them astray' tracks MT.
You will have a song as on the night when a holy festival begins, and gladness of heart like one who walks with a flute to come to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
'You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel' tracks MT.
The LORD will make His majestic voice heard and reveal the descent of His arm in furious anger — a flame of devouring fire, with cloudbursts, torrents, and hailstones.
'And the LORD will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones' tracks MT.
For at the voice of the LORD, Assyria will be shattered — he who struck with a rod.
'The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the LORD, when he strikes with his rod' tracks MT.
Every stroke of the appointed rod that the LORD lays on Assyria will be accompanied by tambourines and lyres, as He fights against them with the sweep of His arm.
'And every stroke of the appointed staff that the LORD lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them' tracks MT.
For Topheth has long been prepared; it is made ready even for the king. Its fire pit is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.
'For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pile made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it' tracks MT. TOPHETH-PREPARED — burning-place at-Hinnom-valley. Gehenna-tradition (Mark 9:48, Rev 19:20) Christologically-extends.