OET interlinear ISA 50:2

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

(Occurrence 0) Why did I come but there was no one there? Why did I call but no one answered?

(Some words not found in UHB: why came and,there_[was]_not (a)_man called and,there_[was]_not answer really,(be_short)? lack hand_of,my for,ransom and=if not in,me power to,deliver if by,my_of,rebuke dry_up sea make rivers wilderness stink fish_of,their because,there_[is]_not waters and,it_will_die by,thirst )

These two sentences mean basically the same thing. Yahweh uses questions to emphasize that the people are in exile because they did not respond to him, not because he was unwilling to save them. Alternate translation: “When I came to you, you should have been there, but you were not. When I called you, you should have answered, but you did not.” or “When I came to speak to you, you did not respond to me.” (See also: figs-rquestion)

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

(Occurrence 0) Was my hand too short to ransom you? Was there no power in me to rescue you?

(Some words not found in UHB: why came and,there_[was]_not (a)_man called and,there_[was]_not answer really,(be_short)? lack hand_of,my for,ransom and=if not in,me power to,deliver if by,my_of,rebuke dry_up sea make rivers wilderness stink fish_of,their because,there_[is]_not waters and,it_will_die by,thirst )

Yahweh uses two similar questions to rebuke the people for believing that he was not strong enough to rescue them. Alternate translation: “My hand was certainly not too short for me to ransom you, and I had the power to rescue you!” or “I certainly have the power to rescue you from your enemies.” (See also: figs-rquestion)

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

(Occurrence 0) Was my hand too short

(Some words not found in UHB: why came and,there_[was]_not (a)_man called and,there_[was]_not answer really,(be_short)? lack hand_of,my for,ransom and=if not in,me power to,deliver if by,my_of,rebuke dry_up sea make rivers wilderness stink fish_of,their because,there_[is]_not waters and,it_will_die by,thirst )

Here the word “hand” represents Yahweh’s power. Yahweh not being strong enough is spoken of as if his hand were short. Alternate translation: “Was I not strong enough” (See also: figs-metaphor)

(Occurrence 0) Was there no power in me

(Some words not found in UHB: why came and,there_[was]_not (a)_man called and,there_[was]_not answer really,(be_short)? lack hand_of,my for,ransom and=if not in,me power to,deliver if by,my_of,rebuke dry_up sea make rivers wilderness stink fish_of,their because,there_[is]_not waters and,it_will_die by,thirst )

Alternate translation: “Did I not have the power”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) I make the rivers a desert

(Some words not found in UHB: why came and,there_[was]_not (a)_man called and,there_[was]_not answer really,(be_short)? lack hand_of,my for,ransom and=if not in,me power to,deliver if by,my_of,rebuke dry_up sea make rivers wilderness stink fish_of,their because,there_[is]_not waters and,it_will_die by,thirst )

Yahweh speaks of drying up the rivers as if he were turning them into a desert. Alternate translation: “I make the rivers as dry as a desert”

(Occurrence 0) their fish die for lack of water and rot

(Some words not found in UHB: why came and,there_[was]_not (a)_man called and,there_[was]_not answer really,(be_short)? lack hand_of,my for,ransom and=if not in,me power to,deliver if by,my_of,rebuke dry_up sea make rivers wilderness stink fish_of,their because,there_[is]_not waters and,it_will_die by,thirst )

“their fish die and rot for lack of water.” The word “their” refers to the sea and the rivers.