Isaiah 11:15-16 New English Translation
15 The Lord will divide[a] the gulf[b] of the Egyptian Sea;[c]
he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River[d] and send a strong wind;[e]
he will turn it into seven dried-up streams,[f]
and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria
for the remnant of his people,[g]
just as there was for Israel,
when[h] they went up from the land of Egypt.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 11:15 tn The verb is usually understood as “put under the ban, destroy,” or emended to חָרָב (kharav, “dry up”). However, HALOT 354 s.v. II חרם proposes a homonymic root meaning “divide.”
- Isaiah 11:15 tn Heb “tongue” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
- Isaiah 11:15 sn That is, the Red Sea.
- Isaiah 11:15 tn Heb “the river”; capitalized in some English versions (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) as a reference to the Euphrates River.
- Isaiah 11:15 tn Heb “with the [?] of his wind” [or “breath”]. The Hebrew term עַיָם (ʿayam) occurs only here. Some attempt to relate the word to an Arabic root and translate, “scorching [or “hot”] wind.” This interpretation fits especially well if one reads “dry up” in the previous line. Others prefer to emend the form to עֹצֶם (ʿotsem, “strong”). See HALOT 817 s.v. עֲצַם.
- Isaiah 11:15 tn Heb “seven streams.” The Hebrew term נַחַל (nakhal, “stream”) refers to a wadi, or seasonal stream, which runs during the rainy season, but is otherwise dry. The context (see v. 15b) here favors the translation, “dried-up streams.” The number seven suggests totality and completeness. Here it indicates that God’s provision for escape will be thorough and more than capable of accommodating the returning exiles.
- Isaiah 11:16 tn Heb “and there will be a highway for the remnant of his people who remain, from Assyria.”
- Isaiah 11:16 tn Heb “in the day” (so KJV).
New English Translation (NET)
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