Isaiah 17:2-4 New English Translation
2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned.[a]
They will be used for herds,
which will lie down there in peace.[b]
3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
and Damascus will lose its kingdom.[c]
The survivors in Syria
will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
4 “At that time[d]
Jacob’s splendor will be greatly diminished,[e]
and he will become skin and bones.[f]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 17:2 tn Three cities are known by this name in the OT: (1) an Aroer located near the Arnon, (2) an Aroer in Ammon, and (3) an Aroer of Judah. (See BDB 792-93 s.v. עֲרֹעֵר, and HALOT 883 s.v. II עֲרוֹעֵר.) There is no mention of an Aroer in Syrian territory. For this reason some want to emend the text here to עֲזֻבוֹת עָרַיהָ עֲדֵי עַד (ʿazuvot ʿarayha ʿade ʿad, “her cities are permanently abandoned”). However, Aroer near the Arnon was taken by Israel and later conquered by the Syrians. (See Josh 12:2; 13:9, 16; Judg 11:26; 2 Kgs 10:33). This oracle pertains to Israel as well as Syria (note v. 3), so it is possible that this is a reference to Israelite and/or Syrian losses in Transjordan.
- Isaiah 17:2 tn Heb “and they lie down, and there is no one scaring [them].”
- Isaiah 17:3 tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”
- Isaiah 17:4 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
- Isaiah 17:4 tn Heb “will be tiny.”
- Isaiah 17:4 tn Heb “and the fatness of his flesh will be made lean.”
New English Translation (NET)
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