The Prophet and His Day: Isaiah 1-39 - Free Bible Commentary

WORD AND PHRASE STUDYNASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 16:1-51Send the tribute lamb to the ruler of the land,From Sela by way of the wilderness to the mountain of the daughter of Zion.2Then, like fleeing birds or scattered nestlings,The daughters of Moab will be at the fords of the Arnon.3Give us advice, make a decision;Cast your shadow like night at high noon;Hide the outcasts, do not betray the fugitive.4Let the outcasts of Moab stay with you;Be a hiding place to them from the destroyer."For the extortioner has come to an end, destruction has ceased,Oppressors have completely disappeared from the land.5A throne will even be established in lovingkindness,And a judge will sit on it in faithfulness in the tent of David;Moreover, he will seek justiceAnd be prompt in righteousness.16:1 To whom and from whom and why are the contextual questions.1. the fleeing Moabites send a sacrificial gift to the Davidic ruler in Jerusalem to secure his aid,TEV, NRSV2. a reference to Messiah, cf. v. 5; Peshitta, Vulgate3. a message of continuing judgment and destruction even to the survivors of Moab, cf. v. 12} “Send” The VERB (BDB 1018, KB 1511) is a Qal IMPERATIVE. It denotes a desperate, frantic action.} “a tribute lamb” The MT has only “lambs” (BDB 503 III, PLURAL, and mentions “as tribute”). OnlyNASB adds this ADJECTIVE to its translation. As for the PLURAL vs. SINGULAR:1. PLURAL, NRSV, REB, JB2. SINGULAR, MT, NJB, NASB, NKJV, TEVMoab was known for its sheep (cf. II Kgs. 3:4).The ancient versions have very different translations.1. LXX, “I will send as it were creeping animals on the land!”2. Peshitta, “ I will send the son of the ruler of the land.”3. JPSOA, “Dispatch a messenger to the ruler of the land.”} “From Sela” The basic meaning of the term (BDB 700) is “crag,” “cliff” (cf. Jer. 51:25), but it cameto designate a city in Edom, Sela, or Petra (BDB 701 II, cf. II Kgs. 14:7; Isa. 42:11). However, Seladoes not fit the context exactly so maybe another rock feature close to the border with Judea. It possiblysimply denotes a southern route.Where is not as important as from whom, to whom, and why.} “to the mountain of the daughter of Zion” This is a figurative way of referring to YHWH’s templein Jerusalem. This means that the lambs were given to be sacrificed to YHWH (cf. Ezra 7:17).178