In this verse Yahweh makes a general call for his people to remember, but he does not tell them what to remember until the next verse.

Remember this and consider: For Remember see the comments on 43.18. The demonstrative pronoun this points ahead to the phrase “the former things of old” in the next verse. The meaning of the Hebrew verb rendered consider is uncertain since it only occurs here in the Old Testament. It comes from a root meaning “to be courageous,” so New Jerusalem Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translate it “stand firm.” However, since it is parallel with Remember here and recall in the next line, it is better rendered consider or “reflect.”

Recall it to mind, you transgressors: Recall it to mind is literally “cause to come back to your heart.” This line is parallel to the previous one, emphasizing the idea of remembering. Revised Standard Version supplies the pronoun it for naturalness in English. Like the pronoun this, it points ahead to “the former things of old.” Yahweh addresses his people as transgressors (Good News Translation “sinners”). The Hebrew word for transgressors refers to deliberate disobedience (see the comments on 43.25, where the same root is rendered “transgressions”), so it may also be rendered “rebels.”

Verses 8-9a are an example of step parallelism. In this type of parallelism each line builds on the previous line leading to the last line as the focus. The first line of verse 9 repeats much of the content of verse 8, adding that God’s people are to remember what he has done in the past. As noted above, the pronouns this and it point to these past deeds. In languages where it is impossible to have a verb such as Remember without immediately stating its object, translators may need to rearrange verses 8-9a for clarity; for example, “You sinners, remember the former things of old. Remember them and consider them; recall them to mind.” Good News Translation only has two verbs in verse 8 and clarifies what the people are to remember by saying “Remember this, you sinner; consider what I have done.” Other possible models are:

• “Remember and consider,
bring to mind again, you sinners,

• “You sinners, remember, reflect, and recall.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .