In that day, as noted above, often introduces a prophetic speech. For this phrase see the comments on 2.11.

The Lord will extend his hand yet a second time: The Lord renders the general Hebrew word meaning “my master”; it is not the name Yahweh (see 1.2). However, there are some manuscripts that use the divine name here. We recommend “my Lord”; it is clear that Yahweh is in view.

The verb will extend is not actually present in Masoretic Text. This clause is literally “the Lord will repeat [or, continue] a second time his hand.” A number of scholars have suggested that the verb “repeat” be emended to read extend, because it is superfluous with the mention of “a second time.” However, the verb “repeat” is not an independent verb here. It is used to mark the repeated action of the infinitive to recover. There is some redundancy here, but this is not unusual in Hebrew. For example, the verb “repeat” often occurs with the Hebrew adverb ʿod (“yet again” in 10.20; 2 Sam 7.20 and elsewhere). This means “a second time” is appropriate here with the verb “repeat.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project supports this.

Extend his hand is a metaphor for action. Translators may preserve the metaphor or simply say “will act” (Bible en français courant [1997]). Good News Translation has “use his power” (similarly Revised English Bible), while New Jerusalem Bible and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch say “raise his hand.” All these are valid renderings.

To recover the remnant which is left of his people: This is why Yahweh “puts out his hand”; he acts to recover a number of his people. The Hebrew verb rendered recover broadly refers to acquiring something (see Gen 4.1, where it is rendered “have gotten”). It often means “to buy.” It can carry a sense of ownership (for example, in 1.3 it is rendered “owner”). It portrays God’s rescue of the people from Egypt in Exo 15.16, where Good News Translation renders it “set free from slavery.” Here New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh uses “redeeming”; Bible en français courant and New Jerusalem Bible are similar with “ransom.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “[set] free.” Since this verb has such a wide range of meaning, this allows Good News Translation to render it here as “bring back home” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

The remnant which is left of his people recalls the name of Isaiah’s child in 7.3, as well as 10.20-23, which developed the idea. Remnant refers to what remains after some action. In this case it refers to the Israelites who were taken away captive in earlier times by the their enemies. Which is left reenforces the idea present in the word remnant, including its small size. In 10.22 too there is the sense that this remnant will only be a small portion of the original group. If translators have chosen a key term for remnant, they should use it here. They may say “those of his people who are left [or, who remain].”

From Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea: The prophet gives a list of nations where the Israelites went as captives in the past. God will rescue them from each of those places to bring them back home. Assyria, located to the north of Syria, was the nation that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 B.C. The Assyrians took the Israelites away as captives and scattered them throughout their empire. Then they replaced the Israelites with people from other captured nations. It is less clear which exile is meant for the people of Judah in verse 12, unless this is a later prophecy, and it refers to the Babylonian Exile. (See the introductory comments above.)

Egypt, to the southwest of Israel, was the land from which the Israelites escaped at the time of the Exodus. Egypt at various times in history had some political and military control over Israel and it is likely that numbers of people were taken there as captives for various reasons, though some perhaps went willingly as traders. Here the name Egypt seems to apply to the delta area of the Nile River. Pathros was the name of the Nile Valley further to the south. It was a distinct administrative area within Egypt, also known as Upper Egypt. Ethiopia is how most translations render the name “Cush” in Hebrew. It refers to land further south of Pathros, in the upper reaches of the Nile River (see the GNB footnote|prj:GNTD.Isa 11.11 and the introductory comments on 18.1-7). Elam refers to the plateau area in Iran east of Mesopotamia. Shinar was located in the delta area of the Euphrates River; it is often another name for “Babylonia” (so Good News Translation). The region of Hamath was located in Syria. The coastlands of the sea describes the coastal regions and islands of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It may be necessary to indicate that the sea is the Mediterranean Sea. Translators may add footnotes to indicate the locations of these places.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• At that time my Lord will again act to rescue those exiles of his people who are left. He will bring them back from Assyria, Egypt, the Nile Valley, Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the coastal regions of the Mediterranean Sea.

• At that time my Lord will once again bring back the remnant of his people who were taken into exile. They will come back from Assyria, from lower and upper Egypt, from Ethiopia, from Elam and Babylonia, from Hamath, and from the Mediterranean islands and coastlands.

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 .