The Hebrew particle ki rendered For does not introduce the reason for Yahweh’s inactivity mentioned in the previous verse. Here it is a emphatic marker for his action in this verse, so it may be rendered “Indeed” or “Truly.”

Before the harvest may be rendered “before the grapes are harvested” since there is a reference to grapes later in the verse (for a discussion on grapes, see 1.8). This phrase is qualified by the two temporal clauses that follow it: when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape. The first temporal clause may be rendered “after the buds are complete” or “when the blossoms have all fallen” (Good News Translation). Both Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch say “when the grapevine has finished flowering.” The second temporal clause is literally “and an unripe grape ripening will be a blossom.” This means the blossom turns into a ripening grape. Bible en français courant has “when the flower becomes grape and that one ripens.” Good News Translation says simply “and the grapes are ripening.” The first two lines refer to the time between the appearance of blossoms and grapes and the actual grape harvest. The primary focus is on the phrase before the harvest, with the two temporal clauses giving additional details. Since the harvest follows the blossoms and the ripening fruit, we can begin this verse with “After the blossoms have appeared and the flowers become ripening grape, [just] before the harvest….”

He will cut off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he will hew away: Yahweh will prune the grapevine just before harvest, which is symbolic for his drastic action against the target of this oracle. These two parallel lines are the main clauses of the sentence. Some languages may need to place them at the beginning of the verse before the temporal clauses (see the second example below). The pronoun he refers to Yahweh. Contemporary English Version makes this explicit by saying “God,” which is helpful. The Hebrew words for shoots and spreading branches are used together to refer to all the good parts of the grapevine, its new growth and branches with ripening fruit. Good News Translation identifies the shoots as “Ethiopians,” but this should not be done since it is not clear what nation is in view here (see the introductory comments on this section [18.1-7]). For pruning hooks, see the comments on 2.4. He will hew away is literally “he will turn aside and strike away.” The Hebrew verb meaning “strike away” occurs only here in the Old Testament. The two verbs give emphasis or certainty to the action of pruning the grapevine.

Suggested translations for this verse are:

• Even before the grapes are harvested,
after the buds are full,
and the blossoms ripen into fruit,
the LORD will prune the new shoots with a pruning knife,
and cut away and remove the overhanging branches.

• Truly the LORD will prune the new growth with a pruning knife
and cut off and take away the longer branches
before the grape harvest,
when the flowering has ended
and the blossoms ripen into fruit.

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 .