And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David: The key of the house of David is a symbol for Eliakim’s authority over the royal household (so Good News Translation). It may also refer to an actual key, one that locked and unlocked the royal court buildings. Such a key was a large metal object. It was carried on a cord over the shoulder of the person in authority. Eliakim was given the keys to the king’s palace built by David some centuries earlier (2 Sam 5.11). The singular key has a plural sense here. Translators may omit the cultural practice of carrying keys over the shoulder, so this clause may be rendered “I will entrust him with the keys of David’s palace.”

The Hebrew word for key is derived from the root ptch, “to open,” used twice in the second half of the verse.

He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open: This is a chiasmus, which is literally “and he opens and there is no [one] shutting and he shuts and there is no [one] opening.” This expression may describe what Eliakim will actually do with the keys, or it may be figurative for his complete authority over who enters the palace and who does not. The Hebrew verb rendered open comes from the same root as the noun for key.

For the translation of this verse we suggest the following examples:

• I will entrust him with the keys to [King] David’s palace. What he opens, none shall close; what he closes, none shall open.

• He will have responsibility for the keys of David’s palace so that if he opens a door, nobody can shut it, and if he shuts a door, nobody can open it.

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 .