And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem: These two clauses are parallel with the phrase “the survivors of Israel” in the previous verse. They refer to the same people, so Good News Translation collapses them into one clause, saying “Everyone who is left in Jerusalem.” Although Revised Standard Version uses the masculine pronoun he, those languages that have masculine and feminine pronouns may need to use a general term here, perhaps even a plural expression. The survivors are both male and female. New Revised Standard Version begins with “Whoever is left…” (similarly Good News Translation), and New Jerusalem Bible has “Those who are left…” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The Hebrew verb rendered remains uses the same root translated “left” in 1.8-9, which indicates a connection in thought between these passages. For Zion see the comments on 1.8.
Will be called holy is a passive construction. The text does not say who will call the survivors holy. It may be other people or the LORD. Holy basically means “[one who is] set apart” (see the comments at 1.4). These are people who are different, set aside for a special task. They reflect the holy character of Yahweh. If the passive verb here requires an active form in some languages, the first half of this verse may be rendered “About those who are left in Jerusalem, people will say they belong to the LORD” or “… the LORD will say they are holy.” Bible en français courant has “Then those who remain in Jerusalem, those who survive in Zion, will receive the title ‘consecrated to the Lord.’”
Every one who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem further qualifies the survivors who are to be called holy. Translators could make this clear by beginning this clause with “They are all those who have been…” or by repeating will be called holy. Who has been recorded for life is literally “who has been written for the life,” which is rendered by Revised English Bible as “whose survival … was decreed.” The background to this idiom may be the type of recording done in the Babylonian record books, or it may be the ancient custom in some countries of listing citizens’ names and their deeds (Est 6.1-2). In this present context it may refer to a book or scroll that records the names of all those who survive. In Isaiah’s time the expression did not have the future connotation it has in Rev 21.27, where “who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” refers to those who will enter the heavenly Jerusalem. Good News Translation brings out the meaning of who has been recorded for life by saying “… whom God has chosen for survival.” Jerusalem is identified as the place where the survivors live; it is not the place where the “recording” takes place. For the whole clause we may say “all those in Jerusalem whose names are written for life” or, more simply, “… whom God chooses for life.”
Some translation examples for this verse are:
• Those left in Zion and those remaining in Jerusalem will all be called holy people; they are all in Jerusalem and their names are recorded as those who are living.
• People will regard as holy all who remain in Zion and who are left in Jerusalem, that is, all in Jerusalem whom Yahweh has decided may live.
• All who are left in Zion, all who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy; all in Jerusalem whose names are written down by the LORD will be called holy.
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 .