A voice says, “Cry!”: As in verse 3, there is an unidentified speaker here who is called A voice. It could be the same person in both cases (see the comments on Isa 40.3). De~Waard suggests that the voice here is from heaven and the prophet is the one who responds in the next line. The verb Cry is better rendered “Proclaim” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “Announce,” as in verses 2 and 3. Many languages will require an object for this verb; for example, Good News Translation says “Proclaim a message!” and Bible en français courant has “Make a proclamation.”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”: As noted above, the prophet is probably the one who responds here. He asks what he should announce. However, Masoretic Text has “he [or, one] said,” rather than I said. The reading I said is based on the Septuagint and one Dead Sea Scrolls text of Isaiah. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives cautious support to Masoretic Text. Translators may follow either reading here. New English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Nouvelle Bible Segond, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible follow Masoretic Text, but most modern versions adopt the first person reading. Said may be rendered “asked” (Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible) since a question follows. Good News Translation uses the present tense verb “ask.” We recommend past tense here, but translators may feel the present tense is more appropriate.

Verses 6c-8 contain the message that the unidentified speaker tells the prophet to proclaim to the world. It may be helpful to introduce this message with “The voice replied, ‘You shall say, “All human beings are like grass….”’” (similarly Bible en français courant). This makes it very clear that in verses 6-8 there is a dialogue between two people. Good News Translation and Bible en français courant place verses 6c-8 within quote marks. Revised Standard Version does not do this, so it is not clear that these words are the message the prophet is to proclaim.

All flesh is grass is a metaphor. The point of the comparison becomes clear in verse 7, namely, human beings die quickly like grass. In languages where the metaphor might be taken literally, it is possible to change it into a simile: “All human beings are like grass” (compare Psa 103.15). All flesh refers to all human beings, as in verse 5.

And all its beauty is like the flower of the field is a simile that compares human beings to wild flowers. The pronoun its can refer back to flesh or grass, but flesh is more likely (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible). The Hebrew word for beauty is chesed, which is normally rendered “goodness,” “kindness,” “graciousness,” or “steadfast love” (see the comments on 16.5). Reliability is an important component of its meaning. Beauty is not a correct translation of this term since it does not have this meaning elsewhere. It is better to say “permanence” or “endurance” here. New Revised Standard Version has “constancy,” which is correct, but it is awkward in English. The flower of the field (also in Psa 103.15) is a singular expression with a collective sense referring to “wild flowers” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). This phrase may be rendered “flowers found in the bush [or, outside]” or simply “flowers.” Of the field is probably a standard stylistic addition, so it may be omitted (compare “fish of the sea” and “birds of the air” in Gen 1.26). Good News Translation renders this whole line well with “they last no longer than wild flowers” (similarly Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible).

Translation examples for this verse are:

• A voice says, “Proclaim a message!”
I asked, “What message shall I proclaim?”
“You should proclaim that all humans are grass,
they last only as long as wild flowers do.

• A voice says to proclaim a message.
Then another person asks what message he should proclaim.
The voice answers that the message is:
All human beings are like grass,
like the wild flowers that live only a short time.

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 .