The poetic imagery with hyperbole continues in this verse. Not only will foreign leaders bring the Israelite exiles back to Zion, they will also become servants to them.

Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers: In these two parallel lines Yahweh says both Kings and queens from the nations will become servants to Zion’s children. They will occupy roles normally held by slaves. This reversal of roles implies the elevation of Zion over the surrounding nations. The Hebrew word rendered foster fathers refers to those who are guardians or tutors. A foster father may be a member of the extended family who adopts the child as his own, becoming the child’s guardian, or he may be someone from outside the family employed as a tutor. If foster fathers is a difficult concept in other cultures, Good News Translation may serve as a model with “like fathers.” Bible en français courant has “educators.” (However, “teachers” would suggest a different sense.) And their queens your nursing mothers pictures queens serving as wet nurses to the Israelites. The Hebrew term rendered queens can also be translated “noble women” or “princesses” (New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant). Instead of nursing mothers, New Jerusalem Bible has “foster-mothers” (in parallel to “foster-fathers”), New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “nurses” (not medical), and Good News Translation uses “like mothers.”

With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet: These two parallel lines use hyperbole to further assure Zion of its new status in the world as a highly respected nation. The kings and queens of the nations will recognize Zion’s superiority and power by humbling themselves before it. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you indicates complete humiliation, more than just bowing before Zion. Lick the dust of your feet uses imagery based on the fact that kings defeated in battle were required to lick the feet of the victorious king. This highly poetic imagery shows the complete humiliation of foreign rulers as a way of assuring Zion of its new status. Translators should exercise some caution when rendering this line so that they do not offend their readers. Contemporary English Version omits it, which is not an acceptable solution. Good News Translation‘s inoffensive rendering may offer a suitable model: “they will humbly show their respect for you.”

Then you will know that I am the LORD: God will restore the Israelite exiles to Zion and humble the foreign leaders before them, so that they know that he is indeed the LORD. The verb know in this context signals the assurance of a close relationship, one that implies the people’s dependence on their LORD (compare 43.10). It is not that they will suddenly realize who Yahweh is. For this whole line Bible en français courant has “Then you will recognize that I am the Lord,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “Then you will see that I, the LORD, am there for you.”

Those who wait for me shall not be put to shame: Yahweh will not allow those who depend on him to be disappointed. In Hebrew this line is a relative clause that adds to the statement about Yahweh in the previous line. However, every version consulted makes this line an independent saying. The Hebrew verb rendered wait for basically has the sense of hoping or longing for something (see 8.17, where it is translated “hope”). In this context it means “to depend on.” The Hebrew verb rendered put to shame usually means “humiliated” (see the comments on 41.11), but here it has the sense of “disappointed” (Good News Translation). Those who depend on the LORD will not be disappointed.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Kings will be your tutors,
and queens will be your wet nurses.
They will humble themselved, their faces to the ground,
licking the dust from your feet.
Then you will know that I am Yahweh,
who will not let those who depend on me be disappointed.”

• Kings will be your guardians,
queens your wet nurses.
With their faces to the ground
they will humbly lick the dust from your feet.
Then you will realize that I am Yahweh,
who will not disappoint those who depend on me.”

• Kings will tutor your children,
princesses will raise them.
They will bow to you
and humble themselves completely.
Then you will recognize me as the LORD,
who will not disappoint [or, let down] those who depend on me.”

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 .