This verse begins a passage where some important theological statements are made about the nature of Israel’s God, Yahweh. The divine titles used in the introductory lines reflect earlier statements in Isaiah (see, for example, 1.4; 6.1-3; 49.26).

The Hebrew particle ki rendered For introduces the reason for the commands in the previous verse. God tells his people to turn back to him because of who he is and what he does.

Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: This extended divine quote frame describes Yahweh. The high and lofty One uses the idea of distance to highlight his difference from human beings. Theologians call this his “transcendence.” The last half of this verse says God dwells with his people, an aspect that theologians refer to as his “immanence.” So both God’s transcendence and his immanence are highlighted here. The idea that God lives high above the heavens is common in poetic texts (see, for example, 14.13-14; Psa 14.2; 53.2; 57.3). The Hebrew word rendered lofty can also mean “exalted” or “highly honored.” One who inhabits eternity is literally “one who lives until,” which means God lives forever (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version). Whose name is Holy means God is holy since the word name here refers to God himself, as in 12.4 and 18.7 (see the comments there). For God as Holy, see the comments on 1.4 and 6.3.

Since Good News Translation begins verse 14 with “The LORD says,” it renders the first two lines of this verse as part of Yahweh’s speech. If translators prefer to stay closer to the Hebrew text, they may say “For the LORD is the high and holy God, who lives forever. He says:….”

I dwell in the high and holy place: Yahweh’s speech begins here. For languages that prefer indirect speech, see the second example below. The verb dwell is a metaphor for God’s presence. The high and holy God lives in a place that is high and holy. The repetition of these adjectives emphasizes God’s separation from human beings. Good News Translation keeps this repetition, and so does Bible en français courant (1997) by rendering the first three lines of this verse as “Now, this is the declaration of him who is higher than everything, whose home is eternal and whose name is unique: ‘I, the unique true God, I live high above.’”

And also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit: Although Yahweh is separate and dwells apart, he is present with humble people. This statement balances the ones concerning Yahweh’s distance from the world of human experience. It points to God’s closeness to those who honor and serve him. The verb dwell in the previous line is implied here, so translators may repeat it if necessary. The Hebrew adjectives rendered contrite and humble are close synonyms. Contrite describes a person who is sorry for something he or she has done wrong; humble describes a person who is gentle, modest, or self-effacing in attitude, the opposite of someone who is proud. Even though these adjectives are singular in Hebrew, they have a collective sense here, so translators may render them in the plural (so Good News Translation; see also the examples below). The Hebrew word for spirit here refers not to a wind or breath, but to a person’s inner nature. Good News Translation does not use the word spirit, but translates this whole line as “but I also live with people who are humble and repentant,” which may be helpful model for other languages.

To revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite: These two lines give the purpose for the previous clause. God is present with those who are humble and repentant in order to give them new life. There is the following chiasmus between these two lines and the previous two: contrite > humble spirit > < spirit of the humble < contrite. The repeated Hebrew verb rendered revive means “to give new life/vigor.” The Hebrew words for spirit and heart are synonyms here, both referring to a person’s inner being.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Because God who is high and lofty,
who lives forever and is holy says:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but I also live with those who are penitent and humble,
in order to restore the spirits of those who are humble
and to restore to life the minds of those who are penitent.

• For God, the high and exalted one,
who lives forever, who is the holy one,
says that he is present in the high and holy place,
but that he also is present with any who are penitent and humble.
His purpose is to bring back to life the spirit of the humble person,
and to bring back to life the mind of the penitent person.

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 .