In an apparent response to the LORD’s complaint in 50.2, the prophet makes this emphatic statement.

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save: With the initial word Behold, the prophet calls the people of Judah to take notice of what he is about to say. Translators can express it with some kind of emphatic marker; for example, both New Jerusalem Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh begin with “No,” New Revised Standard Version has “See,” and New International Version uses “Surely.” For the LORD’s hand is not shortened, see the comments on 50.2. This idiom means God is not powerless to help his people. That it cannot save is literally “from saving.” The verb save has no object in the Hebrew, but Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch supply the pronoun “you,” referring to God’s people. The verb save means “rescue” here (see the comments on 25.9). It has the sense of providing a better life than the current one. For this whole line Revised English Bible has “The LORD’s arm is not too short to save.” Good News Translation expresses it nonfiguratively with “Don’t think that the LORD is too weak to save you.” Another similar model is “The LORD is not weak. He can save you.”

Or his ear dull, that it cannot hear: In Hebrew this line is parallel in structure to the previous one. It is literally “and his ear is not heavy from hearing,” which means God is not unable to hear his people. The promise in 58.9 may well be a background for this assurance. The Hebrew word rendered dull (literally “heavy”) with the noun for ear refers to physical deafness here (compare 6.10, where it refers to an unwillingness to listen; see also Zech 7.11). Like the verb save in the previous line, the verb hear does not have an object in Hebrew. Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch add “your call for help,” while Bible en français courant supplies “you.” This verb is repeated at the close of verse 2 to underline the reason for the LORD’s failure to respond to his people’s call for help. This line may be rendered “nor is his ear/hearing deaf/dull such that he cannot hear you” or “The LORD is not deaf. He can hear you.”

If possible, translators should try to preserve the imagery of hand and ear, because the prophet refers to other body parts in verse 3. However, if they cannot be retained in a meaningful way, Good News Translation provides a possible model (see also the second example below).

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• Look! Yahweh’s hand is not powerless,
so that he cannot rescue you;
nor is his ear deaf,
so that he cannot hear you.

• Look! Don’t think that the LORD is so powerless that he is unable to rescue you,
or so deaf that he cannot hear you.

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 .