Our holy and beautiful house … has been burned by fire is a more specific example of the destruction (see 2 Kgs 25.9). The house refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, which Good News Translation makes clear. Holy means the Temple was sacred, set apart for the sole purpose of worship. The Hebrew word for glorious is the same one rendered “glorious” in 63.12 and 14-15. It refers to great beauty, something magnificent. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders glorious as “our pride,” since the people felt proud about the magnificent Temple. For burned by fire, see the comments on 1.7.
Where our fathers praised thee: The Temple was not only a place of special beauty, it was also the place where Israel’s ancestors worshiped Yahweh, so the people could expect him to show special concern for it. Although the people are presently pleading for Yahweh to come and help them, it is done in a way that acknowledges God’s past relationship with their ancestors. Our fathers may be rendered “our ancestors” or “our forefathers” (compare 38.5; 51.2; 58.14). The Hebrew verb rendered praised has the specific connotation of singing praises (see the comments on 45.25, where it is translated “glory”).
And all our pleasant places have become ruins: The unusual Hebrew noun rendered pleasant places is translated “precious things” in Lam 1.10, where it refers to the treasures of the Temple, and “delight” in Ezek 24.21, where it refers to the Temple. Here it refers to all Judah’s beautiful places, including the Temple. This noun is plural in Hebrew, but the verb for have become is singular. Several versions render the noun as a singular; for example, Revised English Bible translates all our pleasant places as “all that we cherished,” New International Version has “all that we treasured,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “all that was dear to us.” Of course, these renderings allow the reference to be more general than the Temple only. Bible en français courant says “This place that we loved so much.” For the ruins of Judah, see the comments on 44.26.
Translation examples for this verse are:
• Our sacred and glorious Temple,
in which our ancestors worshiped you,
has been destroyed by fire,
and every wonderful place lies in ruins.
• Our sacred and beautiful house,
where our forefathers worshiped you,
has been destroyed by fire,
and the things we cherished lie in ruins.
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 .