Just as in verse 19 the forest implied a vast number of trees, here the figure of grains of sand also indicates a large number. In this case the figure is applied to Israel, not Assyria. This verse makes a contrast between the original vast number of people and the small number of those who will return.
For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea: The people of Israel are as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. This kind of idiom is widely known, not just in Hebrew. But it may be more correct in many languages to say “as the sand of the seaside” rather than as the sand of the sea. Good News Translation has “as there are grains of sand by the sea.” Some translators may want to bring out the meaning of the idiom more clearly by saying “as countless as the [grains of] sand by the sea.” This is of course an exaggeration, used to emphasize the large number of Israelites. Where sand and sea are not part of a people’s experience, translators may use the dust of the ground as an alternative image, or they may state the underlying meaning by saying “very, very many.” It may also be possible to use an ideophone rather than the image.
In Hebrew the name Israel is a vocative here. The prophet is addressing the people of Israel, so this name may be placed at the beginning of the verse if required: “Israel, your people….” The vocative form in English may be expressed as “O Israel”; for example, New International Version has “Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea.” Other languages may have different ways of expressing it. Good News Translation drops the pronoun your to avoid all ambiguity.
Only a remnant of them will return: In contrast to the countless grains of sand, only a tiny number of Israelites, a remnant, will return home.
Destruction is decreed: The challenge here is to determine who decrees, who destroys, and who is being destroyed. God is the one who has decreed, or announced, that destruction is coming. It is not specified who is actually going to carry out the destruction. The context suggests Israel will be destroyed, referring back to the events surrounding the captivity by Assyria. However, this does not need to be made explicit. If the passive verb decreed is made active, Yahweh should be the subject. Bible en français courant has “The destruction is decided,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “Your downfall is a sure [or, decided] thing.”
Overflowing with righteousness seems to say the opposite of the previous clause. The Hebrew participle rendered overflowing means something that is so full that it overflows; it is more than just abundant. The Hebrew noun for righteousness also means “justice/right.” So this clause is literally “justice overflows.” It means God’s decree of destruction is fully just and deserved. Here Good News Translation offers an excellent translation model with “and it is fully deserved.” New American Bible says “as overwhelming justice demands,” and Bible en français courant has “justice will take its course.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, however, suggests that it means “Retribution comes like a flood,” making it parallel to the previous clause (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). We prefer the meaning of Good News Translation and New American Bible.
As examples of translation for this verse, consider the following:
• O Israel!
Even though your people are as numerous as sand on the seashore,
only a remnant will return home.
God says: “I have determined to destroy the land; justice will overflow.”
• You people Israel, even though you are like sand on the seashore in number, only a few will return home. Your destruction is determined; it is fully just.
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 .