The word which Isaiah … saw …: The first title in 1.1 described the message given to Isaiah as a “vision,” but here it is a word. However, it is a word that he saw, which renders the same Hebrew root as the word “vision.” As noted in the comments on 1.1, the noun “vision” and the verb “saw” are technical terms used by Israel’s prophets to refer to the messages they received. This is also true for the noun word. Often it is best to convey their meaning by not being literal; for example, Good News Translation renders this verse as “Here is the message which God gave to….” Another version that explicitly makes God the source of the message is Bible en français courant: “The message that Isaiah, son of Amoz, received from the Lord concerning the kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem.” Some literal renderings are New Jerusalem Bible “The vision of Isaiah … concerning…,” New American Bible “This is what Isaiah … saw…,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “The word that Isaiah … prophesied….” (“To prophesy” refers to proclaiming a message from God. It does not necessarily mean predicting the future.)

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 .