You who are full of shoutings, tumultuous city, exultant town: These three phrases come at the end of the rhetorical question begun in the previous verse. They describe further the behavior of the people of Jerusalem. Each phrase focuses on their celebration.

You who are full of shoutings is the first phrase. Shoutings translates the plural Hebrew term for “noise.” Revised English Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh speak of “tumult,” New International Version “commotion,” and New Jerusalem Bible “excitement.” For the whole phrase Bible en français courant has “these cries that fill it [the city].”

The second phrase is tumultuous city. It refers to a “noisy city” (Bible en français courant). New Jerusalem Bible has “boisterous town,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “clamorous town.”

The third phrase exultant town refers to a city that is celebrating (compare 23.7; 32.13). The citizens of Jerusalem are in a happy mood, rejoicing on their rooftops. They are celebrating a victory, or at least the avoidance of defeat (see the introductory comments on verses 1-14). The prophet appears to be the only one not rejoicing. For him there is no cause for celebration, as the following lines make clear. Good News Translation combines this phrase with the previous one. New International Version also does this by saying “O city of tumult and revelry.” Revised English Bible is similar with “you town in ferment and filled with uproar.” These models are useful for languages that have only one word for city and town.

Your slain are not slain with the sword or dead in battle: These lines link with the next verse. Soldiers have died, but not from battle injuries; they are presumed dead, because they fled from the battle and were captured by the enemy. Translators should convey the irony here. Your slain may be rendered “your people who have been slain.” Contemporary English Version sees this as a figure for “Those who lie drunk in your streets,” but we do not recommend this. As in 1.20, the sword refers to any weapon used in battle, though swords may be the primary ones. For Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch these lines mean no one was killed, so it says “Has there been a single one of your fighters who has been killed in open battle?” They could hint at Sennacherib’s withdrawal from Jerusalem in 701 B.C. without any battle being fought. We recommend the more common interpretation, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Everywhere you are full of noise, a city in tumult, a town in celebration.
But those who were slain were not slain by the sword, they did not die in battle.

• You are so full of noise, the whole city is in an uproar as you are celebrating.
Your people who are dead did not die from battle injuries.

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 .