Verse 19 is the climax of this subsection, with the prophet continuing to address Yahweh on behalf of his people. Commentators generally agree that it speaks about the resurrection of the dead. If so, it is a unique statement in the Old Testament. However, the language here may be figurative. The dead may be those who have gone or will go into exile, so that resurrection is actually a figure for the restoration of the nation of Judah, as in Ezek 37. This possible view should not affect the translation itself, but could be part of a footnote on the contents of this verse.

As noted in the discussion on verse 14, this verse echoes the language of that verse; see the comments there.

Thy dead shall live: Thy dead probably refers to God’s people who have died. Shall live means they will come back to life. The Hebrew verb rendered shall live may be imperfect or jussive. If it is an imperfect verb, then Revised Standard Version has rendered it correctly as a statement. If it is a jussive verb, then it is a wish or request for Yahweh to let these dead people live again; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “Oh, let your dead revive!” Most versions understand it as a statement, but we prefer a request to Yahweh here since it fits better with the imperatives in the next line.

In the same way, the parallel clause their bodies shall rise can be understood as a statement or as a request to Yahweh that their corpses be brought back to life. Bodies refers to “corpses” (New Revised Standard Version). There is a textual issue here since their bodies follows the ancient versions, but Masoretic Text has “my corpse[s],” which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project strongly recommends. The prophet is speaking on behalf of his people, so the pronoun “my” should be retained (see the examples below). He identifies closely with his people by using this pronoun.

O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy: The prophet now addresses those who are dead, referring to them as dwellers in the dust. Revised English Bible has “Those who sleep in the earth,” while Good News Translation says “those sleeping in their graves.” There should be a direct address to the dead here, so a better rendering is “You who lie [buried] in the ground.” The prophet calls the dead to awake and sing for joy; they are to celebrate their new life. For sing for joy, see the comments on 24.14. The verb forms here are imperative. Good News Translation and Revised English Bible use the future tense here, but Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends the imperative.

For thy dew is a dew of light: The Hebrew particle ki rendered For is a logical connector here introducing the grounds for the call to rejoice. Most versions omit it. Dew is moisture that forms on the ground after the cooling effect of the night. Here it is a symbol of refreshment, of revitalized life. Thy dew could be Yahweh’s dew (first example below), or it could be Yahweh himself, figuratively speaking (second example). This dew is described as a dew of light. Presumably this refers to the sparkling reflection of the sun in the drops of dew, which is another sign of vitality. Revised English Bible says “a dew of sparkling light,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “a radiant dew.”

And on the land of the shades thou wilt let it fall: The shades are those who have died (see verse 14). The prophet says Yahweh will let his revitalizing dew settle on the ground where the dead lie buried, so they come back to life. The dew is an image of Yahweh’s life-giving power. Good News Translation provides a helpful model for this line and the previous one, saying “As the sparkling dew refreshes the earth, so the LORD will revive those who have long been dead.”

For the translation of this verse we suggest the following examples:

• O Yahweh, let your dead come to life,
let my corpses rise.
You who lie in the ground, wake up and sing for joy!
For you, Yahweh, are like sparkling dew,
falling on the ground where the dead are buried.

• Let your dead ones live, Yahweh,
let the corpses of my people rise up.
You who lie in the ground, wake up and sing joyously!
For you are like sparkling dew, Yahweh,
falling on the ground where the dead lie buried.

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 .