My soul yearns for thee in the night: This verse begins with the noun soul, the same word at the end of the previous verse (see the comments there). The Hebrew verb rendered yearns comes from the same root as the word for “desire” in the previous verse. My soul yearns for thee means the prophet longs for Yahweh’s presence or comfort. In many Lament Psalms there is a reference to longing or suffering in the night (see, for example, Psa 16.7; 77.6; 119.55).

My spirit within me earnestly seeks thee: This line is parallel and synonymous with the previous one. It starts with the same emphatic particle in Hebrew that begins the previous verse. New American Bible renders it “yes,” but most versions omit it. Like soul, the Hebrew word for spirit refers to a person’s innermost being. Some scholars change within me (beqirbi in Hebrew) to read “in the morning” (babboqer in Hebrew), so that it balances with in the night. There is no textual evidence to support this reading, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project does not even see a textual problem here. However, this reading is found in New International Version and Revised English Bible (“at dawn”), while New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Bible en français courant refer to it in a footnote. If there is some possible justification for the phrase “in the morning,” it would not come from the Hebrew expression beqirbi, but rather from the root of the verb rendered earnestly seeks, which can also mean “to dawn” (for example, Gen 19.15). BDB notes that the verb originally meant “to look for the dawn,” that is, to seek early, so eventually it meant “to seek diligently.” Since the idea of “dawn” in implied in this verb, earnestly seeks thee may be rendered “diligently seeks you in the morning.” The combination of night and “morning” (implied) means that the prophet seeks Yahweh constantly.

For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness: The connector For introduces why the prophet longs for Yahweh. When Yahweh is present, so are his laws, which show everyone how to become righteous. Yahweh is concerned for all people, not just the people of Judah. When thy judgments are in the earth is a conditional clause, which may be rendered “if your judgments are known on earth.” The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness is a result of the presence of Yahweh’s laws on earth. Everyone in the world has the possibility of learning what righteousness is and how to become righteous. The Hebrew nouns rendered world and earth are parallel; see the same pairing in 14.21; 18.3; 24.4. Good News Translation combines them into “earth,” as it often does. The Hebrew noun rendered righteousness can also mean “justice.” The relationship between righteousness and “justice” is very close. God’s laws are just, while the person who lives according to them is righteous. Translators may follow the sense of righteousness (so the first example below) or “justice” (so the second example).

Translation examples for this verse are:

• My whole being longs for you in the night,
my spirit within me diligently seeks you early;
for if your judgments are known on earth,
the inhabitants of the world may learn what righteousness is.

• My very being longs for your presence in the night,
my spirit within me seeks you early;
for when your judgments are present on earth,
the peoples of the world learn what true justice is.

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 .