This verse continues to compare the nations attacking Jerusalem to a dream. It uses two parallel similes to say these nations are like an unfulfilled dream. Just as a hungry person dreams he eats and wakes up hungry and just as a thirsty person dreams he drinks and wakes up thirsty, so these nations may think they will conquer Jerusalem, but they will be unsuccessful.

As when a hungry man dreams he is eating and awakes with his hunger not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams he is drinking and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched: In both these examples the noun man clearly refers to both men and women, so it is better to say “person” or “people.”

So shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion: The many nations attacking Jerusalem will not be able to defeat it. This line is very similar to the first line of verse 7, and forms an inclusio with it. However, here Mount Zion is used instead of “Ariel” for Jerusalem (see the comments on 1.8).

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Dreams are unreal: when hungry people dream of eating, they are still hungry when they awake;
when thirsty people dream of drinking, they are still faint and thirsty when they awake.
So it will be with the hordes of nations that fight against Mount Zion.

• Just like hungry ones who dream they are eating but wake up still hungry,
or thirsty ones who dream they are drinking but wake up still faint and thirsty,
the same will happen to those many nations that fight against Mount Zion.

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 .