Assemble, all of you, and hear!: The prophet calls people to gather in order to hear what Yahweh has to say. The imperative verb Assemble is plural in Hebrew. It carries the sense of gathering together with others. Translators may wish to make explicit that the assembling is done in the presence of the LORD. In fact, Assemble is parallel to “Draw near to me” in verse 16. Contemporary English Version translates “Gather around me.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes it explicit that all of you refers to the people of Israel by rendering the whole line as “All of you come near, you people of Israel, and listen!” However, it is not clear who is being called to gather. In fact, some suggest that it is the nations who are called as in 43.9 and 45.20-21, since the wording of verse 14 closely resembles those earlier calls. We recommend leaving the call a general one, without identifying the audience. Hear expresses the purpose for their gathering. For this whole line New International Version has “Come together, all of you, and listen.”
Who among them has declared these things?: This question could be addressed to the people who are asked to assemble, but then the sudden change from the second person pronoun you to the third person pronoun them further complicates the task of identifying the audience. Many versions prefer to harmonize this line with the previous one by following some early Hebrew manuscripts that change them to “you” (so Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant). However, textual evidence supports Masoretic Text with the pronoun them, which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project and de~Waard endorse. De~Waard understands the pronoun you of the previous line to refer to Israel and Jacob, while the pronoun them here refers to the foreign gods. So he prefers New International Version‘s explicit reference to “the idols.” Good News Translation is similar with “the gods.”
The Hebrew verb rendered declared may be translated “announced.” Other verbs that fit this context are “foretold” (New International Version) and “predict” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). These things refers generally to the victories of Cyrus, and specifically to Yahweh’s action in raising him up as his agent. The question here is rhetorical. It makes a strong statement that none of the foreign gods or idols could possibly have announced the things that Yahweh was about to do. For this whole question New International Version has “Which of the idols has foretold these things?” and Contemporary English Version translates “Did any of your idols predict this would happen?” Good News Translation provides an alternative to the question form, so it is a good model for those languages that do not favor rhetorical questions.
The LORD loves him is a clear and unambiguous reference to Cyrus, though his name does not appear. Since the prophet opts for a veiled allusion to the Persian emperor, we advise translators to follow this. They can identify Cyrus in a footnote if required, though the suggested section heading above makes it obvious. A description of the relationship between Yahweh and Cyrus using the intimate term love occurs only here. The use of this word is significant since it is also used to describe the relationship between Yahweh and the patriarchs (see, for example, Deut 4.37). However, some versions emend the Hebrew text of Masoretic Text to read “choose” instead of love (so Good News Translation, New International Version). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project and many commentators do not recommend this change, so translators should not follow it. Contemporary English Version changes the whole line to read “my friend” (similarly Bible en français courant), which we also do not prefer. As noted in the introductory comments on this subsection [48.14-16], Good News Translation changes the third person references to the LORD to first person here. This makes it clear that the LORD is the one who continues to speak. An alternative model for this line is “I, the LORD, love him.”
He shall perform his purpose on Babylon: The referents for the pronouns he and his are unclear. Most translations accept that he refers to Cyrus and his to Yahweh. If so, then the content of this line is similar to what is said in 46.10-11. New International Version remains slightly ambiguous, but appears to hint that both he and his refer to Cyrus by rendering this line and the previous one as “The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon.” Bible en français courant is very clear with “I have a friend who will carry out my plans against Babylon” (similarly Good News Translation). We recommend linking these two lines, and indicating in the second one it is Cyrus who carries out the LORD’s plans. A model that does this is “I, the LORD, love him who will fulfill my purpose for Babylonia” (see also the examples below).
And his arm shall be against the Chaldeans: As in the previous line, the referent for the pronoun his is unclear. It could be Cyrus or Yahweh. There is a textual problem here as well that complicates matters further. Revised Standard Version follows Masoretic Text for this line, but an important Dead Sea Scrolls text suggests that the Hebrew should read “and against the seed/children of the Chaldeans.” Instead of arm (Hebrew zeroʿa), it reads “seed/children” (Hebrew zeraʿ). New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible follow this latter reading. Revised English Bible also reads a slightly different text with the verb “scatter” in place of shall be against. But de Waard and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefer to retain Masoretic Text and suggest that his arm is a reference to God’s arm and thus to his power. Good News Translation opts for Cyrus’ power and action by rendering this line as “the man … would attack Babylon.” Translators may decide to regard his arm as either a reference to the LORD’s power or to the power of Cyrus. However, given the ambiguity in the text, it is best to remain close to Masoretic Text rather than force one interpretation upon readers. Chaldeans is another name for Babylonians (see the comments on 13.19).
For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:
• “Come together, all of you, and listen!
Have any of the gods declared such things as these?
Yahweh loves him who will fulfill God’s purpose for Babylonia,
and show his power over the Chaldeans.
• “All of you gather together and listen!
Surely the gods have never announced these things.
Yahweh loves him who will carry out God’s purposes against Babylonia,
showing his power over the Chaldeans.
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 .