The list of foreign goods that flow into Jerusalem and Judah is briefly resumed here. The list began in verse 5 with precious goods coming from the south. This time they come from the north in the form of valuable timber from Lebanon.

The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine: Lebanon was famous throughout the ancient world for its trees and the timber derived from them, especially the cypress and the cedar (see 2.13; 10.34). The glory of Lebanon is a poetic reference to its trees (see the comments on 35.2). Good News Translation renders this phrase as “The finest wood from the forests of Lebanon.” For the cypress tree, see the comments on 14.8; for the plane tree and the pine tree, see 41.19. Good News Translation renders these three trees as “the pine, the juniper, and the cypress,” while Revised English Bible has “pine, fir and boxwood.” Other versions give slightly different names, making it obvious that the identity of these trees is not certain. Using the names of local tree types may not be suitable since these trees may not necessarily be found in Lebanon’s cool mountains. If so, a possible model for these two lines is “The glory/beauty of Lebanon’s valuable trees will come to you.”

To beautify the place of my sanctuary: The timber from Lebanon will be used to rebuild the Temple (compare 1 Kgs 5.5-6, which refers to King Solomon using the same type of timber to build the original Temple). The Hebrew verb rendered beautify is the same one translated “glorify/glorified” in verses 7 and 9. Here it means “to decorate/adorn.” The place of my sanctuary refers to the Temple (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant). My sanctuary is literally “my holy place” (see 43.28).

And I will make the place of my feet glorious is parallel to the previous line. The place of my feet is a figurative expression for the Temple, or perhaps the Covenant Box. The Temple is Yahweh’s “footstool,” the place where he is present. Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Bible en français courant render this phrase as “the place where I stand,” which other languages may find helpful. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “the place where My feet rest” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version), but this could be misunderstood to mean that Yahweh was giving his feet a rest because he was tired of standing, so this may not be the best example to follow. The Hebrew verb rendered make … glorious comes from the same Hebrew root (meaning “be heavy”) as the noun for glory here and in verses 1-2 (see the comments on 9.1). This whole line means that Yahweh will bring honor to the Temple through its beautiful construction. Bible en français courant catches the sense well with “In this way I will demonstrate the glory of the place where I stand.” Revised English Bible is similar with “to honor the place where I stand.”

Good News Translation suggests a slightly different interpretation for this verse by saying the precious wood from Lebanon will not only be used to make the Temple beautiful but also to rebuild Jerusalem. However, most other versions understand this verse as only referring to the rebuilding of the Temple.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Lebanon’s glory is its timber of cypress, fir and pine;
these will flow to you to adorn my holy place,
and I will show forth the wonder of the place where I stand.

• Valuable timber from Lebanon’s wonderful trees
will be brought to you to decorate my sanctuary,
and so I will demonstrate the beauty/glory of the place where I stand.

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 .