A conditional sentence concludes this section. Its purpose is to emphasize that without Yahweh’s help, Israel would have been completely destroyed. Although very few Israelites remain, even they would have disappeared without Yahweh’s protection. In view of the change to first person plural forms, the speakers seem to be the people of Israel themselves, or Isaiah representing the people. In languages that distinguish an inclusive “we” (comprises both the speakers and their audience) from an exclusive one (only the speakers are referred to by the “we”), an inclusive “we” is recommended here. Good News Translation has no first person pronouns but continues to use third person references. This is also a possible model for translators to follow. A more literal rendering would reflect the variety in style and perspective that we find in the original text.

The mention of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah establishes a link to the next section, beginning at verse 10.

From the point of view of the book’s message, this verse is an important one. It signals that despite Israel’s many problems and the destruction of the countryside there is still a ray of hope for the people. Although much of what Isaiah has to say is negative and critical, here at the outset there is a reference to God’s graciousness in keeping a remnant alive—the destruction is not total; all hope is not lost.

If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors is the first half of the conditional sentence. It describes the condition without which something even more terrible would have happened. The construction If … had not left us … may be rendered “Only because … left us…” or “Without … leaving us….”

The LORD of hosts is a divine title that is found 62 times in Isaiah. It is rendered “the LORD Almighty” in Good News Translation and “the LORD All-Powerful” in Contemporary English Version. Most other translations render it the same way as Revised Standard Version. However, New Jerusalem Bible transliterates the Hebrew form, saying “Yahweh Sabaoth.” This is not recommended since the Hebrew word sabaoth (literally “multitude” or “armies”) will not be known to most readers. The title has military overtones because lying behind it is the notion that Yahweh is the commander of the multitude of heavenly agents who form his “army” (2 Kgs 6.16-17). He is the Divine Warrior (Zeph 3.17). The title also carries the sense of Yahweh’s control over the stars and other heavenly bodies; they, too, are his “army.” In translation there are different options: “the Lord of the universe” (Bible en français courant), “Almighty LORD,” “LORD Almighty God,” and “LORD of the heavenly armies.” As with all fixed expressions or key terms and titles, once a translation for the LORD of hosts is chosen, the translator should use it consistently each time it occurs.

The Hebrew verb rendered left is the same one used in verse 8 and is an important link between the two verses. Survivors is literally “remnant” or “something remaining.” This term has theological significance. The remnant of Israel is a sign of hope. God will not destroy Israel as he did Sodom and Gomorrah, but he will rescue a small group of people, and he will continue his covenant relationship with that small group, “the remnant.” Bible en français courant renders a few survivors as “some who have escaped.”

We should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah: These two parallel lines describe the fate Israel would have met without Yahweh’s help. The phrase we should have been simply means “we would have become.” It sets out a terrible but possible outcome that, fortunately, was not fulfilled.

Like Sodom and like Gomorrah provide another literary connection between verses 8 and 9 since “like” phrases also occur in the previous verse. The two cities Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their sin (Gen 19). Their names are infamous and are always associated with complete destruction as a form of punishment. It may be necessary in some languages to spell out the hint at destruction contained in this illustration, especially if the readers are not familiar with the Genesis story. This may be provided in a footnote, or in the text by saying “We would have been destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah.”

A conditional sentence in Hebrew begins with stating the condition, followed by what did or did not happen. Other languages may need to reverse that order and state the consequence before the condition. In other words, it is possible that some languages need to put the second half of the verse first, and then add the condition—in this case God’s protection. This is illustrated in the third and fourth examples below.

Some translation examples for this verse are:

• If the All-Powerful Yahweh had not allowed a few of us to survive,
we would have been totally wiped out like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

• Almighty Yahweh let a few of us survive;
otherwise, like Sodom and Gomorrah,
we would have been completely destroyed.

• We were not wiped out like the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah,
only because the LORD of hosts kept a few of us alive.

• We would have been completely destroyed
just as Sodom and Gomorrah were,
if the Almighty LORD had not saved a few of us.

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 .