You were wearied with the length of your way means the idol worshipers became weary as they traveled far away to search for other gods as their lovers. In Hebrew there is a clever double meaning in the phrase rendered with the length of your way, which is literally “in much of your way.” The word for way is often used figuratively for a person’s way of life (see, for example, 8.11), but here it also carries the sense of strength, especially in sexual matters (compare Pro 31.3 and Jer 3.13, where it has this sense and is rendered “ways” and “favors” respectively). So this line also means that the people’s frantic sexual activity actually made them physically tired. New Revised Standard Version says “You grew weary from your many wanderings,” and New Jerusalem Bible has “tired by so much travelling.” Revised English Bible translates “worn out by your unending excesses.” Another possible model is “You became tired by your incessant activities.” Good News Translation is too free with “You wear yourselves out looking for other gods,” and so is Contemporary English Version with “you tired yourself out by running after idols.”

But you did not say, “It is hopeless”: Even though the people became weary with their idol worshiping, they kept doing it. They did not find it useless. New Revised Standard Version has “but you did not say, ‘It is useless’” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible), and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “You never said, ‘I give up!’” (similarly Good News Translation).

You found new life for your strength is literally “the life of your hand you found.” The people found new strength for their idol worshiping. The Hebrew word for “hand” may refer to the male sexual organ again, as in verse 8, but for many commentators it more likely points to “vigor” or “vitality” in this context.

And so you were not faint is the result of the renewed strength. The people may have been tired but somehow they found new strength, so their determination to continue in idolatry was not weakened. For the last two lines of this verse Bible en français courant has “you rediscovered your strength, you overcame your tiredness.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• You grew tired with all this activity,
but you never said, “I give up!”
Instead, you found new strength
and didn’t weaken.

• You wore yourself out with all this activity,
but never thought you should stop.
Rather, you discovered extra vigor
and didn’t grow weak.

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 .