Isaiah 16 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 16:1, 16:3, 16:4, 16:7, 16:8, 16:9
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 16
Moab’s plea and its allotted time
Verse 16:1 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:1 Send a ram to the land's ruler, from Sela through the wilderness to the mountain of Daughter Zion.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:1 I will send them like creeping creatures upon the earth. Is Mount Zion a deserted rock?
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew a command to send a ram from Sela becomes Greek God's first-person sending like creeping creatures and a question about Zion as a deserted rock. The ruler and tribute animal have no Greek counterparts; Greek them supplies an unexpressed object without identifying it further.
Verse 16:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:2 Like a wandering bird, a nest driven out, Moab's daughters will be at the crossings of the Arnon.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:2 For you will be like a fledgling removed from a bird taking flight, Daughter Moab. Then, Arnon,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew plural Moabite daughters at Arnon's crossings become Greek one Daughter Moab and a separate address to Arnon, continued next verse. The displaced-bird image remains, but its nest becomes a removed fledgling.
Verse 16:3 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:3 Bring counsel, carry out a decision; make your shade like night in the middle of noon. Hide the banished; do not expose the fugitive.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:3 take further counsel. Make a shelter of mourning for her continually. In midday darkness they flee; they were distraught. Do not be carried away.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew a protective nightlike shade and hiding fugitives become Greek a continuing mourning shelter, flight in midday darkness and a warning against being taken away. Greek lacks the explicit decision and non-betrayal command; its shifts of addressee and subject remain visible.
Verse 16:4 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:4 Let My banished ones sojourn with you, Moab; be a hiding place for them from the destroyer. For the extortioner has ceased, destruction ended, and the trampler vanished from the earth.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:4 Moab's fugitives will sojourn with you; they will be a shelter for you from the pursuer, because your alliance was removed, and the ruler trampling the earth perished.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew addresses Moab to shelter My exiles; Greek describes Moabite refugees themselves becoming a shelter for you. Hebrew the extortioner's and destruction's end become Greek removal of your alliance and a trampling ruler's death. The inverted protector/protected relationship is not harmonized.
Verse 16:5 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:5 A throne will be established in steadfast love, and one will sit upon it in faithfulness in David's tent, judging, seeking justice and swift in righteousness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:5 A throne will be set right with mercy, and one will sit upon it with truth in David's tent, judging, seeking judgment and hastening righteousness.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The merciful, faithful Davidic throne and just ruler correspond. Greek setting right differs from establishing, and truth/mercy retain its terms against Hebrew faithfulness/steadfast love; no unnamed ruler's historical identity is inserted.
Verse 16:6 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:6 We have heard Moab's pride—exceedingly proud—its arrogance, its pride and its fury; its boasts are not true.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:6 We heard Moab's insolence—exceedingly insolent. You raised up your arrogance. Your divination is not so,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew three proud or angry qualities and false boasting become Greek direct accusation that you exalted arrogance, followed by rejected divination. Greek's incomplete not-so phrase repeats at the next verse's start.
Verse 16:7 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:7 Therefore Moab will wail for Moab, all of it wail. For Kir-hareseth's raisin cakes you will moan, utterly stricken.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:7 not so. Moab will wail, for all in Moab's country will wail. You will ponder for Deseth's residents and not be ashamed.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew mourning for Kir-hareseth's raisin cakes becomes Greek pondering concerning Deseth's inhabitants and a denial of shame. Hebrew raisin-cake versus foundation or strong-person senses remains a lexical question; Greek's explicit residents are retained. The shared national wail follows the continued divination rejection.
Verse 16:8 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:8 For Heshbon's fields wither, and Sibmah's vine; lords of nations struck its choice vines. They reached Jazer, wandered into the wilderness; its shoots spread out, passed over the sea.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:8 Hesebon's plains will mourn, and Sebama's vine. You who devour the nations, trample her vineyards as far as Iazer; you will certainly not reach them. Wander in the wilderness! Those sent out were abandoned, for they crossed the wilderness.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew withered fields and struck, far-reaching vine shoots become Greek mourning and commands to nation-devourers, followed by abandoned envoys. Greek repeats wilderness where Hebrew ends with sea. Its no-reaching clause has no expressed object, minimally supplied them with its referent unresolved.
Verse 16:9 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:9 Therefore I weep with Jazer's weeping for Sibmah's vine; I drench you with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh, for a shout has fallen upon your summer fruit and harvest.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:9 Therefore I will weep like Iazer's weeping for Sebama's vine. He felled your trees, Hesebon and Eleale, because I will trample upon your grain harvest and vintage, and all will fall.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew first-person tear-drenching becomes Greek an unnamed he felling trees, then first-person trampling. Hebrew the shout falling on produce becomes Greek all falling after harvest trampling. The grieving for the vine remains without resolving the Greek speaker changes.
Verse 16:10 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:10 Gladness and joy are removed from the fruitful field; no singing or shouting sounds in the vineyards. No treader treads wine in the vats; I have stopped the shout.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:10 Gladness and exultation will be removed from your vineyards; in your vineyards they will certainly not rejoice or tread wine into the vats, for it has ceased.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both remove vineyard joy and wine treading. Hebrew explicitly says I stopped the shout, while Greek ends with an unnamed it has ceased; Greek repeats your vineyards in place of Hebrew fruitful field and vineyards.
Verse 16:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:11 Therefore my inward parts sound like a lyre for Moab, and my innermost being for Kir-heres.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:11 Therefore my belly will sound like a lyre for Moab, and my inward parts like a wall that you renewed.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: The bodily lament and lyre agree. Hebrew the place-name Kir-heres becomes Greek a renewed wall comparison with direct you; the added simile is not converted back to a city name.
Verse 16:12 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:12 When Moab appears, when it wearies itself on the high place and enters its sanctuary to pray, it will not prevail.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:12 It will turn to your shame, because Moab labored at the altars and will enter her handmade objects to pray; it will certainly not be able to rescue him.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew appearance and exhausting high-place prayer become Greek direct shame, plural altars and entry to handmade objects. Greek explicitly adds inability to rescue him, with shifting feminine her and masculine him; the final agent is left unresolved rather than naming an idol not expressly supplied.
Verse 16:13 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:13 This is the word YHWH spoke concerning Moab previously.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:13 This is the utterance the Lord spoke against Moab, whenever He spoke it.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both refer back to the prior divine word about Moab. Greek whenever He spoke it differs from Hebrew previously.
Verse 16:14 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
16:14 But now YHWH has spoken: “Within three years, like a hired worker's years, Moab's glory will be dishonored with all its great multitude; its remnant will be very small, insignificant.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
16:14 Now I say, “In three years, years of a hired worker, Moab's glory will be dishonored with all its abundant wealth, and a very small, unhonored remnant will be left.”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew YHWH has spoken becomes Greek first-person I say; multitude becomes wealth. Both specify three carefully reckoned hired-worker years and a diminished remnant, with Hebrew not mighty versus Greek not honored.