So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun: As a result of the LORD’s punishment of people throughout the world, they will fear him. The common Hebrew connector rendered So (literally “And”) introduces a result to the previous verse. It may also be translated “Then.” The pronoun they refers to the foreign nations punished by God. The Hebrew verb rendered fear often has the meaning of “being in awe” (see, for example, 8.13). However, in this context the nations may well be afraid of God and of what he does. God’s punishment strikes fear in their hearts. The name of the LORD refers to Yahweh himself, as it often does (see, for example, 24.15), so Good News Translation has simply “him.” The foreigners will not only fear God, but also his glory, which refers to the glorious display of his power as he acts against them (so Good News Translation; see the comments on 6.3). The phrases from the west and from the rising of the sun (that is, the east) indicate a universal fear of God. For these two phrases see the comments on 2.6 and 45.6. Good News Translation reverses them for a natural order in English, saying “From east to west,” which other languages may find helpful. In languages where west and “east” are not common expressions, or where they are not used with the implied sense they have here, their underlying meaning may be expressed instead by saying “everywhere in the world.”

For he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives: The foreigners will fear the LORD, because he will come like a rushing river, which his own breath/spirit moves. The Hebrew particle ki rendered for is a logical connector here. It introduces the reason for what was said in the previous two lines. The pronoun he most likely refers to the LORD, but for Revised English Bible it is “His glory.” Yahweh is compared to a rushing stream. This picture is drawn from local experience: rivers in the desert may be dry most of the year, but may change into strongly flowing torrents after heavy rain. The Hebrew word for rushing can refer to an opposing force (which is rendered “adversaries” in verse 18). It can also mean “narrow.” The picture of water rushing through the walls of a narrow valley seems to be what the prophet has in mind here. New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible express this sense by rendering a rushing stream as “a pent-up stream/flood.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is similar with “a hemmed-in stream.” It is also acceptable to say “a swift river” (Revised English Bible).

Which the wind of the LORD drives describes the stream further. This imagery is very graphic because streams rushing through narrow valleys are often both noisy and accompanied by a strong wind. Wind renders the Hebrew word ruach, which can also mean “breath” or “spirit” (see the comments on 40.7). It is probably better to render the wind of the LORD as “the breath of the LORD” (New International Version) or even “the spirit of the LORD.” Good News Translation says simply “a strong wind,” which is valid, but it misses the idea that this wind is from Yahweh. Bible en français courant is similar to Good News Translation by rendering the last two lines of this verse as “when he will arrive like a tempestuous torrent pushed by the storm,” and so is Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch with “Because he comes like a flood tearing down, driven on by the storm.”

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Then the nations in the west will fear Yahweh,
and those in the east will fear his glory;
because he will come like a torrent in a narrow valley,
driven by the breath of Yahweh [or, by his own breath].

• Then people from east to west
will be afraid of Yahweh and his glory [or, great power];
for like a rushing stream he will come,
and his breath [or, spirit] will drive it.

• Then people throughout the world
will be in great awe of the LORD and his glory;
because he will come swiftly like a surging river
that is blown forward by the wind of a storm.

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 .