They have sent lambs to the ruler of the land: These opening words of the section are also its first exegetical and translational challenge. They can be interpreted in two ways: either as a statement (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation) or as a command (New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Masoretic Text has a command, which is literally “Send [plural] a lamb ruler of a land.” Revised Standard Version considers the form of the Hebrew verb here to be in the perfect form, so it says have sent. Good News Translation and Revised English Bible agree with this view, but they use the present tense. However, most other translations and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project follow Masoretic Text with an imperative; for example, for these two lines New International Version has “Send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land.”

In Hebrew “a lamb” is clearly the object of the verb, but the phrase “ruler of a land” could either be the subject, a direct object, an indirect object, or a vocative. Revised English Bible considers it to be the subject, saying “The rulers of the land send a present of lambs” (similarly New English Bible). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh treats it as a direct object with “Dispatch as messenger The ruler of the land.” Revised Standard Version and many other versions view it as an indirect object by saying the lamb is sent to the ruler of the land. However, the absence in the Hebrew text of a preposition “to” makes this view questionable. It seems best to render it as a vocative, saying “O ruler of the land, send….” With this rendering there is a lack of agreement in number between the singular vocative and the plural imperative. However, Hebrew often switches from singular to plural and back again, especially in poetry. The speaker may also be using the plural imperative out of respect for the ruler he is addressing.

For these two lines New American Bible follows the Septuagint and divides the Hebrew consonants differently, saying “Send them forth, hugging the earth like reptiles.” One Qumran text leaves no space between the Hebrew words, so this different word division is possible, though unlikely.

Lambs (see 1.11) is singular in Hebrew, but this is probably a collective, so the plural rendering is valid in English. It may be necessary to indicate the purpose for sending the lambs; for example, New International Version adds “as tribute” and Good News Translation “as a present.” Moab was famous for its sheep, so it is a very appropriate gift from that region.

If the ruler of the land is treated as an indirect object, it refers to Judah’s king, ruling in Jerusalem (see the last line of the verse). However, we are suggesting that it is a vocative, so it refers to the king of Moab. He is being urged to send a tribute to Judah to enlist its help.

For the first two lines we recommend the following approach: “O ruler of the land [of Moab], send lambs.” Translators should add a footnote to indicate other possible renderings, especially if the churches use a major language translation that differs from this model.

From Sela, by way of the desert: In Hebrew Sela means “rock,” so this might not be a place name but a reference to a rocky area. However, all modern translations consulted treat it as a place name, and the context supports this. Its location within Moab is not known. It is presumably different from the Edomite town of Sela. By way of the desert is literally “toward the desert.” Good News Translation believes this phrase gives the location of Sela, so it says “in the desert” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). However, it is more likely the route for sending the sheep, so a better rendering is “across the desert” (New International Version, New American Bible) or “through the desert.” For desert see the comments on 14.17.

To the mount of the daughter of Zion is a highly poetic reference to Jerusalem as the destination for the gift of lambs (see the comments on 1.8 and 10.32). If it is translated literally, it may be necessary to add a footnote to indicate that the gift is for the king in Jerusalem. Alternatively, in the text we could say “to the king in Jerusalem” (similarly Good News Translation), and have a literal rendering in a footnote.

Suggestions for the translation of this verse are:

• Send lambs as tribute, O ruler of the land [of Moab]; send them from Sela across the desert to Jerusalem, the mount of the daughter of Zion.

• Ruler of the land, send lambs as gifts from the town of Sela through the desert to the mountain of Jerusalem, Zion’s daughter.

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 .