To whom he has said: This quote frame introduces what Yahweh said to the Israelite leaders in the past.

This is rest … and this is repose: The referent for the repeated demonstrative pronoun this is not clear. It could refer to the land promised by God, which is referred to as rest in Deut 12.9. In any case, God refers to a past promise to give his people rest (see Good News Translation).

Give rest to the weary is a command in which the people are called to provide rest for those who are tired and exhausted. However, it is better to understand the Hebrew verb here as a jussive. New International Version and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh do this by saying “let the weary rest” (similarly Bible en français courant). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh also offers an interpretation of this line in a footnote, suggesting that it means “do not embark on any political adventure at this time.” If so, Yahweh is discouraging Israel’s leaders from entering into any political alliance against Assyria.

Yet they would not hear may be rendered “but they would not obey.” The people refused to take Yahweh seriously; they rejected his word.

The overall meaning of this verse is uncertain. For this reason we suggest a fairly literal rendering that allows for different interpretations. Possible models are:

• To whom he said, “This is the place to rest,
let the weary rest;
this is the place to enjoy quiet.”
But they refused to obey.

• He said to them, “Here is where to rest,
let those who are weary find rest;
here is where to seek quietness.”
But they were unwilling to listen.

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 .