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General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.
Why did I come but there was no one there? Why did I call but no one answered?
These two sentences mean basically the same thing. Yahweh uses questions to emphasize that the people are in exile because they did not respond to him, not because he was unwilling to save them. Alternate translation: "When I came to you, you should have been there, but you were not. When I called you, you should have answered, but you did not." or "When I came to speak to you, you did not respond to me." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion)
Was my hand too short to ransom you? Was there no power in me to rescue you?
Yahweh uses two similar questions to rebuke the people for believing that he was not strong enough to rescue them. Alternate translation: "My hand was certainly not too short for me to ransom you, and I had the power to rescue you!" or "I certainly have the power to rescue you from your enemies." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion)
Was my hand too short
Here the word "hand" represents Yahweh's power. Yahweh not being strong enough is spoken of as if his hand were short. Alternate translation: "Was I not strong enough" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Was there no power in me
"Did I not have the power"
I make the rivers a desert
Yahweh speaks of drying up the rivers as if he were turning them into a desert. Alternate translation: "I make the rivers as dry as a desert" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
their fish die for lack of water and rot
"their fish die and rot for lack of water." The word "their" refers to the sea and the rivers.