5' Isaiah 612

1
5. Isaiah 6-12

• BOT634 Exegesis of Isaiah

2
The Background to Isaiah 6

• Although the Basic form of the Call Narrative is
  followed, the pericope seems to be a
  commissioning vision.
• Note its canonical placement in comparison with
  Ezekiel Jeremiah
• The Historical background seems to be the
  Syro-Ephriamite War of 734/3 BCE

3
The Background to Isaiah 6

• On the basis of the comparison with 1 Kgs
  22.19-21, Wildberger (Jesaja, 236) argues that
  Isaiah 6 is not a prophetic call narrative but a
  throne council vision (Thronrastsvision).
  Hurowitz likewise identifies it as a throne
  vision compares Isaiah 6 to the receipt of a
  commission in a heavenly scene found in Zech
  1.7ff. and Job 1.6-12, and identifies the chapter
  as an example of the granting of an
  extraordinary commission in the heavenly throne
  assembly. Sweeney, Marvin A., Isaiah 1-39 with
  an Introduction to Prophetic Literature, FOTL, p.
  135

4
Isaiah 6.1-13

• 6.1-3 A VISION OF GOD
• 6.4-7 AN ACT OF CLEANSING AND PROPHETIC
  PREPARATION
• 6.8-11 THE GIVING OF THE DIVINE COMMISSION
• 6.12-13 CONCLUSION

5
Isaiah 6.1

• 6.1
• "I saw the LORD sitting on a throne. . . ."
• The Temple in the time of Isaiah
• The Cherub Throne

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7
Isaiah 6.2

• Seraphs?
• Studies by Joines and Keel (Visionen) have
  pointed to the Egyptian portrayal of winged
  serpent figures around the throne of Pharaoh in
  analogy to the cherubim and Görg has
  demonstrated that the Egyptian terms srrf and
  sfr, serpent, dragon, etc., are cognates of
  Heb. s8a4ra4p, seraph, indicating an even
  closer analogy to the imagery discussed Joines
  and Keel. Sweeney, Marvin A., Isaiah 1-39 with
  an Introduction to Prophetic Literature, FOTL, p.
  139

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9
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10
Isaiah 6.3

• "Holy, Holy, Holy Trishagios Psa 99
• LORD of Hosts
• LORD of Glory
• God is King

11
Isaiah 6.4-7

• 6.5
• Unclean tm)
• "my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of Hosts"
  Exodus 33-34
• 6.6-7
• The cleansing ritual

12
Isaiah 6.8-11

• 6.8-11
• Parallel passage 1 Kgs 22.19-23
• Commission 6.9-10
• Time limit 6.11

13
Isaiah 6.12-13

• Text Critical Problems
• Although a destruction that is a judgment from
  God is coming there will be a stump that will
  remain and this stump is the house of David.
• But while a tenth part yet remains in it, it
  shall repent. It shall be ravaged like the
  terebinth and the oak, of which stumps are left
  even when they are felled its stump shall be a
  holy seed. Tanakh, 630

14
Isaiah 7

• 7.1-9 THE SIGN OF SHEAR-JASHUB
• 7.10-17 THE SIGN OF IMMANUEL
• 7.18-25 THREAT FROM ASSYRIA

15
Syro-Ephraimite War

• The Assyrian Campaign Against Philistia in
  734/733
• The Assyrian Campaigns in 733/732 and 732/731
  against Syria
• Pekah deposed by Hoshea

16
7.1-9 The Sign of Shear-jashub

• 7.1-2 Date, Characters, the situation in Judah
• 7.3-6
• The relations to 36.1-3
• Shear-jashub A remnant shall return
• 7.7-9 "If you do not stand firm in faith, you
  shall not stand at all."

17
7.10-17 The Sign of Immanuel

• To seek signs
• The problem of testing the LORD Exod 17.2, 7
  Num 14.22 Deut 6.16 Ps 78.18, 41, 56 95.9
  106.14.
• The meaning of (alma4h

18
"Young woman"

• "While the virginity would not be the main focus,
  as with hltb, nonetheless it would still
  follow.... The conclusion to which we are driven
  is that while the prophet did not want to stress
  the virginity, neither did he wish to leave it
  aside (as he could have done by using hva or some
  other term for woman'). In fact he may have used
  this term precisely because of its richness and
  diversity.... Possibly, then, it is the dual
  focus of the oracle that explains the use of hml
  here." Oswalt, Ibid., 210-211

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7.10-17 The Sign of Immanuel

• Who was this woman?
• The woman could be "any woman" (Kaiser).
• The woman is the royal consort so that the child
  would be the king's (Hammershaimb, Mowinckel).
• The young woman was the wife of the prophet.
• Based on Matt 1.23, this is a reference to Mary,
  while Immanuel is Jesus.
• Some woman who happened to be standing nearby.
• The Collective interpretation Every possible
  wife who happened to be pregnant.
• A Woman that Isaiah saw in a vision. (H. Schmidt)

20
Isaiah 7.10-25

• When 7.15-17 is used to interpret the present
  passage. . . .
• 7.18-25 Threat from Assyria
• 7.18-19 (5.26) Bees from Assyria
• 7.20 The Razor from across the Euphrates
• 7.21-22 Superabundance
• 7.23-25 (5.1-7) Thorns Thistles

21
Isaiah 8.1-22

• 8.1-4 The Maher-shalah-hash-baz sign
• 8.5-8 The Mighty Flood Waters
• Shiloah 1 Kgs 1.33, 38, 45
• The Threefold Division in Judah
• Syria-Ephriam Group
• King Ahaz Assyria Group
• Isaiah Trust in the LORD Group

22
Isaiah 8.1-22

• 8.9-10 A Message to the Nations
• 8.11-15 The Holiness of the LORD of Hosts
• 8.16-18 The Sealing of the Message
• 8.19-22 Interpretation of the Prophetic sayings

23
Isaiah 9.1-7

• 9.1-7 8.23-9.6 A child has been born . . . .
• the royal psalm of thanksgiving that concludes
  the passage in 9.1-6. This psalm celebrates the
  enthronement of a new Davidic monarch against the
  background of thanksgiving to YHWH for relieving
  the country from oppression by its enemies.
  Sweeney, Marvin, A., Isaiah 1-39 with an
  Introduction to Prophetic Literature, FOTL, Vol.
  XVI, p. 180

24
Isaiah 9.1-7

• "The structure of the poetic oracle is
  straightforward vss. 2-3 announce the
  transformation of darkness to light and the
  resultant rejoicing vss. 4-6 give three reasons
  for this, in an ascending scale--the overthrow of
  the oppressor, the blotting out of the symbols of
  war, and the gift of a divinely endowed king
  vss. 7 proclaims the promised permanence of his
  rule of peace, justice, and right." Scott, R. B.
  Y., Exegesis of Isaiah 1-39, The Interpreter's
  Bible CD-Rom

25
Isaiah 9.6/5

• "For a child has been born for us, a son given to
  us"
• ...must be understood to be a reference to a
  royal accession, and not a literal birth. This is
  in line with Ps 2.7, a hymn celebrating a royal
  coronation. On his accession to the throne the
  king was elevated as the divine son and
  heir. Clements, Ibid., 107

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The Identity of the Child

• The identity of the royal child is a much
  debated issue. A future messianic interpretation
  must be ruled out, if we are correct in rendering
  the verse in the past tense. Two major
  alternatives then remain. First, the child is a
  recently born heir of the Davidic house. (The
  language of the verse is to be taken literally.)
  Second, child is a metaphorical designation for
  a contemporary Davidic king who, having gone
  through the coronation-enthronement ritual, now
  has the status of Yahwehs adopted sons
  (compare Pss 2 and 110 and 2 Sam 7.14). . . .
  Hayes Irving, Isaiah, the Eighth Century
  Prophet His Live and Times, 180-1

27
Throne-Names in Egypt

• Horus title The Pharaohs are considered the
  incarnation of the god Horus.
• Nebty title Second comes the Nebty title, the
  two goddess or ladies, the tutelary
  vulture-goddess Nekhbet of Upper Egypt, and the
  cobra-goddess Wadjet of Buto.
• Horus of Gold title Third is a title best
  translated as Horus of God.
• King of Upper and King of Lower Egypt title
  Fourth is again a dualistic title, to be
  translated King of Upper and King of Lower
  Egypt, literally, He of the Sedge and the Bee.

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Throne-Names in Egypt

• Son of Re title Fifth in the titulary is the
  title Son of Re, followed by the nomen which
  the king had received at birth and which is now,
  by the combination with Son of Re, made into a
  fresh legitimation. Frankfort, Kingship and the
  Gods, 46-7

29
Throne-Names in Egypt

• However, several factors tell against this
  equation. First, there are not five names here
  but four, and only emendation can produce a
  fifth. Second, this is not a coronation hymn but
  a birth announcement. Third, the Egyptians
  believed that their kings were god and the names
  express that belief. But the Hebrews did not
  believe this. They denied that the king was
  anything more than the representative of God. To
  be sure, throne-names were probably used in
  Israel (cf. 2 Kgs 23.34 24.17), but there is no
  evidence that they were of the Egyptian sort."
  Oswalt, NICOT Isaiah 1-39, 246

30
The Names

• WONDERFUL COUNSELOR eAy al,P, Isa 42.1-4
  49.4, 21 50.4-9 52.13-53.12 55.6-9 57.15
  58.6-12 King's ability as political leader
• MIGHTY GOD rABGI lae Isa 10.21 Deut 10.17
  Jer 32.18 Divine Warrior
• ETERNAL FATHER dybia Concern for the
  welfare of the people

31
The Names

• PRINCE OF PEACE Alv'-rf Isa 43.5 57.19
  66.12 King as source of the peace, prosperity
  and general well-being of the people.

32
Isaiah 9.8-10.4

• 9.8-10.4 THE CONTINUING ANGER OF THE LORD
• "For all this his anger has not turned away his
  hand is stretched out still."
• the intention of 9.7-10.4 is to serve as a
  warning to the leadership of the northern kingdom
  of Israel concerning YHWHs continuing anger and
  capacity to punish in the aftermath of the
  Syro-Ephraimite War. Given the historical
  background of the period and the Assyrian
  reaction to Israels revolt in 724, the passage
  appears to be a warning to northern Israel not to
  attempt to confront the Assyrians. This intention
  is evident from various features of this text.

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Isaiah 9.8-10.4

• First of all is the repeated refrain, in all
  this his anger has not turned and his hand is
  stretched out still, in 9.11b, 16b, 20b and
  10.4b. Not only does it convey YHWHs anger and
  capacity for punishment, but it also indicates
  that this is a continuing state of affairs. As
  such, it indicates that YHWHs anger and
  punishment has already been realized and that
  they can be realized again.
• Second, the historical review in 9.7-20 rehearses
  Israels punishment in the Syro-Ephraimite War
  but presents the events in reverse historical
  sequence. By working back from the present
  situation to prior events, it explains the
  background to the present situation of Israel in
  terms of YHWHs punishment of the country.
  Sweeney, Marvin, A., Isaiah 1-39 with an
  Introduction to Prophetic Literature, FOTL, Vol.
  XVI, p. 195

34
Isaiah 10.5-34

• 10.5-19 Assyria, the rod of God's Anger
• 10.20-23 The Fate of the Remnant of Israel
• 10.24-27a A Message of Hope and Reassurance
• 10.27b-34 The Advance of the Enemy and the
  Cutting of the forest

35
Isaiah 11.1-12.6

• E The Shoot from Jesse's root (11.1)
• F The Spirit of Yahweh rests on him (11.2)
• G The fear of Yahweh - his delight (11.3a)
• KEYSTONE Yahweh's righteousness and justice
  (11.3b-4)
• G Righteousness of Yahweh and justice his girdle
  (11.5-8)
• F Knowledge of Yahweh in all the earth (11.9)
• E The Root of Jesse, a banner to the nations
  (11.10)

36
Interpretation

• There are three ways of interpreting such
  statements. The first is literalistic, looking
  for a literal fulfillment of the words. While
  this interpretation is possible, the fact that
  the lion's carnivorousness is fundamental to what
  a lion is and that literal fulfillment of the
  prophecy would require a basic alternation of the
  lion's nature suggest that another interpretation
  is intended. A second means of interpretation is
  spiritualistic. The animals represent various
  spiritual conditions and states within human
  beings. While this avoids the problems of literal

37
Interpretation

• fulfillment, it introduces a host of other
  problems, chief of which is the absence in the
  text of any controls upon the process. Thus, it
  depends solely upon the exegete's ingenuity to
  find the correspondences. The third way of
  interpreting this passage, and others like it, is
  the figurative. In this approach one concludes
  that an extended figure of speech is being used
  to make a single, overarching point, namely, that
  in the Messiah's reign the fears associated with
  insecurity, danger, and evil will be removed, not
  only for the individual but for the world as well
  (Rom 8.19-21). Oswalt, Ibid., 283

38
Isaiah 11.11-12.6

• 11.10-16 The Promise of the Return in the
  Messianic Reign
• 12.1-6 A Song of Salvation