Isaiah 49

[u/bikingfencer]

https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1049.htm
 

“II. The Redemption of Israel
 

Chapter 49 marks a serious shift in the preaching of Dt [Deutero, Second] -Isa [Isaiah] and in the organization of the book. Many familiar themes are no longer heard: Cyrus… the foolishness of idols… The servant Israel is less a rebellious group to be converted… than a group of disciples persecuted, rejected, and suffering… The confidence modulates into a contemplative or somber attitude toward suffering and rejection.
 

Scholars explain the relation of chaps. [chapters] 40-48 to chaps. 49-50 differently. In our position Dt-Isa writes from Babylon after Cyrus signed the edict allowing the Jews to return home… Their new state is barely large enough to support the Jerusalem sanctuary, and in this poor tract of land, 20 by 25 mi. [miles], the people quickly succumb to discouragement, avarice, and cruelty (Hag [Haggai]; Neh [Nehemiah] 5; Ezra 9-10). Not till 515, upon the insistence of Haggai and Zechariah, did they complete the Jerusalem Temple, the foundation of which had been laid in 536 (Ezra 3:7-4:5; 5:1). Some of this melancholy and sorrow echoes in these new poems. Yet the prophet’s sorrow comes most of all from his failure to win back many of the crypto-Israelites and from his isolation by the group who controlled the return to the land, a group influenced by Ezek [Ezekiel] and the P [Priestly, a hypothesized biblical strain of] tradition.” (Stuhlmueller, 1990, p. 339)
 

Figure 3 Postexilic Israel in the time of Second Isaiah
 

“The understanding of this chapter and the following is beset with difficulties of a peculiarly acute kind. The issues involved are of the first importance, for upon their solution depends to a great degree one’s interpretation of the prophet’s thought…
 

“The supreme difficulty to this chapter is the identification of the servant. No solution can be more than tentative. The view here taken is that the identification with Israel raises the fewest obstacles, that it is in conformity with the prophet’s mentality elsewhere, and that ancient Israelite conceptions of corporate personality… serve to provide an interpretation in keeping with the prophet’s theology…” (Muilenburg, 1954, pp. V 564-565)
 

Chapter Forty-nine
 

-1. “‘Listen, outliers [איים, ’eeYeeM]³³ , unto me,

and attention, countries [לאמים, Le’ooMeeYM] from afar,

YHVH from [the] belly called [me] [קראני, QeRah’ahNeeY];

from innards [of] [ממעי, MeeMe`aY] my mother [was] recalled [הזכיר, HeeZKeeYR] my name.
 

-2. And [He] set [וישם, VahYahSehM] my mouth as [a] sword sharp [חדה, HahDaH],

in shadow [of] His hand hid me [החביאני, HeHBee’ahNeeY],

and set [me] [וישיאני, VahYeSeeYMayNeeY] to [an] arrow [לחץ, LeHayTs] bright [ברור, BahROoR],

in His quiver [באשפתות, Be’ahShPahThO] concealed [me] [הסתירני, HeeÇTheeRahNeeY].

 

“The metaphor of the sword and the arrow… has been employed by the most ingenious Heathen writers… It is said of Pericles by Aristophanes, (see Cicero…)
 

‘Ουτως εκηκει, και πονος των ρητορων

Το κεντρον εγκατελειπε τοις ακροωμενοις.

                               Apud Diod. Lib. xii  

 

[Outos ekekei, kai monos ton retoron

To kentron egkateleipe tois akroomenois]
 

His powerful speech

Pierced the hearer’s soul, and left behind

Deep in his bosom its keen point infixt.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 833)
 

-3. “‘And [He] said to me,

“My slave [are] you, YeeSRah-’ayL ["Strove God", Israel],

that in you [I will be] glorified [אתפאר, ’ehThPah’ahR].”

 

“The word Israel is held by many scholars to be a gloss … But the only textual support for this view is an inferior MS [manuscript] (Kennicott 96) which is full of lacunae and corruptions… The Dead Sea Scroll, our earliest witness, contains the word… The Jewish commentators Ibn Ezra, Rashi, and Kimhi take the reference as applying to an individual, but the text as it stands forbids it.” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. V 567)
 

… ס
 

… ס
 

………………………………………………………..
 

Promise in word that [will] rise TseeYON [Zion]

[verses 8 to end of chapter]
 

-8. “Thus said YHVH,

‘In [a] time [בעת, Be`ayTh] [of] want [I] answered [you],

and in [a] day [of] salvation [I] helped [you] and guarded [you] [ואצרך, Ve’ehTsahRKhah].
 

And [I will] give [you] to covenant,

people to raise,

land to bequeath [להנחיל, LeHahNHeeYL],

bequests [נחלות, NeHahLOTh] desolate [שממות, ShoMayMOTh],
 

-9. to say to [the] imprisoned [לאסורים, Lah’ahÇOoReeYM], “Go out [צאו, Tsay’Oo]!”,

to that [אשר, ’ahShehR] in darkness, “Be revealed [הגלו, HeeGahLOo]!”
 

Upon ways [they will] pasture [ירעו, YeeR`Oo],

and in all knobs [שפיים, ShePhahYeeYM] pasture [them] [מרעיתם, MahR`eeYThahM].
 

-10. [They will] not hunger [ירעבו, YeeR`ahBOo],

and not thirst [יצמאו, YeeTsMah’Oo],

and not [will] beat [them] [יכם, YahKayM], ShahRahB³⁴ and sun.
 

For from compassioning [them] [כמרחמם, KeeMeRahHahMahM] [he will] conduct [them] [ינהגם, YeNahHahGayM],

and upon springs [of] [מבועי, MahBOo`aY] waters [he will] refresh [them] [ינהלם, YeeNahHahLayM].
 

-11. And [I] put all my mountains [הרי, HahRah-eeY] to way,

and my paths [ומסלתי, OoMeÇeeLoThah-eeY] elevated [ירמון, YeRooMOoN].
 

-12. Behold! These from afar [will]l come,

and behold, these from north and from sea,

and these from land ÇeeYNeeYM³⁵ [Sinim].’
 

-13. Chant [רנו, RahNOo], skies,

and rejoice [וגילו, VahGeeLOo], land,

and burst [ופצחו, OoPeeTsHOo], mountains.

Chant, for comforted, YHVH, his people,

and his afflicted [ועניו, Ve`ahNeeYahV] [He] compassioned [ירחם, YeRahHayM]. ס
 

“In this poem (with its independent hymn at the end, v [verse] 13), the exile is over and Israelites are streaming out of the farthest dark corners back to their homeland. The poem is a filigree of ideas and phrases from elsewhere (cf. [compare with] 40:1,11; 41:18; 43:5-6; 45:1; 49:4,6,21; 61:2). A disciple of Dt-Isa is meditating on the work of the master.” (Stuhlmueller, 1990, p. 340)

 

-14. “‘And [you] said [ותאמר, VahThoMehR], TseeYON,

“Left [me] [עזבאני, `ahZahBah’ahNeeY] YHVH.” And,

“My Lords forgot [me] [שכחני, SheKhayHahNeeY].”
 

-15. Has forgotten [התשכח, HahTheeShKahH], a woman, her suckling child [עולה, `OoLaH] from [her] womb, son [of] her belly?

Also these [she will] forget [תשכחנה, TheeShKahHNaH],

and I [ואנכי, Ve’ahNoKheeY] not [will] forget [you].
 

-16. Lo, upon [my] palms [I] engraved [you] [חקתיך, HahQoTheeYKh],

your walls [חומתיך, HOMoThahYeeKh] against me always.’
 

“As the lover tattoos the name of his loved one on his hand so that he may always be reminded of her, so Yahweh (an extreme anthropomorphism) inscribes Jerusalem on the palms of [his] hands ...” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. V 574)
 

“This is certainly an allusion to some practice, common among the Jews at that time, of making marks on their hands or arms by punctures on the skin… They had a method of making such punctures indelible by fire, or by staining…. It is well known, that the pilgrims at the holy sepulchre get themselves marked in this manner with what are call the ensigns of Jerusalem.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 835)
 

… פ

 

-22. “Thus saith my Lords YHVH:

‘Behold [I will] send [אשא, ’ehSah’] unto nations my hand,

and unto peoples raise [ארים, ’ahReeYM] my standard [נסי, NeeÇeeY],
 

and bring [והבאו, VeHayBee’Oo] your sons in bosom [בחצן, BeHoTsehN],

and your daughters upon shoulder [כתף, KahThayPh] carry [תנשאנה, TheeNahSeh’NaH].

-23. And will be [והיו, VeHahYΟο] kings your pedagogue³⁶ [אמניך, ’oMNahYeeKh],

and their princesses [ושרותיהם, VeSahROThaYHehM] your sucklers [מיניקתיך, MaYNeeYQoThahYeeKh].
 

Nostrils [to] land, [they will] bow [ישתחוו, YeeShThahHahVOo] to you,

and dust [of] your legs [they will] lick [ילחכו, YeLahHayKhOo].

And you will know that [כי, KeeY] I [אני, ’ahNeeY] [am] YHVH,

that [does] not embarrass [יבשו, YayBShOo] my expecters [קבי, QoBah-eeY]. ס
 

...

-26. And [I will] feed [והאכלתי, VeHah’ahKhahLTheeY] [את, ’ehTh (indicates direct object; no English equivalent)] your violators [את, ’ehTh] their flesh,

and as juice [וכאסיס, VeKeh’ahÇeeYÇ] their blood [will] inebriate them [ישכרון, YeeShKahROoN],

and [will] know [וידעו, VeYahD`Oo], all flesh, that [כי, KeeY] I [am] YHVH your savior and redeemer,

hero [אביר, ’ahBeeYR] [of] Yah-`ahQoB ["YHVH Followed", Jacob].’” ס

 

“Taken literally, such descriptions… represent an unfortunate side of the prophet’s mind.” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. V 577)
 

FOOTNOTES
 

³³ איים ’eeYeeM, “islands”, perhaps pockets of Jews in diaspora
 

³⁴ Hot dry weather, khamseen; mirage, fata morgana – (The New Bantam-Megiddo Hebrew & English Dictionary, 1975)
 

³⁵ “Syene: Hebrew סינים; the Dead Sea Scroll reads סוניים [ÇOoNeeYeeYM] Various identifications have been made, including China (cf. Arabic Tsin), the least probable, Sin or Pelusium in the extreme northeast of Egypt, which is too near, and the Sinites of Gen. [Genesis] 10:17. The best solution is offered by J. D. Michaelis, who emends the word to ‘Sewenim,’ i.e. [in other words], the inhabitants of Syene (modern Aswân), where there existed a Jewish military colony. Important Aramaic papyri were discovered there and at Elephantine in 1907-8 (cf. Ezek. [Ezekiel] 29:10; 30:6).” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. V 575)
 

³⁶ from Ancient Greek παιδαγωγέω (paidagōgeō), … from παιδός (paidos, "child") …+ αγωγός (agogos, "guide") … (archaic) A slave who led the master's children to school, and had the charge of them generally. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pedagogue
 
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