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ShareAbout Prophecy
Prof. of Jewish Mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (d. 1972)
The prophet is a man [or woman] who feels fiercely. God has thrust a burden upon his soul, and he is bowed and stunned at man's fierce greed. Frightful is the agony of man; no human voice can convey its full terror. Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profaned riches of the world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is raging in the prophet's words. (p. 5)
In a stricken hour comes the word of the prophet. There is tension between God and man. What does the word say? What does the prophet feel? The prophet is not only a censurer and accuser, but also a defender and consoler. Indeed, the attitude he takes to the tension that obtains between God and the people is characterized by a dichotomy. In the presence of God he takes the part of the people. In the presence of the people he takes the part of God. (p. 24)
Some famous verses
(14) Assuredly, my Lord will give you a sign of His own accord! Look, the young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel.
(5) For a child has been born to us, A son has been given us. And authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named “The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler”—
Part of the text we will discuss in class 4
(1) But a shoot shall grow out of the stump of Jesse, A twig shall sprout from his stock.
Part of the text we will discuss in class 8
(12) Assuredly, I will give him the many as his portion, He shall receive the multitude as his spoil. For he exposed himself to death And was numbered among the sinners, Whereas he bore the guilt of the many And made intercession for sinners.”
Benjamin D. Sommer, Commentary to Isaiah, The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd ed (Oxford 2014)
Prof. of Bible, Jewish Theological Seminary of America (b. 1964)
...especially in the first half of the book, it is sometimes uncertain whether a given passage intends to comfort or castigate the nation. In many cases, verb forms are ambiguous, and we cannot be sure whether the passage predicts crucial events that will take place in the future or meditates on events that have already occurred. (p. 763)
His prophecies are deeply rooted in his time and place, and many of them address current events of his day. Unfortunately, only rarely does he tell us what these events are (his audience, of course, would have known immediately, since they were living through them as well). As a result, scholars frequently need to reconstruct the political or historical settings of his prophecies... (p. 764)
Universalism
(24) In that day, Israel shall be a third partner with Egypt and Assyria as a blessing on earth; (25) for the LORD of Hosts will bless them, saying, “Blessed be My people Egypt, My handiwork Assyria, and My very own Israel.”
(כב) כי עשה יחזקיהו את הטוב, ויחזק בדרכי דוד.
(כב) [כאשר צוהו ישעיה הנביא, המהלל בנביאים.]
(כג) [בימיו עמד השמש, ונוסף על חיי המלך.]
(כד) ברוח גבורה חזה אחרית, וינחם אבלי ציון.
(כה) עד עולם הגיד נהיות, ונסתרות לפני בואן.
2nd c. BCE, a Jewish book that is preserved as part of the Apocrypha in many Christian bibles; also called Ecclesiasticus or Sirach
(22) Thus did Yeḥizqiyahu good, and was strong in the ways of David [as Yeshayahu the prophet commanded him, praised among the prophets.]
(23) [In his days the sun stood, and added to the life of the king.]
(24) With a great spirit he saw the end, and comforted the mourners of Zion.
(25) Eternally he told them what would be, and secrets before they occured.
How Jews have read the Book of Isaiah
Prof. of Hebrew Bible at Claremont School of Theology (Claremont, California), b. 1953
"Jewish interpreters have looked to Isaiah to understand the time when the Lord would restore Jerusalem, and Christian interpreters have looked to Isaiah to understand when the Lord would reveal the Messiah." (p. 979)
מכדי ישעיה קדים מירמיה ויחזקאל ליקדמיה לישעיה ברישא
כיון דמלכים סופיה חורבנא וירמיה כוליה חורבנא ויחזקאל רישיה חורבנא וסיפיה נחמתא וישעיה כוליה נחמתא סמכינן חורבנא לחורבנא ונחמתא לנחמתא:
The Gemara further asks: Consider: Isaiah preceded Jeremiah and Ezekiel; let the book of Isaiah precede the books of those other prophets.
The Gemara answers: Since the book of Kings ends with the destruction of the Temple, and the book of Jeremiah deals entirely with prophecies of the destruction, and the book of Ezekiel begins with the destruction of the Temple but ends with consolation and the rebuilding of the Temple, and Isaiah deals entirely with consolation, as most of his prophecies refer to the redemption, we juxtapose destruction to destruction and consolation to consolation.
This accounts for the order: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah.
"Alas, she has become a harlot" (1.21)
(1) The prophecies of Isaiah son of Amoz, who prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
(2) Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, For the LORD has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up— And they have rebelled against Me! (3) An ox knows its owner, An ass its master’s crib: Israel does not know, My people takes no thought.” (4) Ah, sinful nation! People laden with iniquity! Brood of evildoers! Depraved children! They have forsaken the LORD, Spurned the Holy One of Israel, Turned their backs [on Him].
(טז) רַחֲצוּ֙ הִזַּכּ֔וּ הָסִ֛ירוּ רֹ֥עַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶ֖ם מִנֶּ֣גֶד עֵינָ֑י חִדְל֖וּ הָרֵֽעַ׃ (יז) לִמְד֥וּ הֵיטֵ֛ב דִּרְשׁ֥וּ מִשְׁפָּ֖ט אַשְּׁר֣וּ חָמ֑וֹץ שִׁפְט֣וּ יָת֔וֹם רִ֖יבוּ אַלְמָנָֽה׃ (ס)
(יח) לְכוּ־נָ֛א וְנִוָּֽכְחָ֖ה יֹאמַ֣ר ה' אִם־יִֽהְי֨וּ חֲטָאֵיכֶ֤ם כַּשָּׁנִים֙ כַּשֶּׁ֣לֶג יַלְבִּ֔ינוּ אִם־יַאְדִּ֥ימוּ כַתּוֹלָ֖ע כַּצֶּ֥מֶר יִהְיֽוּ׃ (יט) אִם־תֹּאב֖וּ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם ט֥וּב הָאָ֖רֶץ תֹּאכֵֽלוּ׃ (כ) וְאִם־תְּמָאֲנ֖וּ וּמְרִיתֶ֑ם חֶ֣רֶב תְּאֻכְּל֔וּ כִּ֛י פִּ֥י ה' דִּבֵּֽר׃ (ס)
(כא) אֵיכָה֙ הָיְתָ֣ה לְזוֹנָ֔ה קִרְיָ֖ה נֶאֱמָנָ֑ה מְלֵאֲתִ֣י מִשְׁפָּ֗ט צֶ֛דֶק יָלִ֥ין בָּ֖הּ וְעַתָּ֥ה מְרַצְּחִֽים׃ (כב) כַּסְפֵּ֖ךְ הָיָ֣ה לְסִיגִ֑ים סָבְאֵ֖ךְ מָה֥וּל בַּמָּֽיִם׃ (כג) שָׂרַ֣יִךְ סוֹרְרִ֗ים וְחַבְרֵי֙ גַּנָּבִ֔ים כֻּלּוֹ֙ אֹהֵ֣ב שֹׁ֔חַד וְרֹדֵ֖ף שַׁלְמֹנִ֑ים יָתוֹם֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁפֹּ֔טוּ וְרִ֥יב אַלְמָנָ֖ה לֹֽא־יָב֥וֹא אֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ (פ)
(כד) לָכֵ֗ן נְאֻ֤ם הָֽאָדוֹן֙ ה' צְבָא֔וֹת אֲבִ֖יר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ה֚וֹי אֶנָּחֵ֣ם מִצָּרַ֔י וְאִנָּקְמָ֖ה מֵאוֹיְבָֽי׃ (כה) וְאָשִׁ֤יבָה יָדִי֙ עָלַ֔יִךְ וְאֶצְרֹ֥ף כַּבֹּ֖ר סִיגָ֑יִךְ וְאָסִ֖ירָה כָּל־בְּדִילָֽיִךְ׃ (כו) וְאָשִׁ֤יבָה שֹׁפְטַ֙יִךְ֙ כְּבָרִ֣אשֹׁנָ֔ה וְיֹעֲצַ֖יִךְ כְּבַתְּחִלָּ֑ה אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן יִקָּ֤רֵא לָךְ֙ עִ֣יר הַצֶּ֔דֶק קִרְיָ֖ה נֶאֱמָנָֽה׃ (כז) צִיּ֖וֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט תִּפָּדֶ֑ה וְשָׁבֶ֖יהָ בִּצְדָקָֽה׃ (כח) וְשֶׁ֧בֶר פֹּשְׁעִ֛ים וְחַטָּאִ֖ים יַחְדָּ֑ו וְעֹזְבֵ֥י ה' יִכְלֽוּ׃
(16) Wash yourselves clean; Put your evil doings Away from My sight. Cease to do evil; (17) Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; Aid the wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; Defend the cause of the widow.
(18) “Come, let us reach an understanding, —says the LORD. Be your sins like crimson, They can turn snow-white; Be they red as dyed wool, They can become like fleece.” (19) If, then, you agree and give heed, You will eat the good things of the earth; (20) But if you refuse and disobey, You will be devoured [by] the sword.— For it was the LORD who spoke.
(21) Alas, she has become a harlot, The faithful city That was filled with justice, Where righteousness dwelt— But now murderers. (22) Your silver has turned to dross; Your wine is cut with water. (23) Your rulers are rogues And cronies of thieves, Every one avid for presents And greedy for gifts; They do not judge the case of the orphan, And the widow’s cause never reaches them.
(24) Assuredly, this is the declaration Of the Sovereign, the LORD of Hosts, The Mighty One of Israel: “Ah, I will get satisfaction from My foes; I will wreak vengeance on My enemies! (25) I will turn My hand against you, And smelt out your dross as with lye, And remove all your slag: (26) I will restore your magistrates as of old, And your counselors as of yore. After that you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City.” (27) Zion shall be saved in the judgment; Her repentant ones, in the retribution.
(28) But rebels and sinners shall all be crushed, And those who forsake the LORD shall perish.
Verse 27 according to Others (note to NJPS translation):
Zion shall be saved by justice; Her repentant ones by righteousness.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Prophets. v. 1 (1962). ("Isaiah," p. 80)
Significantly...the speech that opens the book of Isaiah, and which sets the tone for all the utterances by this prophet, deals not with the anger, but with the sorrow of God. The prophet pleads with us to understand the plight of a father whom his children have abandoned (1:2-3)
Benjamin D. Sommer, Comment to 1:16-20
The unit does not confine itself to complaint but ends with an invitation to repentance and ethical action. Calls to repentance are rare in Isaiah, especially compared with the work of other prophets; they never appear from ch. 6 through 31:6. This suggests that Isaiah's main mission was to explain to Judah what was happening, rather than to urge it to change its ways.
Marvin A. Sweeney, Commentary
The prophet employs the language of the courtroom. The Lord charges Israel with wrongdoing, to explain Jerusalem's suffering (note to v. 1)
The courtroom metaphor continues as the Lord now speaks as the judge who announces Zion's ultimate redemption and restoration. Jerusalem suffered greatly under the Assyrians and the Babylonians from the late eighth through the sixth centuries BCE, but the book of Isaiah understands these events in relation to Jerusalem's restoration in the early Persian period (note to vv 21-31)
Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Devarim (WZO, 1980)
Israeli Bible scholar (d. 1997)
Verses 21-27 of our Haftarah constitute a unit of their own. The closed chiastic structure of these verses bears this out...
(21) COMPARE to 26b-27
Alas, she has become a harlot,
The faithful city
21b COMPARE to 26a, 27
That was filled with justice / mishpat (sh.f.t.),
Where righteousness dwelt
22). COMPARE to 25
Your silver has turned to dross;
(23) COMPARE to 24b
Your rulers / sarayikh are rogues ...
(24a) CENTER OF CHIASM
Assuredly, this is the declaration Of the Sovereign, the LORD of Hosts,
The Mighty One of Israel:
(24b) COMPARE to 23
“Ah, I will get satisfaction from My foes / tzarai ...
(25) COMPARE to 22
I will turn My hand against you, And smelt out your dross...
(26a) COMPARE to 21b
I will restore your magistrates / shof'tayikh (sh.f.t.) as of old...
26b-27 COMPARE to 21
After that you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City.”
(27) Zion shall be saved in the judgment; Her repentant ones, in [righteousness]
We see therefore that the corruption is nicely balanced by the subsequent reformation (the verse beginning: "Therefore (Assuredly)..." divides the two sections.). Corruption is first described amongst the people and then the leaders. ...
...the reformation is depicted in reverse. First the vengeance on "My enemies" who are the leaders and judgest, the princes who had dishonoured their mission and after that the purging of the whole of society. (pp. 40, 42)
