Deconsecration

As mentioned in previous posts, Isaiah’s list of ornaments and jewelry in 3:16-24 is reminiscent of the priestly garb. But it’s all being stripped off. The daughters of Zion are being de-ordained, de-consecrated. Except: Isaiah says that those who survive the stripping of the . . . . Continue Reading »

Glory as bridal chamber

When Yahweh creates a cloud by day and smoke, and the shining of fire flaming by night (Isaiah 4:5), He reestablishes His kabod , glory. According to the NASB, the glory is a defense, but the word translated as defense is used only two other times in the OT. In Psalm 19, it’s the chamber from . . . . Continue Reading »

Creation by judgment

Isaiah uses the loaded verb bara’ in 4:5, and, as my colleague toby Sumpter points out, this comes after a double reference to the Spirit (cf. Genesis 1:2) and before creation-related references to day, night, and possibly a firmament covering/canopy. But Isaiah’s “new . . . . Continue Reading »

Zion sacrificed

Isaiah 4:4 promises that Yahweh will wash the filth and purge the blood from the daughters of Zion and from the midst of Jerusalem. The initial part of the sentence is chiastically structured: A. When Yahweh has washed B. filth of daughters of Zion B’. and blood of Jerusalem A’. has . . . . Continue Reading »

Structure in Isaiah 3-4

Isaiah’s oracle against the “daughters of Zion” begins in 3:16 and doesn’t conclude until the end of chapter 4. The oracle as a whole has a fairly neat chiastic structure: A. Daughters of Zion and their walk, 3:16-17 B. In that day; beauty ( tiph’arah ): Yahweh . . . . Continue Reading »

Beauty removed

Isaiah gives us a long list of ornaments and jewelry removed from the daughters of Zion (3:18-23). Like all biblical lists, this one is worth counting up. There are two ways of counting. When we count words (beginning with “beauty” in v 18, tiph’arah ), we get 24, double the . . . . Continue Reading »