Is Isaiah 7:22 a promise of abundance, a restoration of the land, or a continuation of the threat of invasion and devastation? Are curds and honey the food of Israel in Yahweh’s fruitful land, or the food of the beleaguered remnant? Both. And the proof is in verse 18. Yahweh is bringing bees . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh hisses for the beasts and flies and bees that invade Judah (Isaiah 5:26; 7:18). Jerusalem is left desolate, and everyone who passes by hisses in contempt (see Jeremiah 19:8). Someday, Yahweh promises to hiss again and gather His people back to the city of hissing (Zechariah 10:8). . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah threatens “days” against Ahaz worse than anything that has happened since Israel and Judah separated (7:17). King, people, and dynasty are threatened by these coming “days.” At the end of the verse, in apposition to the warning about coming “days,” Isaiah . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 7:16 is a puzzle. A child will be born (v. 14), and before he is grown up (so the NASB says) “the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.” What land would that be? Perhaps the land of Israel and Aram, but while that meets the threat to Ahaz, it does so indirectly. The AV . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh instructs Isaiah to meet Ahaz at the “conduit of the upper pool” (7:3; Heb. te’alat habberekah ha’elyon ). It’s the same place where the Rabshakeh will later confront Hezekiah (Isaiah 36:2). The location underscores the contrast of Ahaz and his son. The name of . . . . Continue Reading »
What makes you quiver? It’s a fundamental question. Isaiah sees Yahweh enthroned, and hears the voice of thunder that makes the posts of the house to quiver (6:4). Elsewhere, Yahweh makes the idols of Egypt shake in fear (19:1), and the earth itself (24:20). The wine of His judgment makes . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah uses the verb lacham seven times. The verb is related to the noun bread ( lechem ) and can mean “eat.” It is also used in military contexts, and this is the way Isaiah uses the word every time. This is not insignificant; other words were available to Isaiah - strike, smite, make . . . . Continue Reading »
The chronology of the later kings of Israel is confusing. Hoshea, the last king of Israel, seized power from Pekah, who had reigned fro 20 years (2 Kings 15:17). That was in the third (perhaps fourth) year of Ahaz of Judah, since Ahaz began to reign in Pekah’s seventeenth year (16:1). Yet, . . . . Continue Reading »
King Ahaz’s name tells it all. His name means “possessor,” and the verb means “grasp” or “seize” and in nominal uses means “possession” or “portion.” As King of Judah, Ahaz has his portion and his realm. But in Isaiah the verb is . . . . Continue Reading »
In his Discourses on Livy , Machiavelli notes that a great empire requires people to inhabit it, and goes on to explain the two methods for increasing populations: “This may be effected in two ways, by gentleness or by force. By gentleness, when you offer a safe and open path to all strangers . . . . Continue Reading »
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