Sarah J. Dille concludes her study of Mixing Metaphors: God as Mother and Father in Deutero-Isaiah (Library Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies) with this summary of Isaiah’s use of maternal metaphors for Yahweh (p. 176): “An appreciation of the commonplaces of the ‘mother’ . . . . Continue Reading »
In his Concentricity and Continuity: The Literary Structure of Isaiah (Library Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies) , Robert H. O’Connell argues that “the formal structure of the book of Isaiah comprises seven asymmetrically concentric sections, each of which presents a complex . . . . Continue Reading »
The opening verses of Isaiah 40 record a conversation. God instructs some unidentified group to “comfort” and “speak” and “call” the people, and gives them the message they are to speak (vv. 1-2). In verse 3, a voice from an unidentified source instructs the . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION After the “Passover” deliverance from the Assyrians (Isaiah 37), Isaiah hears a voice announcing a new exodus (Isaiah 40:3, 6). Yahweh returns through the wilderness to Zion (vv. 3-11). THE TEXT “‘Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ says your God. ‘ . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus ascended to become our defender, who lives to pray for us. At Pentecost, Jesus poured out the Spirit, who also intercedes for us. Our prayers to the Father are confirmed by the testimony of two divine witnesses, the heavenly witness of the Son and the earthly witness of the Spirit. The Son is . . . . Continue Reading »
In the past, I have taken the story of Hezekiah and Babylon (2 Kings 20; Isaiah 39) as a sort of “fall” of Hezekiah. On further consideration, I don’t think this is sustainable. The episode seems to have another function in Isaiah, and I have concluded that there is no . . . . Continue Reading »
In his The Lord Has Saved Me , Michael Barre points to various numerical and other patterns used in the Psalms. Barre’s discussion of the Psalm of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38) gets extremely detailed, but his introduction to the techniques of Hebrew poetry is excellent. For instance: “Several . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh tells Hezekiah through the prophet that he will have a sign. It’s a sign concerning ascent and descent. The word for “ascent” or “stair” ( ma’alah , from ‘alah , “to go up”) occurs four times (!) in the passage (Isaiah 38:8), and Yahweh . . . . Continue Reading »
When told by Isaiah that he will die from his sickness, Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and prays. A wooden rendering of the prayer would be along these lines: “Remember, please, that I have walked before your face in truth and with a heart of completion/peace ( shalem ) and the good in . . . . Continue Reading »
There are several parallels between the story of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21) and the account of Hezekiah’s sickness and the visit from the Babylonians (2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38-39). First a list of the connections: 1) When Naboth refuses to sell his vineyard, Ahab lays down on his bed . . . . Continue Reading »
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