The first section of Isaiah 23, verses 1-7, forms a small chiasm: A. Howl; ships of Tarshish, v 1 B. Sidon and Nile, vv 2-4a C. Sea speaks, v 4b B’. Report of Tyre reaches Egypt, v 5 A’. Tarshish; howl, vv 6-7 Two additional notes. First, the B section is marked off by an inclusio . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Isaiah’s series of burdens ends with a prophecy against the Phoenician city of Tyre. With its twin city Sidon, Tyre was one of the great trade cities of the ancient world. It will be destroyed, and all the cities that prospered from her trade will lament (vv. 1, 5, 14; cf. . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus appears as glorified Man in the opening chapter of Revelation, and as glorified Man He sends messages to the seven churches. But when the next vision opens in Revelation 4-5, Jesus the man is absent. He is not present in heaven at all at the beginning of chapter 5, since no one is found to . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 22:22: The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut; and he shall shut, and no one shall open. One steward of the Davidic house falls, and another takes his place. Yahweh elevates Eliakim – whose name means “God raises up” . . . . Continue Reading »
My colleague Toby Sumpter suggests that Isaiah 22 ends with an image of the cross. Eliakim is compared to a peg on which hangs the glory of his father’s house, but the peg “gives way” and “breaks off” and is cut off. This is perhaps an image of the cross. The . . . . Continue Reading »
Shebna is rebuked for wanting to carve a tomb in Jerusalem (Isaiah 22:16). What could be wrong with that? Plenty. The repeated questions of Isaiah 22:16, and the emphatic locative (“what are you here ? Why are you here ? You hew a tomb here “) indicate that Shebna is presuming a higher . . . . Continue Reading »
In response to invasion and siege, the people of Jerusalem do all the natural things people do in crisis - they shore up defenses, ensure the water supply, take account of the available weapons (Isaiah 22:8-11). They do everything they can to avoid defeat, and the exile that will no doubt follow on . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 22:8-11 is organized roughly as a chiasm: A. He uncovered ( galah ) covering of Judah, v 8a B. You “look” ( navat ) to shields, v 8b C. You see breaches in the citadel, v 9a D. Waters of the lower pool, v 9b E. Houses broken to fill breaches, v 10 D’. Ditch to collect . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah says that Judah’s “covering” will be removed (22:8). Elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, the word “covering” is used almost exclusively for the tabernacle coverings (22 of the 25 uses of the word occur in Exodus and Numbers). The covering that will be removed in . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah describes the leaders of Judah “bound” by enemy archers (22:3). They don’t fall by the sword (v. 2) because they are in disarray, thorough retreat, and so they are vulnerable to weapons that kill from a distance. Isaiah (or Yahweh) mourns for the fallen chiefs, those struck . . . . Continue Reading »
Subscribe
Latest Issue
Support First Things
