When the king of Babel falls to Sheol, he will be covered with worms and worms will spread out beneath him (Isaiah 14:11). Two words are used for “worm,” and the most commonly used of them is most often used not to describe worms per se but the scarlet coloring that comes from the . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 14 moves forward by a series of puns on the Hebrew mashal . The noun form means “proverb” or “parable,” and describes the poem that Israel will take up on the day when Babel is overthrow (14:4). The mashal is about the fall of those with rods and scepters of rule. The . . . . Continue Reading »
Fir and cedar were among the materials for the temple (1 Kings 5:8, 10; 6:15), as well as Solomon’s other building projects (1 Kings 9:11). Elsewhere in Kings these trees refer to the great and mighty of the land, the ones that Assyria intends to cut down (2 Kings 19:23). The two uses are . . . . Continue Reading »
The Hebrew word for parable/proverb/allegory ( mashal ) is first used Numbers 23-24 for the “parables” of Balaam. The word is used seven times in that passage, and the verb associated with it in every case is nasa , “lift up” or “carry.” A proverb is a burden . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah predicts a day of judgment against Babel (13:6, 9, 13; cf. 13:22)l but that same day will be rest for the people of God (14:3). When Yahweh judges Babel, Israel will enjoy Sabbath ( shabat , “cease,” is used twice in v. 4); they will be Noahs, resting ( noach , 14:3) after the . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION History is meaningful, but its lessons sometimes take the form of riddles and allegories. Israel is supposed to have the eyes and ears to take the lesson to heart, and see in Babel’s story a parable (v. 4; Heb. mashal ) about rising and falling. THE TEXT “It shall come to . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 13 is framed by explicit references to Babylon (vv. 1, 19), but the structure extends into chapter 14. A new section begins in 14:4, with another reference to “Babylon” and the introduction to the taunt song over the king of Babylon. When we include 14:1-3, we get a neat . . . . Continue Reading »
Isaiah 13 moves forward in part by regular puns. One thread of wordplay works with the tzb- combination. When the Medes come, Isaiah says, men will scatter like roebucks, like tzebyi (v. 14). The very same word is translated as “glory” or “beauty” in verse 19. Babel is the . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh threatens to “visit on the world evil and on the wicked their iniquity” (Isaiah 13:11). When Yahweh comes for a visit, things get sorted. And things get shut down. The next clause of 13:11 says that the Lord will “cause to cease” the arrogance of the proud. The verb . . . . Continue Reading »
When Babel is judged, Isaiah says - for the fist time in the Bible, that stars will go out. The way he says it, though, is interesting. “The stars and their constellations will not flash forth their light” is the way the NASB puts it, not badly. But the verb “flash forth” is . . . . Continue Reading »
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