In Isaiah 13:3, Yahweh commands and calls His holy warriors to go into battle. They are commanded and called to “My anger,” but they are called to this as those who are “jubilant in My height.” This last phrase is badly mistranslated in the NASB as “proudly exalting . . . . Continue Reading »
The Hebrew word “burden” ( massa ) can refer to a literal load that carried by an animal or person (Exodus 23:5; 2 Kings 5:17; 8:9). It is used in the literal sense of the Levitical crews that carry around the tabernacle and its furnishings (9x in Numbers 4). The Levites are . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh promises Israel that he will raise a banner around which the exiled people of God will gather (Isaiah 11:12), but this gathering is also a gathering for battle (11:14-15). At the beginning of the oracle against Babylon, Yahweh again promises to raise a banner, and again it is a military . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION The first section of Isaiah’s prophecy (chapters 1-12) ended with the promise of an exodus and a “song of Moses” (11:11-12:6). The original song of Moses spoke of the nations trembling before Yahweh (Exodus 15:14-16), and Isaiah fittingly continues with prophetic . . . . Continue Reading »
The scene of restored shalom in Isaiah 11:6-8 is intricately put together. The poem breaks up into two stanzas with a 3 + 1 arrangement,. the first stanza is verse 6, which has three animal pairs, climaxing with the young child who leads: 1. Wolf and lamb 2. Leopard and kid 3. Calf, young lion, . . . . Continue Reading »
The first clause of Isaiah 11:3 is translated in various ways: “He will delight” (NASB; NIV; ESV); “He will make him of quick understand” (AV). But the verb is the verbal form of “spirit” ( ruach ) and means to breathe, blow, or, most often, to smell. Yahweh . . . . Continue Reading »
After the flood, a dove brings a branch to Noah. Then Noah’s ark rests (Heb. nuach ) on Ararat, a wandering ark come to a resting place. As his father predicted, Noah brings nuach . After the Assyrian flood, which is also a deforestation, Yahweh will make a Branch grow from the root of Jesse, . . . . Continue Reading »
Outside the historical books, and one note in Psalm 72:20, Jesse the father of David is mentioned only once - in Isaiah 11:1, 10. this is itself telling, since it indicates that the pruning that Isaiah describes goes back to the roots. It’s not simply that the Lord whittles the Davidic line . . . . Continue Reading »
Yahweh threatens to lop down the high boughs and tall trees of Israel (Isaiah 10:33-34). This could be simply the tree of Israel, or the self-exalted elites who oppress the weak. But a number of the terms have more or less direct connections with the temple. The trees that are “lifted up in . . . . Continue Reading »
A variation on J. Alec Motyer’s suggested outline for Isaiah 11:1-10. A. Shoot from Jesse, v 1 B. Spirit: knowledge, v. 2-3a (Yahweh, 3x) C. Righteous judgment for the poor and afflicted, vv 3b-4 D. Clothed in righteousness, v 5 C’. Reconciliation of beasts, vv 6-8 B’. Knowledge . . . . Continue Reading »
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