Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary: Isaiah 1–39 1573129313, 9781573129312

Citation preview

Isaiah 1–39

Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary: Isaiah 1–39 Publication Staff President & CEO Cecil P. Staton Publisher & Executive Vice President Lex Horton Vice President, Production Keith Gammons Book Editor Leslie Andres Graphic Designers Daniel Emerson Dave Jones Assistant Editors Rachel Stancil Greco Kelley F. Land

Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc. 6316 Peake Road Macon, Georgia 31210-3960 1-800-747-3016 © 2010 by Smyth & Helwys Publishing All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-57312-931-2

SMYTH & HELWYS BIBLE COMMENTARY

Isaiah 1–39 Patricia K. Tull

PROJECT EDITOR R. SCOTT NASH Mercer University Macon, Georgia

OLD TESTAMENT GENERAL EDITOR SAMUEL E. BALENTINE Union Presbyterian Seminary Richmond, Virginia AREA OLD TESTAMENT EDITORS MARK E. BIDDLE Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia KANDY QUEEN-SUTHERLAND Stetson University Deland, Florida PAUL REDDITT Georgetown College Georgetown, Kentucky Baptist Seminary of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky

NEW TESTAMENT GENERAL EDITOR R. ALAN CULPEPPER McAfee School of Theology Mercer University Atlanta, Georgia AREA NEW TESTAMENT EDITORS R. SCOTT NASH Mercer University Macon, Georgia RICHARD B. VINSON Salem College Winston-Salem, North Carolina

praise for the smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary Series “This is biblical commentary at its best—and most useful.” —Tremper Longman III Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies Westmont College

“Rarely does one find a biblical commentary that is scholarly, indepth, insightful, theological, and relevant…a masterpiece!” —J. Randall O’Brien President Carson-Newman College

“The illustrations, sidebars, and tools are, as has become the standard in the Smyth & Helwys commentary series, outstanding.” —Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford Associate Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages McAfee School of Theology

“This appealing commentary is beautifully produced, with photographs as well as pictures of art works. Here is a book that will handsomely reward its readers in a variety of ways.” —Donald A. Hagner George Eldon Ladd Professor of New Testament Fuller Theological Seminary

“This fine commentary seeks to bridge ‘the gap between the insights of biblical scholars’ and lay readers. Along with interpretative insights, it uses sidebars on contextual, cultural, and homiletic matters to lead readers to connections with the contemporary church.” —Robert Kysar Professor Emeritus of Preaching and New Testament Candler School of Theology, Emory University

Contents AUTHOR’S PREFACE

xvii

SERIES PREFACE

xxi

HOW TO USE THIS COMMENTARY

xxv 1

INTRODUCTION

Outline of Isaiah 1–39

41

1

Overview of Jerusalem’s Judgment and Redemption

Isa 1:1-31

47

2

Two Visions: A Dream and a Nightmare

Isa 2:1-22

79

3

Haughtiness Brought Low in Jerusalem

Isa 3:1–4:1

99

4

“Whoever Is Left in Zion and Remains in Jerusalem”

Isa 4:2-6

113

5

Warnings and Woes

Isa 5:1-30

119

6

Judgments in the Divine Throne Room

Isa 6:1-13

137

7

Judgments Announced to Ahaz

Isa 7:1-25

157

8

Isaiah’s Testimonies

Isa 8:1–9:1 (Heb. 8:1-23)

177

9

Promise and Judgment

Isa 9:2-21 (Heb. 9:1-20)

195

10

Assyria as God’s Weapon

Isa 10:1-34

211

11

Justice, Righteousness, and Peace

Isa 11:1-16

225

12

A Hymn of Trust

Isa 12:1-6

245

13

The Fall of the Tyrant Empire

Isa 13:1-22

255

14

The Fall of the Tyrant

Isa 14:1-32

275

15

A Lament over Moab

Isa 15:1–16:14

289

16

A Prediction concerning Damascus and Samaria

Isa 17:1-14

303

17

Oracles concerning Cush and Egypt

Isa 18:1–20:6

313

18

The Destruction of Babylon and other “Stern Visions”

Isa 21:1-17

333

19

Two Rebukes of Jerusalemites

Isa 22:1-25

343

20

A Lament over Tyre

Isa 23:1-18

355

21

The Fall of the City of Chaos

Isa 24:1-23

367

22

Rejoicing in God’s Salvation

Isa 25:1-12

381

23

Trusting in God Forever

Isa 26:1–27:1

391

24

The Return of Scattered People

Isa 27:2-13

407

25

Confrontations with Jerusalem’s Scoffers

Isa 28:1-29

417

26

Who Will Hear the Message?

Isa 29:1-24

437

27

The LORD of Hosts Will Protect Jerusalem

Isa 30:1–31:9

453

28

The Blessing of Righteous Rule

Isa 32:1-20

469

29

Judgment and Hope for the Righteous

Isa 33:1-24

483

30

Contrasting Futures for Edom and Zion

Isa 34:1–35:10

503

31

The Assyrian Crisis

Isa 36:1–37:38

523

32

Hezekiah’s Illness and a Visit from Afar

Isa 38:1–39:8

545

BIBLIOGRAPHY

565

INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS

569

INDEX OF SIDEBARS

575

INDEX OF SCRIPTURES

579

INDEX OF TOPICS

589

Dedication

to Don ˜yym Jydwd µybwf yk and Ian, Leyla, Claire, Sajal, Emily, Nellie, Ginny, and Jesse twnbw µynb yy tljn




ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS COMMENTARY Books of the Old Testament, Apocrypha, and New Testament are generally abbreviated in the Sidebars, parenthetical references, and notes according to the following system. The Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1–2 Samuel 1–2 Kings 1–2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalm (Psalms) Proverbs Ecclesiastes or Qoheleth Song of Solomon or Song of Songs or Canticles Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah

Gen Exod Lev Num Deut Josh Judg Ruth 1–2 Sam 1–2 Kgs 1–2 Chr Ezra Neh Esth Job Ps (Pss) Prov Eccl Qoh Song Song Cant Isa Jer Lam Ezek Dan Hos Joel Amos Obad Jonah Mic

xii

Abbreviations Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

Nah Hab Zeph Hag Zech Mal

The Apocrypha 1–2 Esdras Tobit Judith Additions to Esther Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach Baruch Epistle (or Letter) of Jeremiah Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Daniel and Susanna Daniel, Bel, and the Dragon Prayer of Manasseh 1–4 Maccabees

1–2 Esdr Tob Jdt Add Esth Wis Sir Bar Ep Jer Pr Azar Sus Bel Pr Man 1–4 Macc

The New Testament Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1–2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1–2 Thessalonians 1–2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1–2 Peter 1–2–3 John Jude Revelation

Matt Mark Luke John Acts Rom 1–2 Cor Gal Eph Phil Col 1–2 Thess 1–2 Tim Titus Phlm Heb Jas 1–2 Pet 1–2–3 John Jude Rev

Abbreviations Other commonly used abbreviations include: AD

AT b. BC

C. c. cf. ch. chs. d. ed. eds. e.g. et al. f./ff. gen. ed. Gk. Heb. ibid. i.e. lit. n.d. rev. and exp. ed. sg. trans. vol(s). v. vv.

Anno Domini (“in the year of the Lord”) (also commonly referred to as CE = the Common Era) author’s translation Babylonian Talmud Before Christ (also commonly referred to as BCE = Before the Common Era) century circa (around “that time”) confer (compare) chapter chapters died edition or edited by or editor editors exempli gratia (for example) et alii (and others) and the following one(s) general editor Greek Hebrew ibidem (in the same place) id est (that is) literally no date revised and expanded edition singular translated by or translator(s) volume(s) verse verses

Selected additional written works cited by abbreviations include the following. A complete listing of abbreviations can be referenced in The SBL Handbook of Style (Peabody MA: Hendrickson, 1999): AB ABD ACCS ACCSOT ACEBT

Anchor Bible Anchor Bible Dictionary Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament Amsterdamse Cahiers voor Exegese van de Bijbel en zijn Tradities

xiii

xiv

Abbreviations ANET ANF ANTC AOAT Ar Bib BA BAR BDS BI Bib BibRev BibThBul BInS BJSUCSD BN BZ BZAW CBQ CBQMS CCL CJR CTJ CTR CurTM DSD EJL EphTL EQ ESV ExpT FOTL HALOT HAR HS HThKAT HTR HUCA ICC Int IDB IOS JAOS JBL

Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3rd ed. Ante-Nicene Fathers Abingdon New Testament Commentaries Alter Orient und Altes Testament The Aramaic Bible Biblical Archaeologist Biblical Archaeology Review Bibal Dissertation Series Biblical Interpretation Biblica Bible Review Biblical Theology Bulletin Biblical Interpretation Series Biblical and Judaic Studies from the University of California, San Diego Biblische Notizen Biblische Zeitschrift Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Catholic Biblical Quarterly Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina. Turnhour, Belgium: Brepols, 1953– Christian Jewish Relations Calvin Theological Journal Criswell Theological Review Currents in Theology and Missions Dead Sea Discoveries Early Judaism and its Literature Ephemerides theologicae lovanienses Evangelical Quarterly English Standard Version Expository Times Forms of the Old Testament Literature The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament Hebrew Annual Review Hebrew Studies Herders Theologischer Kommentar zum Alten Testament Harvard Theological Review Hebrew Union College Annual International Critical Commentary Interpretation Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible Israel Oriental Society Journal of the American Oriental Society Journal of Biblical Literature

Abbreviations JJS JNES JNSL JQR JR JSJ JSNT JSNTSup JSOT JSOTSup JSS JTS KJV LCBI LCL LXX MDB MT NAB NASB NCB NEB NEA NIB NIBCOT NICOT NICNT NIV NJB NovT NovTSup NRSV NTS OGIS OTE OTL PRSt QR RevExp RSV SBLSP SBLABS

Journal of Jewish Studies Journal of Near Eastern Studies Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages Jewish Quarterly Review Journal of Religion Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods Journal for the Study of the New Testament Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series Journal of Semitic Studies Journal of Theological Studies King James Version Literary Currents in Biblical Interpretation Loeb Classical Library Septuagint = Greek Translation of Hebrew Bible Mercer Dictionary of the Bible Masoretic Text New American Bible New American Standard Bible New Century Bible New English Bible Near Eastern Archaeology New Interpreter’s Bible New International Biblical Commentary, Old Testament Series New International Commentary on the Old Testament New International Commentary on the New Testament New International Version New Jerusalem Bible Novum Testamentum Suppliments to Novum Testamentum New Revised Standard Version New Testament Studies Orientis graeci inscriptiones selectae Old Testament Essays Old Testament Library Perspectives in Religious Studies Quarterly Review Review and Expositor Revised Standard Version Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers Society of Biblical Literature Archaeology

xv

xvi

Abbreviations

SBLAIL SBLEJL SBLDS SBLMS SBLSP SBLSymS SBS SBT SJOT SNJM SP TBT ThLZ TDNT TEV TTJ TynBul VT VTSup WBC WMANT WUNT WW ZAW ZDPV

and Biblical Studies Series Society of Biblical Literature Ancient Israel and Its Literature Series Society of Biblical Literature Early Judaism and Its Literature Series Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers Society of Biblical Literature Symposium Series Stuttgarter Bibelstudien Studies in Biblical Theology Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament Sisters of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary Sacra pagina The Bible Translator Theologische Literaturzeitung Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Today’s English Version Trinity Theological Journal, Singapore Tyndale Bulletin Vetus Testamentum Supplements to Vetus Testamentum Word Biblical Commentary Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament Word & World Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaf Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins

Author’s Preface I always assumed, since I loved story more than poetry, that I would concentrate on the narrative portions of Scripture. But in my initial week of graduate school in Atlanta in 1989, in John Hayes’s History of Biblical Interpretation seminar, the very first book our little group of “Emoroids” (or so we called ourselves) encountered was Michael Fishbane’s Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel. This book opened my eyes to the biblical writers as readers—living, active, reactive, interpreting and reinterpreting the received tradition as they wrote what would eventually become Scripture. Later study of intertextuality with Gail O’Day and Carol Newsom provided more theory and vocabulary for exploring this dynamic enterprise displayed by both writers within and writers subsequent to Scripture’s formation, the enterprise of echoing, engaging in dialogue with, and even, as Carol likes to say, “quarreling with,” predecessors. The detectable, though usually not traceable, history through which the Bible itself grew, and grew on us, is all story, all mystery, a larger and more fascinating narrative even than the epics within Scripture. I soon realized there was no better place to explore this story than in Isaiah, a book that grew over the course of several centuries, two temples, and three great empires, a book whose significance continued to grow through generations of readers over two and a half millennia. So while I still enjoy Samuel and Esther and the other stories of Scripture very much, I wrote my dissertation on Isaiah and have continued to study and teach it throughout my professional career. It was a very great honor to be asked to write this commentary for Smyth & Helwys. I am extremely grateful to all who have helped make this book possible. To Carol Newsom, deeply admired mentor, for insightful conversations on Isaiah, on writing and scholarship, and life itself— and for opening more doors than I will ever know. To professors Fred Craddock, Gail O’Day, Max Miller, John Hayes, Gene Tucker, and Martin Buss for all they taught me at Emory University and beyond. To the late Roy Melugin and my longtime friend Marvin Sweeney, as well as to a host of other good colleagues in SBL’s Isaiah Seminar over the years, especially my co-chair and co-author Claire Mathews McGinnis, for their many scholarly contributions as well as for

xviii

Author’s Preface

humoring my passion for Isaiah’s history of interpretation. To other predecessors in the Isaiah enterprise whom I have never or only briefly had the privilege to meet, especially those whose work shows up frequently in these pages. To friends and colleagues in and around Louisville Seminary who have encouraged me as a teacher, writer, and thinker. To the Association of Theological Schools and the Lilly Foundation for the 2007–2008 Lilly Faculty Fellowship that, along with Louisville Seminary’s liberal sabbatical schedule, enabled me to begin the project with fifteen relatively uninterrupted months of research and writing, and to Jim Lewis for reading and offering helpful critique of my grant proposal. To Dean David Hester and President Dean Thompson, as well as the seminary’s Board of Trustees, for allowing me to take the sabbatical, and for flexibility in helping me find more time, and to Linda Day and Doug Gragg who graciously taught Hebrew and exegesis courses in my absence. To my father, Dr. Robert G. Tull, who taught me to love the stars and who drew the diagram of Venus for chapter 14. To my former student the Rev. Rebecca Schwandt, my daughter Claire Willey, my colleague Melisa Scarlott, and the LPTS library staff for research and editorial help, and to a host of students who have explored Isaiah with me over the years at Columbia, Candler, and Louisville Seminaries. To editors Sam Balentine and Paul Redditt for their patience, careful reading and helpful suggestions, and to Leslie Andres and the editorial and production staff at Smyth & Helwys for all they have done to make this series attractive and important. My deepest gratitude goes to my dear husband the Rev. Don Summerfield, for reading parts of this manuscript with the eyes of a parish pastor, for letting me interrupt his days and fill his evenings with exclamations, questions, and verbal dissertations, and for his patience in sharing our home with so many books, papers, ink stains, and prophets; and to our adult and nearly-adult children Ian, Claire, Emily, Nellie, Ginny, and Jesse, who cheerfully endured porch tables overflowing with scholarly paraphernalia, conversations peppered with prophets, and a zombie conspicuously hunched over a laptop from morning till night. I’m sorry to say this is not over yet. The pedantic genre of commentary seems a strange tribute to the verbal power of prophetic poets. Few of us who write these tomes

Author’s Preface

ever pretend to be poets ourselves. I hope that in some little measure the awe that fills my heart as I read Isaiah may have communicated itself in these pages. Patricia K. Tull September 2010

xix

SERIES PREFACE The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary is a visually stimulating and user-friendly series that is as close to multimedia in print as possible. Written by accomplished scholars with all students of Scripture in mind, the primary goal of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary is to make available serious, credible biblical scholarship in an accessible and less intimidating format. Far too many Bible commentaries fall short of bridging the gap between the insights of biblical scholars and the needs of students of God’s written word. In an unprecedented way, the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary brings insightful commentary to bear on the lives of contemporary Christians. Using a multimedia format, the volumes employ a stunning array of art, photographs, maps, and drawings to illustrate the truths of the Bible for a visual generation of believers. The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary is built upon the idea that meaningful Bible study can occur when the insights of contemporary biblical scholars blend with sensitivity to the needs of lifelong students of Scripture. Some persons within local faith communities, however, struggle with potentially informative biblical scholarship for several reasons. Oftentimes, such scholarship is cast in technical language easily grasped by other scholars, but not by the general reader. For example, lengthy, technical discussions on every detail of a particular scriptural text can hinder the quest for a clear grasp of the whole. Also, the format for presenting scholarly insights has often been confusing to the general reader, rendering the work less than helpful. Unfortunately, responses to the hurdles of reading extensive commentaries have led some publishers to produce works for a general readership that merely skim the surface of the rich resources of biblical scholarship. This commentary series incorporates works of fine art in an accurate and scholarly manner, yet the format remains “user-friendly.” An important facet is the presentation and explanation of images of art, which interpret the biblical material or illustrate how the biblical material has been understood and interpreted in the past. A visual generation of believers deserves a commentary series that contains not only the all-important textual commentary on Scripture, but images, photographs, maps, works of fine art, and drawings that bring the text to life.

xxii

Series Preface

The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary makes serious, credible biblical scholarship more accessible to a wider audience. Writers and editors alike present information in ways that encourage readers to gain a better understanding of the Bible. The editorial board has worked to develop a format that is useful and usable, informative and pleasing to the eye. Our writers are reputable scholars who participate in the community of faith and sense a calling to communicate the results of their scholarship to their faith community. The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary addresses Christians and the larger church. While both respect for and sensitivity to the needs and contributions of other faith communities are reflected in the work of the series authors, the authors speak primarily to Christians. Thus the reader can note a confessional tone throughout the volumes. No particular “confession of faith” guides the authors, and diverse perspectives are observed in the various volumes. Each writer, though, brings to the biblical text the best scholarly tools available and expresses the results of their studies in commentary and visuals that assist readers seeking a word from the Lord for the church. To accomplish this goal, writers in this series have drawn from numerous streams in the rich tradition of biblical interpretation. The basic focus is the biblical text itself, and considerable attention is given to the wording and structure of texts. Each particular text, however, is also considered in the light of the entire canon of Christian Scriptures. Beyond this, attention is given to the cultural context of the biblical writings. Information from archaeology, ancient history, geography, comparative literature, history of religions, politics, sociology, and even economics is used to illuminate the culture of the people who produced the Bible. In addition, the writers have drawn from the history of interpretation, not only as it is found in traditional commentary on the Bible but also in literature, theater, church history, and the visual arts. Finally, the Commentary on Scripture is joined with Connections to the world of the contemporary church. Here again, the writers draw on scholarship in many fields as well as relevant issues in the popular culture. This wealth of information might easily overwhelm a reader if not presented in a “user-friendly” format. Thus the heavier discussions of detail and the treatments of other helpful topics are presented in special-interest boxes, or Sidebars, clearly connected to the passages under discussion so as not to interrupt the flow of the basic interpretation. The result is a commentary on Scripture that

Series Preface

focuses on the theological significance of a text while also offering the reader a rich array of additional information related to the text and its interpretation. An accompanying CD-ROM offers powerful searching and research tools. The commentary text, Sidebars, and visuals are all reproduced on a CD that is fully indexed and searchable. Pairing a text version with a digital resource is a distinctive feature of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Combining credible biblical scholarship, user-friendly study features, and sensitivity to the needs of a visually oriented generation of believers creates a unique and unprecedented type of commentary series. With insight from many of today’s finest biblical scholars and a stunning visual format, it is our hope that the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary will be a welcome addition to the personal libraries of all students of Scripture. The Editors

xxiii

HOW TO USE THIS COMMENTARY The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary is written by accomplished biblical scholars with a wide array of readers in mind. Whether engaged in the study of Scripture in a church setting or in a college or seminary classroom, all students of the Bible will find a number of useful features throughout the commentary that are helpful for interpreting the Bible. Basic Design of the Volumes

Each volume features an Introduction to a particular book of the Bible, providing a brief guide to information that is necessary for reading and interpreting the text: the historical setting, literary design, and theological significance. Each Introduction also includes a comprehensive outline of the particular book under study. Each chapter of the commentary investigates the text according to logical divisions in a particular book of the Bible. Sometimes these divisions follow the traditional chapter segmentation, while at other times the textual units consist of sections of chapters or portions of more than one chapter. The divisions reflect the literary structure of a book and offer a guide for selecting passages that are useful in preaching and teaching. An accompanying CD-ROM offers powerful searching and research tools. The commentary text, Sidebars, and visuals are all reproduced on a CD that is fully indexed and searchable. Pairing a text version with a digital resource also allows unprecedented flexibility and freedom for the reader. Carry the text version to locations you most enjoy doing research while knowing that the CD offers a portable alternative for travel from the office, church, classroom, and your home. Commentary and Connections

As each chapter explores a textual unit, the discussion centers around two basic sections: Commentary and Connections. The analysis of a passage, including the details of its language, the history reflected in the text, and the literary forms found in the text, are the main focus

xxvi

How to Use This Commentary

of the Commentary section. The primary concern of the Commentary section is to explore the theological issues presented by the Scripture passage. Connections presents potential applications of the insights provided in the Commentary section. The Connections portion of each chapter considers what issues are relevant for teaching and suggests useful methods and resources. Connections also identifies themes suitable for sermon planning and suggests helpful approaches for preaching on the Scripture text. Sidebars

The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary provides a unique hyperlink format that quickly guides the reader to additional insights. Since other more technical or supplementary information is vital for understanding a text and its implications, the volumes feature distinctive Sidebars, or special-interest boxes, that provide a wealth of information on such matters as: • Historical information (such as chronological charts, lists of kings or rulers, maps, descriptions of monetary systems, descriptions of special groups, descriptions of archaeological sites or geographical settings). • Graphic outlines of literary structure (including such items as poetry, chiasm, repetition, epistolary form). • Definition or brief discussions of technical or theological terms and issues. • Insightful quotations that are not integrated into the running text but are relevant to the passage under discussion. • Notes on the history of interpretation (Augustine on the Good Samaritan, Luther on James, Stendahl on Romans, etc.). • Line drawings, photographs, and other illustrations relevant for understanding the historical context or interpretive significance of the text. • Presentation and discussion of works of fine art that have interpreted a Scripture passage.

How to Use This Commentary

Each Sidebar is printed in color and is referenced at the appropriate place in the Commentary or Connections section with a color-coded title that directs the reader to the relevant Sidebar. In addition, helpful icons appear in the Sidebars, which provide the reader with visual cues to the type of material that is explained in each Sidebar. Throughout the commentary, these four distinct hyperlinks provide useful links in an easily recognizable design.

Alpha & Omega Language

This icon identifies the information as a language-based tool that offers further exploration of the Scripture selection. This could include syntactical information, word studies, popular or additional uses of the word(s) in question, additional contexts in which the term appears, and the history of the term’s translation. All nonEnglish terms are transliterated into the appropriate English characters.

Culture/Context

This icon introduces further comment on contextual or cultural details that shed light on the Scripture selection. Describing the place and time to which a Scripture passage refers is often vital to the task of biblical interpretation. Sidebar items introduced with this icon could include geographical, historical, political, social, topographical, or economic information. Here, the reader may find an excerpt of an ancient text or inscription that sheds light on the text. Or one may find a description of some element of ancient religion such as Baalism in Canaan or the Hero cult in the Mystery Religions of the Greco-Roman world.

Interpretation

Sidebars that appear under this icon serve a general interpretive function in terms of both historical and contemporary renderings. Under this heading, the reader might find a selection from classic or contemporary literature that illuminates the Scripture text or a significant quotation from a famous sermon that addresses the passage. Insights are drawn from various sources, including literature, worship, theater, church history, and sociology.

xxvii

xxviii

How to Use This Commentary

Additional Resources Study

Here, the reader finds a convenient list of useful resources for further investigation of the selected Scripture text, including books, journals, websites, special collections, organizations, and societies. Specialized discussions of works not often associated with biblical studies may also appear here. Additional Features

Each volume also includes a basic Bibliography on the biblical book under study. Other bibliographies on selected issues are often included that point the reader to other helpful resources. Notes at the end of each chapter provide full documentation of sources used and contain additional discussions of related matters. Abbreviations used in each volume are explained in a list of abbreviations found after the Table of Contents. Readers of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary can regularly visit the Internet support site for news, information, updates, and enhancements to the series at www.helwys.com/commentary. Several thorough indexes enable the reader to locate information quickly. These indexes include: • An Index of Sidebars groups content from the special-interest boxes by category (maps, fine art, photographs, drawings, etc.). • An Index of Scriptures lists citations to particular biblical texts. • An Index of Topics lists alphabetically the major subjects, names, topics, and locations referenced or discussed in the volume. • An Index of Modern Authors organizes contemporary authors whose works are cited in the volume.

Introduction Some one said, “The dead writers are remote from us because we know so much more than they did.” Precisely, and they are that which we know. —T. S. Eliot, “Tradition and the Individual Talent”

The career of the prophet Isaiah spanned at least three decades during the late eighth century BCE. But his influence has extended farther than he could have imagined: not only to the century after his own, but through Judah’s exilic period, during the centuries of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and up to the time of Jesus seven hundred years after Isaiah’s death. The prophet’s words then continued to be read and remembered through the ages in both Judaism and Christianity, recalled in theological writings, liturgies and lectionaries, hymns, songs, poetry, artwork, and even contemporary religious and ethical idioms, such as “beating swords into plowshares” (Isa 2:4), “the lion and the lamb” (see 11:6), and “rock of ages” (26:4). This Isaiah industry turns out to be both a boon and a liability for today’s interpreters. On the one hand, most Jewish and Christian worshipers know his name and revere his book. Isaiah almost automatically gets a hearing wherever he speaks. On the other hand, Isaiah’s handlers throughout history have repeatedly reshaped what Isaiah is thought to have said. In the New Testament he appears to proclaim a Christian message relevant to a context more distant from his time than ours is from the days of armor-clad knights. Among early Christian writings such as the second-century Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho, A Jew, his reputation expanded: more than any other part of Scripture, Isaiah was invoked to demonstrate that the entire Old Testament foretold the Christ event, and therefore that Christians rather than Jews had inherited divine favor. The fourthcentury commentator Jerome, in fact, declared that Isaiah “should be called an evangelist rather than a prophet because he describes all the mysteries of Christ and the Church so clearly that you would think he is composing a history of what has already happened rather than prophesying about what is to come.”1

2

Introduction

For most Christians today, such views of the prophet, developed in the church’s early centuries, continue to dominate Isaiah’s image. Isaiah appears in the Roman Catholic and Protestant Revised Common Lectionaries in the holiest seasons of the Christian year, where he is unabashedly presented as previewing the birth, death, and meaning of Jesus Christ. Yet scholars have argued for centuries that Isaiah spoke words relevant to his own contemporary audience and not, in the first instance, to the distant future. Many preachers wishing to recover the breadth and depth of Isaiah’s messages with intellectual honesty and pastoral sensitivity wonder how the prophet came to be viewed as a prognosticator, what his own concerns were, and how with theological and historical integrity we might hear through these ancient words a word for Christian congregations today. My hope in writing this commentary is to come to understand Isaiah better myself, and to learn more about the paths the book traveled through history as it took on new meanings, and thereby to help preachers, teachers, and students to imagine afresh the connections between modern people and this ancient book. I am convinced that continuity can indeed be traced from Isaiah to our time and needs, and that attention to his words offers us theological riches far greater than we may imagine. The commentary primarily utilizes rhetorical and literary tools, attending to the patterns and emphases of the language itself. I am interested in intratextual and intertextual relationships, that is, relationships among the various layers and themes within Isaiah as well as relationships between this book and other relevant writings of ancient Israel and, at times, other parts of the ancient Near East. Attention will be given to what can reasonably be discerned about the historical moments and events from which the book arose and the redactional sequence that gave it shape. At the same time, there is much about Isaiah’s development that cannot be known for certain. Where evidence is lacking, I prefer to present the variety of views current among scholars and suggest what may be reasonable to make of them. Even in cases of great historical uncertainty, meaningful theological claims can generally be discerned with which interpreters can work. And because Christians often come to Isaiah with so many presuppositions born more of subsequent theological needs than of Isaiah’s own messages, I intend to show some of the uses made of Isaiah in the New Testament and subsequently, to

Introduction

demonstrate how these built upon, and in some cases diverged from, the book’s own messages. One of the most important discoveries for any reader of Isaiah is its deep theological engagement with political realities unfolding as the book took shape. The prophet’s commitment to Israel’s God was strenuous and all-encompassing. For him, neither Judah’s internal nor its international relationships, nor its accompanying economic commitments, could be separated from its religious identity. Communicating this priority to leaders possessing divergent visions of the divine will was tricky. To be comprehensible, a prophetic word must join recognizably with the thought patterns and presuppositions of its intended audience. Yet Isaiah is memorable precisely because the prophet does not simply parrot societal ideas, but challenges them, joining with them in order to ring changes on them, or even to turn them upside down. In a very real sense Isaiah’s work of interpreting the religious tradition in his own era, the work of other interpreters who added their words to his within the book, the work of still other interpreters who have commented on Isaiah since, and the work of preachers and teachers today who take their inspiration from Isaiah as they attempt to communicate a word from God to audiences who live in the real world of economics and politics, stand together in a stream of theological exploration that is indebted both to the past and to the needs of their present. Though few if any of us will ever obtain his fame, though our words will be forgotten long before his are, nevertheless when we preach and teach we are kin to Isaiah, engaging in the same creative labor of interpreting divine purposes that he was. There is indeed continuity both of message and of method between the prophets of old and the prophets of our day. And because of this, it is helpful for preachers to attend not only to what Isaiah and other prophets discussed, but also to how they crafted their messages. The following three sections will outline both what may be known historically about the prophet and the book, and some of what may be known about the book’s fortunes between ancient times and today. Theological and political themes within Isaiah 1–39 will be highlighted. Though not every important facet of Isaiah’s history of interpretation can even be mentioned here, an initial exploration of how the book came to be understood as prediction of Christ and how it attained its present place in Christian

3

4

Introduction

worship is offered for the benefit of pastors and parishioners seeking entre into these questions.2 More comprehensive discussion of theological themes, rhetorical features, and Isaiah’s coherence as a book will occupy the introduction to Isaiah 40–66 (Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary; Macon GA: Smyth & Helwys). Isaiah’s Life and Times

Isaiah is one of the first four of the fifteen “writing” (or more accurately, “written”) prophets, those prophets whose words and activities were not simply recounted alongside other stories (such as Elijah and Elisha in 1–2 Kings), but were recorded in discrete books, each bearing the spokesperson’s name. Three of these first four so-called “classical prophets,” Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah, spoke around the same time in the second half of the eighth century BCE. Amos’s preaching occurred slightly earlier.3 There is good reason to suspect, especially as one reads Isaiah, that while the style, interests, and audiences of each of these prophets are distinct, these theologians who shared concern to describe The Prophets Hosea and Isaiah God’s activity in a political world could in fact have been aware of one another’s teachings.4 (See [Amos, Hosea, and Micah] and [Amos and Isaiah].) The word “prophet” is used in English translations to render the Hebrew word nåbî