TRUSTING WHILE FACING SUFFERING: AN EXEGESIS OF ISAIAH 50:4-11
A
Term Paper
Presented
to
Dr.
Todd Beall
of
Capital Bible Seminary
_____________
In
Partial Fulfillment
of
the Requirements for the Degree
Master
of Divinity
____________
by
Terry
Pruitt
May
7, 2013
4 The Lord GOD gave to me a tongue of
disciples,
to
know how to sustain the weary with a word,
He rouses morning by morning,
He
rouses my ear to listen as the learned ones.
5 The Lord GOD opened my ear
and
I myself was not rebellious,
I
did not turn my back.
6 I gave my back to those
striking me
and
my cheeks to those who plucked them bare;
I
did not hide my face from reproach and spittle.
7 But the Lord GOD shall help me;
therefore,
I shall not be disgraced,
therefore I have placed my face
like flint,
and
I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 The one who justifies
me is near;
Who
will strive with me?
Let
us stand together.
Who is my adversary with a case
against me?
Let
him come near to me.
9 Behold, the Lord GOD shall help me;
Who
is he who shall condemn me as guilty?
Behold, they all shall wear out
like a garment;
A
moth shall eat them.
10 Who among you fears the LORD,
listening
to the voice of His servant?
Who walks in darkness
and
has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the LORD,
and
let him depend on his God.
11 Behold, all of you
who are kindling a fire,
who
are girding yourselves with sparks,
walk in the light of your fire,
and by the sparks you have kindled.
This you will have from my hand:
you
shall lie down in a place of pain.
Introduction
The
Servant Songs of the OT book of Isaiah draw the reader to wonder who this
servant is. The reader of the Servant
Songs asks with the Ethiopian eunuch, "About whom, I ask you, does the
prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" (Act 8:34 ESV) This paper is an exegesis of Isa
50:4-11. It will show the literary
context of Isa 50:4-11 as being a part of
a series of poems called the Servant Songs. It will examine the details
of the Isa 50:4-11. This paper will draw
the conclusion that Isa 50:4-11 shows the Servant as one through whom God
brings comfort and vindication to those who are suffering oppression.
Motyer
notes that a customary way of dividing the book has been to distinguish chaps.
1-39 from chaps. 40-66.[1] While Motyer does see a difference in
literary style between chaps. 1-39 and
chaps. 40-66, nonetheless he sees a unity of textual evidence, the geographic
perspective, and theology. [2] Though contested, it is best to see the text
of the book of Isaiah to be a unified single work of literature written by the
prophet by that name serving during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and
Hezikiah. The Servant Songs are featured in the second part of the book of
Isaiah. F. Duane Lindsey sees a
progression of ideas in the Servant Songs.
The first Servant Song (42:1-9) shows the Servant's faithfulness while
bringing salvation and order on all the earth.
The second Servant Song (49:1-13) shows the Servant bring salvation to
the Gentiles and restoration of the land and relationship with God to Israel.
The third Servant Song (50:4-11) tells of the sufferings endured by the
Servant. The fourth Servant Song
(52:13-53:12) shows the suffering of the Servant but also his consequent exaltation.[3]
The book as a whole shows a prophetic
prediction of God acting through providential control of the international
political scene but also acting through his Servant. The way the Servant is discussed begets a
question in the mind of the reader of Isaiah to discern who is this servant and
how are God's acts through his Servant comparable to the events on the international
political scene.
The
Servant Songs Show God Acting Through the Servant (Isa 42:1-9; 49:1-13;
50:4-11; 52:13-55:13)
The Lord GOD's
servant developed in the second part of Isaiah is just one portrait through
which Isaiah portrays the Messiah. J.
Alec Motyer shows the three portraits of the Messiah from Isaiah: the King, the
Servant and the Anointed Conqueror. For
Motyer, the Servant has the facets of being endowed with Spirit and word. The
Servant's work is characterized by righteousness (Isa 53:11; 54:17). He is in the line of the Davidic kingship (Isa
55:3). He holds Gentiles equal with Israel.[4] Motyer says that the Servant passages are as
follows: Isa 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11;
and 52:13-53:13.[5] Gary
V. Smith additionally sees that interspersed between the last three servant
poems are sections that have the theme "Salvation for Zion." Smith holds that Isa 49:1-55:13 make up a
section on the eschatological hope for Zion.[6]
These servant songs make up an important
part of salvation theology in the OT. So who is this servant?
There is a Variety of Views Regarding the
Identity of the Servant
By identifying the Servants Songs as a single
genre the reader may be predisposed to say that all the Servant Songs in Isaiah
are to be identified as the same entity.
By contrast, John Calvin identifies the servant in Isa 50:4-11 as Isaiah
himself who represents all servants of the Lord while in Isa 53:13 he sees the
Servant as the Christ.[7] Though Calvin takes the identity of the
Servant to be two different entities in Isa 50 and Isa 53, it is probably best
to keep a unified identity within the Servant Songs themselves. Another view takes the servant throughout the
book of Isaiah as primarily being one entity.
This view comes from the Jewish
writer and apologist for Judaism, Gerald Sigal, who says that history of the
Jewish people "shows that the servant is, none other than Israel
personified."[8] A survey of the word "servant" (עֶבֶד)
in Isaiah shows that Isaiah uses the word in several ways. The Hebrew word for servant (עֶבֶד)
is used 39 times in Isa within 35 verses.[9] Some of these references just denote a
position of service without a heavy theological connotation such as Isa 36:9
where the servant just refers to those who served a king. Sometimes God's OT covenant people, who are
identified by the name Israel or synonymously as Jacob, are called God's
servant (Isa 41:8; 44:1, 2; 45:4; 48:20). This usage of עֶבֶד identified as God's covenant people denotes their obligation
to serve Him exclusively because He redeemed them from the Egyptians.
Connecting Isa 50:4-11 with NT Concept of
the Messiah
There is, however,
a person who is the Lord's Servant and is distinct from Israel. Isa 49:2 talks about "my servant,
Israel," but then later in Isa 49:5 it says "his servant, to bring Jacob back to
him; and that Israel might be gathered to him." In Isa 49:5 "his servant" cannot be
the nation of Israel since he is the one bringing Israel back to the Lord. O. T. Allis attempts to unify the two
positions by saying that there is a "diversity-in-unity of the subject
described." Allis says "(t)he three
aspects of the subject dealt with are:
sinful Israel, pious Israel, and that 'Israelite indeed in whom is no
guile,' who was declared to be 'the Son of God with power by the resurrection
from the dead.' "[10] While Allis is using a form of the word "Israel"
in all three descriptions, he is not talking about the same entity with each of
the three identities. Though he has
verbal agreement regarding all three, he does not quite theologically connect
all three. A generous reading of Allis
will include a theological connection of the "Israelite in whom there is
no guile" to the one who died for the nation of Israel (John 11:50; Isa
53:6). J. A. Alexander more clearly
states that there is a union between the Messiah and his people.[11] Though concealed in this passage, the best
way to take the passage is that it applies to the Messiah. The NT reveals this Messiah as Jesus
Christ. While other Servant Songs are
quoted by NT writers directly, connecting Jesus with Isa 50:4-11 is a bit more
tenuous. There is no specific quote of Isa 50:4-11 in the NT; however, there is
an allusion to Isa 50:6 in Luke 18:31- 32.
Adam Clarke makes the connection between Isa 50:6 and Luke 18:31-32.[12]
Jesus, in informing his disciples of future
events, tells them, "'See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything
that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles
and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.'" (Luke 18:31b-32
ESV) While the concept of spitting is
discussed in other OT passages, none besides Isa 50:6 is a prophetic prediction
of one being spit upon.[13] The Servant is best understood as Jesus the
Savior of Israel, who suffered vicariously for Israel.
Exegesis
of Isaiah 50:4-11
The
following section will trace the literary structure of the complete passage and
then be followed by an examination of the verses. The literary structure as a whole gives
context for examining the individual verses.
The Literary Structure of the Third Servant
Song
In Isa
50:1 the speaker is Yahweh (יהוה). The
third Servant Song is preceded in Isa 50:1-3 with accusations against
Israel. Lindsey calls the section a
short trial speech which functions as a transition between the Servant Song in
Isa 49:1-26 and the third Servant Song.[14] Isa 50:4 has a new speaker. In the beginning of the third Servant Song
the speaker declares he receives empowerment to speak from the Lord GODאֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה) ). This declaration
delineates a distinction between the third Servant Song and what precedes it. Alexander
attempts to unify the speaker in the chapter by saying that in v. 1
"Jehovah" is speaking and then the "Messiah" speaking, thus
it is justified due to the "two fold [sic.] nature of Christ."[15] Though it is true that Christ has a two-fold
nature, being fully God and fully man, the passage does not seem to prove or acsert
that. This line of interpretation only
works by reading Christian theology back into the text. It is probably best just to see this as a
change of speaker to the Servant, who is not further identified in Isa 50:4-11.[16] The Servant does not self-identify, but
rather another speaker in v. 10 identifies the speaker in vv. 4-9 as the
Servant. The speaker in vv. 10-11
according to Smith is the prophet Isaiah himself.[17] However, Delitzch says that in vv. 10-11 the
speaker goes back to being "Jehovah."[18]
Motyer divides up the passage as vv. 4-9 being autobiographical of the Servant
and then vv. 10-11 as an ending section.
He sees a similar structure in all four servant songs.[19] He sees the ending section, vv. 10-11, as
giving exhortation to the readers to respond to the model of the Servant.[20] Perhaps it is best to generalize by saying
that the speaker in vv. 10-11 is the prophetic voice: either the voice of God
himself or the voice of His appointed spokesperson. The division of speakers
helps to identify the structure of the passage: vv. 4-9 with the Servant as
speaker and then vv. 10-11 with the prophet's voice as speaker.
The
autobiographical section contains three main ideas: the Lord GOD
teaches the Servant (50:4-5), the Servant is obedient in suffering (50:6), and
the Lord GOD vindicates his Servant (50:7-9). The response expected from the Servant's
example is to "trust in the Lord" (50:10-11). Like other OT poetry, Isa 50:4-11 uses
parallelism to clarify ideas and capture the imagination of the listeners. The next section looks more at the details of
the passage.
The Lord GOD
Teaches the Servant. (vv. 4,5)
4 The Lord
GOD gave to me a tongue of disciples,
to
know how to sustain the weary with a word,
He rouses morning by morning,
He
rouses my ear to listen as the learned ones.
5
The Lord GOD opened my ear
and
I myself was not rebellious,
I
did not turn my back.
The Lord GOD is teaching the
Servant to minister to the weary. Oswalt
says that this particular Servant song uses the term "Lord GOD"
(אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה ) repeatedly to show the certainty of the
prediction.[21] There is a chiasm in v. 4. The outer portion of the chiasm is an
adjective used to designate one who participates in learning (לִמּוּדִים).[22] Whybray says the use of the Hebrew word לִמּוּדִים
is a play on words with the first use pointing to "teaching" and the
second one to "pupil."[23]
The chiastic pattern is not a
word-for-word chiasm, except for the middle section which says "He rouses
morning by morning, He rouses" (יָעִיר בַּבֹּקֶר בַּבֹּקֶר
יָעִיר). The emphasis in this middle section of the
chiasm is the Lord GOD bringing about a maturation of ability in the Servant
through daily interaction.[24]
Delitzsch asserts that prophets receive visions at night; however, the Servant
receives the revelations upon waking.[25]
Heb 1:1 states that the prophets received revelation in a various ways and
various times (Πολυμερῶς καὶ
πολυτρόπως). Young sees the
"morning by morning" interaction as not prophetic revelation but
preparation for obedience.[26] So rather than trying to contrast how the
prophets received their revelation as opposed to the Servant, it is best to see
the Servant as having daily fellowship and teaching from the Lord GOD.
The phrase "to know how to
sustain the weary with a word" refers to the Servant's work to
comfort. The word לָעוּת
(sustain or help), BDB characterizes as
having dubious meaning. BDB then cites
that the following scholars who believe this to be a textual corruption:
Gesinius, Delitsch, Dillmann, and Ryssel.[27]
The BHS critical apparatus also cites the problems of the word and attempts to
posit a correction of לִרְעֹה (teach) or לְעַוֹּת or לְעַוֵּת ("bend")
.
According to John D. Watts, Klosterman and Cheyne favor the use of
the Hebrew word לִרְעֹה ("teach") from the root - רעָה,
while others may simply want to use the piel infinitive לְעַוֹּת
or לְעַוֵּת ("bend") from the root - עָוַת.[28]
It is best to maintain the more difficult reading here since the textual
evidence supports it. So the Servant
"sustains" the weary. Westermann believes the "weary" to
be Israel.[29] Certainly Messiah came first to the lost sheep
of Israel, but also for those beyond Israel, the weary from other nations (Matt
15:24; John 10:16).
The BHS textual apparatus says that
one should probably delete the first use of "he rouses" (יָעִיר),
but Watts says that the Masorities division of the verse demands that it be
maintained for it to make sense.[30] BHS even more strongly wants to delete the
second use of "in the morning" (בַּבֹּקֶר)
since it is absent from a Hebrew MS, LXX, Old Latin and Ethiopic versions.[31]
As previously mentioned, these words (יָעִיר and בַּבֹּקֶר)
are a part of chiasm and if one took them out, the chiasm would be destroyed.
The BHS editors say that the phrase,
"The Lord GOD opened my ears" (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה פָּתַח־לִי אֹזֶן) is perhaps added.
Whybray believes the phrase to be an accidental repetition, but Watts
affirms that it should be there in order to maintain the right sense.[32]
It is best to keep the phrase (אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה פָּתַח־לִי אֹזֶן) since no ancient text has an alternate reading. Rather than seeing the repetition as a textual
problem it is best to take it as parallelism which highlights the Servant's
role as teacher. Young says that the
first line of v. 5 is a continuation of the thought of the previous verse, but
the second line is a new thought: the
Servant has an inner disposition with no rebellion.[33] Smith contrasts the response of the Servant
with that of Israel, Moses, and Jeremiah who did not obey immediately.[34]
The Servant has an attitude of
obedience in contrast the previous mentioned recipients of the covenants.
The Servant Suffers
in Obedience. (v. 6)
6 I gave my back to those striking me
and
my cheeks to those who plucked them bare;
I
did not hide my face from reproach and spittle.
Verse 6 states that the Servant is
giving himself over to physical suffering and indignity. Martin says that the Servant gave his body
over to those who persecuted him. The
message is that though the Servant is suffering, he is obedient.[35] Clarke points out that plucking of the beard
and spitting are signs of great indignities.[36] Goldengay believes that the prophet is
suffering because he is saying that Cyrus would be the savior of Israel.[37]
On the other hand, Smith counters that the audience is not identified, those
who conduct the beatings are not identified and the reason for the beating is
not given.[38]
Westermann sees v. 6
as a concession that God is on his opponent's side.[39]
This seems to be counter to the next two verses that follow. Young's assessment that this verse reminds
the Christian of the suffering of the Messiah is more on target.[40]
There are two textual variants in vx
6 according to the BHS textual apparatus.
The first is regarding "those who pluck bare" (לְמֹרְטִים). Watts translates it as "to those making
bare." There is a variant in the
Dead Sea Scroll 1QIsaa which has למטלים ("to
the ones beating with iron").[41] While the difference shows a great variance
in wording, the meaning still is that the Servant is suffering voluntarily at
the hands of others. The context does
not show someone beating iron, but one humiliating the Servant. Without stronger evidence it is best to keep
the MT.
The second textual variant in v. 6
has to do with the word הִסְתַּרְתִּי ("I hid"). The BHS says in the textual apparatus that
the Dead Sea Scroll 1QIsaa says הסִרֹתִי ("turn away").
Watts on the other hand says that the Targums and the 1QIsaa
both say הִסְתַּרְתִּי ("I hid") while he asserts that the LXX and Syriac versions
have ἀπέστρεψα and `pnyt respectively for
"turn away."[42] In both variants the Servant is giving
himself to suffer in a physical and violent way. Again, without stronger evidence, it is best
to keep the MT.
The Lord GOD
Vindicates the Servant. (vv. 7-9)
7
But the Lord GOD shall help me;
therefore,
I shall not be disgraced,
therefore I have placed my face like flint,
and
I know that I will not be ashamed.
8
The one who justifies me is near;
Who
will strive with me?
Let
us stand together.
Who is my adversary with a case against me?
Let
him come near to me.
9 Behold,
the Lord GOD shall help me;
Who
is he who shall condemn me as guilty?
Behold, they all shall wear out like a garment;
A
moth shall eat them.
Isaiah 50:7-9 shows how the Servant
is suffering but he is not disgraced and he trusts that the Lord will vindicate
him. In v. 7, the Lord GOD is
helping the Servant and the result is one of honor and internal fortitude. The עַל־כֵּן ("therefore") marks two things:
no disgrace, and determination.[43]
Alexander points out in v. 7 that it is
not current realities that create the lack of shame but hope in God.[44] Motyer says that the help is future.[45]
As Westermann says, there is a contrast between the current reality relative
to v. 6 "I hid not my face from
reproach" and the future hope in v. 7 "I know that I will not be
ashamed."[46] The contrast maybe seen in the disjunctive vav used at the beginning of v. 7.[47] Young points out the possible allusion Luke
makes to this verse in Luke 9:51.[48] The v. 7 shows that the dignity which comes
from God transcends earthly honor.
Verse 8 draws out a contrast between
the one who declares righteous and those who would make accusations on the
Servant. Smith points out the contrast
between the one who "justifies me" (מַצְדִּיקִי)
and the one who "accuses me" (בַעַל). These
words are forensic terms contrasting being either free from legal guilt or
being guilty.[49] The Servant in v. 8 is ready to face his
accusers.
Verse 9 continues on the theme of
facing accusers but moves on to show that they will be destroyed. Delitzsch says the use of the interrogative
with the personal pronoun (מִי־הוּא) is emphatic.[50] The Servant continues to face his
accusers. Delitzsch does not distinguish
between the destruction of the adversary being like a garment wearing out and a
moth eating it. He summarizes them as
"working imperceptibly and slowly."[51]
Smith, on the other hand, says that the moth-eaten garment is not a transparent
metaphor. He thinks that the "wearing
out" may point to slow destruction at work and the unseen work of the "moth"
points that they are already full of holes, nothingness.[52]
The
wearing out of the garment points to inevitability of destruction through
normal everyday use and the eating of moths points to an outside but hidden
entity that destroys. There was little
that the ancients could do against either one.
The destruction of the Servant's adversaries is inevitable and predictable.
Prophetic Exhortation (50:10-11)
10 Who among you fears the LORD,
listening
to the voice of His servant?
Who walks in darkness
and
has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the LORD,
and
let him depend on his God.
11
Behold, all of you who are kindling a fire,
who
are girding yourselves with sparks,
walk in the light of your fire,
and by the sparks you have kindled.
This you will have from my hand:
you
shall lie down in a place of pain.
In this last section the prophetic
voice warns that the reader should listen to the voice of the Servant. He spells out the response just in case the
reader is not able to deduce it. As
Smith points out the words, "Who among you?" (מִי בָכֶם)
points the reader to "trust in the name of the LORD."[53]
Clarke sees a theological problem
with this section. He interprets that "walk
in darkness" means without regeneration.
Clarke wants to defend against the idea that one could be unregenerate, "walking
in darkness," and still be listening to the voice of the Servant. Are there those out there who attempt to obey
the Lord and still are unsaved? Clarke feels
it is best to solve it by making it a question and response in the same way
that Bishop Lowth suggests:
Question: "Who among you
fears the LORD? Answer: Listen to the voice of His servant. Question:
Who walks in darkness and has no light?
Answer: Let him trust in the name
of the Lord and depend on his God.[54] This interpretation may solve some theological
issues observed by Lowth; however, Lowth's solution seems like a forced
interpretation. In contrast to Clarke,
Martin takes the view that "walking in darkness" does not mean being
spiritually lost, but rather living in difficult times. Also Martin takes it that walking in the
light is a metaphor for self-sufficiency.[55]
Motyer advocates yet another interpretation of "walking in darkness." He sees "to walk in darkness" is to
have the Servant experience.[56] The darkness does not seem to be the darkness
of sin. The one who walks in darkness is walking like the Servant. The darkness
in which the Servant walks is best thought of as his suffering. In this case the Servant is the example to
the one who walks in darkness. The
darkness is both the physical suffering and the indignation given from the
Servant in v. 6.
Verse 10 also has a textual
problem. BHS cities that the word
"listening" (שֹׁמֵעַ) should rather be read as "let him
hear" (יִשְׁמַע) based on a comparison of the LXX (ἀκουσάτω) and Syriac version. Clarke agrees that it should be "let him
hear" (יִשְׁמַע) based upon the observation that it is a "more elegant
turn and distribution to the sentence."[57] However, Watts disagrees and points to the
evidence in the MT and the Dead Sea Scrolls.[58]
With both the MT and the Dead Sea Scrolls in agreement, the evidence weighs
towards the MT reading. Delitzsch points
out the essence of the Christian faith is found in verse 10: "trust"
(יִבְטַח) and "rely"( וְיִשָּׁעֵן) on the Lord.[59] This message is compatible with the basic
message later on revealed more fully in the NT of salvation by faith. Motyer sees in vv. 10 and 11 two classes of
people: those who follow the model of the Servant, and those who are
self-sufficient.[60] The next verse shows more about the
self-sufficient.
Verse 11 is a warning against those
who are self-sufficient, those who light their own path. Motyer sees these self-sufficient ones as
drawing merely on "earthly resources."[61] Delitsch sees that the fire is the fire of
divine judgment.[62]
However, Smith sees these fires as their own fires in contrast with the Lord's
fire.[63] As mentioned before this usage of darkness as
a metaphor in v. 10 is unusual, so the light in v. 11 should most likely follow
suit. It is most likely that the fire
and light in this case is self-sufficiency and earthly resources. Their own strength will be their own
punishment.
There are two textual issues in this
last verse. The BHS textual apparatus
thinks that the MT of "girding" (מְאַזְּרֵי)
should probably be replaced with "lighting" (מאִירֵי)
based on a comparison with the Syriac text.
However, Watts points out that the LXX and the Aramaic texts support the
MT and should be maintained.[64] Another textual issue in the BHS textual
apparatus is the word "by the flame of" (בְּאוּר)
is compared with the LXX (τῷ φωτὶ),
Syriac and Latin Vulgate version which say "in the light" (בּאוֹר). Again Watts favors the MT.[65] Without further evidence the MT is probably the
best reading.
Conclusion
The
Third Servant Song is designed to bring to mind a curiosity, one who suffers
willingly. Isaiah paints a picture of
the Servant as one who suffers. His
identity is not explicitly known, but his characteristics are spelled out. The point of the passage is not to point out
the identity of the Servant, but the characteristics of the Servant so that
later on his identity will be known.
Though somewhat through a veil, Luke alludes to the one who is
prophesied to be spit upon: this applies to Jesus Christ (Luke 18:31-32). He is a Servant who is taught of the Lord
continually and sustains the weary. He
suffers willingly, and the Lord vindicates his Servant. The prophetic voice calls for the reader to
respond by trusting and relying on the Lord.
That same prophetic voice calls the reader to avoid self-sufficiency
founded on earthly resources. The church
of the Lord Jesus Christ should be able to look at the Servant and see the
pattern for discipleship: suffering but trusting in the Lord none the less.
[1]
J. Alec. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah:
An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993) 23.
[3] F. Duane
Lindsey, "Isaiah's Songs of the Servant Part 3: The Commitment of the
Servant in Isaiah 50:4-11," BSac 139 (1982) 217.
[7] John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
(Trans. John Pringle. Vol. 8. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009) 52, 107.
[8] Gerald Sigal,
"Who is the Suffering Servant of the Lord?"[cited 24 March 20013]
Online: http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=121:who-is-the-suffering-servant-of-the-lord&catid=48:suffering-servant&Itemid=500
[9] BibleWorks.
Vers. 9, (Norfolk, VA: BibleWorks, 2013) Computer software. Is 14:2, 20:3; 22:20;
24:2; 36:9; 36:11; 37:5; 37:24, 35; 41:8, 9; 42:1, 19; 43:10; 44:1, 2, 21, 26;
45:4; 48:20; 49:3, 5-7; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11; 56:6; 63:17; 65:8, 9, 13-15; 66:14.
[10] O.T. Allis, The
Unity of Isaiah (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1950) 84.
[11]
J. A. Alexander, Commentary on the
Prophecies of Isaiah (Reprint ed., Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1992) 250.
[24]
BDB, 113.
[27] BDB, 736.
Also, BDB says that it is connected with the Aramaic (עות),
and then relates it to the Arabic word (غاث). Delitzsch, The Prophecies of Isaiah. 277. Delitzsch corrects the BDB spelling
in his work by saying the middle radical is a vav , but continues to spell the word in Arabic with an aleph.
Both the Hebrew vav and the
Arabic aleph are a long straight
letter. If the word is related to the
Arabic then it should be spelled ghayn-waw-tha
(غَوْث) rather than ghayn-aleph-tha (غاث). Measure IV of the
Arabic word means "help" while measure X means to "appeal for
help." Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic
(Arabic-English) (4th Ed.; ed. J. Milton
Cowan; Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1979) 804. The Arabic etymology supports
the English translation as "help."
[29]
Ibid., 196.
The "weary" (יָעֵף) also is a textual issue in the BHS critical
apparatus. The apparatus notes that
fragments of the Cairo Geniza have the qal infinitive construct of the verb
instead of the adjective. Claus
Westermann, Isaiah 40-66: A Commentary (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1969)
228.
[41]
"Isaiah Scroll 42." Isaiah Scroll 42. Christian Ethereal Library,
n.p. [cited 02 Apr. 2013]. Online: http://www.ao.net/~fmoeller/qum-42.htm
[43]
Smith, Isaiah 40-66, 383.
[48]
Young, The Book of Isaiah,
3:301. "When the days drew
near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem." (Luke
9:51 ESV)
[54]
Clarke, Clarke's Commentary,
194. See also Smith, The Book of Isaiah, 386. Smith takes the darkness to be
"spiritual or political darkness."
[65]
Ibid.
Bibliography
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