A New Task and a New Message (6:1-13)

E. The Reign of Hezekiah

8. A New Task and a New Message (6:1-13)

lsaiah Isaiah’s Preaching and the lsaianic Narratives

For this reason, the anger of Yahweh was kindled against his people,

and he stretched out his hand against them and smote them;

and the mountains quaked and their corpses were as refuse in the streets;

in all this his anger was not abated and his hand is outstretched still.

Isaiah 5:25 Judah to join anti-Assyrian coalitions had been a policy for a

century, and under that policy things had gone well. Now international anarchy seemed to have broken out, and the very existence of Israel and Judah was being challenged. In such circumstances, one can see how people would become impatient and anxious to see God make known his work and purpose. Isaiah, however, senses that there will be no quick resolution of matters, that the people must live for a time in the pain and turmoil of unclarified issues when God and his work seem hidden (or, as he later argues, alien and strange; 28:21).

Those who demand haste and probably advocate a change in present policies, Isaiah describes as people who drag and pull their iniquity behind them like animals pulling carts.

Woes four through seven (w. 20-23) make good sense if given merely a surface reading. The opinions they express would be right at home in the book of Proverbs. However, in the form Isaiah has cast them, as woe sayings, he is probably accusing his hearers, at least indirectly, of the wrongs embodied in the sayings. To agree with general principles is one thing; to be accused of the actions condemned is another matter.

In verse 24u, Isaiah issues a summarizing pronouncement to the woes, opening with a “therefore”:

Therefore, as surely as a tongue of fire consumes stubble, and dry grass collapses in the flame;

so their root shall be as rot,

and their growth rise up like soot.

Isaiah 5:24b-30

In his conclusion to this powerful speech, Isaiah gives a summarizing statement condemning the people (v. 24b) and then declares the people’s wrongdoing to be the basis for God’s acts of judgment, one past (v. 25) and one future (w.

26-30). The condemnation accuses the people in terms already encountered in 1:lO: “Because they have rejected the torah of Yahweh Sebaoth and the word of the Holy One of Israel they have despised.”

The past action of Yahweh against his people was the devastation of the earthquake.

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The past judgment of God was severe and widespread.

The earthquake demolished much of the country. But Yahweh was not yet through. His anger was unabated and his hand was still stretched out-to strike again. The second blow was yet to come but was already on the horizon. Isaiah spoke of the coming calamity in terms of a nation from afar (“distant nations” appears to be a scribal error). The nation is unidentified. Its forces are described in frighteningly idealized terms. The army moves swiftly; none of its troops falter or grow faint; its military dress is impeccable; its weapons are ready and menacing; its horses and chariots dart like a whirlwind; its prey is without mercy; and like the roaring of the sea or the darkening of the day, it brings gloom and distress in its wake. When it comes, or when Yahweh brings it into the land, that day will be a day of judgment, a day the vineyard is trampled and devoured.

Undoubtedly, Isaiah’s depiction of the army Yahweh will bring against his vineyard draws on stereotypical terminology and paints the coming enemy with the colors of the traditional and legendary “foe from the north.”

8. A NEW TASK AND A NEW MESSAGE (6:1-13)

lsaiah Isaiah’s Preaching and the lsaianic Narratives

material in chapters l-5 comes from an earlier period. A vocational call narrative would be more normal at the beginning of the book (see Jeremiah 1 and Ezekiel l-3). (b) The content of the speeches in chapters l-5 is best interpreted in the light of events and conditions during the period of Uzziah/Jotham rather than later. (c) After chapter 6, Isaiah’s preaching focuses almost totally on political affairs, whereas in chapters l-5, the concern is with social issues and criticisms. This indicates that the experience of Isaiah 6 marked a shift in Isaiah’s ministry rather than an inaugural call. (d) The calls to repentance and change in chapters l-5 contrast strongly with the command to harden the people’s hearts in 6:9-10, making it difficult to see these earlier chapters as fulfillment of the commission of chapter 6. (e) In Isaiah 6, the prophet is not called; he volunteers. There is no hesitancy or resistance to the commission as is common in other call narratives.

(2) This autobiographical narrative was formulated by the prophet to justify and support the new political stance and role taken by Isaiah following the death of Uzziah.

(3) Isaiah had preached that the purification and purgation of Jerusalem were to be carried out by Yahweh as preparation for the city’s new life (1:24-31; 4:4). Isaiah 6 has, as one of its purposes, to demonstrate that the prophet had already passed through the purification process, been admitted and was privy to the deliberations of the divine, and thus could speak with special status and authority.

(4) The experiences of the prophet reported in the chapter are probably dependent in their imagery on rites associated with the coronation ritual for a new king-in this case, probably Ahaz. Isaiah may, himself, have participated in the coronation service, perhaps in the anointment ritual.

(5) At least verse 12a is to be considered a later scribal gloss, not so much because its content is out of keeping with the context, but because it refers to Yahweh in the third person in the midst of a Yahweh oracle.

(6) By the time Isaiah reported this vision, Judean society had become thoroughly polarized. The two entities, Judah and Jerusalem, and their counterparts, the general Judean population and the house of David and its supporters, were greatly estranged. This becomes more evident in Isaiah 7-8

109 more/London: Johns Hopkins Press, 1971)87-96; J. A.

Emerton, “The Translation and Interpretation of Isaiah vi.

13,” Interpreting the Hebrew Bible: Essays in Honour of E. I. 1.

Rosenthal (ed. J. A. Emerton and S. C. Reif; Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982)85-118; I. Engnell, The Call of Isaiah: An Exegetical and Comparative Study (Uppsala/Leipzig: A.-B. Lundequistska/Otto Harrassowitz, 1949); C. A. Evans, “The Text of Isaiah 6:9-10,” ZAW 94(1982)415-18; C. Hardmeier, “Jesajas Verkiindigungsah- sicht und Jahwes Verstrockungsauftrag in Jes 6,” Die Botschaft und die Boten (Festschrift H. W. Wolff; ed. J. Jeremias and L. Perlitt; Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1981)235-51; E. Jenni, “Jesajas Berufung in der neueren Forschung,” TZ 15(1959)321-39; K. R. Joines, “Winged Serpents in Isaiah’s Inaugural Vision,” JBL 86(1967)410-15;

M. M. Kaplan, “Isaiah 6:1-11,” JBL 45(1926)251-59; R.

Knierim, “The Vocation of Isaiah,” VT 18(1968)47-68; T.

Lescow, “Jesajas Denkschrift aus der Zeit des syrisch- emphraimitischen Krieges,” ZAW 85(1973)315-31; L. J.

Liebreich, “The Position of Chapter Six in the Book of Isaiah,” HUCA 25(1954)37-40; H.-P. Miiller, “Glauben und Bleiben: Zur Denkschrift Jesajas Kapitel vi l-viii 18,” SVT 26(1974)25-54; J. M. Schmidt, “Gedanken zum Verstock- ungsauftrag Jesaja (Is. VI),” VT 21(1971)68-90; A. Schoors,

“Isaiah, the Minister of Royal Anointment?” OTS20(1977) 85-107; 0. H. Steck, “Bemerkungen zu Jesaja 6,” BZ 16(1972)188-206; U. F. C. Worschech, “The Problem of Isaiah 6:13,” AUSS 12(1974)126-38; A. Zeron, “Die Anmassung des K(inigs Usia im Lichte von Jesajas Berufung: Zu 2. Chr. 26, 16-22 und Jes. 6,lff.,” TZ 33 (1977)65-68.

Chapter 6 of Isaiah is one of the most discussed and debated texts in the whole of scripture. Few passages have proved as difficult for scholars to agree on a translation as 6:13. The following interpretation of the chapter and our translation of 6:13 are based on the following considerations.

(1) Isaiah had been a prophet for some time and his preaching, prior to the experience of chapter six, is contained in chapters l-5. That Isaiah 6 is not an account of the prophet’s initial call is indicated by the following factors. (a) The placement of the text suggests that the preceding

Isaiah Isaiah’s Preaching and the lsaianic Narratives

(2) This autobiographical narrative was formulated by the prophet to justify and support the new political stance and role taken by Isaiah following the death of Uzziah.

(3) Isaiah had preached that the purification and purgation of Jerusalem were to be carried out by Yahweh as preparation for the city’s new life (1:2431; 4:4). Isaiah 6 has, as one of its purposes, to demonstrate that the prophet had already passed through the purification process, been admitted and was privy to the deliberations of the divine, and thus could speak with special status and authority.

(5) At least verse 12~ is to be considered a later scribal gloss, not so much because its content is out of keeping with the context, but because it refers to Yahweh in the third person in the midst of a Yahweh oracle.

Emerton, “The Translation and Interpretation of Isaiah vi.

13,” interpreting the Hebrew Bible: Essays in Honour of E. 1. J.

Rosenthal (ed. J. A. Emerton and S. C. Reif; Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 1982)85-118; I. Engnell, The Call of Isaiah: An Exegetical and Comparative Study (Uppsala/Leipzig: A.-B. Lundequistska/Otto Harrassowitz, 1949); C. A. Evans, “The Text of Isaiah 6:9-10,” ZAW 94(1982)415-18; C. Hardmeier, “Jesajas Verkiindigungsah- sicht und Jahwes Verstrockungsauftrag in Jes 6,” Die BotschajI und die Boten (Festschrift H. W. Wolff; ed. J. Jeremias and L. Perlitt; Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag, 1981)235-51; E. Jenni,

Forschung,” “Jesajas Berufung in der neueren TZ 15(1959)321-39; K. R. Joines, “Winged Serpents in Isaiah’s Inaugural Vision,” JBL 86(1967)410-15;

M. M. Kaplan, “Isaiah 6:1-11,” JBL 45(1926)251-59; R.

Knierim, “The Vocation of Isaiah,” VT 18(1968)47-68; T.

Lescow, “Jesajas Denkschrift aus der Zeit des syrisch- emphraimitischen Krieges,” ZAW 85(1973)315-31; L. J.

Liebreich, “The Position of Chapter Six in the Book of Isaiah,” HUCA 25(1954)37-40; H.-P. Miiller, “Glauben und Bleiben: Zur Denkschrift Jesajas Kapitel vi l-viii 18,” SVT 26(1974)25-54; J. M. Schmidt, “Gedanken zum Verstock- ungsauftrag Jesaja (Is. VI),” VT 21(1971)68-90; A. Schoors,

“Isaiah, the Minister of Royal Anointment?” OTS20(1977) 85-107; 0. H. Steck, “Bemerkungen zu Jesaja 6,” BZ 16(1972)188-206; U. F. C. Worschech, “The Problem of Isaiah 6:13,” AUSS 12(1974)126-38; A. Zeron, “Die Anmassung des Konigs Usia im Lichte von Jesajas Berufung: Zu 2. Chr. 26, 16-22 und Jes. 6,lff.,” TZ 33 (1977)65-68.

(1) Isaiah had been a prophet for some time and his preaching, prior to the experience of chapter six, is contained in chapters 15. That Isaiah 6 is not an account of the prophet’s initial call is indicated by the following factors. (a) The placement of the text suggests that the preceding

108 109

Isaiah

but

seems Presupposed in Isaiah 6 as well. Isaiah’s allegiance was to the house of Davl and its supporters. The “this‘d People” whom Isaiah sees as his task to solidify in their waywardness (6:9) are primarily the Judeans who had adopted an anti-Dav’d.

support to the Syri^{1 K} attitude and who would soon lend an-led anti-Assyrian coalition (see the discussion of 8~5-15 below), “This people” would thus refer to the whole population except for the remnant loyal to the house of David and the Davidic family itself.

The material in this h

following outline: c apter can be discussed in terms of the (1) The prophet’s vision of God (14)

(2) The prophet’s purification (5-7) (3) The prophet’s commission (8-13)

Isaiah 6:1-4

Reporting this visionary experience, Isaiah dated it to the Year of Uzziahs death. That a past date is given in an autobiographical nar

ence was cited by Ira ive would indicate that the experi-t*

saiah

prophetic role and f to justify the character of his unction and his deep involvement in the Politics and fate of the house of David. The experience is not reported mere1 f

by the prophet hiy or its own sake, but was appealed to mself to authenticate his task and message.

\ The occasion for the vision and its imagery have been much discussed and may have been closely connected with some event “in the year that King Uzziah died.”

death of the old king h* Was it the

and the questions thi imself, who, in spite of his leprosy who had “smote” his raised about his status with Yahweh, life for over half a m, had been a major factor in Judean

century

trigger the event? Was it th(see II Kings 15:1-7), that helped next autumn New Ye e coronation of a new king at the ar es oval and all the associated ritualf t’

that such events entailed? Was the experience and the new role that Isaiah saw I-,.lmself assuming connected with the growing unrest ln the north, the increasing disaffection from the house of David,

the anti-Assyrian fort and the swelling pressure to join es in the region that were intensified

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Isaiah’s Preaching and the lsaianic Narratives

at the time of a change in leadership in Jerusalem? Was it necessary for Isaiah to reaffirm his prophetic role in the context of a new administration? Of the particulars we have no knowledge. When the prophet related the experience, three things seemed of particular importance: his vision of the heavenly world, his purification, and his commission to be an instrument in hardening the hearts of the people.

Yahweh is described as sitting on a throne with the skirts of his robe filling the temple or heavenly palace. Attendant upon the Deity were the six-winged seraphim, who proclaimed the holiness of God and the universality of his glory. The voices of the seraphim made the structure shake, and smoke filled the house. All of this imagery no doubt drew on the theology and iconography of the Jerusalem temple. Here God sat enthroned and ruled over the world as king. The seraphim were the heavenly counterparts to the bronze seraph that graced the temple (see II Kings 18:4; Num.

21:6-9). This seraph and the seraphim probably draw upon Egyptian inconography, where the uraeus, or cobra, was associated with the monarch, adorning the royal headdress and the throne.

Isaiah 6:5-7

Isaiah describes his reaction to the vision as a sense of unworthiness and sinfulness in the presence of the absolute- ly holy. The prophet’s words of self-description are cast in purity terminology: “my lips are unclean ^(tame’,the opposite of holy) and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”

The purification of the prophet’s lips, which results in the removal of his guilt and the forgiveness of his sins and thus the purgation of his uncleanness, probably draws on the purification ritual and imagery used in preparing the new king for his coronation. Such mouth purification rituals were known in both Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures. Here Isaiah applies the imagery to himself. As purified and cleansed, he now stands on the side of God, the holy. He is, like the king, a true representative of the divine, having stood in the divine council.

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Isaiah Isaiah’s Preaching and the lsaianic Narratives

Judah is to be the consequence of divine judgment on “this people” for their lack of support for the Davidic house. (2) The imagery of verses 11 and 13u parallels the descriptions of the earlier speech on the “vineyard gone bad” in 5:1-30 (see especially 5:5,9). (3) The reference to the fallen tree is used to indicate that matters will not be totally hopeless, since certain varieties of even fallen trees are capable of rejuvenation from the roots or stump (see Job 14:7-9). Although Judah may be laid waste, survival will occur. (4) The stump from which new life will grow is the house of David, the holy seed. While

“holy seed” is used nowhere else with reference to the house of David (see Ezra 9:2), that seems to be its most obvious referent in this passage, especially when considered in the light of other Isaianic texts, such as chapter 7. The prophet may have deliberately chosen the term massebah, since it could be understood not only with reference to the standing remains of a toppled tree, but also with reference to pillars of various sorts and diverse use in ancient Israel. Such masseboth served as cultic furnishings (Gen. 35:14), memorial stones (Gen. 35:20; II Sam. 18:18), and territorial markers (I Sam.

15:12; Isa. 19:19). It has been proposed that a dynastic stela (massebah) stood in the temple (see I Kings 7:15; II Kings 11:14;

23:3, although these texts use the term ‘ammud). Such a stela would have served as a sign of the perpetuity of the dynasty similar to the Djed pillar in Egyptian royal rituals. If this were the case, and the evidence is very slight, then Isaiah’s allusion would have been even clearer to his audience. The land of Judah might be devastated, but the Davidic family (and its supporters) would be the source of continuing existence and new life.

Isaiah 6:8-13

The account of Isaiah’s commissioning, like the description, of his vision of Yahweh, shares parallels with the account ok Micaiah’s vision in I Kings 22:19-23. In the latter, however, iY is a heavenly being, not an earthly prophet, who is commissioned by God to bring about the downfall of the Israelite army. In Isaiah 6, the prophet volunteers to serve as the agent of God. His task with regard to “this people” is a negative one, to ensure that the people (the non-supporters of the Davidic house) get the punishment they deserve (w.

9-10). References in chapter 8 to “this people” clearly indicate that this phrase refers to Ahaz’s subjects, who favored an anti-Assyrian policy of state. In 8:6, “this people” has given up its support of the Davidic house and its political stance and rejoices over the anti-Assyrian policy of Syria and Israel.

In 8:12, “this people” has levelled a charge of conspiracy and treason against Ahaz and the house of David for failure to continue its support of Israelite politics.

In response to the question of how long such preaching should go on, the prophet is told:

11. “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without occupants;

and the land lies completely desolate . . . 12b. and deserted sites are many in the land.

13. And though a tenth [is left] in it (the land),

yet it (the tenth) shall remain and be for burning (or ravaging).

As an oak and a terebinth when felled,

a stump [is left] in them [as the source of new growth];

the holy seed [the house of David] is its (the land’s) stump.”

The content of verse 11 is clear, specifying the conditions expected to prevail in the land as a consequence of coming events-desolation and depopulation. A similar depiction is found in 7:21-25 and 8:6-10.

As we have noted, even the translation of verse 13 is a matter of controversy. Interpretations of the passage are wide ranging and divergent. Our interpretation assumes the authenticity of the received text and is based on the following considerations. (1) The coming devastation of the land of

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9. DELIVERANCE FOR THE HOUSE OF

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