covenant in relation to justice and righteousness in isaiah 42:1-9

225 Pages·2013·4.7 MB·English

COVENANT IN RELATION TO JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
IN ISAIAH 42:1-9

By
Joseph Mwasi Muutuki

Dissertation Presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at

The University of Stellenbosch
South Africa

Promoter: Prof Hendrik L Bosman

March 2013
Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
Declaration
I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work contained in this dissertation is my own
original work and that I have not previously submitted it in its entirety or in part to any
university for a degree.

______________________
Signature

_______________________
Date

Copyright © 2013 Stellenbosch University
All rights reserved
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Acknowledgments
I am eternally grateful to God for everything. He is teaching me reconciliation through his
forgiveness. He helps me understand to reach out to people who are not like me and from my
own ethnic background. I owe my very life to Him. To God belongs glory, Amen.
I have fond memories when I think of Professor Bosman at Stellenbosch. The first weekend I
arrived in Sept of 2010, he asked me to go with him to a Church function. The drive and back
was near the Namibian border and took us over twenty hours. He explained every building,
every plant, every insect, and monument on the way as he drove. And yes, we talked
theology and my dissertation. It seems like yesterday to me. I never knew what a
Doktorvater was like until Imet Professor Bosman. Thank you for the patience and kindness
you have shown me.
I think itwould be an underestimation to say that my wife, Elfi has known me all our married
life as a student. She has been very supportive of me and always tells me ―you can do it‖.
Thank you for walking with me through this journey. I will always treasure your
encouragement. Your prayers have been answered. Thank you Schatz! To my kids, Timmy,
Matthias and Anne, I love you. You were patient with me and I thank you for your
understanding.
I have so many people to thank in this journey: My mom and late father, thank you for all
you did for me in this life. My German supporters and German in-laws thank you for your
support. All my friends in the USA, PMI, partner churches: NCF and PCA Churches. Daystar
University gave me time off to study. Our church New City Fellowship of Nairobi, thank
you for allowing me to finish my studies. Pastor Shafkat, elders of NCF ran the Church while
I was gone. I am thankful to my Jewish associate Pastor Gary Leibovich for a superb job
while gone the last month and to my Bruder Professor Mumo for your encouragement and
Julie for editing thanks.
I am thankful for the HOPE scholarship and funding to complete my program. I am in this
regard indebted to Professor Bosman‘s help to secure funding for research at Humboldt
University in Berlin. I am grateful for the reception accorded me by Professor Gräb the
coordinator at Humboldt with Stellenbosch and Professor Witte in the Old Testament.

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Abstract
This study focuses on covenant in relation to justice and righteousness in Isaiah 42:1-9. The
main purpose of the study is to grapple with the idea of whether the Old Testament scholarly
research on covenant is relevant for the theological-ethical understanding of covenant
amongst African believing communities in general and in particular the Kamba community
of Kenya. The research employs the socio-rhetorical approach, a method used to explore
textures in a multi-dimensional way.
In applying Robbins‘ (1996a, 1996b) textual analysis to the text of Isaiah 42:1-9, both the
intra and intertextures are examined in order to gain the narrator‘s rhetorical strategy. It is
possible to demonstrate that the mission of the Servant of the Lord was to establish justice
and righteousness on earth. We show these terms are relational and ethical in nature. Justice
restores damaged relationships in order for a community to have peace with itself.
Righteousness on the other hand governs moral relationships and demands each member of
the community acts right. These demands are required in order to regulate a cohesive social
and cultural community that takes each other‘s social needs into account.
Moreover, we show through intertexture in chapter three that texts reconfigure themselves
either explicitly or implicitly. It is shown that three concepts, justice, righteousness and
covenant exhibit moral characteristics when used together. Within covenant framework they
have to do with taking care of the needs of the oppressed.
Furthermore, in chapter four through social and cultural texture we show how the Israelites
and Judah later are unable to fulfill their obligations to the poor because of the moral decay,
which affected all spheres of their life. The Servant of YHWH is promised to usher in a new
era of social justice.
Additionally, in chapter five it is shown that the ideological texture highlights God‘s
theological viewpoint characterized by the tension between the two covenants. We have
attempted to show from Isaiah 42:1-9 that the theological-ethical understanding of covenant
accommodates the Akamba covenant.

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Opsomming
Hierdie proefskrif fokus op die verbond in samehang met reg en geregtigheid in Jesaja 42:1-
9. Die primêre doel van die studie is om te vra of Ou-Testamentiese navorsing enige
relevansie het vir die teologies-etiese verstaan van die verbond in geloofsge-meenskappe in
Afrika oor die algemeen, maar ook in die Kambagemeenskap (Kenia) in die besonder. In die
ondersoek word sosio-retoriek benut om tekstuele verbande op ‗n multi-dimensionele manier
te ondersoek.
In die toepassing van Robbins (1996a, 1996b) se tekstuele analise op Jesaja 42:1-9, word
beide die intra- sowel as die intertekstuele verbande ondersoek ten einde te bepaal watter
retoriese strategie ter sprake is. Dit is moontlik om aan te toon hoe die Dienaar van die Here
daarop gemik was om reg en geregtigheid op aarde te vestig as relasionele en etiese begrippe.
―Reg‖ herstel beskadigde verhoudings ten einde ‗n samelewing in staat te stel om vrede
onderling te ervaar. ―Geregtigheid‖ bepaal die morele verhoudings en vereis dat elke lid van
die gemeenskap eties korrek optree. Hierdie vereistes is noodsaaklik ten einde ‗n
samehangende sosiale en kulturele samelewing daar te stel waarbinne die lede mekaar se
behoeftes in ag neem.
Daar word in hoofstuk drie aangetoon hoe verbond in Jesaja 40 – 55 implisiet en eksplisiet
gerekonfigureer word. Hierdie rekonfigurasie vind plaas wanneer die drie begrippe reg,
geregtigheid en verbond morele kenmerke ontwikkel wanneer dit saam gebruik word.
Sodoende ontwikkel die verpligting om binne ‗n verbondsraamwerk sorgsaamheid vir die
behoeftes van die onderdrukte te ontwikkel.
Vervolgens word in hoofstuk vier aangetoon hoe aandag vir die sosiale en kulturele verbande
van Jesaja 42:1-9 uitwys hoe die Israeliete en Judeërs nie instaat was om hulle verpligtinge
teenoor die armes na te kom na aanleiding van die morele verval wat alle tereine van hulle
lewe beïnvloed het. Die Dienaar van JHWH word belowe ten einde ‗n nuwe era van sosiale
geregtigheid te vestig.
Ten slotte word daar in hoofstuk vyf uitgewys dat die ideologiese verband beklemtoon hoe
God se teologiese alternatief gekenmerk word deur die spanning tus-sen twee sieninge van
die verbond (onvoorwaardelik sowel as voorwaardelik). Teen die agtergrond is
geargumenteer dat Jesaja 42: 1-9 se teologies-etiese herdefiniëring van die verbond ‗n
Akamba begrip daarvoor akkommodeer.
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Abbreviations
AAR American Academy of Religion, Studies in Religion
ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary
AGNT Analytical Greek New Testament
ANE Ancient Near Eastern
ASV American Standard Version
BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
BI Biblical Interpretation
Bib Biblica
BN Biblische Notizen
BSac Bibliotheca Sacra
BT The Bible Translator
BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin
BWANT Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testament
BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CR-BS Currents in Research Biblical Studies
CTJ Calvin Theological Journal
EDNT Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament
EvTh Evangelische Theologie
ESV English Standard Version
ETR Etudes théologiques et religieuses
Ex The Expositor
EXpTim The Expository Times
GNB Good News Bible
GW God‘s Word Translation
HAR Hebrew Annual Review
HALOT The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament
HSS Harvard Semitic Studies
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HTR Harvard Theological Review
HTS Harvard Theological Studies
IDB Interpreter‘s Dictionary of the Bible
IDBSup Interpreter‘s Dictionary of the Bible Supplementary Volume
Inter Interpretation
ISBE International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society
JB Jerusalem Bible
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JJS Journal of Jewish Studies
JNSL Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages
JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament
JSNTSS Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series
JSOT Journal of the Study of the Old Testament
JSOTSup Journal of the Study of the Old Testament Supplement
JSS Journal of Semitic Studies
JTC Journal of Theology and Church
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
KJV King James Version
NASB New American Standard Bible
NBDB The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon
NedThT Nederlands Theologisch Tijdschrift
NET New English Translation
NIB New Interpreter‘s Bible
NIDB The New Interpreter‘s Dictionary of the Bible
NIDOTE New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology &Exegesis
NIV New International Version
NJB New Jerusalem Bible
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NJKJV New King James Version
NLT New Living Translation
NRSV The New Revised Standard Version
OTE Old Testament Essays
OTL Old Testament Library
OTS Oudtestatmentische Studiën
OTWSA Ou-Testamentiese Werkgemeenskap in Suid-Afrika
PRSt Perspectives in Religious Studies
RB Revue Biblique
RExp Review & Expositor
RLB Revidierte Lutherbibel
RPP Religion Past & Present
SBL Society of Biblical Literature
SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series
SBLSP Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers
SJOT Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament
SJT Scottish Journal of Theology
ST Studia Theologia
TDOT Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament
TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
TEV Today English Version
TLOT Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament
TynB Tyndale Bulletin
TWAT Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Alten Testament
TZ Theologische Zeitschrift
VT Vetus Testamentum
VTSup Vetus Testamentum Supplement
WMANT Wissenschaftliche Monographien Zum Alten und Neuen Testament
ZAW Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
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ZMR Zeitschrift für Missionswissenschaft und Religionswissenschaft
ZTK Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche

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COVENANT IN RELATION TO JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS IN ISAIAH 42:1-9 1
Declaration 2
Acknowledgments 3
Abstract 4
Opsomming 5
Abbreviations 6
CHAPTER 1 15
INTRODUCTION 15
1. 1 Research Background 15
1.2 Research Problem 20
1.3 Research Question and and hypotheses 25
1.4 Scope of Research 25
1.5 Literature Review on the Kamba Covenant 28
1.6 Methodology 31
1.7 Definition of Terms 32
1.7.1 Muma ................................................................................................................. 33
1.7.2 Kithitu ................................................................................................................ 34
1.7.3 Utianio ............................................................................................................... 34
1.7.4 Justice ................................................................................................................. 35
1.7.5 Righteousness .................................................................................................... 35
1.7.6 Covenant ............................................................................................................ 36
1.8 Outline of Chapters 38
CHAPTER II 40
THE INTRATEXTURE ANALYSIS OF ISAIAH 42:1-9 40
2.1 Introduction 40
2.2 Text translation with critical notes of Isaiah 42:1-9 40
2.3 The Servant Songs 43
2.4 Repetitive Texture Pattern in Isaiah 42:1-9 50
2.4.1 Themes Based on Repetitive and Progressive Texture in Isaiah 42:1-9 ............ 51
2.4.2 The Progression of hwhy db[ to Justice in Isaiah 42:1-9 ............................... 52
2.4.3 The Progression of !h towards Justice in Isaiah 42:1-9 .................................... 52
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2.4.4 The Progression of within Isaiah 42:1-9 ..................................................... 56
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2.4.5 The Progression of within Isaiah 42:1-9 ................................................. 59
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