Isaiah 40-66: A Commentary

454 Pages·1969·16.387 MB·English

by  Claus Westermann

CLAUS WESTERMANN
ISAIAH 40-66
e SCM Press Ltd 1969
Translated by David M. G. Stalker from the German
Das Buch Jesaia, 40-66
(Das Alte Testament Deutsch 19)
first edition 1g66
published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,
Gottingen
Scripture quotations from the Revised Standard Version
of the Bible are copyright, 1946 and 1952, by the Divi
sion of Christian Education of the National Council of
Churches, and are used by permission.
Standard Book No. 664-20851-7
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 6g-1864 7
Published by The Westminster Press®
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
12 13 14 15
THE OLD TESTAMENT LIBRARY
General Editors
PETER AcKROYD, University of London
jAMES BARR, Oxford University
BERNHARD W. ANDERSON, Princeton Theological Seminary
jAMES L. MAYS, Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia
Advisory Editor
JoHN BRIGHT, Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia
CLAUS WESTERMANN
llSAllAH 40=66
A Commentary
The Westminster Press
Philadelphia
e SCM Press Ltd 1969
Translated by David M. G. Stalker from the German
Das Buch Jesaia, 40-66
(Das Alte Testament Deutsch 19)
first edition 1966
published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,
Gottingen
Scripture quotations from the Revised Standard Version
of the Bible are copyright, 1946 and 1952, by the Divi
sion of Christian Education of the National Council of
Churches, and are used by permission.
Standard Book No. 664-20851-7
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 6g-18647
Published by The Westminster Press®
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
12 13 14 15
Dedicated to Professor D. Gerhard von Rad, DD
my honoured teacher and colleague
on his sixty-fifth birthday
with gratefulness and admiration

CONTENTS
Abbreviations xi
Bibliography xiii
PART ONE
DE UTERO-ISAIAH
Chapters 40-55
Introduction 3
The Period 3
The Prophet Himself 6
The Message of Deutero-Isaiah 8
Traditions in the Prophecy of Deutero-Isaiah 21
The Origin and Growth of the Book 27
Commentary 31
40.1-11 Comfort my people 31
40.12-31 The Creator is the Saviour 46
41.1-5 Who performs and does this? 62
40.19-20j 41.6-7 The Manufacture of Idols 66
41.8-13 Fear not! 67
41.14-16 Fear not! 74
41.17-20 I open rivers on the heights 78
41.21-29 The Former and the Latter Things 81
42.1-4 Behold, my Servant 92
42·5--9 I call you in righteousness 97
42.10-13 A New Song 101
42·14-17 I lead the blind in the way 105
42.18-25 Hear, you deaf! 108
43·1-7 Fear not! 114
43.8-15 Trial Speech: You are my witnesses 119
43·16-21 A Proclamation of Salvation: Behold, I am
doing a new thing 126
Vlll CONTENTS
43·22-28 Trial Speech, Yahweh v. Israel: You have
burdened me! 130
44·1-5 An Oracle of Salvation: Water on the
Thirsty Land 133
44·6-8, 21-22 Trial Speech: the First and the Last 138
44·9-20 A Satire on the Manufacture of Idols 144
44.24-28; 45· 1-7 The Oracle concerning Cyrus 152
45·8 Shower, ye heavens 163
45·9-13 The Clay and Its Moulder 164
45.14, 15, 16-17 God is with you 168
45.18-19 He did not create it a chaos 171
45·20-25 All the Ends of the Earth 174
46.1-4 Bearing and Being Borne 177
46·5-8 To whom will you liken me? 182
46·9-13 Remember the former things of old 183
47·1-15 Come down into the dust 186
48.1-11 The Former Things and the New 194
48.12-17 I called you 199
48.18-19 Then your peace would be like a river 203
48.20-21 Go forth from Babylon 204
49·1-6 The Second Servant Song 206
49· 7-12 In the day of salvation I help you 212
49·13 Sing for joy, 0 heavens! 216
49·14-26 I have graven you on my hands 217
50.1-3 Where is your mother's bill of divorce-
ment? 223
5°·4-9 The Third Servant Song 225
51.1-2,4-8 (along My deliverance is for ever 232
with 50.10-11)
51.3 A Fragment of a Hymn of Praise 237
51.9-52·3 Stand up, Stand up! 238
52·4-6 Egypt, Assyria and Babylon 248
52.7-10 Your God is King 249
52.11-12 Depart! 252
52.13-53·12 The Fourth Servant Song 253
54·1-10 Sing, 0 barren one! 269
54·1I-J7 The New Salvation 276
55·1-5 Come, all you that thirst 280
55.6-1 r The word that goes forth from my
mouth 286