The Return of YHWH: The Tension between Deliverance and Repentance in Isaiah 40–55

191 Pages·2008·1.211 MB·English

by  Blaženka Scheuer

Blazˇenka Scheuer
The Return of YHWH
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die
alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
Herausgegeben von
John Barton · Reinhard G. Kratz
Choon-Leong Seow · Markus Witte
Band 377
≥
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
Blazˇenka Scheuer
The Return of YHWH
The Tension between Deliverance and Repentance
in Isaiah 40-55
≥
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
(cid:2)(cid:2)Printedonacid-freepaperwhichfallswithintheguidelinesoftheANSI
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ISBN 978-3-11-019034-2
ISSN 0934-2575
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Scheuer,Blazˇenka.
ThereturnofYHWH:thetensionbetweendeliveranceandrepentance
inIsaiah40-55/BlazˇenkaScheuer.
p. cm. - (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissen-
schaft,ISSN0934-2575;Bd.377)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-3-11-019034-2(cloth:alk.paper)
1.Bible.O.T.IsaiahXL-LV-Criticism,interpretation,etc. I.Title.
BS1520.S35 2008
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2008038568
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וּארְִי ןִיעבְּ ןִיעַ יכּ For in plain sight they see
ןוֹיּצִ הוהי בוּשׁבְּ the return of YHWH to Zion.
Isa 52:8

Foreword

Isaiah 40–55 represents one of the peaks of the Hebrew Bible. In the
theology of this part of the Book of Isaiah, there is an aspect that mod-
ern research has so far not come to grips with: the tension between the
consolatory message of salvation and the harsh tone of accusation.
How should we account for the fact that Isa 40–55, known as the
Prophet of Consolation, juxtaposes his declarations of deliverance and
his exhortations to repentance? Why is repentance required, if the de-
liverance has already been carried out? Studying these issues in Isaiah
40–55 has shed some light on the interdependence between the actions
of God and the actions of human beings in general.
My interest in these questions resulted in a doctoral dissertation
which I submitted to Lund University, Centre for Theology and Reli-
gious Studies, in 2005. This monograph is a slightly revised version of
that dissertation. Its appearance in the series “Beihefte zur Zeitschrift
für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft” is a great honour and I would
like to thank Prof. Dr. Reinhard Kratz for showing interest in the pro-
ject and recommending it for publication with Walter de Gruyter.
I would also like to express my gratitude to my advisors, Professor
Fredrik Lindström and Professor Emeritus Tryggve Mettinger. I owe a
debt of gratitude to them both for their unfailing encouragement and
support, as well as for their scholarly precision and guidance leading
towards the completion of my project.
My sincere thanks also goes to the members of the OTSEM network
(a network of Old Testament scholars from the Universities in Den-
mark, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden). I have greatly bene-
fited from their creative criticism, the stimulating discussions and the
valuable suggestions offered at the various OTSEM seminars.
The support of family and friends has been invaluable. First and
foremost, I wish to express my deepest gratitude and affection to my
companion in life, Fredrik Scheuer, whose intelligence, humour and
endless love have been instrumental in writing of this book. Also, my
deepest gratitude and love go to our three children Rebecka, Adrian
and Marcus for enriching my life beyond imagination and for placing
my academic work in a proper perspective.
VIII Foreword
I am also grateful to my father, Milan Vorkapic´, for his lively intel-
lect and for passing on to me an interest in history and a curiosity in
finding out how things became what they are.
Finally, my warmest gratitude goes to my heroine of a mother, Lju-
bica Vorkapic´, who from my early age taught me the depths and the
beauty of the biblical texts. In these she found true joy throughout her
life up to that late summer day when she passed away in September,
2006. This remarkable woman has been my parent, my friend and my
ally. I dedicate this book to her.

Lund, early in the summer of 2008, Blaženka Scheuer
Contents

Foreword .................................................................................................... VII
Contents ..................................................................................................... IX
Abbreviations ......................................................................................... XIII
1 Introduction ......................................................................................... 1
1.1 The Subject of This Investigation .............................................. 1
1.2 The Historical Context ............................................................... 3
1.3 Redaction ..................................................................................... 6
1.4 Procedure ..................................................................................... 13
1.5 Definition of Concepts ............................................................... 14
2 The History of Research ..................................................................... 17
2.1 The Call to Repentance .............................................................. 17
2.2 Sin and Repentance in Isaiah 40–50 ......................................... 23
2.2.1 Studies that Refer to the “Sins of the Past” ............... 23
2.2.2 Studies that Refer to the “Sins of the Present” .......... 28
2.2.3 Summary ........................................................................ 31
3 Sin, Repentance and Transformation ............................................... 32
3.1 Accusations against the Israelites ............................................. 34
3.1.1 Isaiah 43:22–28 ............................................................... 34
3.1.2 Isaiah 46:8–13 ................................................................. 40
3.1.2.1 Isaiah 46:8–11 ................................................................. 41
3.1.2.2 Isaiah 46:12–13 ............................................................... 45
3.1.3 Isaiah 48:1–11 ................................................................. 48
3.1.4 Isaiah 50:1–3 ................................................................... 55
3.1.5 Summary ........................................................................ 57
3.2 The Calls to Repentance ............................................................. 59
3.2.1 Isaiah 44:21–22 ............................................................... 59
3.2.2 Isaiah 55:6–7 ................................................................... 65
X Contents
3.2.2.1 Repentance in Isaiah 55 ................................................ 69
3.2.2.2 Repentance and Deliverance in Isaiah 55 .................. 72
3.2.3 Summary ........................................................................ 74
3.3 The Function of Transformation ............................................... 76
3.4 Conclusions ................................................................................. 78
4 The Idol-Worshippers ......................................................................... 82
4.1 Idol-Fabrication Texts ................................................................ 82
4.1.1 Isaiah 40:19–20 ............................................................... 84
4.1.2 Isaiah 41:6–7 ................................................................... 86
4.1.3 Isaiah 44:9–20 ................................................................. 87
4.1.4 Isaiah 46:6–7 ................................................................... 94
4.1.5 Conclusions ................................................................... 95
4.2 The Charges Against the Nations ............................................. 97
4.3 The Idol-Worshippers: The Nations or the Israelites? ........... 101
5 Jeremiah and Ezekiel .......................................................................... 105
5.1 Jeremiah ....................................................................................... 106
5.1.1 The Calls to Repentance ............................................... 106
5.1.1.1 Jeremiah 3 ...................................................................... 107
5.1.2 The Transformation Texts ........................................... 112
5.1.3 Conclusions ................................................................... 116
5.2 Ezekiel .......................................................................................... 116
5.2.1 The Calls to Repentance ............................................... 117
5.2.2 The Transformation Texts ........................................... 118
5.2.3 Conclusions ................................................................... 120
5.3 Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Deutero-Isaiah ...................................... 121
6 Deliverance and Repentance ............................................................. 124
6.1 The Concept of Sin ...................................................................... 125
6.1.1 The Explicit Formulations ........................................... 126
6.1.2 The Implicit Statements ............................................... 128
6.2 The Concept of Repentance ....................................................... 131
6.3 The Concept of Deliverance ...................................................... 133
6.4 The Relationship between Deliverance and Repentance ...... 136
6.5 The Return of YHWH ................................................................. 142
6.6 The Tension as a Theological Challenge .................................. 145