“The crown
Shall be in the care
Of Heldai,
Tobijah,
Jedaiah,
With Josiah,
The son of Zephaniah,
As a memorial
In the Temple of Yahweh.”
Those returning captives mentioned earlier, Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Josiah were to take care of this crown. It would be in the Temple of Yahweh as a reminder or memorial of their former captivity.
“You shall go out in joy!
You shall be led back in peace!
The mountains before you
Shall burst into song.
The hills before you
Shall break out into singing.
All the trees of the field
Shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn bushes,
The cypress tree shall come up.
Instead of the briar patch,
The myrtle tree shall come up.
It shall be a memorial to Yahweh.
It shall be an everlasting sign
That you shall not be cut off.”
Second Isaiah concludes this section by talking about a happy return to Jerusalem. The Israelites will return in joy and peace because the singing mountains and hills are alive with the sound of music. The trees of the field will clap with their branches, as if they were hands. Instead of thorn bushes and briar patches, cypress and myrtle trees will grow. This will be a memorial to Yahweh as an everlasting sign that they will never be cut off from Yahweh again.
“So in this way he died. He left in his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.”
Thus Eleazar was a true Jewish martyr. He set an example of nobility and courage for all to see. For many Christians, he was one of the first martyrs before Christ. For the philosophers, he was a man like Socrates who died for his ideas or beliefs.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 