“Jesus
Passed through
The midst of them.
Jesus
Went on his way.”
αὐτὸς δὲ διελθὼν διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν ἐπορεύετο.
Luke uniquely said that nothing happened to Jesus. He said that Jesus passed through them (αὐτὸς δὲ διελθὼν) in their midst (διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν) and went on his way (ἐπορεύετο). No harm, no foul. They did not do anything to Jesus as he escaped from there, without saying how it happened.
“The officials of Judah,
The officials of Jerusalem,
The eunuchs,
The priests,
With all the people
Of the land,
Who passed between
The parts of the calf,
Shall be handed over
To their enemies.
They shall be handed over
To those who seek
Their lives.
Their corpses
Shall be food
For the birds
Of the air
As well as the wild animals
Of the earth.”
All the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the eunuchs and the priests, would be handed over to their enemies, who wanted to kill them. The same goes true also for all the people who were part of that agreement to free the Hebrew slaves, when they passed through the 2 parts of the calf. Thus they would all die. Their dead bodies would become the food for the birds of the air or the wild animals of the earth.
“The wild animals will honor me.
The jackals will honor me.
The ostriches will honor me.
I give water in the wilderness.
I give rivers in the desert
To give drink
To my chosen people.
They are the people
Whom I formed for myself
That they might declare my praise.”
Second Isaiah has Yahweh continue in the first person singular, saying that the wild animals will honor him. However, he only lists the jackals and the ostriches. Yahweh has provided water in the wilderness by providing rivers in the desert. Thus his specially chosen people could also give praise, just like the wild animals have. The wild animals seemed to appreciate the water more than Yahweh’s chosen people. Apparently on the return from Babylon, they passed through a desert wilderness in Syria some place.
“They will pass through the land.
They will be greatly distressed.
They will be hungry.
When they are hungry,
They will be enraged.
They will curse their king.
They will curse their gods.
They will turn their faces upward.
Or they will look to the earth.
But they will see only distress.
They will see only darkness.
They will see only the gloom of anguish.
They will be thrust into thick darkness.”
Isaiah has some kind of dark night march. These soldiers were greatly distressed, as they passed through some unnamed land. They were hungry. Thus they were mad at their king and their gods. Whether they looked up or just around them on earth, they could only see distress, darkness, gloom, and anguish. They seemed to be in some kind of thick darkness.
“Both we with our ancestors have sinned.
We have committed iniquity.
We have done wickedly.
Our ancestors,
When they were in Egypt,
Did not consider
Your wonderful works.
They did not remember
The abundance of your steadfast love.
But they rebelled
Against the Most High
At the Red Sea.
Yet Yahweh saved them for his name’s sake.
Thus he would make known his mighty power.
He rebuked the Red Sea.
Then it became dry.
He led them through the deep
As through a desert.
He saved them from the hand of the foe.
He delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
The waters covered their adversaries.
Not one of them was left.
Then they believed his words.
They sang his praise.”
The psalmist associates himself with his ancestors in Egypt who doubted Yahweh with iniquity and wickedness. His ancestors did not realize the wonderful work that Yahweh was doing. They never understood the steadfast love of Yahweh. Thus they rebelled against the Most High God before crossing the Red Sea. However, Yahweh saved them so that they could go forth and proclaim his name. Yahweh made the Red Sea dry. Then they passed through it like it was a desert instead of a sea. They were saved from the hands of their foes and enemies. In fact, their adversaries were covered in water so that no was left. After this the Israelites believed in his words and sang praising his name.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 