Interesting enough, there is a dispute about the books of the Hebrew Bible among various Christians. The English Christian Protestant Reform Bible used the Hebrew Bible texts for its translation of the King James English translation of the Bible. Later 20th century translations, especially the New Revised Standard Version also used these texts. However, the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Bible relied on the inspired Greek Septuagint, the 2nd century BCE version of the Hebrew inspired Bible. This was best represented by the 4th century CE Latin translation of the Vulgate by Jerome. Various translations during the 20th century, especially the Bible of Jerusalem, have used the structure of the Vulgate.
relied
Against human fortresses (Hos 8:14-8:14)
“Israel has forgotten
His Maker.
They built palaces.
Judah has multiplied
Fortified cities.
But I will send
A fire
Upon his cities.
It shall devour
His strongholds.”
The final swipe in this chapter is against southern Judah also. Northern Israel had forgotten its creator maker. They had built palaces that they thought would survive. Meanwhile, southern Judah also built a number of fortified cities. Yahweh, via Hosea, reminded them that he could devour their cities and strongholds. They should have relied on Yahweh and not their own construction.
The power of foreign gods (Dan 11:38-11:39)
“He shall honor
The god of fortresses,
Instead of these,
A god whom his ancestors
Did not know.
He shall honor
With gold,
With silver,
With precious stones,
With costly gifts.
He shall deal
With the strongest fortresses
By the help
Of a foreign god.
Those who acknowledge him,
He shall make more wealthy.
He shall appoint them
As rulers over many.
He shall divide
The land
For a price.”
Gabriel went on to tell Daniel about how King Antiochus IV worshiped foreign gods, probably the Greek gods of Jupiter at Olympus, not the Syrian gods of his ancestors. Apparently, King Antiochus IV had more respect for these Greek gods. Jupiter was a god of strength. His ancestors knew nothing about these Greek gods. However, he honored them with gold, silver, precious stones, and costly gifts. He relied on these foreign gods to maintain his stronghold positions. King Antiochus made people wealthy, if they agreed with him. In fact, he may have practiced a form of bribery, by dividing up the land for a price.
The explanation of the allegory of the cedar tree (Ezek 31:18-31:18)
“Which among the trees
Of Eden
Was like you
In glory,
Or in greatness?
Now you shall be
Brought down
With the trees
Of Eden
To the world below.
You shall lie
Among the uncircumcised.
You shall lie
With those who were killed
By the sword.
‘This is Pharaoh
With his entire hoard.’
Says Yahweh God.”
Yahweh God revealed the meaning of the big cedar tree. There is very little suspense, since it is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and the multitude of his people with him. The other trees were those kings and people associated with Egypt that relied on him for their existence. Once again, there was a comparison of this great cedar tree with the trees from the Garden of Eden. Which was more glorious or great? The great cedar tree would be brought down with the trees from the Garden of Eden to the world below. Thus, they would lie down with the uncircumcised and those killed by the sword.
The disobedience of their ancestors (Jer 7:24-7:26)
“However their ancestors
Did not obey.
They did not
Incline their ears.
But in the stubbornness
Of their evil will,
They walked
In their own counsels.
They looked backward
Rather than forward.
From the day
That your ancestors came out
Of the land of Egypt
To this day,
I have persistently sent
All my servants,
The prophets,
To them,
Day after day.
Yet they did not listen to me.
They did not pay attention.
But stiffened their necks.
They did worse
Than their ancestors.”
Yahweh points out to Jeremiah that their ancestors did not obey God’s commands. They did not listen because they were stubborn in their evil ways. They relied on their own counsels, looking backward rather than forward. Yet since the day that they left Egypt, Yahweh has sent his prophet servants to them on a daily basis. However, they still have not listened or paid attention. Instead they stiffened their necks and were more disobedient than their ancestors.
The two evils (Jer 2:13-2:13)
“My people have committed two evils.
They have forsaken me.
I am the fountain of living waters.
They dug out cisterns for themselves.
These broken cisterns cannot hold water.”
The Israelites had committed two evils. First, they gave up on the living fountain of water, Yahweh, in forsaking him. Then secondly, they relied on their own dug out wells or cisterns for water. But their leaky cisterns could not even hold stagnant water in them. They gave up on God and relied on themselves, but even that was not successful.
The intervention of Yahweh (Isa 42:14-42:17)
“For a long time,
I have held my peace.
I have kept still.
I have restrained myself.
Now I will cry out
Like a woman in labor.
I will gasp.
I will pant.
I will lay waste mountains.
I will lay waste hills.
I will dry up all their herbage.
I will turn the rivers into islands.
I will dry up the pools.
I will lead the blind
By a road that they do not know.
I will lead the blind
In paths that they have not known.
I will guide them.
I will turn
The darkness before them into light.
I will turn
The rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do.
I will not forsake them.
They shall be turned back.
They shall be utterly put to shame.
All those who trust in craved images,
All those who say to cast images,
‘You are our gods.’”
Once again, we have the first person singular, as Yahweh speaks directly in Second Isaiah. Yahweh had been quiet, still, and restrained. Now, however, Yahweh was going to yell out with gasps and pants, like a woman in labor about to give birth. He was going to tear down the mountains and the hills, dry up vegetation and pools, as well as turn rivers into islands. He was going to lead the blind on unknown roads with unlevel ground. He would turn their darkness into light and level the rough ground. He was not going to give up on the blind, perhaps a reference to the Israelites being led blindly in the desert wilderness during the Exodus. However, he was going to shame those who relied on carved and cast images as their gods. This was a strong plea for monotheism among the Israelites.
The speech of Rabshakeh (Isa 36:4-36:7)
“Rabshakeh said to them.
‘Say to King Hezekiah.
Thus says the great king of Assyria.
On what do you base this confidence of yours?
Do you think that mere words are strategy?
Do you think that power is for war?
On whom do you now rely?
You have rebelled against me.
See!
You are relying on Egypt,
That broken reed of a staff,
That will pierce the hand
Of any man who leans on it.
Such is the Pharaoh King of Egypt
To all who rely on him.
But you say to me.
‘We rely on Yahweh our God.’
Is it not he whose high places
That King Hezekiah has removed?
Is it not he whose altars
King Hezekiah has removed?”
In words that are word for word from 2 Kings, chapter 18, Isaiah presents this speech from Rabshakeh meant for King Hezekiah of Judah (716-687 BCE). His diatribe, in the name of King Sennacherib of Assyria (706-681 BCE), implies that King Hezekiah had rebelled against the King of Assyria, since he now had a treaty with the Egyptian Pharaoh. Rabshakeh maintained that Judah had to be with either Assyria or Egypt. Rabshakeh told them not to be tricked by Egypt since they were a broken reed that would pierce their hands. He mocked the Israelites for saying that they relied on Yahweh, since King Hezekiah had torn down all the idol shrines during his religious reforms. However, there was no mention of the altar at Jerusalem here.
The refusal of the Israelites (Isa 30:15-30:17)
“Thus said Yahweh God,
The Holy One of Israel.
‘In returning
You shall be saved.
In rest,
You shall be saved.
Your strength is in quietness.
Your strength is in trust.
But you refused.
You said.
‘No!
We will flee upon horses.’
Therefore you shall flee!
‘We will ride upon swift steeds.’
Therefore your pursuers shall be swift!
A thousand shall flee
At the threat of one.
At the threat of five,
You shall flee,
Until you are left
Like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
Like a signal on a hill.”
This oracle of Isaiah has both titles, Yahweh God and the Holy One of Israel. Yahweh shows the Israelites how they can be saved. They have to be quiet in a trustful rest, which would then be their strength. However, they refused. They wanted to get on their fast horses and ride away. However, Yahweh reminded them that their pursuers had swift horses also. These combatants will chase them until they become like a flagpole on the top or a mountain or a signal on the top of the hill. They should have stayed quiet and relied on trusting Yahweh, not their fast horses.
The judgments of the Holy One of Israel (Isa 30:12-30:14)
“Therefore thus says
The Holy One of Israel.
‘Because you reject this word,
You put your trust in oppression.
You put your trust in deceit.
You rely on oppression.
You rely on perverseness.
Therefore this iniquity
Shall become for you
Like a break in a high wall.
It will bulge out,
About to collapse.
The crash comes suddenly,
In an instant.
Its breaking is
Like that of a potter’s vessel.
It is smashed so ruthlessly
That among its fragments
Not a shred is found
For taking fire from the hearth,
Or dipping water out of the cistern.’”
The Holy One of Israel, not Yahweh, delivers this oracle, via Isaiah, in the second person plural. The Israelites have rejected the word of God. Instead they have relied on deceit, oppression, and perversion to get things done. Thus they will be punished. They are like a high wall with bulges in it about to collapse. Suddenly, in an instant, the whole wall will come crashing down like a potter’s vessel. This wall will be smashed so badly, that not a shred will be found. They will be like a broken vase that will not be able to be brought back to the fire to be reformed. This broken container will not be able to hold any water at all from the cistern well.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 