Historical Backdrop of Yeshayahu 40/2

Historical Backdrop of Yeshayahu 40

Exegetical Approaches

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Era of Yeshayahu

Yeshayhau was comforting his contemporaries regarding current events.

Babylonian Exile

Yeshayahu's prophecy revolves around the return of the nation who had been exiled to Babylonia.

Sources:R. Yosef KaraYeshayahu 40About R. Yosef Kara, Ibn EzraYeshayahu 40:1, 3, 11, 25, 27, 31About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, ShadalYeshayahu 40:1-3, 10-12, 16, 18, 27About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto

Why speak about the return from Babylonia now? This position must explain why Yeshayahu would be prophesying about an event that would have been meaningless to his generation. These sources offer several approaches:

• Reaction to prophecy of exile – The chapter immediately before this prophecy closes with Yeshayahu's prediction that Chizkiyahu's descendants were to be exiled to Babylonia. R"Y Kara maintains that upon hearing the news, Chizkiyahu should have prayed for mercy.  When he did not, Hashem decided to comfort the nation instead. As such, the prophecy is meant to console not only the generation in exile, but also Yeshayahu's own generation who were otherwise left with an open-ended prediction of doom.¹
• Relayed only later – According to Shadal, though Yeshayahu received this prophecy, he did not share it with his own generation, but rather wrote it down to be relayed in the future, when relevant.²
• Received and relayed only later – Ibn Ezra cryptically implies that this prophecy (and those of the rest of the book) were actually not recorded by Yeshayahu at all, but by another, later prophet who lived in the time of the exile.³ As such, the Book of Yeshayahu includes both the prophecies of Yeshayahu himself and those of an anonymous prophet. Ibn Ezra compares this to Sefer Shemuel, which was also composed by multiple prophets: Shemuel, Gad and Natan.⁴

Relationship to other prophecies of consolation

"כִּי מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ כִּי נִרְצָה עֲוֺנָהּ" – Ibn Ezra and Shadal explains that "צבא" refers to a set amount of time or work.  The prophet tells the nation that the seventy years of Babylonian exile which were foretold by Yirmeyahu⁵ have come to their end.  The people have paid their due in punishment (נִרְצָה עֲוֺנָהּ) and now it is time to return.

"פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ י"י" – The prophet declares that the nations should clear a way for Hashem to lead those in exile back home.⁶ Shadal explains that the descriptions of valleys rising and mountains falling are not a depiction of supernatural events,⁷ but merely a metaphoric means of indicating that nothing will stand in the way of Hashem's ingathering of the exiles.⁸

"כׇּל הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר... וּדְבַר־אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יָק֥וּם לְעוֹלָֽם" – The prophet contrasts humans, who eventually wither like grass, with Hashem whose word stands forever. Though the people feel as if it their stint in Babylonia is never-ending, the prophet reminds them that Hashem (unlike humans) will fulfill His promise, and after 70 years, Bavel will fall and the nation will return from exile.

"כְּרֹעֶה עֶדְרוֹ יִרְעֶה בִּזְרֹעוֹ יְקַבֵּץ טְלָאִים" – This description of Hashem as a shepherd gathering his flock, carrying the young close to his bosom, is an apt metaphor for Hashem's loving return of the exiles.

Descriptions of Hashem's abilities – Verse 12-17 depict Hashem as creator, above human knowledge, whose power is so great that other nations are like dust in comparison.  His glory is such that all the trees and animals would not suffice to sacrifice to Him appropriately. Through these images, the prophet demonstrates to the despairing nation that, given Hashem's abilities, redemption of the people and the destruction of Bavel is not beyond Him

Mockery of idols – These sources do not agree on the message which the prophet intended to relay through his mockery of idolatry in verses 18-21:

• Encouragement – Shadal maintains that these verses also serves to encourage the people that redemption is near. Hashem rhetorically asks the people, "do you think I am like one of the foreign idols, without any abilities to save?"
• Critique – R"Y Kara, instead views these verses as a subtle critique of the people who still worship idolatry. Hashem asks why they bow down to hand-made forms when they should know better.  Do they not recognize that it is Hashem who made the world, while the idols are but the work of craftsmen?

"לָמָּה תֹאמַר יַעֲקֹב וּתְדַבֵּר יִשְׂרָאֵל נִסְתְּרָה דַרְכִּי מֵי"י" – Shadal explains that after highlighting Hashem's powers, the prophet turns to chastise the people for their lack of faith in the salvation, and for questioning His providence.  Hashem, however, simultaneously encourages the people that their doubts are unfounded. R"Y Kara explains each of the prophet's subsequent statements to refer to the events surrounding the return from Bavel specifically:

• נֹתֵן לַיָּעֵף כֹּחַ וּלְאֵין אוֹנִים עׇצְמָה יַרְבֶּה – This refers to Hashem empowering Korash and Daryavesh, who had been weak kings, but will now be able to defeat Bavel.
• בַחוּרִים כָּשׁוֹל יִכָּשֵׁלוּ – The youth are the mighty of Bavel, who are now to fall.
• וְקוֹיֵ י"י יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ יַעֲלוּ אֵבֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִים – Those who trust in Hashem will be given the "wings" to flee from Bavel.

Present Exile

Yeshayahu's prophecy speaks of the future redemption.  He tells the people not to despair for Hashem will ultimately redeem the nation and return those in exile to Tzion.

Sources:RadakYeshayahu 40About R. David Kimchi, RidYeshayahu 40About R. Yeshayah of Trani, Abarbanel, MalbimYeshayahu Beur HaInyan 40About R. Meir Leibush Weiser

Why speak about Messianic times now?

"כִּי מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ כִּי נִרְצָה עֲוֺנָהּ" – Abarbanel and Malbim distinguish between the two phrases, suggesting that the prophet is claiming that the final redemption will come either when its set time is complete, or earlier, when the nation's sins are atoned for through repentance.

"כִּי לָקְחָה מִיַּד י"י כִּפְלַיִם בְּכׇל חַטֹּאתֶיהָ" – Radak explain that the prophet is saying that the nation received "double " their punishment,⁹ having suffered through two exiles - that of Bavel and that of Rome.

"פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ י"י" – As above, most these sources read this as a festive announcement to "pave the way" as Hashem is soon to return those in exile. Malbim maintains that this will be accomplished through supernatural means as the valleys miraculously rise and the hills shrink.¹⁰
Abarbanel, instead, suggests that the prophet is warning the nation that redemption will only come if they remove all obstacles (their sins), and make the crooked straight.

¹ Cf. Ibn Ezra who also notes that the two chapters are juxtaposed since one predicts the exile and the other the return.  However, he does not agree that the prophecy was meant to comfort Yeshayahu's own generation as well. See his alternative explanation below.

² Shadal, however, does not explain why Hashem would prefer that Yeshayahu record and store the message, when Hashem could have simply relayed it to a later prophet. Since much of the prophecy focuses on reassuring the people that Hashem keeps His word, perhaps knowing that the prophecy was predicted over a century and a half before its fulfillment served to increase the people's faith in Hashem.

³ Many modern scholars have similarly posited that Sefer Yeshayahu was composed by two (or more) prophets.  They point to the mentions of Koresh by name (Yeshayahu 44:28 and 45:1), the references to the fall of Bavel (Yeshayhau 43:14, 48:20), and description of a destroyed Temple (Yeshayahu 64:10) as evidence that the author of chapters 40-66 must have been living in the time of the Babylonian exile. They further note linguistic differences between the two halves of the book.
The fact that a prophet might foresee events that will occur in the distant future is not an issue for believers in prophecy, however, and was likely not what prompted Ibn Ezra to his conclusions. For a discussion of the textual and conceptual motivations which might have influenced him, see U. Simon, "Ibn Ezra Between Medievalism and Modernism: the Case of Isaiah XL-LXVI ", Supplements to Vetus Testamentum 36 (1983): 257-271. See also Shadal's extensive rejection of the scholarly position in Kerem Chemed 7 (1843):  225-242.  For a full discussion of the issue, see Authorship of Sefer Yeshayahu.

⁴ One might argue that the parallel is not exact, as all three prophets of Sefer Shemuel were contemporaries and are mentioned in the book, while Ibn Ezra is positing an anonymous prophet unknown from elsewhere who lived much later than Yeshayahu.

⁵ See Yirmeyahu 25:11-12.

⁶ Ibn Ezra explains that the path is called "דֶּרֶךְ י"י" because it leads back to the Mountain of Hashem.

⁷ Since there is no evidence that the return from Babylonia was accompanied by miraculous events, this position cannot read the verse  literally. [It is possible, however, that, regardless, these sources might have read the verse metaphorically.]

⁸ R"Y Kara, following Targum Yonatan, also reads the line as a metaphor, but for the rising up of the lowly (Israel), and the fall of the mighty (the other nations).

⁹ For alternative explanations of the verse and a discussion of whether Hashem ever punishes more than deserved, see Manifold Punishment.

¹⁰ Radak reads the verses metaphorically to refer to the ease of the return.