Historical Backdrop of Yeshayahu 40/2

Historical Backdrop of Yeshayahu 40

Exegetical Approaches

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Return from 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

"דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם" – As the prophecy relates only to the return of the Judean exiles (and not the ten tribes), it is logical that the prophet addresses Yerushalayim specifically.

"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... כׇּל גֶּיא יִנָּשֵׂא" – According to these sources, these verses refer to the return of the Babylonian exiles. The prophet declares that the nations should clear a way for Hashem to lead the people 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, and whose promises of help are unreliable,⁹ 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 is an apt metaphor for Hashem's loving return of the exiles.

Descriptions of Hashem's abilities – Verse 12-17 depict Hashem as Creator and highlight that His 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 ("...וּלְבָנוֹן אֵין דֵּי בָּעֵר"). 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.¹⁰ 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 gently 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 Koresh 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 about to fall.
• וְקוֹיֵ י"י יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ יַעֲלוּ אֵבֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִים – Those who trust in Hashem will be given the "wings" to flee from Bavel.

Future Redemption

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 11:1Yeshayahu Beur HaInyan 40About R. Meir Leibush Weiser

Why speak about Messianic times now?

• Corollary to present salvation – Abarbanel suggests that after devoting the first section of his book to the salvation from the Assyrian threat, Yeshayahu devoted the second half to the ultimate and greater salvation in the future. He does not explain why Yeshayahu's generation would have needed such comfort, though it is possible that news of the Messianic age is relevant to all generations.¹¹ Alternatively, once the Ten Tribes were exiled, the prophet felt it necessary to speak of the era in which they, too, would return.¹²
• Potential to have been fulfilled earlier – Malbim¹³ claims that from the moment of the exile of the Ten Tribes there was potential for their return, if the people repented and were worthy.  As such, all the prophecies regarding the future redemption could have been fulfilled in Yeshayahu's own time had the people merited them (and were thus already relayed then). Only due to the nation's continued sins were the prophecies' fulfillment delayed to the future.

"כִּי מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ כִּי נִרְצָה עֲוֺנָהּ"

• According to Radak and Rid, Yeshayahu is comforting the nation who has been in exile for so many centuries, telling them that finally their time is up ("מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ"), and their punishment is complete.
• Abarbanel and Malbim, instead, read the two phrases as alternative scenarios: the prophet shares that the final redemption will come either when its set time is complete ("מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ"), or earlier, when the nation's sins are atoned for through repentance ("נִרְצָה עֲוֺנָהּ") . As such, according to them, the prophecy is not only one of consolation, but also a warning that repentance is necessary to hasten the redemption.

"כִּי לָקְחָה מִיַּד י"י כִּפְלַיִם בְּכׇל חַטֹּאתֶיהָ" – Radak explain that the prophet is saying that the nation received "double" their punishment,¹⁴ having suffered through two exiles - that of Bavel and that of Rome.

"פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ י"י" – These sources disagree regarding the goal of the prophet's description of the "paving a way" for Hashem:

• Consolation – Most these sources read this as a festive announcement of the redemption.  The voice calls to "pave a way"  for Hashem who is soon to return those in exile.
• Warning –  Abarbanel, instead, suggests that the prophet is warning the nation that redemption will come quickly only if they pave the way, by removing all obstacles to salvation (their sins), and making the crooked straight.¹⁵

"כׇּל גֶּיא יִנָּשֵׂא": miracle or metaphor? These sources divide on this question:

• Miracle – Malbim reads these words literally, claiming that the future ingathering of exiles will be accomplished through supernatural means, as the valleys miraculously rise and the hills shrink.¹⁶ The final redemption will match the initial return from Egypt, which was similarly marked by miracles.
• Metaphor – Radak,in contrast, reads the verses metaphorically to refer to the ease of the return.

"כׇּל הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר... וּדְבַר־אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יָק֥וּם לְעוֹלָֽם" – These sources disagree about the identity of the "withered flesh," and, thus, about the message being relayed through the image:

• Israel's enemies – According to Radak and the Rid, the image "כׇּל הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר" relates to the fate of Israel's enemies¹⁷ who will whither and die at the hand of Hashem.¹⁸  When this happens the people will realize that Hashem's words to His prophets have been fulfilled.
• Israel in exile – Abarbanel and Malbim, in contrast, assert that the "withered people" are the Nation of Israel ("אָכֵן חָצִיר הָעָם").  The "caller" who is supposed to console the people asks Hashem, "But what shall I call out; so many generations have already withered and died in the long years of exile.  How can they be consoled now?"  He is answered that Hashem will ultimately fulfill his promise. Even if sin has caused a delay, when the time of redemption is at hand, the nation will be saved regardless.

Multiple voices – Malbim maintains that the different voices which "call" to the nation (verses 3 and 6) represent various attempts to console the nation. Since the nation continued to sin after the first cry, redemption did not come and the voice quieted, necessitating a second call.

Descriptions of Hashem's abilities – According to Radak, verses 12-26 are aimed at the foreign nations who doubt that Hashem can free Israel from their bondage. The prophet points to Hashem's prowess, notes that the nations are nothing to Him, and tells them that they should not compare the omnipotent Hashem to their futile  gods.

"וּלְבָנוֹן אֵין דֵּי בָּעֵר וְחַיָּתוֹ אֵין דֵּי עוֹלָה" – Radak and Abarbanel maintain that the prophet states that there are not sufficient trees and animals for the enemy nations to sacrifice and atone for their sins, either for their lack of belief in Hashem's abilities (Radak), or for their crimes against Israel (Abarbanel).

"לָמָּה תֹאמַר יַעֲקֹב... מֵאֱלֹהַי מִשְׁפָּטִי יַעֲבוֹר." – In verse 27, the prophet turns back to Israel, who, due to the many centuries of exile, similarly question redemption.  They, however, doubt not Hashem's abilities but His providence, whether He sees their suffering and plans on meting out justice to their enemies.

"אֵין חֵקֶר לִתְבוּנָתוֹ" – Radak explains that the prophet tells the people that though they cannot see the justice in the long exile, and question why Hashem lets them suffer, Hashem must have his reasons, even if they might be incomprehensible to man.

Era of Yeshayahu

Yeshayahu's words are meant to comfort his own generation in light of the exile of the Ten Tribes and the Assyrian threat.

Yeshayahu's audience – One of the advantages of this approach is that the prophecy is intelligible and immediately relevant to Yeshayahu's own generation.

Placement of prophecy in the book – Since the salvation from Assyria is described in Yeshayahu 36-37, it seems odd to place a prophecy predicting it right afterwards.  This approach might respond that the prophecy

דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם – Yeshayahu addresses Yerushalayim, since it is they who stand under the threat of Sancheriv.

"כִּי מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ כִּי נִרְצָה עֲוֺנָהּ"

"פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ י"י... וְנִגְלָה כְּבוֹד י"י" – According to this approach, these verses do not describe the path back to Yerushalayim from exile, but are rather a metaphoric description of the arrival of Hashem to plague the Assyrians, at which point His glory was revealed to all.

"כׇּל הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר... וּדְבַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם" – This approach might explain this imagery in one of two ways:

• Metaphor for Egypt – Yeshayahu likens Egypt to withered grass, reminding the nation that they are not reliable allies and should not be trusted to come to Israel's aid.  Hashem's word in contrast, "lasts forever" and so it is to Him that they should turn and trust.
• Metaphor for Assyria – Alternatively, Yeshayahu speaks of Assyria itself who will dry up like grass when Hashem's spirit blows upon it. With Sancheriv's downfall, all will realize that "דְבַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם".

Hashem as shepherd – This approach might interpret this image in various ways:

• Caring leader – The comparison of Hashem to a shepherd gathering his flock to his bosom demonstrates Hashem's loving care for his nation.  It has nothing to do with an in-gathering of exiles.
• Return of Ten Tribes – Alternatively, the image refers to the partial return of the Ten Tribes in the era of Yoshiyahu.¹⁹  With the defeat of Assyria, the dream of return became a real possibility.²⁰

Descriptions of Hashem's abilities – The descriptions of Hashem as Creator, unsurpassed in knowledge and power, serve not only to remind the nation that destroying Assyria requires no effort for Hashem, but also to teach Assyria that it is Hashem, not they, who is ultimately in charge.  As Yeshayahu points out in Chapter 37, Assyria viewed herself as invincible, not realizing  that her conquests were due only to Hashem's will and had been pre-ordained. Thus, here the prophet echoes the message that Hashem is the source of all; it is He who plans all that goes on in the world.

"וּלְבָנוֹן אֵין דֵּי בָּעֵר וְחַיָּתוֹ אֵין דֵּי עוֹלָה" – This, too, might be a subtle retort to Assyria's gloating.  Sancheriv boasted of going to  Lebanon and cutting down the choicest of its trees (Melakhim). Hashem says that even if all the trees there were to be cut, they would not suffice to glorify Hashem.

Mockery of idols – Sancheriv had taunted Yehuda by pointing out that gods of every other nation had not withstood him, so Yehuda should not think that Hashem will do any better. Hashem, here, responds that He is not comparable to other gods.  They are just the work of craftsmen, while Hashem is the Craftsman Himself, Creator of the heavens and its stars.²¹

"לָמָּה תֹאמַר יַעֲקֹב וּתְדַבֵּר יִשְׂרָאֵל נִסְתְּרָה דַרְכִּי מֵי"י" – In these words, the prophet turns towards "Yisrael" and the exiled tribes, who, despite having been uprooted for just a few years, have already begun to despair of Hashem's salvation .

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 See Shadal who explains the phrase "וְכׇל חַסְדּוֹ כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה" to refer to the acts of kindness that people attempt to do for others (but which don't always come to fruition or last).

¹⁰ This must assume that the people in exile still worshiped idolatry.

¹¹ Though this might be true, the description in Chapter 40 is not an all encompassing depiction of Messianic times and contains no images of world peace, just leaders, or a righteous society.  It focuses, instead, on Hashem's ability to bring the nation back, which is the one aspect of the Messianic age which would not necessarily have significance to a nation not yet exiled.

¹² This would be a more compelling argument if the chapter focused on Israel rather than Yehuda and Yerushalayim.

¹³ See his comments on Yeshayahu 11:1.

¹⁴ For alternative explanations of the verse and a discussion of whether Hashem ever punishes more than deserved, see Manifold Punishment.

¹⁵ This fits with his reading of verse 1 above, tat the timing of the redemption is in the hands of the people.

¹⁶ undefined

¹⁷ Radak maintains that they speak specifically of those who will side with "Gog and Magog" in the battle at the End of Days.

¹⁸ Radak explains the phrase "כׇל חַסְדּוֹ כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה" to mean that even those who have done acts of kindness will find that these do not save them for their sins against Israel are so many.

¹⁹ See Bavli Megillah 14b who suggest that Yirmeyahu went to bring gather the exiles and that Yoshiyahu ruled over them upon their return.

²⁰ See Malbim on Yeshayahu 18:7 who even raises the possibility that some returned in the era of Chizkiyahu himself, soon after Sancheriv's fall.

²¹ With these words, Hashem basically affirms Chizkiyahu's words in his prayer regarding Sancheriv's taunt: וְנָתֹן אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם בָּאֵשׁ כִּי לֹא אֱלֹהִים הֵמָּה כִּי אִם מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם עֵץ .וָאֶבֶן וַיְאַבְּדוּם. וְעַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ מִיָּדוֹ וְיֵדְעוּ כׇּל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ כִּי אַתָּה יְהֹוָה לְבַדֶּךָ