Historical Backdrop of Yeshayahu 49/2

Historical Backdrop of Yeshayahu 49

Exegetical Approaches

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Those Who Returned to Tziyon

The prophet's words are addressed to the struggling community which had returned to Tziyon from Babylonia.

Sources:Y. Hoffmann¹

"עֲזָבַנִי י"י" – The returnees felt that Tziyon had been abandoned by Hashem.  They had returned from the comforts and prosperity of Babylonia to a country in ruins which appeared to have been forgotten by God.

"חוֹמֹתַיִךְ נֶגְדִּי תָּמִיד" – Hashem's reassurance that He constantly remembers the city's walls might be an attempt to allay the fears of the returnees who were apprehensive about living unprotected in a city without defensive walls.  The dire situation is described in Sefer Nechemyah, "הַנִּשְׁאָרִים אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאֲרוּ מִן הַשְּׁבִי שָׁם בַּמְּדִינָה בְּרָעָה גְדֹלָה וּבְחֶרְפָּה וְחוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם מְפֹרָצֶת וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ נִצְּתוּ בָאֵשׁ" (Nechemyah 1:3).

"חׇרְבֹתַיִךְ וְשֹׁמְמֹתַיִךְ" – These words aptly describe the devastation found in Jerusalem during the period, as Nechemyah tells the king when requesting to return to rebuild the city, " מַדּוּעַ לֹא יֵרְעוּ פָנַי אֲשֶׁר הָעִיר בֵּית קִבְרוֹת אֲבֹתַי חֲרֵבָה וּשְׁעָרֶיהָ אֻכְּלוּ בָאֵשׁ" (Nechemyah 2:3) .

"מְהָרְסַיִךְ וּמַחֲרִיבַיִךְ מִמֵּךְ יֵצֵאוּ" – This promise that Israel's enemies will depart from her midst might refer to "צָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן" who initially attempted to hamper the work on the Mikdash and later to prevent the nation from rebuilding the city walls.²

"כֻּלָּם נִקְבְּצוּ בָאוּ לָךְ" – At first glance, the many verses which describe an in-gathering of exiles would seem to contradict this approach, which assumes that the people have already returned from Babylonia.  However, the promise of return is actually quite relevant to the era.  One of the biggest disappointments of the returnees was how few actually returned.  Ezra counts just a mere 42,00 who moved back to Israel after the initial permit given by Cyrus.

"הֲיֻקַּח מִגִּבּוֹר מַלְקוֹחַ" – According to this approach, these are the words of the foreigners who had infiltrated and settled in Israel while the nation was in exile.  They metaphorically question, is it possible that someone will retrieve the booty taken by a mighty warrior; i.e. how can Israel take back the land which has since been occupied by others? Hashem responds that it is definitely possible to do so, and He will fight against Israel's rivals in the land.

Israel in Exile

Which exile? These sources disagree regarding whether the prophet refers to those exiled to Babylonia, or to the current exiles.

"עֲזָבַנִי י"י" – The people in exile feel as if Hashem had forgotten them.

"עַל כַּפַּיִם חַקֹּתִיךְ חוֹמֹתַיִךְ נֶגְדִּי תָּמִיד" – This position understands the phrase metaphorically to mean that Hashem constantly thinks of the nation. The walls might represent Jerusalem as a whole, and not refer specifically to the ruins.

"כֻּלָּם נִקְבְּצוּ בָאוּ לָךְ" – Since Hashem is speaking to those in exile, the focus on the return to Israel is logical.

"הִנֵּה אֶשָּׂא אֶל גּוֹיִם יָדִי" – The plural language of "גּוֹיִם" makes sense if Hashem is referring to the current exile when the people are dispersed among multiple nations.

הֲיֻקַּח מִגִּבּוֹר מַלְקוֹחַ

¹ See his commentary to the chapter in Olam HaTanakh, Yeshayahu (Tel Aviv, 1996): 233-234.

² For other understandings of the phrase, see "מְהָרְסַיִךְ וּמַחֲרִיבַיִךְ מִמֵּךְ יֵצֵאוּ".