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Author: Eduardo Freire Canosa
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1 Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush,
2 which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.
3 All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it.
4 This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."
5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.
7 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers—the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.
Verses 1-2 berate Cush for sending envoys to Assyria. Cushite Pharaoh Tirhakah (2 Kings 19:9, Isaiah 37:9) ruled Egypt at this time. At first glance verses 4-6 seem to adhere to the script of Cush, but a careful study of the allegory they host proves otherwise.
Revised Chapter 18 selects three verses of the canonical chapter, imports four more from three chapters and adopts the title, "Cush."
3. All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it.
Destination: Clearly Revised Chapter 24, "The Day of The Lord,"
3 All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it. 8:9 Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
4-6. This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." 5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. 6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.
Explanation: The "spreading branches" of verse 5 are the branches of a vine ("when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape"). The metaphor does not point to Assyria, for Assyria is compared to "forests and fertile fields" (Isaiah 10:18). The metaphor does not point to Cush, for Cush is "the land of whirring wings" (v 1). The vine is a metaphor for Judah (Isaiah 5:3-4). The action implicit in verses 5-6 is the Lord's pruning of a "bad vine" in his vineyard. The action implied by verse 4 is the Lord's quiet surveillance of this bad vine for a season.
Destination: Revised Chapter 5, "The Vineyard of The Lord,"
4 This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." 5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches. 6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter. 56:9 Come, all you beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
2:7-8. Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.
8:10. Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
14:32. What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? "The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge."
1 Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush, 2 which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers. 2:7 Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. 2:8 Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.
8:10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
14:32 What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? "The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge."
7 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers—the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.
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