First Upload: Wednesday March 13, 2019
Last Modified: Thursday March 21, 2019
Author: Eduardo Freire Canosa
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1 Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.
2 Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what the Lord says: "You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed."
4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "At first my people went down to Egypt to live; lately, Assyria has oppressed them.
5 "And now what do I have here?" declares the Lord. "For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock," declares the Lord. "And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I."
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
11 Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
This canonical chapter is a broth of six exportable scripts.
1-3. Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. 2 Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion. 3 For this is what the Lord says: "You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed."
Analysis: Verse 1 repeats the formula, "Awake, awake," pervading Revised Chapter 51. The script of the three verses matches the script of Isaiah 51:17-23.
Destination: Revised Chapter 51, "Awake, Awake, O Zion!"
4-6. For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "At first my people went down to Egypt to live; lately, Assyria has oppressed them. 5 "And now what do I have here?" declares the Lord. "For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock," declares the Lord. "And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed. 6 Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I."
Analysis: Here the object of the Lord's displeasure is Babylon ("For my people have been taken away for nothing"). The Lord had foretold that the Redeemer would come to Zion (Isaiah 59:20) meaning that the Lord would lead his people out of Babylon.
Destination: Revised Chapter 64, "Our Holy And Glorious Temple Has Been Burned With Fire,"
59:20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the Lord. First Half of 62:6 "I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. 8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes."4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "At first my people went down to Egypt to live; lately, Assyria has oppressed them. 5 "And now what do I have here?" declares the Lord. "For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock," declares the Lord. "And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed. 6 Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I."
7. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
Analysis: This verse duplicates the message of Isaiah 40:9,
You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"(Isaiah 40:9)
Destination: Revised Chapter 40, "Comfort Zion."
8. Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.
Analysis: Glued to Isaiah 59:20 and to the first half of Isaiah 62:6, verse 8 builds a cogent reply to Isaiah 64:12, "After all this, O Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?"
Destination: Revised Chapter 64, "Our Holy And Glorious Temple Has Been Burned With Fire." See verses 4-6 for the placement of this verse.
9. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
Destination: Obviously Revised Chapter 48, "Leave Babylon, Flee From The Babylonians!"
10. The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
Analysis: The Lord battles "with the blows of his arm" (Isaiah 30:32). The conflict is worldwide because "all the nations and all the ends of the earth" will witness it.
Destination: Revised Chapter 24, "The Day of The Lord,"
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. 59:19 From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the Lord drives along.
11-12. Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. 12 But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
Destination: Obviously Revised Chapter 48, "Leave Babylon, Flee From The Babylonians!"
13. See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Analysis: There are three servants of the Lord spoken of till now: "The Servant In Whom The Lord Delights" (Revised Chapter 42) the nation Israel (Revised Chapter 49) and the prophet Isaiah (Revised Chapter 50). The Lord's use of "he" for this servant rules out Israel. The Lord's use of the future tense ("will act wisely," "will be raised and lifted up") conflicts with his use of the present and past tenses in regard to prophet Isaiah. Consequently this verse concerns "The Servant In Whom The Lord Delights." Still verse 13 has no partner in that chapter; the verse is orphaned. A much better socket awaits this verse on neighbouring chapter 53 which deals with the fourth servant of the Lord.
Destination: Revised Chapter 53, "The Righteous Servant,"
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 53:10 Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
14-15. Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness— 15 so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Reason: Obviously this severely disfigured man had to be an Israelite, not a foreigner. The two verses state that he will afterward "sprinkle many nations" (?) an arcane expression which perhaps means that he will "mold many nations" after his deportment or laws, much as Moses "sprinkled" the twelve tribes of Israel. There is no historical figure from the days of Isaiah son of Amoz or from the days of the Babylonian Isaiah which matches the portrait offered by these two verses. Out of the three "servants of the Lord" mentioned till now, "The Servant In Whom The Lord Delights" (Revised Chapter 42) is the only candidate on whom the verses could rest albeit with wobbly legs. Verses 14-15 lodge perfectly in the next chapter. The next chapter introduces the fourth servant of the Lord and lays emphasis on his sorrows, affliction and suffering.
Destination: Revised Chapter 53, "The Righteous Servant."
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