Isaiah 1-39

Walter Brueggemann

• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Year: 1998
• ISBN:
  9781611644876
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

In this volume, Walter Brueggemann writes on Isaiah 1-39, which many scholars believe had a single author, Isaiah, of the eighth century BCE, who wrote in the context of the Assyrian empire between 742 and 701.

Books in the Westminster Bible Companion series assist laity in their study of the Bible as a guide to Christian faith and practice. Each volume explains the biblical book in its original historical context and explores its significance for faithful living today. These books are ideal for individual study and for Bible study classes and groups.

1.“Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord of Hosts”
Isaiah 1—12

It is conventional to regard the initial twelve chapters of the book of Isaiah (along with chapters 28—31) as the primary work of the eighth-century prophet Isaiah. Certainly, the editorial notice of 1:1 situates the material in the eighth century. Moreover, the specific confrontation with King Ahaz (7:1–25) and the frequent references to Assyria (7:17, 20; 8:4, 7–8; 10:5–15; 11:16) anchor this material and its speaker, Isaiah, in the latter half of the eighth century. There is no doubt of the historicity of the events reflected therein, nor of the prophet Isaiah, nor of the utterances assigned to him. It is evident that the person of Isaiah occupied defining space in the theological memory, hope, and imagination of Israel.

However, primary attention is now given by scholars not to the initial utterances of the prophet but to the final form of the text as we have it. That is, editorial work by many hands over a long period of time has shaped and reshaped prophetic utterance in order to create a theological message that has been durable and canonical in Judaism. Although that theology is surely seeded by the eighth-century prophet, there is no doubt that the completed theological claim of the book of Isaiah runs well beyond the initial utterance of the eighth century. We may, moreover, see this canonical achievement on exhibit even in chapters 1—12, which are commonly thought to be the primary work of eighth-century Isaiah.

The work of eighth-century Isaiah, with particular reference to King Ahaz and the crisis of the Syro-Ephraimite war (Judah’s war with Syria and Israel) is to summon Judah to radical trust in Yahweh, the God of Israel. But because the king and those around him did not share that trust in Yahweh, they succumbed to Assyrian power. The prophet took submission to Assyrian power to be a wholesale rejection of Yahweh, which inevitably brought Yahweh’s wrath upon the city of Jerusalem. This deeply negative verdict upon eighth-century Jerusalem is funded and reinforced by what must have been a shared prophetic conviction (shared at least by his contemporary, Amos) that disregard of Yahweh’s will in public life leads to subsequent trouble in public life. It is this ethical linkage that constitutes the core of prophetic discernment.

Because Isaiah trusts in Yahweh’s fidelity, however, this prophetic tradition has difficulty accepting that Yahweh in wrath will finally terminate the beloved city and its people. So there continues to sound, amidst the harsh judgment, the assertion of Yahweh’s resolve to do newness that is grounded not in Israel’s merit or repentance but in Yahweh’s own determination. And beyond the rootage of the prophet in the David-Zion traditions of graciousness, there is no doubt that later editorial work in the Isaiah tradition had on its horizon not only the destruction of Jerusalem in the sixth century but the modest recovery of the city at the end of the sixth and into the fifth century. Those historical realities thus provide substance for the theological conviction of Yahweh’s judgment and Yahweh’s renewing mercy. Thus, both rootage in traditions of prophetic rigor and David-Zion hope and the lived experience of displacement and homecoming together produced in the Isaiah tradition a two-stage presentation of Yahweh-with-Jerusalem: two stages of judgment and renewal. In later Isaiah, this becomes a prominent theme concerning “the former things” and “a new thing” (43:18–19). What is remarkable is that this scheme for the final form of the text, which is especially influential in the later tradition of Isaiah, is already decisive for the shaping of chapters 1—12, which are most clearly linked to Isaiah in the eighth century.

As a consequence of this editorial conviction rooted in both theological tradition and lived experience, we are able to see that this two-stage pattern is decisive for chapters 1—12. Thus, after the orientating statement of 1:1, the book of Isaiah presents a long introductory “speech of judgment” (1:2–31) that is followed by the powerful promise of 2:1–4. In parallel fashion, the extended “speech of judgment” in 2:5—4:1 culminates with the promise of 4:2–6 concerning the returning remnant. Things are more complicated in the middle portion of 5:1–9:7, but we notice even here that the culminating verdict of “distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish” (8:22) constitutes “the former time” (9:1), which is followed by “the latter time” (9:1), articulated in the exuberant promise of 9:2–7. And in the judgment speech of 9:8–10:4 we are reassured by the hope of a remnant in 10:5–27a, when Assyria is to be overcome “in a very little while.” (The pattern in 5:1–10:27a is not as clear as elsewhere.) The final statement of judgment in 10:27b—34 is answered by the series of promissory assertions in 11:1—16 and most especially by the visionary oracle of 11:1–9.

Thus we are able to see that the primary tone of these chapters, largely from the eighth century, is judgment. But that harsh judgment is decisively punctuated and reshaped by the promises of 2:1–4; 4:2–6; 9:2–7; and 11:1–9, together with other less formidable affirmations in 10:5–27a and 11:10–16. In the final form of the text, there is no doubt that the promise prevails. The tradition of Isaiah, already in chapters 1—12, refuses to give finality to the harsh judgment that is so palpable and that cannot be denied. In the end, it is not the pain of the historical process but the wonder of Yahweh’s resolve that will carry the day. For that reason, this daring and massive statement culminates in the unreserved, celebrative, exuberant doxology of chapter 12.

It is difficult to know how much of the material of hope comes from the prophet of the eighth century and how much is later editorial work. It seems clear that the prophet himself is grounded in traditions that permit hope in the face of dire circumstance. However that matter may be decided, the finished literary product that became canon is—as it always is in the production of biblical literature—a combination of deeply rooted, tenacious tradition, which already has its mind made up, and poignantly faced, honestly embraced lived experience. These two together—tradition and experience—produce what becomes the normative claim of faith in the book of Isaiah. What is said is honestly impinged upon by lived reality, but there is more at work here than what the world notices about reality.

The book of Isaiah, then, including chapters 1—12, is theology. That is, it has a determined perspective on reality with Yahweh at its center. The two-stage presentation of Yahweh’s life with Jerusalem, the “former times” and the “latter times,” is as important a resource for Christians as it is for Jews. That two-stage perception, so profoundly formative for the book of Isaiah, was readily taken up by Christians in the acknowledgment of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It is for that reason that the promises offered by the Isaiah tradition are so readily reread with reference to Jesus. In doing so, it is important for Christians to keep in mind that we are second readers and that our reading is always a rereading.

AN OVERTURE OF THE MAIN THEMES 1:1–2:4

This opening presentation provides an overture to the entire book of Isaiah. As we will see, the book of Isaiah reflects upon, interprets, and shapes Israel’s imagination over a long sweep of the history of Jerusalem—from royal prosperity through exilic displacement to modest rehabilitation. The present first chapter has all of this sweep in purview and enunciates the themes that will be predominant in all that is to follow. The book of Isaiah is fully aware of the historical and geopolitical vagaries that beset Jerusalem. It insists, however, upon redescribing those ups and downs with primary reference to the character and resolve of Yahweh, the God of Israel, whom it regards as the primary agent in the destiny of Jerusalem.

Locating the Book (1:1)

1:1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Like many of the prophetic books of the Old Testament, the book of Isaiah begins with an editorial comment that situates the book to follow. In good journalistic fashion, we are quickly given four pieces of “who, when, what” data. First, the “source” is Isaiah, son of Amoz. We know nothing about this historical personage except what can be deduced from the book itself. Moreover, if “Isaiah” is understood as a historical figure (as seems beyond dispute), then this verse pertains only to portions of the book found in chapters 1—39, for it is clear that subsequent chapters are situated well after the eighth-century figure.

Second, the subject of what follows is “Judah and Jerusalem.” We will be able to see that each part of the long sweep of the book is indeed preoccupied with Jerusalem and Judah, “in life and in death”; that is, in monarchic Israel and in exile, and then in the new life finally given to Jerusalem after the Exile.

Third, the time line offered concerns four kings. Of these, Jotham is relatively unimportant and does not figure in the book of Isaiah (cf. 2 Kings 15:32–38). His father, Uzziah (= Azariah), was a notably strong king whose long reign was prosperous (2 Kings 15:1–7), though he seems only to provide the entry point for the ministry of Isaiah (cf. Isa. 6:1). Thus, of the four kings named, only two figure significantly in the book that follows. Ahaz is commonly regarded as a weak ruler and, from a Yahwistic perspective, vacillating and eventually unfaithful (734—715; cf. 2 Kings 16:1–20). His son Hezekiah is commonly assessed as a strong, independent, and reliable king, a sharp contrast to his father (715–697?; cf. 2 Kings 18:1–20:21). Hezekiah receives extended, favorable treatment in the biblical recounting of Israel’s history. The two kings together provide a backdrop for the prophet, who is situated in royal history but not defined by it. These two kings, in fact, pertain to only a brief slice of the apparent chronology of the book of Isaiah (735–690) and perhaps are regarded editorially, in the larger sweep of the book, as symbols for weak Yahwism and strong Yahwism, postures of faith and power with which prophetic faith must contend in every context in every generation.

From a historical perspective, Ahaz and Hezekiah are reference points in the monarchic period, that is, in the eighth century. Ahaz models a weak king who jeopardizes the realm, and Hezekiah models a strong king who enhances the realm. Although the book of Isaiah undertakes specific monarchic history, however, it characteristically looks past monarchic history with one eye in order to keep in mind the larger sweep of the history of Jerusalem that extends through the end of monarchy (up to 587), through the Exile (587–537), and into the postexilic period (perhaps as far as 520).

It is for that reason necessary (and demanding) to read Isaiah with a bifocal vision, focused both on near history and on far history, both viewed from a deeply committed Yahwistic perspective. Read in the long perspective of the book of Isaiah, Ahaz is a metaphor for the refusal of Jerusalem to trust Yahweh, whereby Israel comes to failure and exile; conversely, Hezekiah is a metaphor for the trust that Israel may have in Yahweh, which makes possible an enduring communal existence into and beyond exil...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Series Foreword
• Introduction
• 1. “Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord of Hosts” Isaiah 1—12
• 2. Yahweh’s Rule in World Perspective Isaiah 13—23
• 3. Yahweh’s Judgment on the Power of Evil Isaiah 24—27
• 4. “The King in His Beauty” Isaiah 28—33
• 5. The New Governance of Harshness and Joy Isaiah 34—35
• 6. The Career of the Good King Isaiah 36—39