Isaiah 55:7-13 is lovely poetry. It’s also a theologically rich passage. It starts with an exhortation to the wicked to abandon his own ways and thoughts, his conduct, goals, and plans (v. 7). If he does so, he can find pardon. Penitence is the only path to pardon. “Thoughts” and “ways” are hook words that lead into the following verse. The reason that the wicked man has to forsake his own ways and plans is that the Lord’s own ways... Read more

Isaiah 55:1 is an invitation to a food market, opened in the restored Zion. Like Lady Wisdom of Proverbs, she offers food and drink. The verse is chiastically organized: A. come to waters and drink B. without silver C. come, buy D. eat C’. come, buy B’. without silver or price A’. wine and milk Two observations: One, that food is the central offer. And, second, that the initial invitation to drink water gets transformed by the end of the... Read more

Diseased and wounded Zion (Isaiah 1:5-6) finally the makeover she has wanted (Isaiah 54:11-12). She is a bride, adorned with jewels. She is a city whose foundations, gates, and border fences sparkle. She is dressed as a priest, gem stones on her breastplate. She is adorned like the firmament, a foundation of sapphire (cf. Exodus 24:10) and a “sun” (shemesh) like agate. Read more

When Yahweh returns to abandoned Zion, she breaks into song. He breaks into poetry (Isaiah 54). He describes Zion as a “woman forsaken and grieved in Spirit, a wife of youth refused” (v. 6). “Forsaken” translates ‘azuvah , and “grieved” translates ‘atzuvat , and the assonance in Hebrew continues, though less pronounced, with the word “youth,” ne’uriym . He explains, “With little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment” (v. 8). “Little wrath” is shetzef qetzef .... Read more

Isaiah sees Zion as a grieving “widow” (Isaiah 54:4). But Yahweh is her husband. Yahweh must have died if she is left in her widowhood. Then he comes back as her ba’al (54:5), her lord and husband, making her a Lady, a be’ulah (54:1). This isn’t merely a separation and reconciliation. It is a death and resurrection. When He returns to her, Yahweh comes as her “redeemer,” her go’el (vv. 5, 8), the one charged with responsibility to raise up... Read more

Because of the Servant’s work (Isaiah 53), Zion is restored to her husband (54:4-5). That restoration is marked by the outbreak of song (54:1-3) but also by a series of negations. Verse 4 begins with three clauses that all begin with the Hebrew particle lo , “not”: Do not fear, you will not be ashamed, you will not be confounded. It continues with parallel clauses that promise deletion of memory: “the same of your youth you will forget” and “the... Read more