<\/p>
Prophesying the restoration from exile (Isaiah 61), Isaiah says that at teh return the mourners in Zion will be comforted. \u00a0That is filled out as a triple gift (v. 3): <\/p>\n
1. Beauty for ashes <\/p>\n
2. Oil of joy for mourning <\/p>\n
3. Garments of praise for spirit of heaviness <\/p>\n
Several observations on these gifts. <\/p>\n
1. The first gift uses a pun. \u00a0Beauty is pe\u2019er <\/em> , while ashes is \u2018epher <\/em> . \u00a0The second word inverts the first two consonants of the first word. \u00a0Thus, the verbal form of the word embodies the reversal involved in substituting beauty for ashes. <\/p>\n 2. The three gifts follow the ordination rite for priests. \u00a0\u201dBeauty\u201d is not the same word as that found in Exodus\u2019 \u201cgarments of glory and beauty,\u201d but it is a synonym, and it is used for the headgear of priests in Exodus 39:28. \u00a0Removing ashes, further, implies washing, which is the first stage of ordination. \u00a0Then Aaron and his sons are anointed with oil before being invested with the garments of glory and beauty. \u00a0Isaiah is describing the restoration of Judah as a as a re-investiture, re-ordination to priesthood (cf. v. 6). <\/p>\n 3. The gifts of beauty, oil, garments form \u201ctrees of righteousness.\u201d \u00a0We can think of this first in terms of literal trees. \u00a0Imagine a burnt stump of a tree. \u00a0What would it take to restore that stump to treehood? \u00a0Isaiah describes this as a threefold process: The ashes become wood, the tree is anointed (therefore, it is an \u201coil tree,\u201d olive tree perhaps), and it is clothed in a robe of leaves. \u00a0Oil trees belong in the inner sanctuaries of the temple: The door of the Most Holy Place is made of oil wood, as are the cherubim that overarch the ark. <\/p>\n 4. In context, the \u201ctrees of righteousness\u201d are people. \u00a0By going through a re-ordination ritual, the people become anointed trees, Yahweh\u2019s planting, presumably in the house of Yahweh. \u00a0The imagery suggests that Isaiah conceives of \u201ctree\u201d as a suitable symbol of \u201cpriest,\u201d and that connects in various directions: Aaron was confirmed as priest when his staff budded like an almond tree; Psalm 92 speaks of trees planted in the house of Yahweh; the walls of the temple are carved with palm trees. \u00a0The temple is a grove, and in the temple are men like trees walking, the priests who serve Yahweh in His house. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Prophesying the restoration from exile (Isaiah 61), Isaiah says that at teh return the mourners in Zion will be comforted. \u00a0That is filled out as a triple gift (v. 3): 1. Beauty for ashes 2. Oil of joy for mourning 3. Garments of praise for spirit of heaviness Several observations on these gifts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-ot-isaiah"],"yoast_head":"\n