Prophets

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him— and the gates shall not be closed: 2 I will go before you and level the mountains,[a] I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me, 6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. 7 I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things.

2 Isaiah 1. Cyrus serves similar function to Pharaoh in Exodus. God uses him as an educational tool. This chapter arises from a situation of 'contest' - where God's authority is being tested. It is a profound statement of 'monotheism'. God is taking responsibility for the destruction of the temple. Imagery of Cyrus as shepherd. God incites Cyrus to conquest, to end Babylonian dominance and to bring Judah back into existence. Anointing is a royal ritual - as priests or prophets are anointed. Reminiscent of Marduk's choice of Cyrus to set things right in Babylon. 2. Around this time, some Jews are permitted to return to Jerusalem - via Cyrus' decree. Much of II Isaiah then takes on a positive and hopeful strain. Notably, God is speaking to Cyrus 'in front' of Israel. 3. This section (beginning at vs 1) is addressing Cyrus directly who is imagined as being present; the previous section was addressing a Judean audience. This opening is very similar to wording used to 'install' a new ruler - words attributed to Marduk at Cyrus' installation by Marduk (according to Cyrus Cylinder text).

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

2 Isaiah 1. The good news: end of indentured service; the liquidation of debts; and bestowing of benefits that outweighs punishment of sins. We are meant to see contrast of power/permanence of prophetic word over against frailty of human politics - main reference is to Babylon. Jerusalem - the Israelites - has served its time in captivity (like prison) - but has now paid off its debts (in double, actually). But this is also a formula -what must be done is spelled out in vs 3-5. The route that is being prepared is for YHWH - to return to his people (and possibly alludes to the rebuilding of the temple). This is figurative route - but also literal - the 'way through the wilderness' is the path that Judeo-Babylonians followed when returning to Jerusalem. But the emphasis really is on the theme of ecological reconstruction, reclaiming the land ruined by the Babylonian conquest. And, at the end, will be the revelation of YHWH's glory to all humanity. This also has to do with the sanctuary - the place where the ark resides (kabod - presence of God). Like Ezekiel described - God's presence is now mobile. 2. 'Comfort' - this is exact reverse of Lamentations (no comfort). Also, 'My people' is not identified here in text - likely result of the compiler attaching 40-55 to 1-39 / and subsequent omission of the superscription (or rewording to fit their new context). This is YHWH speaking - offering consoling words for Jerusalem, particularly after scathing words of 1-39. 3. Reader is also being prepared for the rise of Cyrus II, who will be taking aim at Neo-Babylonian empire in coming chapters. As a footnote, Jews living in Diaspora is the rule, not the exception. The Fall of Jerusalem (586) leaves Babylon dominating the landscape.

Sing, O barren one who did not bear; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate woman will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord. 2 Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will settle the desolate towns. 4 Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more. 5 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. 6 For the Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, like the wife of a man's youth when she is cast off, says your God. 7 For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.

2 Isaiah 1. Call for public and frequent rejoicing is common theme in Isaiah. Speaking to an infertile woman - speaks to culture in which infant mortality was high and children were essential to economic survival. Childlessness was a serious affliction. Describes woman who is husbandless and childless - extremely vulnerable in this context. There is also a kind of reference here to upholding covenant - so important in Deuteronomistic writings: so we have a thematic link between covenant and marriage. The 'hidden face of God' is often a metaphor for abandonment and distance - and a liturgical void in this case, with the temple still in ruins. To 'see the face' is to experience the divine presence in worship. 2. There is a shift in focus from previous chapters - from Jacob/Israel to Jerusalem/Zion (esp in expectation of temple rebuilding). Depiction of city as tent is common in Isaiah (also refers to wilderness sanctuary). II Isaiah also often characterises strong physical attachments between Israel and God. 3. This is classic 2nd Isaian prophecy of comfort; and parts carry Judean nationalistic tones, as an exiled people struggles to retain its identity.

This is what the Lord God showed me: he was forming locusts at the time the latter growth began to sprout (it was the latter growth after the king's mowings). 2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, "O Lord God, forgive, I beg you! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!" 3 The Lord relented concerning this; "It shall not be," said the Lord. 4 This is what the Lord God showed me: the Lord God was calling for a shower of fire,[a] and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5 Then I said, "O Lord God, cease, I beg you! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!" 6 The Lord relented concerning this; "This also shall not be," said the Lord God. 7 This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."

Amos 1. Specific Theological Emphases: God's pending destruction of Israel. The intercessory role of the prophet - Amos dissuades God from destroying Israel. In the first two visions the End is coming and Yahweh will cause the destruction of Israel. The last vision reveals the inescapability of God's judgment. 2. Literary/rhetorical structure: Amos consists of three types of rhetoric: first-person vision reports, prophetic speeches in which the prophet speaks in his own voice, and divine oracles quoting God directly. The introductory remark in vs. 1, 4, and 7 indicate this passage as first-person vision reports in which Amos recounts what the Lord has shown him. This rhetoric is mostly prose while the other two types typically take the style of poetry. 3. Larger Theological Concerns: Amos "constructs a theology of judgment"; this is is shown in all three visions and most loudly in the last one. The passage does not provide reasons for the judgment but simply informs the reader and Israel that judgment is coming by YHWH's initiation.

7 Are you not like the Ethiopians[a] to me, O people of Israel? says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir? 8 The eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth —except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord. 9 For lo, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes with a sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the ground. 10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, "Evil shall not overtake or meet us." 11 On that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen, and repair its[b] breaches, and raise up its[c] ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 in order that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name, says the Lord who does this. 13 The time is surely coming, says the Lord, when the one who plows shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God.

Amos 1. Theological Emphases: 7-10 show language and theology of judgment characteristic of Amos; but 11-15 seem to diverge and speak of restoration of a portion (the southern kingdom) of Israel. 11-15 written after the defeat of 587 as expression of hope (defeat of Judah, exile, demise of nationhood, and end of Davidic kingship). 2. Literary/rhetorical: 1st person language used by God (7: "Did I not bring"; 8: "I will destroy"; 9: "For lo, I will command") indicates this passage as a divine oracle written in poetic form. See 2 under Amos 7:1-9. 3. Historical Context: 11-15 "probably reflects the defeat of Judah and Jerusalem in 587;" phrase "booth of David" alludes to connection with southern kingdom; 15 alludes to exile from which Judahites would return in contrast to the exile from which none of the northern kingdom would return

24 I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28 Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleannesses, and I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field abundant, so that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you shall remember your evil ways, and your dealings that were not good; and you shall loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominable deeds. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, says the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and dismayed for your ways, O house of Israel.

Ezekiel 1. Ezekiel uses Edenic language to invoke God's restorative acts. In terms of Ezekiel's theological ordering (sin, punishment, restoration, repentance), the passage particularly focuses on the movement from restoration to repentance. Though the Lord provides the newness of land and creation—Israel still has to face its sin. God is moved by pity (v. 32). 2. These verse comes shortly after the turning point in Ezekiel—chpt. 33. Emphasis moves from the fall of Jerusalem—of God's abandonment of the defiled temple—to images of restoration. The chapter is the second in a series of five visions of restoration: Godly leadership (Ch. 34), restoration of the land (Ch. 36), resurrection of the House of Israel (Ch. 37), God's victory in the final battle against Israel's enemies (Chs. 38-39), and New Creation: Temple, city, and land restored (Chs. 40-48) As a whole, Chpt 36 focuses specifically on the restoration of the land. The chapter also precedes Ezekiel's description of the restoration of the Temple (chpt. 37). The verses maintain the theocentric tone of Ezekiel—largely hearing from God directly rather than any added flourishes from the prophet Ezekiel. Also uses "antilanguage" which seeks to disarm the present conditions and radically reconstruct a new identity. Simultaneously forces Israel to confront its sin as it is presented with a new image of life. 3. This portion is written after the fall of Jerusalem (586) though the entirety of the book stretches both before and after this event. These chapters then (33 forward) are focused on re-imagining restoration and a new creation. Provides both a hopeful vision but also forces Israel to reconcile with its sin in light of what God promises.

6 Shall not everyone taunt such people and, with mocking riddles, say about them, "Alas for you who heap up what is not your own!" How long will you load yourselves with goods taken in pledge? 7 Will not your own creditors suddenly rise, and those who make you tremble wake up? Then you will be booty for them. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, all that survive of the peoples shall plunder you— because of human bloodshed, and violence to the earth, to cities and all who live in them. 9 "Alas for you who get evil gain for your house, setting your nest on high to be safe from the reach of harm!" 10 You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. 11 The very stones will cry out from the wall, and the plaster[a] will respond from the woodwork. 12 "Alas for you who build a town by bloodshed, and found a city on iniquity!" 13 Is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor only to feed the flames, and nations weary themselves for nothing? 14 But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. 15 "Alas for you who make your neighbors drink, pouring out your wrath[b] until they are drunk, in order to gaze on their nakedness!" 16 You will be sated with contempt instead of glory. Drink, you yourself, and stagger![c] The cup in the Lord's right hand will come around to you, and shame will come upon your glory!

Habakkuk 1. Composed of 5 woe oracles against theft (v. 6), greed (v. 9), violence (v. 12), drunkenness (v. 15), and idolatry (v. 18). They are directed against the Babylonians—and implicitly against the evil ones (v. 4). The Lord will punish the Babylonians even more harshly than Habakkuk had requested in his complaint (1:12-17). Pattern of woe (v. 6.7) and consequence (v.8) for each of them. Provides assurance that Israel will be protected. Contains both a tone of intermediary priest and prophet. 2. Unique among the prophetic literature, Habakkuk never directly addresses the people of Israel. Preceded by pattern (2X) of Habakkuk complaintàLord's response; followed by a prayer mixed which both waits patiently for events to unfold and actively praises God. Wrestling the problem of theodicy but primarily through silent observation. A book which expresses faith even if Habakkuk doesn't understand it. 3. Written against the Babylonians—meant to address complaints fielded against God. Utilizes liturgical resources of individual and communal lament to respond to questions of God's protection of Israel.

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. 2 Take words with you and return to the Lord; say to him, "Take away all guilt; accept that which is good, and we will offer the fruit[a] of our lips. 3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses; we will say no more, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy." 4 I will heal their disloyalty; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily, he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon.[b] 6 His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of Lebanon. 7 They shall again live beneath my[c] shadow, they shall flourish as a garden;[d] they shall blossom like the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Hosea 1. Israel's past iniquities and the need for repentance. The passage is broken into two sections: 1-3 and 4-7. 1-3 focuses on Israel's past "whoredom" and the need for redemption. "Return to the Lord your God" says Hosea, "for you have fallen because of your sin." Only supplication to God can save Israel—other nations, like Assyria (v.3), can offer no safety in the face of God's wrath. However, God promises in verses 4-7 to heal the nation. "Generously," God says, "I will take them back in love." God's faithfulness is ever-present, and even God's wrath cannot overcome it. God's redemptive love for Israel is presented in beautiful poetry, where God assures forgiveness in the future, and vows to protect Israel like a tree, spreading branches over them, and keeping them safe in the divine shadow (v. 7). 2. Hosea conveys the same theme as this pericope. Hosea's name itself means "Salvation," and so even within the author the hope for future redemption is offered. Hosea also focuses on Israel's iniquity, expressed in the metaphorical marriage of Hosea to Gomer, the prostitute. Israel flees from God and worships false idols, and God expresses rage and fury at this behaviour. However, God also promises redemption, and Hosea prophesies that God will be faithful to the people of Israel and not leave them forever. Even some of the phraseology references earlier sections of Hosea, as the phrase in v. 3 about "finding mercy" or "pity" recalls "Lo-ruhamah" from 1.8. The passage as a whole represents Israel's rejection of its past behaviour, faulty political alliances, and a turn towards God from other deities. 3. Because of its powerful imagery of the call for repentance and promise of safety, this passage became heavily emphasised in Jewish liturgy. Chapter 14:1-10 is traditionally read on the Sabbath before Yom Kippur. Later Christian interpreters (in the early church particularly), Hosea came to be associated with the parable of the prodigal son, as Hosea describes a profligate family member who sins copiously before eventually coming back and being accepted by God's unending love. In terms of his own historical context, the book is set during the last period of political strength in the Northern Kingdom before its destruction by Assyria in 722 BC. Assyria hovers over the text, but the book focuses more on the behaviour of Israel, which is roundly condemned. In modern times, some of the book's imagery is difficult, in that it employs imagery of a dissolving marriage, in which the husband (God/Hosea) engages in public dishonouring and shaming of his unfaithful wife (Israel/Gomer). Some of the imagery of domestic violence can be disturbing to readers, though the commentators in the Jewish Study Bible seek to remind the reader that "the text was not written to glorify or justify family violence, but rather to explain the reasons for the disasters that befell Israel."

[a] Now you are walled around with a wall;[b] siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel upon the cheek. 2 [c] But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. 3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; 5 and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil,[d] we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers.

Micah 1. The passage has messianic overtones, as it prophesies the return of the king, who will herald from Bethlehem, the traditional home of David, to restore the monarchy (implying that this passage is written concerning during the exilic period). "From [Bethelehem] from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel," it reads. The messianic vision is promising, as the leader is stated to "feed his flock in the strength of the Lord," and "they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace." 2. This pericope is situated at the end of a back and forth prophecy—both of judgment and of future hope. Micah is split into several groups, with 1.2-2.13 consisting of divine judgement, but then hope for the future in 2.5 The second group is 3.1-12, which explains the destruction of Jerusalem and the reasons for this (wrongful leadership, unfaithfulness). And then 4.1-5.14 (containing this pericope) swings back to provide utopian visions of the future that touches on Israel's coming strength as well as its more positive relationships to other nations. 3. This passage is historically interpreted in wildly different ways in both Jewish and Christian circles. In traditional Christian interpretation, the prediction of the one from Bethlehem—the one of peace—has obvious connotations concerning the birth of Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God. The passage 5:1-5 is read at Vespers of the Feast of the Nativity in the Orthodox Church. Traditional Jewish interpretations, however, focus instead on the historical context of Israel at the time before the arrival of the messiah. Verse 2, which refers to the birth pangs of the mother of Messiah, is interpreted often as the hardship which will befall Israel in the time before the Messiah's coming. The son of David was understood until the foreign power enfolds Israel for nine months. Rabbi Eleazar's disciples were concerned with having to live through this time of tribulation, and he advices them to occupy themselves with study and prayerful devotion.

Ah! City of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of booty— no end to the plunder! 2 The crack of whip and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! 3 Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering spear, piles of dead, heaps of corpses, dead bodies without end— they stumble over the bodies! 4 Because of the countless debaucheries of the prostitute, gracefully alluring, mistress of sorcery, who enslaves[a] nations through her debaucheries, and peoples through her sorcery, 5 I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your face; and I will let nations look on your nakedness and kingdoms on your shame. 6 I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt, and make you a spectacle. 7 Then all who see you will shrink from you and say, "Nineveh is devastated; who will bemoan her?" Where shall I seek comforters for you?

Nahum 1. The text speaks to God's judgment against the nations in violent and vivid imagery—wants to put sin in the readers' eyes. Though disturbing, the language also invokes a sense of God's protection for all those who believe (Luther). Nineveh is punished (v.2-3) because of its unfaithfulness (v.4 - whoring and prostitution typically refer to idolatry) and the Lord will also embarrass the enemies (v. 5-7) for this same offense. The intensity of Nineveh's devastation as described, then, provides an assurance that God does not overlook the suffering of his people; that despite the depths of human despair and abandonment, the Lord stays faithful to his people. 2. Falls under the 'oracles against the foreign nations' and provides some of the richest war imagery in the entire Bible. Gives an account from the "underside of history." Much of the book seems to be an account straight from God—takes a first-person perspective of the deity. The tone of the prophetic vision, moreover, fits the vein of the entire book. Destruction, violence, and utter chaos brought upon Nineveh by God. Moreover, the book may have been written as a sort of collective memory and a way of dealing with the traumatic experiences—confusing text written for a disoriented people (Fr. Jacob). The book also repeatedly emphasizes that God is slow to anger, but he will still enact his justice on the guilty. The book also parodies imperial power by putting power on its head (particularly with 'lion' references throughout chpt. 2). 3. Likely written between 705-612 when the Assyrian Nineveh ultimately fell to the Babylonians and the Medes. Typically read as a Judean account against the Assyrians and their eventual demise. Given the years of Judean subjugation under the Assyrians, understood as God taking action for his people's humiliation. Often read in combination with Jonah, which asks what if Nineveh would have repented? Also written as assurance that the Lord will finish off Assyrians because Judah was too weak to defend itself (not blessing Judean troops—but relying on God's work).

Then the Lord said to me, Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, "Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz,"[a] 2 and have it attested[b] for me by reliable witnesses, the priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah. 3 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 for before the child knows how to call "My father" or "My mother," the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria. 5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and melt in fear before[c] Rezin and the son of Remaliah; 7 therefore, the Lord is bringing up against it the mighty flood waters of the River, the king of Assyria and all his glory; it will rise above all its channels and overflow all its banks; 8 it will sweep on into Judah as a flood, and, pouring over, it will reach up to the neck; and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel. 9 Band together, you peoples, and be dismayed; listen, all you far countries; gird yourselves and be dismayed; gird yourselves and be dismayed! 10 Take counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.[d]

1 Isaiah 1. Further predictions of military (Syro-Ephraimite) crisis. These oracles contain a variety of signs concerning the near future. Verses 1-4 are a sign concerning the imminent destruction of Judah's enemies, as Isaiah's son's name "Pillage Hastens, Looting Spreads" is meant to connote. Isaiah's emphasis here is, like in much of First Isaiah, that the king (Ahaz) need not rely on any foreign alliances in order to defend Judah. Verses 5-8 record Isaiah's reaction to Ahaz's lack of faith, described in dramatic terms, with God allowing the Assyrians to rise up and attack Judah like a flood. However, verse 8 shows that Isaiah still believes Jerusalem will be protected by God, as it is the head of the nation, and the "flash flood" reaches "up to the neck." Verses 9-10 detail the inevitable failure of those plotting against Isaiah, though their identity remains uncertain. 2. This is another in the series of oracles, with verses 1-4 functioning again as an oracle. The same themes that arose earlier are reproduced here, with Isaiah convinced both that Judah is in grave danger, but also that God will protect Jerusalem from all those who seek to destroy it. Interestingly, this is the first time in an oracle that Isaiah refers to himself in the first-person, as in all the previous oracles he had been described in third person. 3. The historical context of this oracle is the tenuous situation that Judah finds itself in, around the time of the Northern Kingdom's destruction and with Neo-Assyria pressing on their borders. The king needs to be faithful to God, and verses 5-8 reflect the future if this does not happen. In terms of historical connection, the reference to the king of Assyria as a flood is paralleled in Assyrian documents, and the term "glory" used to describe the king is also mirrored in Assyrian descriptions of their king's terrifying power. Much of what is in this chapter (and broadly in chapters 2-11) concerns God's "plan that is planned concerning the whole earth."

11 Ah, you who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger in the evening to be inflamed by wine, 12 whose feasts consist of lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine, but who do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of his hands! 13 Therefore my people go into exile without knowledge; their nobles are dying of hunger, and their multitude is parched with thirst. 14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure; the nobility of Jerusalem[a] and her multitude go down, her throng and all who exult in her. 15 People are bowed down, everyone is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are humbled. 16 But the Lord of hosts is exalted by justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy by righteousness. 17 Then the lambs shall graze as in their pasture, fatlings and kids[b] shall feed among the ruins.

1 Isaiah 1. This passage is a divine lament for the failure of the people to adequately take care of the poor. Verses 11-13 characterise the hedonistic, God-forgetting lifestyle of the rich, who drink from morning until night, and feast and indulge themselves. Verses 14-17 depict Sheol as at the gates of Jerusalem, and it is threatened that the people will be brought low before God's desire for justice. It is a prophetic threat that Judah's inability to follow God's commands will result in its eventual destruction. 2. This passage is a part of a larger "oracle of woe" that is prophesied concerning the people's iniquitous behaviour. This passage is a natural continuation of the song of the unfruitful vineyard, as it details the "wild grapes" that are grown by the Judah vineyard, injustice rather than justice, and abandonment of the poor rather than favour towards them. The Jewish Study Bible notes that this passage depicts "parties instead of piety," and that there is a literary contrast between the insatiable appetite of the partiers, contrasted with the insatiable appetite of Sheol, which looms at the gates. This pericope lays out the sins of the Judeans, and it is followed by vs. 26-30, which describe the historical consequences of those sins. An oracle of woe is stylistically similar to a lament when someone died, but the prophets often appropriated them for direction towards an entire people, rather than one person. If a prophet is beginning with a woe (that is, it begins with the special hebrew word "hoy"), then the prophet is saying that someone or some group of people is as good as dead. 3. The passage affirms Isaiah's interest in the care taking of the poor, and the looming threat of Assyria behind them. The neo-Assyrian empire hovers over the text, but is largely ambiguous and is not typically named outright as a threat. As above, it was probably written in the context of Sennacherib's invasion of Judah and the destruction of the Judean countryside. Jerusalem was spared, and in First Isaiah it seems to be assumed that God will continually protect the city, and that Jerusalem's survival of this onslaught is a result of divine favour that they are dangerously toying with losing.

[a] But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 [b] The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. 4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. 6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

1 Isaiah 1. This poem positions Isaiah as an evangelical prophet - pointing to Messianic fulfilment. He is envisioning deliverance from Assyrian oppression / through the birth of a child representing God's righteous reign. Isaiah represents a tradition of the 'eschatological horizon of the abolition of war'. The child has not yet come - so this is prophecy. 2. Poem fits Isaian 3-3, 2-2 pattern - typical of his rhetoric. Poem moves from dark to light. Descriptions of bondage and foreign oppression being destroyed. Mention of the 4 throne names (Marvelous Counselor, etc) refer both to an idealised earthly government - and an eschatological rule. In both cases, peace is what occurs when 'righteous order prevails' (Hezekiah, after all, is the best King that Isaiah knows). One is reminded of the ultimate source of this justice in the last verse: YHWH. 3. (Assyrian period: 736-701) This spells reversal of fortune from preceding scenario (immediately preceding this passage). We are hearing about foreign oppression and loss of Israelite territory (Dor, Gilead, Megiddo); most likely referencing King of Syria. Most likely dates to the time of Hezekiah. Also during this time - the defeat of the Midianites.

Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

1 Isaiah 1. This passage is the song of the unfruitful vineyard. It is not obvious at first who or what is being represented. Verses 1-2 describe the vineyard and the expectations (unmet as they are) of the vineyard keeper, whose grapes are overwhelmed with wild grapes. Verses 3-4 ask the reader to judge between the vineyard keeper and the vineyard, and then verses 5-6 prophesy what will happen to the unfruitful vineyard—it will be allowed to be destroyed, its walls broken down and its garden overgrown and abandoned. Verse 7 informs the reader of who is represented by what—God keeps the vineyard, and the vineyard is Israel. The prophecy then is clear at the end, as God promises to abandon Israel and allow external nations to overrun it like the wild grapes. The passage mirrors in some ways Nathan's parable in 2 Sam 12, where he tells a story to criticise King David (the man who killed his neighbour's goat), who only realises it is targeted at him at the very end of the story. 2. Isaiah speaks out often ( as do Micah and Amos) against the accumulation of great wealth and the haughtiness of the rich. This castigation is included in the song for the unfruitful vineyard, as—strictly speaking—the vineyard does bring forth fruit, but just not the kind desired by the vineyard keeper. Verse 7 shows that God "expected justice" but only grew "bloodshed," and then expected "righteousness" but only grew a "cry" of injustice. The vineyard is producing fruit, but untamed and bad fruit. Not grapes, but wild grapes. Verses 5-6 concern a threat of external invasion. God threatens to remove the barriers in place to protect the people, and allow them to be overrun from without. Isaiah seemed to believe that outside alliances were not necessary to protect the people—only protection from God was necessary. But the people's refusal to yield the right fruit meant that God would withdraw his hand and allow them to be brought low. 3. The historical background here is the rise of Assyria in the north, and Israel's eventual destruction at the hands of Assyria colours the book of Isaiah. Isaiah is primarily concerned with the safety of Jerusalem, which in First Isaiah seems to be presented as a city that will not fall to God's enemies (second Isaiah, naturally, approaches this question quite differently). Some Christian interpreters focus on the similarities in this passage of the unfruitful vineyard with Christ's reference to himself as the true vine, and God the Father as the vineyard keeper who grafts the people onto him.

This is what the Lord God showed me—a basket of summer fruit.[a] 2 He said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit."[b] Then the Lord said to me, "The end[c] has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. 3 The songs of the temple[d] shall become wailings in that day," says the Lord God; "the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!" 4 Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, 5 saying, "When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, 6 buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat."

Amos 1. Theological Emphases: 1-3, prophet not as intercessor, God offering decisive judgment. 4-6 offer reasons for destructive judgment upon Israel: social and economic oppression, extortion, and deceit taking place in Israel (dispossessing independent landowners). Fruit and harvest imagery - it is too late to harvest; it is the end of the season. 2. Literary/rhetorical structure: first-person vision report (1-3 "This is what the Lord God showed me"), divine oracle (4-6 reasons for God's judgment which will be pronounced in vs.9-10 later in the chapter). See 2 under Amos 7:1-9 3. Here, Amos switches from his 'oracles against the nations' (quite patriotic) to judgement of Israel. Unlike other nations, Israel's sins are local - against the community, inside the nation.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. The Lord called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his side; 4 and said to him, "Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it." 5 To the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him, and kill; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. 6 Cut down old men, young men and young women, little children and women, but touch no one who has the mark. And begin at my sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were in front of the house. 7 Then he said to them, "Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go!" So they went out and killed in the city. 8 While they were killing, and I was left alone, I fell prostrate on my face and cried out, "Ah Lord God! will you destroy all who remain of Israel as you pour out your wrath upon Jerusalem?" 9 He said to me, "The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city full of perversity; for they say, 'The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.' 10 As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity, but I will bring down their deeds upon their heads." 11 Then the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his side, brought back word, saying, "I have done as you commanded me."

Ezekiel 1. The text speaks of God's judgement on Israel--precisely for the reasons of "abominations" (v.4), filling the land with blood and the city with injustice (v.9). Ezekiel always constructs theological order of sin, punishment, restoration, repentance. The verses follow this pattern with particular emphasis on the sin and punishment. However, God does preserve some—those who are marked (v. 6)—and thus gives a sign of restoration. Not a strong account of repentance in these passages, although final verse could be read as such ("I have done as you commanded me?"). Ezekiel raises a question of theodicy (v.8)—are the Lord's actions just? Is the Lord 'losing his mind?' 2. The text follows in suit with the rest of Ezekiel's literary style--mainly prose. It contributes to the account of the destruction of Jerusalem due to the defilement of the Temple, which is the major theme of chpts. 8-11. Thus, it is one of the four visions throughout Ezekiel: : The Chariot-throne and Ezekiel's commission (1:1-3:27), The Temple Defiled by Israel and Abandoned by God (Chs. 8-11), the Valley of the Dry Bones (Ch. 37), and The Temple and City Rebuilt/Renamed by God (Chs. 40-48). Less of an account of God's abandonment per se and more a reflection on Israel's defilement—God cannot be in unholy places. Due to their actions, Israelites (in a certain sense) asked God to leave and consequently he does. God's leaving, however, necessarily brings with it destruction. 3. Written prior to Jerusalem's fall (before 586) and thus, acts a prediction of the coming destruction. The Temple's defilement—largely through idolatry—has consequently caused God's abandonment. In God's absence, the Temple is susceptible to being destroyed (and ultimately is). Can be read in contrast with the latter half of Ezekiel which talks envisions a new creation/temple; an act of God's pity on the Israelites in light of the Temple's destruction.

Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 6 He said to me, "Mortal, have you seen this?" Then he led me back along the bank of the river. 7 As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh. 9 Wherever the river goes,[a] every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. 10 People will stand fishing beside the sea[b] from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing."

Ezekiel 1. Verses reimagine the creation of a new temple and also focus on its centrality (v.1 - the source of the water which brings the life of v. 6-12). Is the water from the temple reminiscent of the water which spills from Christ's side? Potential theological connection between new temple and Christ as temple. God will bring life everywhere, plants and animals cannot help but be abundant—even the Dead Sea will become fresh(v. 8). God will also respect human need and ecological balance (v. 11 recognizes the for salt and thus leaves some). 2. Embedded in the final portion (chpt. 40-48) of Israel's vision of restoration. These chapters deal primarily with an account of entirely New Creation: Temple, city, and land restored (see #2 above). The new temple, nonetheless, will still be the locus of God's presence—creates an imaginative alternative space for God's existence. Preceded by detailed description of the new temple—gates, chambers, altar, etc. and followed by division of the land amongst on the tribes of Israel. Thus, it serves as the final vision of the temple in Ezekiel.

8 She did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished upon her silver and gold that they used for Baal. 9 Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season; and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness. 10 Now I will uncover her shame in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand. 11 I will put an end to all her mirth, her festivals, her new moons, her sabbaths, and all her appointed festivals. 12 I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, of which she said, "These are my pay, which my lovers have given me." I will make them a forest, and the wild animals shall devour them. 13 I will punish her for the festival days of the Baals, when she offered incense to them and decked herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers, and forgot me, says the Lord. 14 Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. 15 From there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she shall respond as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

Hosea 1. Theological Emphases: covenant disloyalty; language of judgment to discourse about salvation. V 8: "She did not know that it was I who gave her the grain" Israel lacks the covenant-loyalty and knowledge of God "that should be sources of healing and security for the earth and all its inhabitants" and this constitutes Hosea's central complaint against Israel; Israel lacks an "active embodiment of God's revealed will". V 8-13 deals with Israel's veneration of Baal and polemicises it; worship of Baal as one of Hosea's signal indictments. V 14 "Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness"— the wilderness as place to encounter God, from a prophetic perspective (Davis); wilderness also as the place where YHWH first encountered Israel after exodus; the ability of YHWH to transform the barrenness of the wilderness into life as YHWH promises here but also throughout Israel's long narrative history with YHWH (the exodus, provision during 40 yrs.). V 14-15, restoration after destruction. 2. Literary/rhetorical: Use of the pronoun "she" -establishes Israel as a woman. And metaphor of marriage between God and Israel used throughout with language such as "lovers" (v. 10, 12, 13) although these are in reference to Israel's illicit lovers. V 13 conveys YHWH as Israel's proper lover. V 14-15 also uses language of alluring and speaking tenderly which evokes strongly the marital metaphor. 3. Historical context: V 15 "Valley of Achor" is the valley in which after taking Jericho the Israelites suffered a terrible defeat due to the covetousness of Achan and breaking God's commands regarding the spoil. In that valley, God struck down Achan, purged Israel of the defilement, and led Israel to victory. Thus, the reference to the Valley of Achor serves to remind the Israelites of that moment in their history and that if they repent and turn from their defiling ways then these troubles will give way to hope and new life.

"Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. 3 Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth." 4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early. 5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of my mouth, and my[a] judgment goes forth as the light. 6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 1. Theological Emphases: v. 1 Israel recognises God as the source of their punishment rather than fortune or another nation, and they acknowledge that God will heal and restore them (v.2-3). v. 3: the knowledge of God is a recurrent refrain throughout Hosea and refers to Israel's covenant-loyalty and knowledge of God "that should be sources of healing and security for the earth and all its inhabitants;" true knowledge of God leads to devotion, but Hosea points out that Israel lacks this knowledge and thus devotion also; cf 6:6 and 2:8 v. 4-6: YHWH calls attention to Israel's unfaithfulness and fickle covenant loyalty ("Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early"); here YHWH's words do not offer an explicit vision for Israel's restoration v. 6: Hosea critiques Israel's religious practice of sacrifices and burnt offerings presumably to Baal within the specific context of Hosea; 2. Larger Theological Concerns: In Hosea, language of judgment is almost always accompanied with language of restoration, and while this passage does not provide any specific hope for restoration, chapter six does conclude with the Lord declaring that YHWH will restore Israel (v. 11). Return to covenant faithfulness is a central refrain throughout Hosea, and here the reader finds Israel (through the words of the prophet) responding to God 3. Historical context: Hosea uses language of covenant heavily over against language of kingship. This is so because "the tradition of God's covenant with Israel" had priority in Israel; "David as the quintessential king played no role in the northern kingdom."

10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, and broke it. 11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, "Thus says the Lord: This is how I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years." At this, the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 12 Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 Go, tell Hananiah, Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars only to forge iron bars in place of them! 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations so that they may serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and they shall indeed serve him; I have even given him the wild animals. 15 And the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: I am going to send you off the face of the earth. Within this year you will be dead, because you have spoken rebellion against the Lord." 17 In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.

Jeremiah 1. Jeremiah's bearing of the yoke is a 'sign act' - demonstrating God's prophecy in real time. Jeremiah's preaching has turned from message of redemption. God has to resort to many different strategies in order to be heard (written prophecy, elimination of false prophets, King burning prophecies). Might Hananiah's death also be a 'sign act'? 2. Poetic prose reveals heavy influence of Psalms on Jeremiah. 3. Writing and scribal culture quickly on the rise. Paralleling Jeremiah (written by Baruch) are the Chronicles of the Chaldean Kings. God has to speak through written texts in order to be heard / to condemn / and to offer salvation.

At the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord; speak to them all the words that I command you; do not hold back a word. 3 It may be that they will listen, all of them, and will turn from their evil way, that I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend to bring on them because of their evil doings. 4 You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5 and to heed the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently—though you have not heeded— 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth. 7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, "You shall die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant'?" And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

Jeremiah God is giving Jeremiah instructions to deliver his Temple Sermon for which he will be arrested and tried. Note the prophetic word formula of "Thus said the Lord." The basic message of the sermon emphasizes God's call for repentance on the part of the people in order to save the city. The sermon takes place "at the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim" in 608 BCE, four years prior to Jeremiah's oracle concerning the acceptance of Babylonian rule in ch. 25. This explains why he could still envision repentance. The people react by call for Jeremiah's death, the punishment for a false prophet (Deuteronomy 18:20). The priest in verse 8 are upset because Jeremiah is threatening the Temple, their central institution and the basis of their livelihood, while the prophets believe that Jeremiah is an illegitimate competitor.

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." 6 Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." 7 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord." 9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."

Jeremiah Prophets often relate the way they are commissioned by God. Here we are asked to associate commonalities between Jeremiah's commissioning and Moses in Exodus ch. 3, in that they both were reluctant to accept the divine commission and then receive encouragement from God. Verse 4 demonstrates a typical prophetic word formula to introduce statements by God. Verse 6 contains another typical formula; "Ah, Lord God!" Here Jeremiah is speaking to/against God, contending that he is inadequate to the task of prophecy. God overcomes this with the assurance that HE is with Jeremiah in verse 8. As with Isaiah, a divine touch of the mouth prepares Jeremiah for prophecy. The prophet's commission to speak includes four verbs of destruction and two of restoration to signify that in terms of the major themes of his message, destruction would predominate. This begins Jeremiah's "Oracles of Doom" in chapters 1-11.

15 Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. 16 Thus says the Lord: Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord: they shall come back from the land of the enemy; 17 there is hope for your future, says the Lord: your children shall come back to their own country. 18 Indeed I heard Ephraim pleading: "You disciplined me, and I took the discipline; I was like a calf untrained. Bring me back, let me come back, for you are the Lord my God. 19 For after I had turned away I repented; and after I was discovered, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was dismayed because I bore the disgrace of my youth." 20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he the child I delight in? As often as I speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore I am deeply moved for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord.

Jeremiah The portrayal of Israel as Rachel weeping for her children draws upon the tragic tradition of Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife, who died while giving birth to Benjamin. Here Jeremiah portrays Rachel weeping not for herself, but for her lost children who have gone into exile. The portrayal of Rachel weeping and bereft of children is reversed in Isaiah ch. 54, which employs the metaphor of a mother whose children are restored. This oracle of consolation provides an answer for Rachel's weeping beginning in verse 16 by promising the return of her children. Ephraim, discussed in verses 18-20, was a son of Joseph and the main tribe of northern Israel, symbolises the Northern Kingdom. The consolation prophecy is that of the return of the previously exiled Northern Kingdom.

10 Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her— 11 that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious bosom. 12 For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees. 13 As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bodies[a] shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies. 15 For the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to pay back his anger in fury, and his rebuke in flames of fire. 16 For by fire will the Lord execute judgment, and by his sword, on all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many. 17 Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the center, eating the flesh of pigs, vermin, and rodents, shall come to an end together, says the Lord.

Post exile Isaiah As in previous passages, Jerusalem is portrayed as a woman. In this passage she has just born children and become a bustling jubilant city, full of life. The Israelites, as Zion's children, take consolation from the city's breast. The metaphor suddenly changes in verse 13, and God is portrayed as the nation's mother. Unlike those who mourned over Jerusalem, and remained loyal Israelites, the apostates within Israel will punished by God rather than comforted by this new creation. Verse 17 concludes the pericope with a description of disloyal, idolatrous pagan rites among the Israelites.

17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity;[a] for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. 24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

Post exile Isaiah Not only will YHWH's servants be vindicated, but the whole cosmos. Noteworthy here (in contrast to vs 1-16), there is no distinction between the elect and their enemies within the wider audience. Two distinct "I am about to create" sections: 17-18a and 18b-24. This is as much about social and political transformation as the creation act, itself. This 'new heavens and new earth' terminology is also prominent in 51:6. But we can't be so sure this is merely apocalyptic - no crisis, no Satan, no division of two ages (bad then good). Rather, Isaiah is re-introducing this theme of 'renewal'. And Eden seems to be the model of this (snake reference in vs 25). And the source of joy in God's renewal is not just the city, but actually the peoples, itself (18b). And this also seems to answer Isaiah's earlier themes on: justice and peace; ecological transformation; the end of violence and oppression; the end of physical disability. 'My people' are assured long life - 'my people' is a broader category (those who seek God). Vs 22b-23 show us the reversal of the covenantal curse. Vs 24 ends with reiteration of YHWH's openness to dialogue. Vs 25 seems to be a scribal addition - a recycling of an existing prophetic saying. Finally, new creation is an apokatastasis - a restoration to the world of innocence that ended with the flood.