The Prophet and His Day: Isaiah 1-39 - Free Bible Commentary

3. Wisdom Literature, 22%, divine activity4. Prophets, 31%, mostly divine activityNote the following chart.YHWH Messiah Israel’s Israel’sas Judge as Judge Ideal Judges Actual Judges2:4 9:7 1:17,21,23 3:23:14 11:3,4 26:8 5:74:4 16:5 56:1 10:25:16 32:1 58:2,8 59:4,9,11,14,1528:6,17,26 40:1430:18 42:1,3,433:5,22 51:4,561:8 53:866:16Israel was to reflect YHWH’s character to the nations. She failed, so YHWH raised one “ideal” Israeliteto fulfill His personal revelation to the world (i.e., the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, cf. Isa.52:11-53:12)!}NASB “Both supply and support”NKJV “the stock and store”NRSV “support and staff”TEV “everything and everyone that the people depend on”NJB “of resources and provisions”LXX “the mighty man and the mighty woman”Peshitta “stay and staff”REB “every prop and stay”The MT has MASCULINE and FEMININE forms of 03–/, which BDB defines as “support and staff”(cf. II Sam. 22:19). In Leviticus 26:26 it is “the staff of bread.”3:3NASB “skillful enchanter”NKJV, NRSV,REB “expert enchanter”TEV “everyone who uses magic to control events”NJB “soothsayer”LXX “intelligent hearer”Peshitta “expert counselor”The NOUN (BDB 538) means “whispering” or “charming.” It originally referred to snake charming(cf. Ps. 58:6; Eccl. 10:11; Jer. 8:17). It came to denote soft speaking (cf. 26:16; II Sam. 12:19; Ps. 41:8).The same term is used in 3:20 for amulets worn by Judean women. It refers to magical practicesand charms, forbidden to Israel and Judah.56