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FIRST AND LAST" AND YAHWEHCREATOR"IN DEUTERO-ISAIAH

Two quite prominent themes in the poems of Deutero-Isaiah ( = Dt-Is)

are: (1) First and Last;1

and (2) Yahweh-Creator.2

While the prophet is

prolific with synonyms, here as in most other cases, he manages to main-

tain the same basic idea. Rather than study each of these two phrases indi-

vidually, this article explores the relationship between them; we want to

see how one specifies the meaning of the other. Admittedly, many other ele-

ments must be considered before the props can be removed and the con-

clusions stand on their own. Dt-Is is too rich, poetically and theologically,

for quick answers. We hope, however, to deduce at least negatively what thephases do not mean and possibly to take a few firm steps in a positive

direction.

For our purposes at the moment, a working definition of "creation" might

be formulated thus: an exceptionally wondrous redemptive act by which

Yahweh brings Israel out of a chaotic situation to a renewed, transformed

existence. "First and Last" always occur in a context of prophecy-ful-

fillment. "First things" are those redemptive acts of Yahweh not only

predicted but already fulfilled ; "last" or "new things" consist of prophecies

just now being announced and therefore still awaiting execution.

With one possible exception, synonyms for "first and last" are confined

to the first part of the Book of Consolation, i.e., to chs. 4048 ;3

the idea

1H. Ewald,Die Propheten des alten Bundes erklrt 2 (Stuttgart, 1841) 410, con-

sidered the theme of "First and Last" so important that he entitled his study of Is40-48, "Das Alte und das Neue." Among the most important individual studies de-voted to the subject, we cite: C. R. North, "The 'Former Things' and the 'NewThings' in Deutero-Isaiah," Studies in Old Testament Prophecy (ed. H. H. Rowley;Edinburgh, 1950) 111-126; cf., North's remarks in his commentary, The Second Isaiah(Oxford, 1964) 176f., 180f. ; A. Schoors, "Les choses antrieures et les choses nouvelles

dans les oracles Deutro-Isaens," ETL 40 (1964) 19-47; A. Bentzen, "On the Ideasof 'the Old' and 'the New' in Deutero-Isaiah," ST 1 (1948) 183-187; F. Feldmann,"Das Frhere und das Neue," Festschrift Edward Sachau (Berlin, 1915) 162-169;E. J. Kissane, The Book of Isaiah 2 (Dublin, 1943) 22-23; A. Penna, Isaia (LaSacra Bibbia; Rome, 1958) 492-494; G. von Rad, Theologie des Alten Testaments 2(Munich, 1961) 260f. [Eng. tr. Old Testament Theology 2 (New York, 1965) 246-249]. Schoorts and Penna provide further bibliographical data along with otherstatistics regarding the vocabulary and text of Dt-Is. North summarizes the previousdiscussion among scholars on the "old" and the "new."

2 Cf. C. Stuhlmueller, "The Theology of Creation in Second Isaias," CBQ 21(1959) 429-467.

3 The nine important passages about "first and last" are: 40,21; 41,4; 41,22-29-{-

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190 T H E CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY [Vol. 29

of Yahweh-Creator, however, remains active in the second part as well,

i.e., chs. 4955. Another factor, worth noting right now, is the literary pat-

tern for "first and last." They appear most often in a context of Disputa-tionswort, Gerichtsrede or Heilsankndigung* The idea of "Yahweh-

Creator," for its part, occurs most frequently in hymnic passages and

therefore ordinarily embellishes the Heilsankndigung genre.

In view of these statistics we might phrase the purpose of this article

thusly. Because Dt-Is reflects frequently upon "first things" at "the begin-

ning," is he therefore thinking primarily of first creation at the very be-

ginning of time? A second question also stirs beneath our discussion. In

his arguments or legal discussions, does Dt-Is base his evidence and develop

his case from a commonly accepted fact that Yahweh made the world in the

beginning ?

Of the nine or ten passages where Dt-Is speaks of "first and last," we

choose three, where alone we find a simultaneous reference to creation:

40,21; 45,18-21; 48,1-16. We will present: first, a translation derived

principally from CCD ; then, a determination of literary genre ; and finally,

the meaning of "first and last," particularly with regard to "creation."

(1) 40,21

Don't you know ? Haven't you been hearing ?

Hasn't it been announced to you from the beginning (mr's) ?Haven't you understoodEver since the earth was established (msudat h'res) ?

5

This verse belongs to a long Disputationsrede or Argumentation, This

Gattung introduces ideas only if pertinent to the question under debate.

42,8-9; 43,8-13; 43,18-19a; 44,6-8; 45,20f.; 46,9-11; 48,1-16. A tenth passage, 52,3-6,is judged unauthentic.

4 For these literary genres in Dt-Is, we call attention to: J. Begrich, Studien suDeuterojesaja (Beitrge sur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testament. 4. FolgeHeft 25; Stuttgart, 1938; reprinted in Theologische Bcherei 20; Munich, 1963) ; C

Westermann, "Sprache und Struktur der Prophtie Deuterojesajas," Forschung amAlten Testament (Theologische Bcherei24; Munich, 1964) 92-170; E. von Waldow,Anlass und Hintergrund der Verkndigung des Deuteroesajas (Diss.; Bonn, 1953) ;id., Der Traditionsgeschichtliche Hintergrund der Prophetischen Gerichtsreden(BZAW 85; Berlin, 1963) esp. 42-53.

5In place of TM ms

edt ("the earth's foundations"), read msudat (=m4-

yesudat) to parallel mr's (~min + r"s). Rather than join msudat h'res to

v. 22a, we keep v. 21b as a single sentence; Dt-Is prefers to increase the size ofsuccessive phrases in a series like this one. Important to the exegesis of the passageis the prs, tense tr. of the verbs (as in the commentaries of Westermann, ATD 41;Duhm 265; Ewald 2:414; Levy 124; and Knig 357. Succinct references such asthese are to the standard commentaries on Dt-Is.

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1967] DEUTERO-ISAIAH 191

Dt-Is is not arguing a speculative thesis in theology but a crucial problem

of faith right now. He addresses himself to immediate questions : Is Yah-

weh concerned ? Can he do anything about it ? Will he ? Must Israel turnto other gods? Faith, therefore, in Yahweh-Savior is the point of debate.

To say that Yahweh once was interested because he established the universe

a long time ago would be a totally unconvincing Disputationsrede. Under

such reasoning, Yahweh would hardly compete with Babylonian creator-

gods. The argument gains power only if the God who once created is creat-

ing now in the moment of redemption.

To gauge the force of the Disputationswort in v. 21 and to decide the

exact meaning of mr's, we must place the verse within the context of

the entire poem. A number of commentators extend the Disputationsrede

from 40,12 to the end of the chapter (v. 31). e Begrich, as would be ex-

pected, breaks up the section into shorter poems but, nonetheless, classifies

each poem as a Disputationswort. Westermann argues convincingly for the

unity of the section. He cites, for instance, the introductory questions in

verses 12, 18, and 25, all of which are linked with the very end where alone

the answer is supplied (vv. 27-31). He notes, likewise, the similarity of

development between the second and third (and we may add, and fourth)

strophes :7

vv. 18-24 w. 25-26 w. 27-3118 :

w^el-m t

e

damm

e

yun...25 :

w^el-mt

e

damm

yn27 : lmm

to'mr...(19-20 are transferred to 41,6-7 as a separate poem)21 : rousing question, halo' 26a : rousing call and ques- 28a : rousing question,

tedG'u... tion halo' yda't

22 : Creator 26b : Creator 28b : Creator23-24 : Lord of history 26c : Lord of history 28c-31 : Lord of history

This careful interweaving of various strophes is achieved by an oscillating

movement back and forth, not between extreme opposites but rather be-

tween various aspects of one large idea. Dt-Is thereby allows one part, on

the present need of redemption, to color the thought of another, about the

"beginning."

While studying this overall interconnection of verses, we find that the

question in v. 21 (the one with which we are mostly concerned) has a close

counterpart in v. 28:

6Westermann, Sprache 127, mentions Haller, Mowinckel and Gressmann. North,

The Second Isaiah 89, closely unites vv. 12-26 and 27-31 ; Kissane 2:11 argues for theunity of vv. 12-31. Our own reasoning remains in force if at least w . 12-26 are keptintact, as is done also by SB J; Duhm; Volz; Khler; Begrich; von Waldow, andBalla.

7 ATD 46.

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v. 21 halo' tdee

hlo' tism'uv. 28a hlo' yda't 9\m-W sma't

Each question, furthermore, is answered by a reference to creation. Theresponse in v. 28 is particularly helpful in determining Dt-Is* practical con-

temporaneity in v. 21. We are told in vv. 28b-30a:

Yahweh is a God everlasting ('lh'olrn yhwh)creating [as he is] the ends of the earth (br' qesot h'res)

He never faints nor wearies (lo' yeap w

el' yg'). . .

Creation, in this citation, is no dogmatic formula, open for scholastic

disputation ; it is a divine activity continuing right now : lo' yVap wel' yiga(.

The word, 'olm, moreover, looks ahead into the distant future much more

than it reaches back into the hazy past ; so does br' and likewise 'elhim.i'Creating" continues in the present moment in the Lord 's not fainting nor

wearying but defeating Babylonian princes (v. 23f.) and enabling the

exiles, like himself, wGW yg' . . . w

el' y'p (v. 31).8

Because of the parallel treatment of creation in vv. 28-31 and because of

the same literary genre of Disputationsrede, we locate v. 21 within the

Lord's action now in salvation history. We shall now see that the same

conclusion is also established by the immediate context of v. 21.

The questions addressed to Israel in v. 21, according to Dhorme, "se

rfrent la tradition religieuse d'Isral. . . ."9 Westermann associates these

traditions with the pre-exilic liturgy :

Wir stossen in diesen andringenden Fragen . . . auf ein wesentliches Elementder Prophtie Deuterojesajas: um den Boden fr seine Trostbotschaft zubereiten, erweckt er bei den Resten seines Volkes einen besonderen Bestandteildes vorexilischen Gottesdienstes.

10

One of Westermann's reasons for recognizing a liturgical reference here is

the likeness between Is 40,27-31 and the Psalms.11

Even if one were to

grant to the exegesis of the Psalms the existence of that hypothetical New

Year feast of Yahweh King and Creator, still the Psalms present no ex-

tensive traditions about Yahweh-Creator; and when the Psalms are inte-

grated into other pre-exilic traditions within the Bible, Yahweh, instead,

appears almost exclusively as Lord of History. When, therefore, Dt-Is

questions Israel in v. 21 about what she has heard in the sacred recitals,

he is not so much asking about the creation of the world as about Yahweh's

great redemptive acts.

8The chiastic structure in v. 28c' and v. 31b (a b . . . b a) is very clear.

E. Dhorme, La Bible 2 (Bibliothque de la Pliade; Paris, 1959) 136.io ATD 48.i l ATD 48 and 51.

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Insisting upon what Israel has heard (tde' . . . tism'u . . . hug gad . . .

hbintem), Dt -I s keeps the thoug ht-co ntext confined to Yah weh 's saving

acts, once experienced and liturgically re-lived. If contact with v. 12 adds areference to "first creation," still the over-riding emphasis remains Yah-

weh's redemptive action now. No one, not even the very first man, Adam,

heard the thunderous roar of the earth's beginning! "Creation" has its

meaning for Dt-Is only as a wondrous act of Yahweh's redemptive activity

in the present moment.

Ou r resu lts are the same if we study the paral lel withi n v. 21 :

halo' huggad mr's lkemhlo' hbntem msudat h'res

What has been known from the foundation of the earth is the same as what

has been announced from the beginning. Because mer's refers most obvi-

ously to the first days of Israel's life and cult in the desert, msudat ought

to be given the same explanation.12

In conclusion, we see that 'olam in v. 28 reveals Yahweh as exercising

redemptive power during the entire span of Israel's history, past and future ;

mer's in v. 21 looks to what the liturgy announces about Yahweh's action

for Israel in the past. If both terms, however, reach back to the very

establishing of the universe, it is to enable the exiles to appreciate better

how Yahweh redeems them now by tirelessly re-creating their nation andtheir world. The basis for discussion is what Yahweh is doing now ; elabora-

tion comes from what he has always been doing in Israel's history-lit-

urgy: creating as he redeems.

(2) 45,20-21

20 Assemble! Come!

Gather yourselves together !

Survivor [s of the] nations !

They are ignorant, these people who carry around their wooden idols,

and address prayers

i 3

to a god that cannot save.21 Speak up ! Present [your case] !

By all means take counsel14 with one another.

I2

Because of obvious insistence upon Yahweh's redemptive acts, re-lived liturgically,

the same explanation would hold even if MT is maintained: msedt, "have you not

known the foundations of the earth."18 The Qal ptc. hannsem and the hithp. ptc. mitpallm imply "sens frquentatif"

(Joon, Grammaire de l'Hbreu Biblique [Rome: 1923] 121f.).14 TM yiww's; read hiww'asu. From the Mesa stone, we see that h and 3;

could be easily confused.

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Who [isi5 it that] has declared this (s't) long ago (miqqedem) ?Announced it aheadtime (me'z) ?

Is it not I, Yahweh ?There is no other god besides me.

A god of victory and a Savior !There is no other apart from me.

This Gerichtsrede against the nations carries a note of finality. The open-

ing lines inform us that the nations have been defeated and scattered in

war; survivors huddle together. We agree with Westermann : "Nach 45,1-7

[where Cyrus, the Lord's anointed, is announced by name in the role of

invincible conqueror] kann kein Zweifel sein, dass in erster Linie an die

Babylonier gedacht ist, und zwar die aus dem Fall Babylons Entron-

nenen."16 This anticipation of the collapse of Babylon puts a special meaning

upon such phrases as: miqqedem and me'z ("first") and z't ("future").

In the context of the poem, z't no longer envisages the future but what

has already taken place: Cyrus' victory over Babylon, miqqedem and

me'z, again in the thought of the poem, look still further back into the past.

In actual fact, however, Babylon has not yet fallen. Consequently, miq-

qedem and me'z refer most probably to Dt-Is' own words, then being

spoken, on the (anticipated) collapse of Babylon.17 z't looks to the future,

imminent fall of Babylon. Here is a good examplepreferable to others in

41,22-29; 42,8f. ; and 44,6-Sof the way "first" and "future" converge and

interlock.With so much attention as this upon the present moment of redemption,

there can hardly be any great concern about "first creation." "Creation,"

however, does enter into the discussion, if we take account of a two-verse

introduction (v. 18f.). Either the redactor of the Book of Consolation or

Dt-Is himself introduced the Gerichtsrede under discussion with two

verses18

in a strong, hymnic style. Such introductions, composed of a series

15 We put the question in the present tense, because Yahweh is not judging deadparties but those supposedly alive right now, who in the past might have predictedfuture events.

16 ATD 142.1

7Passages like this one strongly support North's thesis that "new things" at least

in 41,22; 42,9; and 48,3 refer exclusively to the fall of Babylon and the subsequentnew exodus. Duhm 313 and Levy 195 refer to the 8th century prophecies on thedestruction of the nations and to Jer 30-3 Ts promise of a return.

is Some authors, like Marti 312, North 157, and Muilenburg, IB 5:531, cannotagree to separate v. 18f. from the preceding, w. 14-17, because v. 18 begins with kt,as if it were giving a reason for what has just been said. Volz 71 keeps v. 18f. aseparate poem. Westermann, ATD 137, repliesI think, convincinglythat v. 14, v. 15,and v. 16f. consist of three fragments, separate in style, vocabulary and outlook, so that"es lsst sich auch von daher keine Ganzheit und Einheit von V. 14-17 entdecken."

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of parti ciples (t he re are three in v. 18ab, two in v. 19 c) , ar e frequent

enough at the beginning of longer poems in Dt-Is. Verse 18 reads :

For thus says the Lord,creating the heavensHe, the [one] God.

Forming and making the earthHe is the one establishing it.

Not as a wasteland did he create it ;

He designed it to be lived in.I, Yahweh, and no other.

Disputationsworte are present in v. 18c (and in v. 19ab, not quoted above) ;

hence the hymn to Yahweh-Creator (br') shares the argumentative tone

of the subsequentGerichtsrede

and deserves consideration in judging thesense of 45,20f.

Three observations can be made upon the relationship of "first and last"

in 45,20f. with "creation" in 45,18f. 1) Because "first and last" in v. 20f.

converge upon the contemporary moment of Cyrus' conquests, Dt-Is' words

about creation in v. 18f. look primarily to what is happening now. 2)

"C reat io n" is the point of depa rtu re only in a lit erar y way ; logically, it is

integr ated within the consideratio n of Yah weh 's redemp tive acts. 3) Th e

hymnic introduction contains elements of Disputationsworte, and as such

advances no ideas (not even creation) unless these have a living relevancy

for what Yahweh is doing now.

(3) 48,1-16

part 1

1 Hear this, House of Jacob,who call yourselves by the name of Israel (Hi ph. p t c ) ,

who are sprung from the stock of Judah (Qal perf.),Wh o swear by the name of Yahweh (Nip h. ptc.)

and invoke the God of Israel (Hiph. ptc.)111

9 not in good faith, nor with sincerity.

2 J |2 0

Truly they are [the ones who are] calledafter the Holy City (Niph. perf.),

|| and rely upon the God of Israel (Niph. per f.),I Hi s name, the Lord of hosts.

3 The former things I foretold long ago (hrl'snot me'z higgadt)

is Cf. note 29.20 It is difficult to decide the proper place of v. 2. To maintain it as an integral part

of the original poem under discussion separates the introduction, "Hear thissim^u2't" too much from the direct discourse of the Lord in v. 3. Duhm 324, makes v. 2part of the additions addressed against Israel. Dhorme 168, calls v. 2, "Parenthsedestine justifier la fin du verset 1."

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They went forth from my mouth and I let [you] hear of them.Suddenly I acted (

east)t and they came to be.

4 11 addition5

2 iI announced [them] to you long ago (me'z) ;Before they came to be, I let you hear [of th em].

11 5baddition6 Everything you have heard, you must ponder.

Indeed isn't it your part to make it known ?

part 2

From now on, I announce new things to you (hdsot),

Hidden things indeed (nesurt), which you have never known.7 Now they stand created22 (

eatt nibre'), and not long ago (weW

me'z) !

Before this day (emend, lipn y omo lo')23 you never heard ofthem,

11 Lest you should say, "Of course, I knewabout them !"

8a You never once heard ! You never once knew !Never in the past (gam me'z) were you ever told !

|| 8b-10addition11 For my sake, for my sake I am doing [this].

11 1 lbIndeed, how shall it be profaned ?My glory I do not give to another.

part 3

1224

Listen to me, Jacob,Israel, whom I called.

I am [always] the same, I am First ('an-h' 'ani ri'son),

Just as I am Last ('ap 'an 'aharn).

13 Yes, my left hand25 laid the foundation of the earth,

my right hand spread out the heavens.

21 Many translations present v. 5 as the apodosis (beginning with w-) for theprotasis in v. 4: i.e., North 53; P. A. H. DeBoer, Second-Isaiah's Message (OTS 11;Leiden, 1956) 23; CCD; Dhorme 169; Penna 482; G. Fohrer, Das Buch Jesaja(Zrcher Bibelkommentare; Stuttgart, 31964) 111. An opposite position is taken byDuhm 325; SB J; Kissane 107, 110. V. 5 cannot be the apodosis, once v. 4 is rejectedfrom the original poem.

22 Preceded by 'atta, the Niph. perf. nibre' must be given a present meaning. Theword also implies, right here, an "imminent" fulfillment of "new things."

2 3 In place of MT welipn-ym weW, we follow the suggestion of Duhm and readlipn ym l\ With lQIs

adrop the initial w

ebefore lipn in MT and transpose the

second w6 to the preceding word.2 4

48,12a corresponds well with 48,1a, with a parallel use of smc

(in Qal imper.) ;ya'qb; yisr'el; qr'.

2 5MT ydl Cf. M. Dahood, "Hebrew-Ugaritic Lexicography III," Bib 46 (1965)

315f., where uyad signifies 'left hand' . . . by reason of its balance with ymn"a con-clusion inspired by Ugaritic sources. Dahood refers to E. Z. Melamed, Scripta

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As I myself call out to them,they stand forth all at once.

14 All of you, assemble and listen !Who, among them, has announced things such as these ('ellh) ?

"My Beloved"26 accomplishes my desirestowards Babylon and the Chaldean offspring.

15 I, [none other than] I have spoken ! Yes, I have called him !I have brought him and I have made his way successful.27

16 Come near to me ! Hear this (z't) !No ! Not [even] from the beginning (mer's) have I spoken

obscurely.From the time it started happening (m't heyoth),

there I was.(And now, the Lord Yahweh

sends me and [sends] his spirit.)28

One cannot determine the literary genre of this passage without first de-

ciding upon the integrity of vv. 111. Adopting more or less the position

of Duhm, Westermann, and Fohrer,2 9 we limit the original poem to verses

2 6 Both stichs of 14b are uncertain in MT. In place of MT, yhwh 'hb ya'asehheps b

ebbel z

ero' kasdm, delete yhwh with LXX, and read with Duhm and most

others : 'hb ya'aseh hep s bebbel z

era

(kasdm. lQIs

ahas 'whby and hpsy ; LXX

has zera

f(sperma). Volz 92 has an excellent explanation which considers yahweh

'hb to be an honorific name for Cyrus. Other symbolic names occur in Is 1,26;

7,3.14; 8,1. Cf. A. M. Honeyman, "The Evidence for Regnal Names among theHebrews," IBL 67 (1948) 13-25. For expressions of a god's love for a ruler, seeCyrus Cylinder, ANET 315f.

27 MT wehislah; read with LXX, Targ, and Syr, w'aslah. Some translators(Dhorme 171 ; North 54) consider dark (fern, sg.) to be the subject of wehislah(msc. sg.). The two words, however, occur with Yahweh (subj.) prospering the way ofsomeone in Jer 12,1 ; Dt 28,29; Ps 37,7; Gn 24,21.40. Hence, we prefer the emendationwhich makes Yahweh the subj. in Is 48,15. Further, the insistence upon 1 sg. in thisverse puts added emphasis upon Yahweh.

28V. 16c is difficult to handle. Westermann 162 and 164 prefers either to transfer

it immediately after v. 15 or to make it a part of the following Servant Song in ch. 49.We consider it a later addition. Dhorme 171, considers the entire v. 16, "une declara-tion isole dans laquelle le prophte se dfend contre des critiques." Dhorme refersto 42,1, while North 182 refers to 62,1, and Penna 488 to 50,4. SBJ 202, fn. "c," on thecontrary, considers 16c "the reply of Cyrus."

29 The unity of 48,1-11 has been under dispute ever since Duhm's initial attackupon its integrity. Duhm considered the vagrant verses to be an interlinear com-mentary, highly condemnatory of Israel, inserted into an original poem of consola-tion; the additions, in Duhm's estimate, would be: lb, 2, 4, 5b, 7b, 8b-10, lib. Withoutspecifying individual verses, Fohrer 112 writes: "Es ist gnzlich ausgeschlossen, denAbschnitt vom Zweiten Jesaja herzuleiten, ihn als eine Bearbeitung eines von ihmherrhrenden Wortes oder als eine Vermengung von zweien seiner Worte zubetrachten. Der Verfasser greift zwar Ausdrcke des Propheten auf, ist aber in

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lab, 3, Sa, 6, 7a, 8a, llac, 12-16ab. Thus reconstructed, the first two

strophes of Dt-Is' poem follow the lines of other Gerichtsreden against the

nations. Only here the usual arguments against the nations are explicitlyaddressed to Israel in a direct, vigorous but friendly way. Yahweh wants

to secure Israel's trust in himself as savior. He calls attention to his

masterly control of "first" and "last" as he predicts and fulfills.

The next strophe (vv. 1216) will expand upon the import and

meaning of the "last." As to the literary form, Westermann notes: "Die

Nhe zu den Gerichtsreden ist hier noch aufflliger als in V. 1-11."30

There is one other literary factor to note for properly understanding

ch. 48. The entire chapter, and particularly its two closing verses, solemnly

conclude the first part of the Book of Consolation. Within its twenty-two

verses all the major themes of Dt-Is are sounded, some of them, like Cyrus,

idols, first and last, and Babylon, are seldom if ever to be heard again. The

chapter contains other important motifs, which will continue into chs.

4955 : exodus, power of the word, and creation.31 Within this full orches-

tration of major themes, Dt-Is gives special attention to "first" and "last."

The two terms have the power to assimilate and therefore to epitomize

what was meant by other mots clefs.

What is most impressive about "first" and "last" is the way in which

these two lines of thought meet and even overlap. True, each one, but

particularly that of the "first," extends in its own proper direction, the oneinto the future, the other into the past. Yet at the point where the lines

meet, they are barely, if at all distinguishable.

We begin our study of ch. 48 where each line maintains its own identity.

The speech of Yahweh commences, directing attention to the "first" or

"former" things. The Lord is saying :

hri'snot me'z higgadtmipp yas

e' wa'asm'm

pit'mfast wattb'na (v. 3).

bleichem Masse von Ezechiel and ber diesen von der sogenannten 'deuteronomisehen*Theologie beeinflusst." Westermann, ATD 158-9, considers the verses enumerated byDuhm (except v. 2) to be insertions, but from Dt-Is who composed them for aGerichts- oder Buss-predigt. W. claims that they were inserted here in the postexilicperiod and are similar to Trito-Isaiah's book (p. 161). Both Duhm and Westermannconsider the additions as originally a continuous poem which W. would place afterv. li b (v. l ib must be separated from 11a & l ie) . Begrich 169-170 has a specialexcursus on 48,1-11, with his own explanation about the additions. Finally, Duhm'stheory is rejected by Volz 87; Muilenburg 553; Rissane 2:106-111; Levy 210;Knig 398; Feldmann 2:116; and North 175.

30 ATD 162.

si "Zion" can be included in the list if v. 2 belongs to the original poem.

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Yahweh is referring to what he did before this present moment; me'z

modifies the verb, "to foretell," and not the noun, hri'snot. In this poem

"the former things" which Yahweh foretold in the past would seem to

be the significant events of Israelite history and especially those renewed

liturgically in the cult.32 This identification of hri'snot is made not only

with the help of the definite article h- but particularly through the con-

tents of v. 1. The opening verse is a thumbnail sketch of Israelite religion:

its roots in the patriarchs ; its origin in the desert (where God communi-

cated his sacred name Yahweh) ; its continuation with the royalty of Judah

(or, perhaps better, its continuation in the north [Jacob] and in the south

[Judah] ) ; its renewal in the cult, implied by the cultic words sbf and zkr

Th e exiles are advised: "everything you have heard [of the former

things] you must ponder" (v. 6a'). The purpose of this advice, of course,

is not to train "church historians," nor even to dispose properly for litur-

gical worship, but to dispose Israel to detect and to participate in God's

redemptive acts now. As they ponder hri'snot, the Israelites will recog-

nize how "suddenly" Yahweh makes the redemptive acts come to be:

"Suddenly I acted and they came to be." "Suddenlypit'm" does not so

much mean "quickly" as "with surprise" or "in a way far beyond expecta-

tion" (cf. Is 29,5; 47,11).34 Yahweh's predictions, therefore, prepare the

32

See the comments on 40,21 re liturgical creed.33 Cf. Muilenburg 554 and North 176. "Swearing" an oath could here allude to acultic act (Dt 6,13; 10,20) as also could the invocation of the Lord, in Hebr. skar(Is 26,13; Ps 20,8). zkar is used in 46,8 of new things, in 46,9a of old things. Be-cause Westermann, ATD 159-160, considers v. 2 a part of the original poem, hemakes a better case for the presence of "gottesdienstliche Handlungen," for he sees aninfluence also of"Klage- und Lob-psalmen und das Heilsorakel" (p. 160). A. Bentzen,art. cit. (in note 1) 185, writes: "The word zkras we all knownot only meansour usual 'remembrance/ but also denotes the creative 'remembrance* in the cult, whichmakes the Holy Past live again, bringing its vital forces into the congregation. Thatis what we must find in the translation, 'tradition/ ofsem'ah in Is 53,1." Bentzen uses"creative" in a very wide sense. The joyful communion sacrifices, particularly at har-

vest time, contained momentarily what the biblical idea of "creation" extended in-definitely and totally. If Bentzen is right, then zkr here as in other places like 43,18f.means that something far greater (more creative?) than any moment of the past,than any moment of the liturgy, is about to dawn.

34Cf. Zorell, Lexicon Hebraicum (Rome, 1965) 674, "repente, ex improviso";

Brown-Driver-Briggs 83fi\, "esp. ofcalamity" and thereby recognizing the qualitativefactor in the "suddenness"; Khler-Baumgartner 786, "suddenly, surprisingly";Westermann, ATD 160, "ein eigenes, selbstndiges Geschehen, das man sich durchausnicht aus der Ankndigung konstruieren konnte." A. Bentzen, art. cit. (in note 1) ,without occupying himself with pit'm, stresses "something absolutely new whichnothing in the past equalled."

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way for the future but never take the surprise out of the wondrous ful-

fillment.

Dt-Is is thus speaking ofhri'snot with an eye to the present moment ;by pondering the old, Israel is now better prepared to recognize the new.

What makes this interpretation of hri'snot still more acceptable is the

introductory phrase in v. 1 : "Hear this, O House of Jacob. . . ." Although

"thisz't" here refers to hri'snot, it is one of Dt-Is' synonyms for the

"new" or "future" redemptive act of Yahweh.35

In ch. 48 Dt-Is lavishes much more attention upon the "new things

hdsot" than upon "the former thingshri'snot." Even though Dt-Is

has been repeating all through the Book of Consolation that Yahweh an-

nounces ahead of time what is to take place, in the second strophe of ch.48 he speaks repeatedlyat least five timesof Israel's ignorance of them.

What Israel did not appreciate, despite the earlier announcements, is the

exact manner and the full extent of what Yahweh is about to do for his

people. In w . 6b-l l , Dt-Is is applying to the new things the nuance of

pit'm or "surprise."

These same verses add another nuance to the hdsot. These new things

are already being achieved, now, at the present moment. Very significantly

in v. 6b and v. 7a, Dt-Is twice employs " (attanow" :

From now on I announce new things . . . (hisma(ttk hdsot m'att)

Now they stand created and not long ago (catt nibre' wel' me'z).

One is impressed by the parallelism between what is now announced and

what is now fulfilled (lit., "created"). This insistence upon "now" resounds

through the passage, despite the fact that all four verbs are in the perf.

tense :

hisma'tka . . . yeda

etm (v. 6b)

nibre'u . . . s

ema

etam (v. 7a)

In such a context the "prophetic perfect" (of announcing the future with

strong faith) does not seem adequate to explain the meaning of the verbs.

In some very real way the "new" is not only being announced but isactually happening now, in the full force of its "suddenness."

Dt-Is speaks of this contemporary, wondrous and sudden action of God

as "creation"; W is the verb which he employs in the Niph. perf. In no

3 5z't occurs in Dt-Is as follows: 41,26 (implicitly), refers to Cyrus; 43,9 refers

to imminent future, most probably Cyrus' forthcoming conquests ; 45,21 seems to referto former things but actually alludes to the imminent fall of Babylon; 46,8 is not apart of the poems on "first and last"; 48,14.16 definitely refer to Cyrus. In 48,1, z'tought to correspond to this pattern of the future.

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way, at least explicitly, does W signify the first moment of time ; it refers

to the "new" or "final" act of Yahweh, when all the former and first re-

demptive acts converge in a "sudden" actualization, never anticipated in all

this splendor.

Before taking up this idea of "creation" as found in the third strophe

(vv. 1216), we call attention to the fact that what vv. 6b-7a describe

with the perf. tense of the verb, v. 11 swings into an imperf. tense:

lema

fan l

ema

ean 'e'seh, "for my sake, for my sake I am doing [this]."

The full mystery of redemption is already stirring beneath the surface

(nibre'u), "hidden" (n

esurotv. 6b") it is true, but nonetheless now in

the process of attaining its full development (e'seh).

Dt-Is tells what he means by the "newhdsot" still more fully inthe third strophe (vv. 1216). That the major point of reference here lay

with the "new," stands clear enough, not only from the development in

the previous strophes but also from the words and the unfolding of ideas

within the third strophe. Twice we meet the demonstrative pronoun, z't

(v. 16a) or 'lleh (v. 14a"), which consistently brings the "new things"

to mind, especially Cyrus' imminent conquests or the fall of Babylon.

Furthermore, the third strophe becomes rather explicit in its reference to

Cyrus. Without actually naming him, Yahweh bestows an honorific title

on the Persian conqueror in the lines : " 'My Beloved' accomplishes my

desires towards Babylon and the Chaldean offspring."The mere fact of referring to the "new" is not nearly as important for

us as the style or mode of reference. What we want to note, first of all,

is the use of perf. tense verbs in speaking of the "new," and then we will

attend to the connection between the "new" and "creation."

Dt-Is uses the perf. tense in announcing this "new" event as well

as in telling of its accomplishment :

v. 14a" mi bhem haggd 'et-'lleh ( = announcement)v. 15a 'ani 'ani dibbart 'ap-q

era'tw (= fulfillment)

v. 15b hab'otw w'aslah dark ( = fulfillment)

These perf. tenses of the verb span an entire cycle, from a divine announce-ment to the actual summoning of Cyrus, all the way to Cyrus' successful

accomplishment of the divine will. As mentioned in the study of other

texts on the "first" and "last," the prophet seems to glimpse all of "past"

time converging upon the "present" moment; and within this moment

he recognizes the power of "final" or "future" fulfillment. Again the em-

ployment of the perf. tense is something beyond the "prophetic perf.,"

because some of the verbs, at least haggd and dibbart, denote what has

already happened (the predictions already made and fulfilled). These two

verbs, at least, cannot be prophetic perf.

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Dt-Is' thought amounts to something like this. Just as in the past,

whatever Yahweh announced was not only fulfilled, but fulfilled "sud-

denly," "wondrously" (pit'm, v. 3), likewise at the present moment an-nouncement carries with it the power of sudden and wondrous fulfillment.

The time lapse between announcement and fulfillment, however, is prac-

tically nil. What has always been happening, is now rushing to its final

stage, so quickly that the "past" is overtaking the "new." And by "past"

Dt- Is would mean more than the "past" announcement concerning Cyrus :

also all the past redemptive acts of Yahweh, reaching back even to the

patriarchs (vv. 1-3).

This universalism of "time" (all the past redemptive acts of Yahweh) is

matched by Dt-Is' universalism of "space" (the heavens and the earth).

The fact is clearly enough stated in the verses we are investigating: 48,12-

16. We have in mind especially v. 13 :

'ap-yad yseda 'eres

wmn tippeh smyim

qr' 'ani 'alhemya'amd yahdw.

V. 13a obviously states that Yahweh established the heavens and the earth.

Dt-Is' thought, nonetheless, does not stop there in the long-ago past. The

second part of v. 13 draws the act of creation into the present moment by

employing the active ptc. and an imperi, verb: qr' and ya'amd. Sur-rounded as this verse is with the idea of the "new," Dt-Is' main concern

is the force of Yahweh's creative action now, within the great act of

redemption. Not only is this contemporaneity of creation inferred from the

general context and the tense of the verbs, but we might also recall that

qr' is ordinarily employed in a context of redemption or prayer, par-

ticularly in summoning leaders or the entire nation, in announcing great

moments of salvation, or in liturgical invocation.36 Again Dt-Is thus moves

from redemption to creation, so that creation is a way of pointing out

the tremendous, unheard-of scope of Yahweh's present redemptive act.

Dt-Is was able to make these leaps back and forth, from the presentinto the distant past and forward to final fulfillment because of his faith

in a personal, ever-present God. This aspect of a personal God shows up

in his language in v. 13. Yahweh carefully forms the heaven and the earth

by working with his "hands" (cf. 40,12). What happens is also a design

3 6 The following references constitute a full listing of all the occurrences of qr' inDt-I s; 40,2.3.6 (bis) .26; 41,4.9.25; 42,6; 43,17.22; 44,5.7; 45,3.4; 46,11; 48,1.2.12.15;49,1; 50,2; 51,2; 54,5.6; 55,5.6. The reference is to Tyre in 47,1.5; and to Israel as arebel in 48,8. qr' means "to meet" in 41,2(?) and "to happen" in 51,19. Only in 40,26and in 48,13 is qr* used of calling or creating elements of the universe. Cf. . 33.

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long meditated upon, for it is a thought spoken aloud (cf. 40,13). Dt-Is

summarizes this faith in a personal God by repeating the phrase :

'an-h' 'ani ri'son'ap 'n 'aharn (v. 12b).

Yahweh is always the same, then and now, but this is particularly true

of him now, when all his redemptive acts, even "creation," are being ex-

perienced anew by Israel.37

We can now conclude this study of ch. 48. The first strophe (vv. l-6a)

dwells upon the "first things" and stresses the startling, unexpected mode

by which those redemptive acts were fulfilled {pit'm). Israel is to ponder

those "first things" so as to be disposed for the wondrous turn of events

by which Yahweh fulfills his announcements now. Even here, therefore,the "first things" are presented for what they contribute to the contempo-

rary moment. The second strophe ( w . 6 b-l l) applies the idea ofpit'm to

the "new things." Dt-Is employs a series of perf. tense verbs to present

the "new things," even the word "createnibre'u." Somehow the "new

things" are already present; what is happening now contains all that is

to happen. Finally, the third strophe (vv. 12-16) clearly associates the

"new things" with the conquests of Cyrus against Babylon, and then ex-

pands upon this idea by including within it the Lord's calling to the heavens

and the earth, to stand forth all at once. In this third strophe, first and

last completely intermingle ; this overlapping takes place, in Dt-Is* thought,because Yahweh is personally and always present, always the same, the

first and the last.

Because of this overlapping of far distant past and final fulfillment, we

find it difficult to put a precise meaning upon "first" and "last." Schoors

follows a number of authors in identifying the "new" with Yahweh's use

of a pagan. Cyrus, to accomplish salvation for Israel.38 This procedure

3 7Dt-Is' frequent use of the divine name Yahweh and of the phrase 'n h' ought

to be considered in discussing the ancient meaning of Yahweh, i.e., whether it is to be

taken in the Hiph. (with causative or "creative" sense) or in the Qal (with the sense

of continuous presence). We think that Dt-Is strongly supports the latter, Qal posi-

tion. For the relation to the controversy of 'n h', cf. . Walker, "Concerning h'and 'ani h'," AW 74 (1962) 205f., who explains h' according to the form in lQIsahw'h (Qal ptc. of haya), similar to the LXX ho , "an echo of the divine name . " Levy 131 refers to "the Arabic use of huwa (= he) in the Koran and inSufi literature. In these instances hw' and huwa are used almost as titles." This "moreor less nominal sense" is stressed also by J. Morgenstern, "Deutero-Isaiah's Termi-nology for 'Universal God/" IBL 62 (1943) 274. Volz 16: "hu' heisst ein undderselbe(GK 135a , 1) . . . wie arabisch huwa in Islam der Er."

38 Schoors, art. cit. (in note 1), 42, refers to Ewald 436f.; W. Staer, Die Ebed-lahwe-Lieder in les. 40ff (Leipzig, 1913) 83; F. Giesebrecht, Beitrge zur Jesaja-

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was unheard of in the past history of Israel. North restricts the "new" to

the fall of Babylon, while the "old," at least when an article occurs with

the noun as in 48,3, means the earlier conquests of Cyrus, leading up toand definitely including the capture of Sardis. Both ideas, of Schoors and

North, are probably there in Dt-Is' presentation of "old" and "new" but not,

it seems, in the restrictive or exclusive way which they intend.

Conclusions

Although the two themes"first and last" and "creation"are extremely

important vehicles for expressing the prophet's message, they seldom meet !

Of the nine times39

when Dt-Is develops the theme of "first and last," only

on three occasions does he introduce the notion of creation. These are thetexts which we investigated. The reason for this unexpected separation is

probably to be found in the fact that "first and last" qualify predictions of

the future. They are most often used in connection with a verb "to

announce" or "to hear." The first creation of the universe could not be

announced ahead of time; nobody, much less the people Israel, was on

hand to hear the prediction. The new creation of the universe does not

deeply color Dt-Is' thought of the "last" thing to be predicted, for he is

preoccupied here with Cyrus, God's mediator.

The first general conclusion, then, regarding "creation," to draw from

Dt-Is' handling of "first" things, amounts to this, very clear, position : Dt-Isis certainly not preoccupied with first creation at the beginning of time.

Frequently using many synonyms for "first" things, he had repeated oppor-

tunities to delay or expand upon the first creation of the world. Nonetheless,

only twice did he avail himself of the opportunity (40,21 ; 48,12).

Moreover, it does not seem accurate to say that Dt-Is bases his Disputa-

tionsworte or Gerichtsreden upon a well-known and commonly accepted

doctrine that Yahweh created the universe at the beginning. This doctrine

of first creation : a) either serves a secondary purpose of expanding on what

is meant by Yahweh-Redeemer ; b) or is a conclusion drawn from this

same faith in Yahweh-Redeemer ; c) and is definitely not to the forefrontof his argument.

40This last fact is most important. Because creation oc-

kritik (Gttingen, 1890) 119; Morgenstern, The Message of Deutero-Isaiah (Cincin-nati, 1961) 74; and Waldow, Anlass (note 4) 243.

39 Cf. note 3.40 For this reason, A. Bentzen's thesis seems faultyart. cit. (note 1) 1851 He holds

that Dt-Is uses some of the old forms of the New Year festival, including ideas on there-creation of the universe. Because the exodus story in Israelite tradition, accordingto B., "is an 'historification' of the myth of creation," Dt-Is easily introduces the cre-ation idea into the new exodus. The Suffering Servantfor Bentzen, Moses redi vi vus

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