by behemot 8 Replies latest watchtower bible
Hi everybody,
I don't post often but I read a lot on this forum, appreciating especially Leolaia's and Narkissos' approach to Bible issues.
Can they (or other "scholars" in the forum) post here (or direct me to) any info or non-apologetic comment about Isaiah chapter 2?
Thanks for your help,
Behemot
Hi behemot,
I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but there is a verse - by - verse commentary on Isaiah here:
http://uk.geocities.com/jonpartin/isaiah1.html
I hope it does help
Hi behemot,
There are a lot of commentaries (some older ones online), but could you be more specific? What part of the chapter are you especially interested in (v. 1-5 which parallel Micah 4, or the following passage)? Have you got one particular question?
Hi Narkissos,
I'm looking for info about historical and literary background of chap. 2, especially vv. 1-4 and 10-22, with a view to debunk the JWs interpretation of it. Thanks for your help.
Behemot
Their own referenced scripture disproves the claim that this is now happening.
(Isaiah 2:1-4) 2
The thing that Isaiah the son of A´moz visioned concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 And it must occur in the final part of the days [that] the mountain of the house of Jehovah will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, and it will certainly be lifted up above the hills; and to it all the nations must stream. 3 And many peoples will certainly go and say: "Come, YOU people, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For out of Zion law will go forth, and the word of Jehovah out of Jerusalem. 4 And he will certainly render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.
According to the WTBTS, Jehovah renders judgement at a future time. I'm am in no way a Leolaia or Narkissos, but I hope this helps.
Justitia
I'm sorry I haven't got adequate documentation at hand, but if I were you I would look to the recent commentaries by M.S. Sweeney (1996), J. Blenkinsopp (2000) and B.S. Childs (2001), and perhaps some older ones like O. Kaiser's (1974) and H. Wildberger's (1991). There is an important paradigm shift in OT studies in general, and in Isaiah studies in particular, which you must be aware of: most 19th and 20th-century scholarship focused on the "original meaning" of the "authentic" (in the case of Isaiah, 8th-century BC) fragments which could be isolated from later additions and redactional seams. A new school of Bible scholars (here represented by Sweeney in particular) has more or less given up this archaeological approach, concentrating on the book as it stands, i.e. as a post-exilic composition, and considering upstream traditions as the "pre-history" of the text rather than the text itself. That being said, there are at least two obvious literary units in chapter 2, v. 2-5 (= Micah 4:1-3, which is probably dependent on Isaiah) and 6-22 which constitute two distinct poems.
I'm not sure what part of the JW interpretation you intend to argue against, but one very debatable issue imo is the NW translation of be'acharith ha-yâmim (v. 2) as "in the final part of the days". This is close to the LXX en tais eschatais hèmerais, "in the last days," but the Hebrew text requires no more than "in the future" ("in days to come," NRSV). The text itself offers no clear articulation of the "positive future" depicted in v. 2-5 and the dreadful "day of Yhwh" in v. 6-22, but this is a common problem in prophetic literature which constantly juxtaposes hope and threat.
Justitia and Narkissos,
thanks for your helpful replies. I will look up the commentaries you suggest.
Behemot
I would also recommend John Watts' commentary (in the Word series). His analysis is interesting because he construes it (like many other poetic oracles in Isaiah) as dialogic (e.g. v. 22 being a response to v. 20-21). Some other articles include:
You can PM me if you would like to see these articles.
Leolaia, thanks, I'll PM you.
Behemot
