Isaiah 40:1-2

Isaiah 40:1-2

By Khalil fawakhri

Table of Contents

A. Introduction

B. Critical Issues to the Book Of Isaiah

a. Deutero Isaiah Vs United Isaiah

b. History Vs. Prophecy

C. Introduction to the Text

a. Literary Context

b. Prophetic Genre

D. Exegetical Analysis

a. Words of Interest

b. Aspect of Interest

c. Theological Significance

E. Conclusion

A. Introduction

” Isaiah was the greatest of the Hebrew prophets. His general prophecies are without

equal as far as beauty of style, versatility of treatment, brilliance of imagery, and splendor of

diction are concerned.” A sample of the truth of this statement can be found in the

passage Isaiah 40:1-2. Within the passage the realization of special relationship with God and

His People can be found. And “with great force and elegance; declaring God’s command

to his messengers the prophets to comfort his people in their captivity, and to impart to

them the glad tidings that the time of favour and deliverance was at hand”, . With these

great statements the study going to relay on the understanding of the critical issues debate

about the book of Isaiah and give overview of the context of the passage with exegetical

analysis .

Critical Issues

Two critical debates significant in the study of the book of Isaiah, the debate between

deutero Isaiah and unified Isaiah. And the debate History Vs. Prophecy those debates put the

scholars in dispute about the authorship of the book, those who believe that “the Prophet in

Chaps. 40вЂ"55. Unlike other prophetic books, Isaiah chaps. 40вЂ"55 have no introductory

heading like “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz”,” this debate started since” the 18th

century certain Bible critics have questioned the unity of the Book of Isaiah. Late in the 19th

century a theory emerged that ascribed chapters 40вЂ"66 to an unknown prophet a deutero

(“second”) Isaiah presumably living among the exiles in Babylon.” but these scholars relay on

the historical events and style not on prophetical events thus the “ Stylistic considerations are

no longer a major factor in arguments concerning the book’s authorship; liberal as well as

conservative critics recognize that usage may depend on subject matter, setting, or purpose, as

well as the prophet’s personal development. The primary issue dividing critical scholars and

conservative or traditional interpreters remains the nature of biblical prophecy. If prophecy is

essentially predictive the historical allusions and theological concerns of the second portion of

the book would not be unseemly for a prophet living some 150 years before the events

addressed.” Those arguments established each other but subsided when the Qumran scrolls

were found comparing with todays book , ”The St Mark’s Isaiah Scroll from Qumran is our

oldest Hebrew manuscript, possibly dating from 100 bc and taking us back a thousand years

behind the Ben Asher text of the Massoretic Text (ad 1009). The overwhelming identity of this

text with the Massoretic Text indicates the reliance we can place on what we have inherited

and the astonishing care and accuracy of the copyists.” On the base of these facts its more

logical to establish the study on the prophetic unified Isaiah .

Introduction to the Text

Many scholars going through the book of Isaiah into two or three stages. In this study two major stages will be taken that can be seen clearly, Condemnation and Consolation.

In the first thirty nine chapters the prophet Isaiah talk about “Israel and Judah had sinned

against the Law of God and were even more guilty than their neighbors, but the Gentile nations

would not escape God’s wrath”.

The next twenty seven chapters Isaiah had a word of promise to Judah that God would deliver

Jerusalem and His people from the enemy for the sake of His Covenant. There was also a word

of hope for the future Jewish exiles in Babylon, that God would rescue them and help them

restore their nation and their