A Redactional Study of the Book of Isaiah 13-23 (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs)

A Redactional Study of the Book of Isaiah 13-23 argues that a series of programmatic additions were made to the oracles concerning the nations in Isaiah 13-23 during the late-exilic period by the same circle of writers who were responsible for Isaiah 40-55. These additions were made to create continuity between the ancient oracles against the nations from the Isaiah tradition and the future fate of the same nations as the late-exilic redactor(s) foresaw. The additions portray a two-sided vision concerning the nations. One group of passages depicts a positive turn for certain nations while the other group of passages continues to pronounce doom against the remaining nations. This double-sided vision is set out first in Isaiah 14 surrounding the famous taunt against the fallen tyrant. 14:1-2, before the taunt, paints the broad picture of the future return of the exiles and the attachment of the gentiles to the people of Israel. After the taunt and other sayings of YHWH against his enemies, 14:26-27 extends the sphere of the underlying theme of 14:4b-25a, namely YHWH's judgement against boastful and tyrannical power(s), to all nations and the whole earth. The two sides of this vision are then applied accordingly to the rest of the oracles concerning nations in chapters 13-23. To the nations that have experienced similar disasters as the people of Israel, words of hope in line with 14:1-2 were given. To the nations that still possessed some prominence and reasons to be proud, words of doom in line with 14:26-27 were decreed. --! From publisher's description Cover A Redactional Study of the Book of Isaiah 13–23 Copyright Preface Contents Abbreviations 1 Introduction and survey of scholarship 1–1: INTRODUCTION 1–2: SURVEY OF RESEARCH ON THE COMPOSITIONAL HISTORY OF ISAIAH 13–23 1–2-1: Post-exilic משא collection 1–2-2: Gradual growth of Isaiah 13–23 2 Introducing the theme of the nations joining the people of Israel (Isaiah 14:1–2) 2–1: UNITY OF ISAIAH 14:1–2 2–2: MEANING OF. ISAIAH 14:1–2 2–3: DATING ISAIAH 14:1–2 2–4: COMPOSITIONAL HISTORY OF ISAIAH 13:1–14:25A 2–4-1: Dating Isaiah 14:4b–20a 2–4-2: Dating Isaiah 13 2–4-3: Relationship between Isaiah 13 and 14:4b–23 2–4-4: New approach 2–5: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 3 Philistia may take refuge in Zion (Isaiah 14:32b) 3–1: TEXTUAL DIFFICULTIES 3–2: DATING PARTS OF THE ORACLE 3–3: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 4 Cush will come to Zion with a tribute (Isaiah 18:7) 4–1: TEXTUAL AND TRANSLATIONAL ISSUES 4–2: IDENTIFYING DIFFERENT COMPOSITIONAL LAYERS 4–3: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 5 Zion should receive the outcasts of Moab (Isaiah 16:1–4a) 5–1: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ISAIAH 15–16 AND JEREMIAH 48 5–2: ISAIAH 16:1–4A 5–3: POSITION OF ISAIAH 16:1–4A 5–4: ISAIAH 16:4B–5 5–5: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 6 Introducing the theme of YHWH’s plan against the nations (Isaiah 14:26–27) 6–1: SEEING ISAIAH 14:26–27 AS A SEPARATE ADDITION 6–2: DATING ISAIAH 14:26–27 6–3: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 7 Who planned this judgement against Tyre? (Isaiah 23:8–9, 11) 7–1: ORIGINAL POEM IN ISAIAH 23:1B–14 7–1-1: Was Isaiah 23:1b–14 originally about Sidon? 7–1-2: Textual emendations 7–1-3: Indirect treatment of Tyre 7–2: ISAIAH 23:8–9, 11 7–2-1: Identifying Isaiah 23:8–9, 11 as a compositional unit 7–2-2: Clues for dating Isaiah 23:8–9, 11 7–3: ISAIAH 23:15–18 7–4: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 8 Egypt will be in dread because of YHWH’s hand against it (Isaiah 19:16–17) 8–1: ISAIAH 19:1–15 8–1-1: Isaiah 19:5–10 8–1-2: Isaiah 19:1–4 8–1-3: Isaiah 19:11–15 8–2: ISAIAH 19:16–17 8–2-1: Relationship between Isaiah 19:1–15 and 19:16–17 8–2-2: Exodus tradition 8–3: ISAIAH 19:18–25 8–4: CONCLUSION 9 Passages outside of chs 13–23 that express inclusivity towards the nations 9–1: ISAIAH 2:2–4 9–2: ISAIAH 42:1–4, 6–7; 45:22–23; 49:6; 51:4–5 9–3: ISAIAH 60:3, 9; 61:6; [62:2] 9–4: ISAIAH 56:3, 6–8; 66:18–24 9–5: ISAIAH 25:6–8 9–6: CONCLUSION 10 Summary and conclusion 10–1: SUMMARY 10–2: CONCLUSION Bibliography Index of Biblical Sources General Index This book argues that a series of programmatic additions were made to the oracles concerning the nations in Isa 13-23 during the late-exilic period by the same circle of writers who were responsible for Isa 40-55. These additions were made to create continuity between the ancient oracles against the nations from the Isaiah tradition.