Historicising Interpolations in the Isaiah-Memoir
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In studies on the composition of prophetic literature, the larger textual layers reinterpreting earlier texts, the so-called Fortschreibungen, received much attention. It is well-known that beside these larger literary elaborations prophetic books also contain shorter explanatory interpolations, often called glosses, which intend to clarify a particular imagery of the prophecy (e.g., Isa 9:14). A systematic reading of these short annotations has been neglected, however, in studying the formation of prophetic books. The present article reconsiders the Isaiah-Memoir from this perspective. It identifies editorial interpolations in three distinct pericopes, Isa 8:2, 8:6-7a and 8:23b. It is argued here that the identification of such explanatory additions is the key to understanding notorious textual complexities. Moreover, it points out that these interpolations tend to expose recognisable patterns and common hermeneutical principles. Unlike Fortschreibungen, however, these interpolations are not concerned with the reapplication of the prophecy to the era of the editor, but they intend to guide the reader in understanding the prophecies in their original historical setting.
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10
For the first option, see Gray, Isaiah, pp. 136-37; for the second, see J. Barthel: Prophetenwort und Geschichte. Die Jesajaüberlieferung in Jes 6-8 und 28-31 (FAT 19; Tübingen, 1997), pp. 131-132; W. A. M. Beuken, Jesaja 1-12 (HThKAT; Freiburg, 2003), pp. 189-90; H. G. M. Williamson, “Poetic Vision in Isaiah 7:18-25”, in A. J. Everson and H. C. P. Kim (eds), The Desert Will Bloom. Poetic Visions in Isaiah (Atlanta, 2009), pp. 77, note 1. Duhm, Jesaia, p. 76, argues that the role of the later v. 17 was to connect two already existing pericopes, vv. 10-16 with vv. 18-25. This view, however—as Gray, Isaiah, p. 136, well noted—, raises serious problems.
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14
H. Klein, “Freude an Rezin. Ein Versuch, mit dem Text Jes. viii 6 ohne Konjektur auszukommen”, VT 30 (1980), pp. 231-33; D. Barthélemy, Critique textuelle de l’Ancien Testament (OBO 50/2; Fribourg, 1986), p. 50; Barthel, Prophetenwort, pp. 200-202; M. A. Sweeney, “ûmĕśôś in Isaiah 8:6”, in Form and Intertextuality in Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature (FAT 45; Tübingen, 2005), p. 41; Beuken, Jesaja, p. 213.
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17
Cf. F. Giesebrecht, “Die Immanuelweissagung”, Theologische Studien und Kritiken 61 (1888), p. 225; Gray, Isaiah, p. 148; Sweeney, “ûmĕśôś”, pp. 38-39. אֵת demarcates the object in Deut 1:28; 20:8.
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18
Giesebrecht, “Immanuelweissagung”, pp. 227-229; cf. also W. Popper, Studies in Biblical Parallelism. Parallelism in Isaiah (Berkeley, 1917), pp. 347-348.
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26
Cf. Fullerton, “Isaiah 8:5-10”, p. 268; Sweeney, “ûmĕśôś”, p. 39. It is surprising, however, that at the same time Sweeney does consider the highly autonomous rereading of Isa 8:6 by 66:14-18 possible.
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30
E.g., Gray, Isaiah, p. 147; Wildberger, Jesaja, p. 322; Kaiser, Jesaja, p. 181; Sweeney, Isaiah, p. 171. As scholars usually note, this interpolation disturbs the fluent connection between the metaphoric language of v. 7a and v. 7b.
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32
See J. A. Emerton, “Some Linguistic and Historical Problems in Isaiah VIII 23”, JSS 14 (1969), pp. 158-60; H. Eshel, “Isaiah viii 23: An Historical-Geographical Analogy”, VT 40 (1990), p. 109 (“as then”).
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34
Gray, Isaiah, p. 163; Wildberger, Jesaja, p. 372; Barth, Jesaja-Worte, pp. 144-145; Høgenhaven, “Structure”, p. 219.
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36
Cf. Emerton, “Some Problems”, pp. 163-165 (“treat with contempt” and “treat with harshness”); Eshel, “Isaiah viii 23”, pp. 104-109.
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37
Cf. Duhm, Jesaia, p. 88; Gray, Isaiah, p. 161; Fohrer, Jesaja, p. 136; H. W. Wolff, Frieden ohne Ende. Eine Auslegung von Jes. 7,1-7 und 9,1-6 (BibSt 35; Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1962), pp. 61-62.
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39
See A. Alt, “Jesaja 8, 23–9, 6. Befreiungsnacht und Krönungstag”, in Kleine Schriften zur Geschichte des Volkes Israel (München, 1953), Bd. 2, pp. 211-212, composing several new lines to the “poem”.
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40
As noted also by Barth, Jesaja-Worte, pp. 142-143. Cf. Alt, “Befreiungsnacht”, pp. 207-209.
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41
E.g., Duhm, Jesaia, p. 88; Fohrer, Jesaja, p. 136; Wildberger, Jesaja, p. 372; Beuken, Jesaja, pp. 244-245.
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42
Emerton, “Some Problems”, pp. 157-158; Barth, Jesaja-Worte, p. 147.
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43
Alt, “Befreiungsnacht”, p. 209. Similarly Barth, Jesaja-Worte, pp. 145, 156-157, 160.
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44
Barth, Jesaja-Worte, pp. 160-161. He actually follows the emendation proposed already by Procksch.
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55
Gray, Isaiah, p. 144. Contra Wildberger, Jesaja, p. 317; Barthel, Prophetenwort, p. 190.
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61
Cf. Barthel, Prophetenwort, pp. 405-406; Cs. Balogh, “Prophetic Instruction and the Disciples in Isaiah 8:16”, VT 63 (2013), p. 4.
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62
See Hitzig, Jesaja, pp. 237-238; Balogh, “Prophetic Instuction”, pp. 8-11.
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65
This point was also emphasised by Tov, “Glosses”, pp. 72-74, especially in relation to the book of Ezekiel.
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Historicising Interpolations in the Isaiah-Memoir
In: Vetus TestamentumSearch for other papers by Csaba Balogh in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
In studies on the composition of prophetic literature, the larger textual layers reinterpreting earlier texts, the so-called Fortschreibungen, received much attention. It is well-known that beside these larger literary elaborations prophetic books also contain shorter explanatory interpolations, often called glosses, which intend to clarify a particular imagery of the prophecy (e.g., Isa 9:14). A systematic reading of these short annotations has been neglected, however, in studying the formation of prophetic books. The present article reconsiders the Isaiah-Memoir from this perspective. It identifies editorial interpolations in three distinct pericopes, Isa 8:2, 8:6-7a and 8:23b. It is argued here that the identification of such explanatory additions is the key to understanding notorious textual complexities. Moreover, it points out that these interpolations tend to expose recognisable patterns and common hermeneutical principles. Unlike Fortschreibungen, however, these interpolations are not concerned with the reapplication of the prophecy to the era of the editor, but they intend to guide the reader in understanding the prophecies in their original historical setting.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 367 | 38 | 6 |
| Full Text Views | 202 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 58 | 14 | 1 |