Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 1:2 opens with a summons to heaven and earth that mirrors the introduction of Deuteronomy 32:1, where these cosmic witnesses are called to hear divine speech. Both employ a specific literary pattern, a legal complaint format with an accusation of covenant rebellion.
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Deuteronomy 32:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2 My teaching will drop like the rain, my sayings will drip like the dew, as rain drops upon the grass, and showers upon new growth. 3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; you must acknowledge the greatness of our God. 4 As for the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. He is a reliable God who is never unjust, he is fair and upright.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Isaiah 1:2
Hebrew Bible
1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz during the time when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah reigned over Judah. 2 Listen, O heavens, pay attention, O earth! For the Lord speaks: “I raised children, I brought them up, but they have rebelled against me! 3 An ox recognizes its owner, a donkey recognizes where its owner puts its food; but Israel does not recognize me, my people do not understand.” 4 Beware sinful nation, the people weighed down by evil deeds. They are offspring who do wrong, children who do wicked things. They have abandoned the Lord, and rejected the Holy One of Israel. They are alienated from him.
Date: 7th-5th Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... the very content of God’s lawsuit with his people is cultic. God’s complaint against his people is that they have misunderstood the significance of sacrifices. Since Psalm 50 is a liturgical work containing a rîb, it is difficult to determine whether the features it has in common with Deuteronomy 32 are due to a lawsuit form or a liturgical context ... Isaiah 1:2–3 contains another rîb against the people of YHWH. As is common in the pattern, heaven and earth are invoked to listen to YHWH’s words (verse 2). The accusation against the people is that while he has reared them, they have rebelled (verses 2b–3). The rîb pattern ends here and a woe oracle follows. Although there is a change of speaker from the prophet to YHWH, there are no imperatives addressed to any congregation, nor are there any grammatical shifts in person when referring to Israel. Thus, Isaiah 1:2–3 is a rîb that differs significantly from the Song of Moses, which has imperatives addressed to a congregation and multiple shifts in person when referring to Israel ..."
Thiessen, Matthew
The Form and Function of the Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1-43)
(pp. 401-424) Journal of Biblical Literature 123/3, 2004
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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