Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 57 presents divine healing as a future act following the people's disobedience, while the Aramaic translation in Targum Jonathan changes this so repentance is a necessary requirement before that divine healing will happen.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 57:18
Hebrew Bible
16 For I will not be hostile forever or perpetually angry, for then man’s spirit would grow faint before me, the life-giving breath I created. 17 I was angry because of their sinful greed; I attacked them and angrily rejected them, yet they remained disobedient and stubborn. 18 I have seen their behavior, but I will heal them. I will lead them, and I will provide comfort to them and those who mourn with them. 19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. Complete prosperity is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,” says the Lord, “and I will heal them. 20 But the wicked are like a surging sea that is unable to be quiet; its waves toss up mud and sand.
Jonathan Isaiah 57:18
Targum
16 “For I will not take the vengeance of judgment forever, neither will my wrath be eternal; for I will revive the spirits of the dead, and the souls I have created. 17 My wrath was upon them on account of their robbed riches, and I struck them; I removed my Shekinah from them and cast them out; I scattered their captives, because they went astray after the imagination of their hearts. 18 The way of their repentance is revealed before me, and I will forgive them, and I will have compassion on them, and grant consolations to them and to those who mourn with them.” 19 The prophet said, “He who creates the speech on the lips of every man, peace will be made for the righteous who have kept my Torah of old, and peace will be made for the penitent who return to my Torah. It is at hand that I will pardon them, says the LORD.” 20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea that seeks to rest but cannot, and its waters bring forth mire and dirt.
Search:
Notes and References
"... Another instance of the same phenomenon is provided by the meturgeman's language of "repentance". As we have seen, repentance in the Targum is pre-eminently what the meturgeman demands from his audience. In the face of national calamity, it represents the only divinely sanctioned way forward, and Israel's failure in respect of repentance to the law is the very reason for that calamity. At times, another level of meaning is exploited within this theology (57:18a) ... As in the case of the usage of "Messiah", we appear to be confronting a tendency to transmute hope into actuality. As examples of this sort mount up, that distinctive tendency seems all the more important for an understanding of the Targum ..."
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.