Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 43:2 promises that God will be with Israel through water and fire, using exodus imagery. The Aramaic translation in Targum Jonathan makes this explicit, referring to the Red Sea and the Egyptians.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 43:2
Hebrew Bible
1 Now, this is what the Lord says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: “Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba in place of you. 4 Since you are precious and special in my sight and I love you, I will hand over people in place of you, nations in place of your life.
Jonathan Isaiah 43:2
Targum
1 But now, thus says the LORD who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you, who are mine, by your name. 2 For at the first, when you passed through the Red Sea, my Memra was your support. Pharaoh and the Egyptians, who were as many as the waters of the river, did not prevail against you. And again, when you came among nations who were as mighty as fire, they did not prevail against you; and kingdoms that were strong as a flame did not destroy you; 3 Because I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Ever since I loved you, you were precious; I loved you dearly, and I gave nations instead of you, and kingdoms for your soul.
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Notes and References
"... The reassurance to Israel is framed as a promise of a new exodus (verses 2, 8, 12), and the use of this typology is different from that in 27:1. The reason for this difference is that Babylon, not Rome, is at issue in the present context (verse 14, compare 44:27). Notably, the Messiah appears here as a witness (verse 10), as if he already existed in personal terms. The connection between “servant” and “branch” (compare Targum Isaiah 4:2 in comparison with the Masoretic text) is already made in Zechariah 3:8, but the idea of the Messiah’s personal pre-existence seems to be an Amoraic development ..."
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