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The light overcoming darkness in Isaiah draws on the royal image Hammurabi uses for his just rule. The promised light means relief from oppression, linking hope for the people to the arrival of leadership that will protect them.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Code of Hammurabi 1:22
Babylonian Legal Text
Ancient Near East
Who let the name of Ishtar of Nineveh remain in E-mish-mish, the sublime one, who humbles himself before the great gods, successor of Sumula-il, mighty son of Sin-muballit, the royal heir of eternity. The mighty monarch, the sun of Babylon, whose rays shed light over the land of Sumer and Akkad, the king obeyed by the four quarters of the world, beloved of Ninni, am I. When Marduk sent me to rule over men and to give the land the protection of justice, I did what was right and just and promoted the well-being of the oppressed. 1 If anyone accuses another of a capital crime but cannot prove it, the accuser shall be put to death.
Isaiah 9:2
Hebrew Bible
1 The gloom will be dispelled for those who were anxious. In earlier times he humiliated the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali; but now he brings honor to the way of the sea, the region beyond the Jordan, and Galilee of the nations. 2 (9:1) The people walking in darkness see a bright light; light shines on those who live in a land of deep darkness. 3 You have enlarged the nation; you give them great joy. They rejoice in your presence as harvesters rejoice; as warriors celebrate when they divide up the plunder. 4 For their oppressive yoke and the club that strikes their shoulders, the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat.
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Notes and References
“... 9:2. light of hope and deliverance. In Mesopotamian texts it is logically the sun god, Shamash, who provides light. He is praised for setting right the darkness and providing light for humankind. As a king who reigns justly, Hammurabi claims that he provides light for the lands of Sumer and Akkad. ...”
Walton, John H.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
(p. 596) InterVarsity Press, 2000
* 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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