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Jonathan Isaiah

About this book
Chapter 43

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. 5 Fear not, for my Memra will be your support;⁠ I will bring your children from the east, I will bring together your captivity from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’; and to the south, ‘Do not keep them back’; bring my sons from afar, and the captivity of my people from the ends of the earth. 7 All these things will come to pass for the sake of your righteous fathers, on whom my name was called; for my glory I created them. I will restore their captivity, and I will work wonders for them. 8 When I brought my people out of Egypt, they were like the blind, although they had eyes, and like the deaf, although they had ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, let the kingdoms be brought together; who among them can declare this and give us the joyful tidings of old? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified; let them hear and speak the truth. 10 You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant, the Messiah, in whom is my delight,⁠ so that you may know and believe in me⁠ and understand that I am He who was from the beginning;⁠ ages upon ages are mine, and besides me there is no god. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. 12 I, I have declared to Abraham your father what would come to pass; I, I redeemed you out of Egypt, as I swore to him between the pieces; and I, I made you hear the teaching of my Torah from Sinai; and you are still alive, when there was no strange god among you;⁠ you are my witnesses, says the LORD, that I am God. 13 From eternity I am He, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand; I will do it, and who can turn it back?” 14 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “Because of your sins I led you captive to Babylon; but I will lay them all low with their oars, the Chaldeans in the ships of which they boast. 15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” 16 Thus says the LORD, “I am He who prepared a way in the sea and a path in mighty waters, 17 I who brought out the chariots and horses and a great host, much people; they were swallowed up together, they did not rise, they were extinguished, snuffed out like a glimmering wick. 18 Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 I am making a new thing, and now it will be revealed; will you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 20 They will honor me, when I make the desert into habitable provinces, and the places where the dragons and the daughters of the ostrich dwell; because I will give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to the captives of my people, in whom I delight. 21 This people I have prepared for my service; they will declare my praise. 22 It has been said by the prophets that you of the house of Jacob have not gathered together for my worship, but that you were weary of the teaching of my Torah, O Israel. 23 You have not brought me the lambs of your burnt offerings, and with your holy sacrifices you have not honored me. I have not made you multiply offerings, nor have I burdened you with frankincense. 24 You have not bought for me the aromatic reed with silver, nor have you anointed my altar with the fat of your holy sacrifices; but you have multiplied your sins before me, you have burdened me with your iniquities. 25 I, even I, am He who forgives your sins for the sake of my name, and your sins will not be remembered.⁠ 26 Speak now, let us plead together; state your case, that you may justify yourself, if you are able to do so. 27 Your first father sinned, and your teachers rebelled against my Memra. 28 Therefore I profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and I gave Jacob over to the slaughter, and Israel to reproaches.”

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Compare Isaiah 43:10 and Jonathan Isaiah 43:10

Hebrew Bible · Targum

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Summary

Isaiah 43 identifies Israel as God’s chosen witness to affirm divine uniqueness. The Aramaic translation in Targum Jonathan interprets this to include the messiah as a pre-existent witness, pointing forward to future restoration as already present.

Passages

Isaiah 43:10

Hebrew Bible
8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, those who are deaf, even though they have ears! 9 All nations gather together, the peoples assemble. Who among them announced this? Who predicted earlier events for us? Let them produce their witnesses to testify they were right; let them listen and affirm, “It is true.” 10 “You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “my servant whom I have chosen so that you may consider and believe in me, and understand that I am he. No god was formed before me, and none will outlive me. 11 I, I am the Lord, and there is no deliverer besides me.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

Jonathan Isaiah 43:10

Targum
8 When I brought my people out of Egypt, they were like the blind, although they had eyes, and like the deaf, although they had ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, let the kingdoms be brought together; who among them can declare this and give us the joyful tidings of old? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified; let them hear and speak the truth. 10 You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant, the Messiah, in whom is my delight, so that you may know and believe in me and understand that I am He who was from the beginning; ages upon ages are mine, and besides me there is no god. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.
200–300 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jonathan Isaiah

References

"... The ministry of the Messiah, as the meturgeman sees it, has already been detailed. Even within its broad range, the following statement comes as something of a surprise (43:10a) ... although the Messiah is regularly an eschatological figure in the Targum, he is here something of an eternal figure. He exists already as a witness before God, without reference to his very tangible ministry of restoration. It must be stressed that this emphasis does not contradict the normal Targumic teaching; indeed, an eschatological figure is of necessity to be conceived of as pre-existent, in that he is part of the divine intention. But the interpretation of 43:10 coheres with others in the Targum which speak of things hoped for as if they were accomplished facts ..."
Bruce D. Chilton, The Isaiah Targum: Introduction, Translation, Apparatus and Notes, ArBib 11 (Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1987), xviii.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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