Isaiah 51:16

Hebrew Bible

14 The one who suffers will soon be released; he will not die in prison, he will not go hungry. 15 I am the Lord your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves surge. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! 16I commission you as my spokesman; I cover you with the palm of my hand to establish the sky and to found the earth, to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’” 17 Wake up! Wake up! Get up, O Jerusalem! You drank from the cup the Lord passed to you, which was full of his anger. You drained dry the goblet full of intoxicating wine. 18 There was no one to lead her among all the children she bore; there was no one to take her by the hand among all the children she raised.

Jonathan Isaiah 51:16

Targum

14 Vengeance hasteneth to be revealed, and the righteous shall not die in the pit, nor be in want of their food. 15 For I am the Lord thy God, who rebuketh the sea, though its waves roar; the Lord of hosts is His name. 16 I have put the words of my prophecy in thy mouth, and with the shadow of my power have I protected thee, to raise up the nation, concerning which it hath been promised that they shall be as many as the stars of heaven, and to establish the congregation it has been promised concerning them, that they shall multiply like the dust of the earth, and to say to the inhabitants of Zion, Ye are my people. 17 Magnify thyself, magnify thyself; arise, O Jerusalem! who hast received from the Lord the cup of His wrath; the vial of the cup of cursing thou hast drunk, and thou hast removed it. 18 There is none to comfort thee, of all the sons which she hath brought forth; neither is there one to lay hold on her hand, of all the sons she hath nourished.

 Notes and References

"... Rava’s striking exegetical theology is followed by Rav Joseph, who further mitigates the divine disfavor and facial aversion. He claims that God’s hand rests upon the Jews, even if his face is averted, citing Isaiah 51:16, in which God covers Israel in “the shadow of his hand” and goes on to reassure them, “You are my people.” ... Compare Targum of Jonathan to Isaiah 51:16 ..."

Neis, Rachel The Sense of Sight in Rabbinic Culture: Jewish Ways of Seeing in Late Antiquity (p. 65) Cambridge University Press, 2013

 User Comments

Do you have questions or comments about these texts? Please submit them here.