160 humbling themselves before him is presented in 56:9-57:21, Isa 58:1-14 deals mainly with the faithful response in terms of taking care of the neighbors while showing character.
Accusation of the Sins of Israel (58:1-4)
While Isa 56:9-57:13 introduces the sins of the leaders and the idolaters, 58:1- 14 begins with an accusation of the sins of the people in general, manifesting a symmetric thematic structure between the two pericopes.81 Verses 1-4 serve to introduce some of the key themes of sin and the new theme of fasting. The imperative of 58:1 continues the recurring grammatical pattern: that is, the use of an imperative at the beginning of the unit in 54:1, 55:1, 56:1, 9, creating a sense of urgency in the prophetic message within the larger …show more content…
First, throughout the book of Isaiah the plural form of %r,D, is employed in order to express ethical instruction (2:3; 42:24; 55:8-9; 63:17; 64:4).89 Second, the religious activity of the people is compared to that of a nation who does (hf'[)' righteousness (hq'd'c). and who has not abandoned the justice (jP'v.mi) of God as seen in the following lines vv. 2c-d. The terms hq'd'c,. jP'v.mi, and hf'[' have already been anticipated in 56:1 where the prophet exhorts the people to conduct themselves in conformity to God’s law. The recollection of this motif draws our attention to the call to practice justice and righteousness which are lacking within Israel in reality. Third, the term qd<c,ê-yjeP.v.mi in v. 2e may refer to legal and priestly instruction. It occurs in Psalm 119:7, 62, 106, 164 with legal and ethical connotation and in Deuteronomy 16:18 with reference to a priestly judgment.90 Scullion says, “In 58:2 sedeq is determined by mishpat in the construct plural and the
Accusation of the Sins of Israel (58:1-4)
While Isa 56:9-57:13 introduces the sins of the leaders and the idolaters, 58:1- 14 begins with an accusation of the sins of the people in general, manifesting a symmetric thematic structure between the two pericopes.81 Verses 1-4 serve to introduce some of the key themes of sin and the new theme of fasting. The imperative of 58:1 continues the recurring grammatical pattern: that is, the use of an imperative at the beginning of the unit in 54:1, 55:1, 56:1, 9, creating a sense of urgency in the prophetic message within the larger …show more content…
First, throughout the book of Isaiah the plural form of %r,D, is employed in order to express ethical instruction (2:3; 42:24; 55:8-9; 63:17; 64:4).89 Second, the religious activity of the people is compared to that of a nation who does (hf'[)' righteousness (hq'd'c). and who has not abandoned the justice (jP'v.mi) of God as seen in the following lines vv. 2c-d. The terms hq'd'c,. jP'v.mi, and hf'[' have already been anticipated in 56:1 where the prophet exhorts the people to conduct themselves in conformity to God’s law. The recollection of this motif draws our attention to the call to practice justice and righteousness which are lacking within Israel in reality. Third, the term qd<c,ê-yjeP.v.mi in v. 2e may refer to legal and priestly instruction. It occurs in Psalm 119:7, 62, 106, 164 with legal and ethical connotation and in Deuteronomy 16:18 with reference to a priestly judgment.90 Scullion says, “In 58:2 sedeq is determined by mishpat in the construct plural and the