Isaiah 8:23–9:6 [9:1-7]: oracle of salvation or song of enthronement?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19141/1809-2454.kerygma.v21.n1.pe2048Keywords:
Isaiah, king, boy, qatal, prophecyAbstract
This research proposes an exegesis on Isaiah 8:23–9:6, seeking to understand whether it’s a messianic prophecy with eschatological dimensions. It is noteworthy that the verse numbering here follows that of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. The methodology adopted follows these steps: a) delimitation of the pericope; b) translation; c) textual criticism; d) structure of the pericope; e) literary genre and historical context; f) questions related to the text's composition; and g) exegetical commentary. The delimitation of the pericope presents challenges, especially regarding the uncertainty surrounding the text's beginning, and then offers a proposal. The translation contains notes on philological analysis of difficult words. Textual criticism concerns itself only with variants found in important manuscripts and that can actually cause significant differences in the passage. After a lexicographical analysis of the terms and the syntactical analysis of the clauses, a possible structure for the pericope is presented in the following sections: Isaiah 8:23-9:1 / 9:2-4 / 9:5-6. Its genre is understood as an oracle or word of salvation. In the questions regarding the text's composition, the different hypotheses regarding its origin are described, with considerations based on the history and content of the passage itself. The commentary is based on the main themes that appear in Isaiah 8:23–9:6. The conclusion provides a theological explanation of the passage in question, presenting how some New Testament authors saw it as a messianic prophecy, fulfilled in Jesus.
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