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  • From: "George Athas" <gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au>
  • To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Assyrian King of Babylon ?
  • Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 07:52:25 +1100


> Mr. Gathaus observed:

Actually, it's Mr G. Athas. :)

>
> If Isaiah 13-14 dates from the 8th century BCE, then the King of Babylon is
> likely to have
> been Marduk-apal-iddina (Merodach-baladan) who defied Sargon V for a while
> until he was
> beaten back to the marshlands at the head of the Gulf. Yet, we must ask what
> the Medes
> have to do with things here. It's more likely that either the statement
> about the Medes is
> a later addition from after 540 BCE, or the whole thing dates from after 540
>
> The problem with Marduk-apal-iddina being the King of Babylon that Isaiah is
> railing about, is the coming up with a scenario to explain why Israel would
> feel threatened by the Babylonian King. Like Hezekiah, he was no friend of
> the Assyrians, and like Hezekiah, he rebelled unsuccessfully. An Assyrian
> King of Babylon would make more sense as the recepient of Isaiah's wrath.

There is no real sense of threat against Judah in these oracles. IF (and
that's a big IF!)
the oracle is from the 8th century BCE, then Isaiah is merely making a
political
commentary on the future fortunes of Babylon under Marduk-apil-iddina. Isa 39
says that
Marduk-apil-iddina had sent a delegation to Hezekiah, presumably to stir up
rebellion on
Assyrian's western front as well as southern and eastern. Perhaps Isa 13-14
is an oracle
or commentary on this diplomatic mission? If this is the case, then Isaiah
got it right --
Babylon's resistance to Assyria failed.

Best regards,
George Athas
Dept of Semitic Studies,
University of Sydney
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