Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Walter Mattfeld" <mattfeld AT mail.pjsnet.com>]

In a post of 21 Jan. 2000 made to this list I made the following
observations:

"...May and Metzger note that some scholars believe chapter 13 is
"...obviously subsequent to Isaiah, when Babylon whose power is here
assumed, superceded Assyria; vv. 17-22 suggest a time after Nebuchadrezzar's
death in 562 BC." (cf. note on p.838, The New Oxford Annotated Bible with
Apocrypha, 1977)

I suspect scholars are in error here. Isaiah is not railing against a
"Chaldean" king of Babylon, he is speaking of the "Assyrian" king of
Babylon. Isaiah 14:22 speaks of the Lord's future destruction of Babylon,
but a following verse, 14:25, states God will destroy "the Assyrian,"  -not
Chaldean-  in Judah, while Isaiah 14:28 speaks of the death of Ahaz of Judah
who reigned 735-715 BCE.

I note that during Ahaz's reign two Assyrian monarchs assumed the title
"king of Babylon." Tiglath-pileser III claimed the title in 728 BE, as well
as his successor, Shalmaneser V (726-722 BCE), and still later Sargon II in
709 BCE claimed the title. So then, the Kings of Assyria claimed to be the
"King of Babylon" in the course of the years 728-722, 709-705 BCE. Still
later, Esarhaddon made Ashurbanipal king of Assyria and his other son king
of Babylon.

If I am correct in all this, then Isaiah 13 and 14 are genuine oracles of
the 8th century BCE, not later 6th century interpolations.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++

Today, 01 April 2000, I chanced across some more information that would
appear to identify Isaiah 14:1-20's so-called "King of Babylon" with Sargon
the Second (722-705 BCE), who claimed the title "King of Babylon," in 709
BCE.

Isaiah states that the King of Babylon will die the death of one slain in
battle, who's body is not recovered for burial:

"All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb; but you
are cast out, away from your sepulchre, like a loathed untimely birth,
clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the
stones of the pit, like a dead body trodden underfoot. You will not be
joined with them in burial..." (Isa. 14:18-20)

I note that historians understand that Sargon II died in battle, in Anatolia
(modern Turkey), and his body was not recovered for burial, this being a
great blow to the self-esteem of the Assyrians. So, I understand Isaiah to
be a true prophet of the 8th century BCE and that his "after the fact
oracle" is alluding to the death of Sargon II in 705 BCE. I also earlier
argued on this list that as Isaiah 36-39 is set during the reign of
Merodach-Baladan, Isaiah could not be dated later than ca. 702 BCE which was
the last year of Merodach's reign. This date seems to be in agreement with
Sargon's death and his non-burial just three years earlier in 705 BCE. In
701 BCE Sennacherib of Assyria swept down upon Judah like a "wolf upon a
fold," and took away all the treasures Hezekiah had so proudly showed off to
Merodach's ambassadors (thus fulfilling the prophet's prophecy that all his
wealth would be taken, but not as envisoned by the prophet, that is to say,
by the Chaldeans). Isaiah's failed prophecies are proof he is of the 8th
century BCE (that is Isaiah 1-39).

Here's some info for the viewing audience on Sargon II:

"In 705 Sargon led his armies to the land of Tabal in the Taurus mountains,
where he met his death doing battle against a man called Gurdi (Gordias), a
common name among the rulers of the Anatolian principalities. Sargon has
been at the height of his power and seemed invincible. He ruled the core of
the Near East from the Gulf to the Taurus mountains, from the Zagros to
Sinai. He had defeated Urartu and forced other rulers including Midas, king
of Phrygia, the Pharaoh of Egypt, Uperi, the king of Dilmun, and seven kings
of Yadnana (Cyprus) to pay tribute. His death in battle and the loss of his
body, so that he could not be buried in his palace, was a great blow to
Assyrian morale."  (p.182, Micheal Roaf, Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia,
Facts on File, New York, 1990)

All the best,

Oh, by the way, Happy April Fool's Day (but the above research is not a
joke) !


Walter

Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld
Walldorf by Heidelberg
Baden-Wurttemburg
Germany