Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lisbeth S. Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>]

Dear Vadim,
In Isaiah 52 we read of the temple vessels being brought back to
Zion. In Ezra we again read of the temple vessels being counted
out by Cyrus. Are you saying they were never returned? I 
don't read the return of the vessels as a prophesy but rather as something
that was taking place before the eyes of the prophet and of all the world.
So, on what basis do you say that they weren't returned?
There is, in fact, no actual mention in Ezra of the vessels actually being
placed
in the temple, but that seems a flimsy basis to assume that they weren't
returned. 
I view the return of the vessels as the physical embodiment of YHWH's return
to Zion. It is not just the rebuilding of the temple and the restoration of
the people and the vessels to it, but really the restoration of YHWH himself
to his temple
and to his city that makes Cyrus the Messiah. This was fullfilled. The
promise is laid out in Isaiah 40 and its fulfillment is described in Isaiah
52.
See my article "Cyrus the Messiah? The Historical Background of
Isaiah 45:1"  Harvard Theological Review 95 (2002): 373-393.
Liz

> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org 
> [mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of UUC
> Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 11:42 AM
> To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Isaiah 53 read within the book as a whole
> 
> Dear Liz,
> 
> We have predictions in Is52, and then a person appears 
> executed. He didn't fulfill the prophet's expectations.
> 
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Vadim
> 
> 
> > Why do you say the predictions of the previous chapters 
> were unfulfilled?
> > Liz
> > You wrote:
> > >
> > > Dear David,
> > >
> > > >To this I would insist we add that
> > > any ?final reading| must make sense within the book read as a 
> > > whole.< Actually, I suggest that Isaiah 53 was interpolated by a 
> > > hand attempting to imitate Isaiah' and Job's style to explain why 
> > > the prophecy of the previous
> > > chapter(s) was unfulfilled. So 53 doesn't fit semantically by 
> > > definition.
> >
> >
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> 
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