Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

> Dear Liz,
Hi Vadim,
> 
> I'm not sure that Isaiah saw much difference between moshia and moshiah,
> bet
> I'll let it slip.
I don't know, probably not.
A savior, a redeemer, is one who lets you go home to
your land.
> 
> Probably you see Cyrus in Is61:1. 
Yup, of course.

But then there is 61:5-6; an
> international
> triumph instead of the humble return.
We discussed this chapter already.
In these verses the addresses is in the plural,
so it is addressed to the people Israel.
It reminds me of the words of Haggai, all
the wealth of all the nations will flock to
your doorstep.
This notion is also played out in Ezra 1, where
everyone contributes to building the temple.
It is a literary topos in Persian period literature.
You can see it on a much larger scale in the inscriptions
of the Persian kings. Hurowitz points it out in his book
on temple building. During the Akkadian period, donations
to temples were made because of the might and power of Assur
and the Assyrian army. Under the Persians wealth flows in
as free-will offerings.

> 
> Look, you cannot read "within the book as a whole" because there is no
> whole
> There are many small inserts, supporting the story of the chapter 53; both
> these inserts and ch.53 are OUT OF CONTEXT semantically and often
> stylistically.
Well, you may be right. I started out this discussion by admitting that
I was clueless about this chapter, where it fits in. 
But that seems too easy.

Best,
Liz

>