I was wondering about Isaiah 13-14 and its application to Babylon,
(BABEL). It is believed that Isaiah 1-39 is part of "proto-Isaiah", whom
scholars place before the fall of the northern kingdom to Assyria in 722
BCE. Babylon only comes into the picture over a hundred years later as a
threat to Judah, the southern kingdom. Prior to 722 BCE, Assyria was the
world power. Some scholars have speculated that originally Isaiah addressed
the words in chapters 13-14 to Assyria and then later it was applied to
Babylon when it became a threat. I have some problems with this. Is there
any MS support for this? Is there any oral or rabbinic tradition that
supports this argument? The MT of Isa 13-14 clearly says BABEL. Any comments
on this?
Tony Costa, B.A.
University of Toronto
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com