Isaías 50
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Isaías 50
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS This chapter contains the third Servant Song (Isa. 50:4-11). In Isa. 49:25d the court imagery is used with the Servant as the defense advocate. Here the court imagery is used of YHWH as divorcing His covenant people for their faithlessness. In contrast to the faithlessness of the covenant people, the faithfulness of the Servant, the ideal Israelite, is stressed. He will accomplish what Israel could not! Notice that most English translations see three paragraphs in Isa. 50:4-11, which would denote three main truths. Isa. 50:4-6 Isa. 50:7-9 Isa. 50:10-11
Isaías 50:1-3
50:1 There are two ancient legal situations used to highlight Israel's legal standing. divorce of a faithless wife (cf. Isa. 54:6-7; Jer. 3:1,8; Hosea 2:4; see SPECIAL TOPIC: CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE) the selling of someone into slavery for a debt (cf. Deut. 32:30; 2 Kgs. 4:1; Neh. 5:5) For Israel's "iniquities" and "transgressions" she was judged and exiled. It was not the weakness of YHWH, but the rebellion of His people (cf. Isa. 59:2). ▣ "you were sold for your iniquities" This is the exact opposite of the imagery of ransom/redeem. SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM 50:2 This verse starts with a series of four rhetorical questions, as Isa. 50:1 had two. The first two deal with YHWH, surprised at the lack of intercession and faith response. He asks if Israel had lost confidence in His ability to save! ▣ "Is My hand so short" This is a Qal PERFECT and a Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE of the same root (BDB 894, KB 1126), which intensifies a concept, here a question. SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN ▣ "ransom" See SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM. It is parallel to "deliver." ▣ "sea. . .rivers" See SPECIAL TOPIC: WATERS/SEA. 50:3 "I clothe the heavens with blackness" This probably relates to YHWH creating the heavenly lights in Genesis 1. Often in the Bible, when He visits His creation for blessing or judgment, these heavenly lights are affected (cf. Job 9:5-9; Isa. 13:10; 24:23; 50:3; Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:2,10,31; 3:15; Matt. 13:24-25; 24:29; Luke 21:25; Rev. 6:12-13). ▣ "make sackcloth their covering" See SPECIAL TOPIC: GRIEVING RITES.
Isaías 50:4-11
50:4-6 These verses describe aspects of the Servant's ministry (in His own words). gifted to listen gifted to encourage, Isa. 50:4a He listens to hurting, weary ones (cf. Jer. 31:25), Isa. 50:4b YHWH, Isa. 50:4c,d,5a He was not disobedient, Isa. 50:5b He did not turn back, Isa. 50:5c He yielded Himself to abuse by leaders (cf. Matt. 26:67; 27:30; Mark 15:19) whipped His back plucked out His beard spit in His face The Servant's verbal skills will lead to a rejection of His message and person by those who refuse to listen (cf. Isa. 50:11). 50:4a "The Lord God" This is literally two words. Adon ‒ see SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord (adon and kurios) YHWH ‒ see SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D. The reason to translate them in this way is because they are both often translated, "Lord." Lord Lord would be confusing to English speakers (e.g. Ps. 110:1, "The Lord says to my Lord," which is quoted in Matt. 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34,35; Heb. 1:13). ▣ "disciples" This is a rare word (BDB 541), found only here (twice) and Isa. 8:16 in this sense. Usually it is translated "taught" (Isa. 54:13). SPECIAL TOPIC: DISCIPLES 50:4b NASB, NRSV "sustain the weary one" "speak a word in season to him who is weary" "strengthen the weary" "to give a word of comfort to the weary" "speak timely words to the weary" "to console the weary" The MT (reflected in the NASB) has a rare Hebrew VERBAL (BDB 736, KB 804, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT), which occurs only here in this form. BDB suggests the text is corrupt and may have originally read "edify." לעות ‒ BDB 736, "help" לרעות ‒ BDB, KB, "edify" But, the DSS and the Vulgate support the MT. The NET Bible mentions that cognate roots in Arabic and Aramaic mean "help" or "sustain." Remember, in these cases of rare roots or stems, the context, especially parallelism, helps to suggest the meanings. The central truth of the strophe is the important issue in interpretation. 50:4c,d There is a repeated Hiphil IMPERFECT (BDB 734, KB 802), "awakens." In the Hiphil it is used to rouse or stir up activity. Isa. 13:17 ‒ the Medes (Jer. 51:11) Isa. 41:2,25 ‒ Cyrus II Isa. 45:13 ‒ Cyrus II here ‒ the Servant Dan. 11:2 ‒ inter-biblical ruler YHWH is in control of world history and world redemption! 50:5a This is literally "has opened my ear," which seems to refer to a clear message received an allusion to obedience, to which the next two parallel poetic lines attest This would surely describe Jesus' obedience to the Father's will (i.e. Matt. 26:39; John 8:29; 14:31; 15:10; Phil. 2:8; Heb. 5:8; 10:7 [quotes Ps. 40:8]). 50:6 The specific treatment of the obedient Servant is a foreshadowing of the treatment of Jesus. This introduces the fourth Servant Song in Isa. 52:13-53:12, esp. Isa. 50:3,4-5,7-9. The Servant will pay a high price for His loyalty, trust, and obedience to YHWH (cf. Psalm 2; 22). There is a divine purpose in suffering for Him (cf. Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21; the book of Hebrews). SPECIAL TOPIC: A SUFFERING MESSIAH 50:7-9 The first verse of this strophe is repeated in Isa. 50:9a, "the Lord (Adon) God (YHWH) helps me." Because of this the Servant will not be disgraced set His face like flint (cf. Luke 9:51) be ashamed Why, because YHWH acts on His behalf, introduced by another series of questions (Isa. 50:8-9). The grammatical structure (i.e. "Who. . .?") runs through Isa. 50:10. 50:8 NASB, NRSV "vindicates" NKJV, LXX, Peshitta "justifies" "prove me innocent" "saving justice" "My vindicator" "will clear my name" As Isa. 50:6-7 describe an unjust trial, so Isa. 50:8 describes a just verdict. The VERB (BDB 842, KB 1003) is a Hiphil PARTICIPLE which means "declare righteous" (cf. Exod. 23:7; Deut. 25:1; 1 Kgs. 8:32; Prov. 17:15). It is used in a negative context in Isa. 5:23. It describes God in this context the Servant in Isa. 53:11 ▣ "Let him draw near to Me" This is a Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense. The VERB (BDB 620, KB 670) is used of approaching a judge at trial. Notice here the Servant is the Judge (i.e. "Let him draw near to Me"). The imagery of a court scene is one of three prophetic models. Often YHWH is depicted in various roles. as the Judge ‒ 1 Sam. 24:15; Ps. 9:4; 43:1; 140:12; Lam. 3:58; Micah 7:9 as the accused ‒ Isa. 50:1-3; 49:14 as advocate of the weak ‒ Prov. 23:11 as advocate of Israel ‒ Ps. 119:54; Isa. 50:8-9; 51:22; Jer. 50:34; 51:36 as litigant ‒ Ps. 74:22; Isa. 41:21; 43:5; Jer. 25:9 against Israel ‒ Ps. 103:9; Isa. 3:13-15; Jer. 2:9; Hosea 4:1-4; 12:2; Micah 6:1-5 50:9a.b These first two lines of poetry express a repeated truth (cf. Ps. 118:6; Rom. 8:31-39; Heb. 13:6). 50:10-11 AB takes these two verses as a response to the Servant (p. 116), apparently by YHWH (Leupold, p. 196). There is a contrast between two kinds of "light." the darkness (PLURAL for intensity) of those who have faith in God and His Messiah but do not fully understand (Isa. 50:10) let him trust in the name of the Lord ‒ Qal IMPERFECT (BDB 105, KB 120) used in a JUSSIVE sense (see SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" OF YHWH) let him rely on his God ‒ Niphal IMPERFECT (BDB 1043, KB 1612) used in a JUSSIVE sense those who make their own light (i.e. fire, see SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE) and walk in it (Qal IMPERATIVE) which will eventually consume them (i.e. lie down in torment, Isa. 50:11) SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD? SPECIAL TOPIC: ETERNAL PUNISHMENT