S.W. Flynn, «Where Is YHWH in Isaiah 57,14-15?», Vol. 87 (2006) 358-370
This study suggests a reading of Isaiah 57, 14-15 in the Hebrew Bible which goes
against the theological Tendenz of some Versions and the interpretation of some
contemporary scholars. It explores how both the Versions and contemporary
scholarship have interpreted the passage, draws a parallel between the two
interpretations, and suggests that their either/or distinction of what the passage
means may not reflect the complex nature of sacred space and Divine Presence in
the BH. This study suggests that the text holds two meanings that are
complementary. Yet these meanings are placed in a respective foreground and
background which reveals their levels of emphasis intended by the
author/redactor of Trito-Isaiah.
364 S.W. Flynn
Most scholars take the “path†in 57,14 as a figurative expression.
For example, Whybray states: “The way which is to be prepared is no
longer, as in Deutero-Isaiah, to be understood as a road built to convey
the returning exiles from Babylon to Palestine†(14). vwdqw µwrm —
which he translates as “the high and holy place†— “does not refer to
any particular place but expresses [YHWH’s] transcendence†(15).
While Whybray does not give reasons for this conclusion, it is clear
that in his system “the road†carries metaphorical connotations that
lead him to take the interpretive decision found in the Versions. His
solution is not illogical. Often, “road/way†expresses a path of the
worshipper in right living (Pss 37,14; 107,4.40). The majority of
scholars agree with such an application. While they do not deny the
place of the earthly Temple in Trito-Isaiah, their interpretations of the
passage regarding a figurative “way†may be seeing as a theology of
sacred space, not entirely consistent with the intention of Isa 57,14-15
in the BH.
There is, however, another way to articulate the complexity of the
question of where YHWH dwells which re-considers the language and
context. The context surrounding our passage is concerned with proper
living (Isa 57,1-13), primarily with the avoidance of idol worship, a
lwçkm that v. 14 wishes to remove. In such a context, the path of right
living appears inevitably linked with proper worship. Could the
alternative to this idol worship be the earthly temple that according to
Trito-Isaiah is being built or may be built? Furthermore, could Isa
57.14-15 imply both a metaphorical road of right living and a literal
road to the earthly temple?
2. A New Understanding
a) Literary meaning: the earthly Temple
A new understanding is possible when we consider the context in
which Isaiah 57,14-15 takes place. Trito-Isaiah opens with Isaiah 56,
which concentrates on two themes. The first is the place of the foreigner
and eunuch in relation to worship; the text welcomes them. Isaiah 56,3,
states “Let not the son of the foreigner say, when he would join to the
Lord saying: Surely YHWH will separate me from his peopleâ€. The
(14) WHYBRAY, Isaiah 40–66, 209.
(15) WHYBRAY, Isaiah 40–66, 210. B. CHILDS, Isaiah (OTL; Louisville 2001)
470 believes that “for Third-Isaiah the way had become only a figure for the
spiritual obstacles of the communityâ€.