Monday, November 8, 2010

Isaiah 43:17

הַמּוֹצִיא רֶכֶב־וָסוּס חַיִל וְעִזּוּז יַחְדָּו יִשְׁכְּבוּ בַּל־יָקוּמוּ דָּעֲכוּ כַּפִּשְׁתָּה כָבוּ׃

17 ...who brings out both chariot and horse; army and warrior; together they lie down, they cannot rise at all. They are extinguished like a snuffed-out wick.

הַמּוֹצִיא רֶכֶב־וָסוּס who brings out both chariot and horse; הַמּוֹצִיא is a hifil participle, the participle here calls to our attention a general trait. Note the "ham 'n eggs" waw-qamets in וָסוּס.

חַיִל וְעִזּוּז army and warrior; חַיִל is "strength," but in parallel "army" is correct; it's uncertain whether a "strength" would be a subdivision of a larger force the way we speak about "divisions," "brigades" and "platoons." עִזּוּז is also a "might / strength" word; cf. Psalm 24:8 "the LORD strong and mighty."

יַחְדָּו יִשְׁכְּבוּ together they lie down, Although some translations group "together" after "army and warrior," the atnach of the verse lies with וְעִזּוּז and separates the thoughts.

בַּל־יָקוּמוּ they cannot rise at all. בַּל is a relatively rare word; outside the Psalms and Isaiah this negative (it equals לֹא) only occurs five times. In Isaiah, it occurs 21 times, evenly spread throughout the book (this is another testimony to the unity of Isaiah as the work of the one prophet).

דָּעֲכוּ כַּפִּשְׁתָּה כָבוּ They are extinguished like a snuffed-out wick. Recall 42:3; this is the law side.

ὁ ἐξαγαγὼν ἅρματα καὶ ἵππον καὶ ὄχλον ἰσχυρόν, ἀλλὰ ἐκοιμήθησαν καὶ οὐκ ἀναστήσονται, ἐσβέσθησαν ὡς λίνον ἐσβεσμένον

17 qui eduxit quadrigam et equum agmen et robustum simul obdormierunt nec resurgent contriti sunt quasi linum et extincti sunt

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