Isaiah 47 Explained

Isaiah 47 is the forty-seventh chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is a part of the Books of the Prophets.[1] Isaiah 40-55 is known as "Deutero-Isaiah" and dates from the time of the Israelites' exile in Babylon. Chapter 47 concerns the fall of Babylon,[2] which is personified as a woman, "the virgin daughter of Babylon", "daughter of the Chaldeans", no longer to be called "the Lady of Kingdoms" or "a Lady for ever".[3]

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 15 verses.

The New King James Version calls this chapter "The Humiliation of Babylon" and the Jerusalem Bible calls it a qinah or "lament for Babylon".[4]

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (3rd century BC or later):

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B;

ak{G}

B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK:

ak{G}

S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A;

ak{G}

A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q;

ak{G}

Q; 6th century).

Parashot

The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex.[5] Isaiah 47 is a part of the Consolations (Isaiah 40–66). : open parashah; : closed parashah.

47:1-3 47:4-7 47:8-15

Verse 4

As for our redeemer,

the Lord of hosts is his name,

the Holy One of Israel.[6]

Verse 9

But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day,

the loss of children, and widowhood:

they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries,

and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.[7]

See also

Bibliography

External links

Jewish

Christian

Notes and References

  1. Theodore Hiebert, et al. 1996. The New Interpreter's Bible: Volume VI. Nashville: Abingdon.
  2. [New International Version]
  3. [Herbert Lockyer|Lockyer, H.]
  4. [Jerusalem Bible]
  5. As implemented in the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 edition of the Hebrew Bible in English.
  6. 2 Isaiah
  7. 2 Isaiah