Isaiah 65, 20: Centenarians or Millenarians? 89 After the creation of the new heavens and earth in verse 17, a number of assertions about future bliss are made, many of which contrast with previous conditions or fulfill promises God had made: 1) God will be creating Jerusalem a rejoicing (hlyg) (5) and her people a joy (cwcm) “and the sound of weeping (ykb) and the sound of crying (hq[z) will be heard in her no more” (65,18-19). “Weeping” (ykb) and “crying” (hq[z) appear elsewhere in Isaiah in the context of destruction (6). Against this background, the implication of the present passage is that God is creating a Jerusalem that will never again be destroyed. 2) There will be no more premature death (65, 20) (7). 3) Houses built will be inhabited and vineyards which are planted will have their fruit eaten by the planters and not by another (65,21). This provides a counterpart to Deut 28,30 where those who do not listen to God’s commandments would “build, but not dwell therein, plant a vineyard and not use the fruits thereof” (8). 4) God’s people will have lives as long as the life of a tree (65,22). Unless the tree referred to is the tree of life (Gen 2,9; 3,22.24), and there is no indication that it is, trees still die. The tree imagery may link with Isa 61,3 where God’s new community is to be called “Trees of righteousness”. The simile of a righteous person as a tree appears in Ps 1,3 and Jer 17,8. 5) In 65,22 God’s chosen people will enjoy the work of their hands. This is in keeping with Deut16,15; 24,19; 25,12; 28,12 which announce blessings on the work of hands of those who keep God’s commandments (9). It should be noted that the verb translated as “enjoy”(hlB) in most English versions actually means “wear out” in Hebrew. The true implication of the verb is that the people will live long enough to be able to benefit from the work of their (5) The only other occurrence of hlyg is in Isa 35,2 where the wilderness will blossom and rejoice when God’s people are on their way to Zion. The whole of chapter 35 may well be important as a background to Isa 65,18-25. Its context is God’s saving of his people (35,4) who will be brought through a fertile land (previously a wilderness) (35,1.6-7) where no lion or ravenous beast (cf. Isa 65, 25) will be found. Indeed the ransomed of Yahweh will return and come with singing to Zion and everlasting joy will be upon their heads: they will obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing will flee away (cf. Isa 65,18-19). Further Isaiah 35 evidences other linguistic links with Isa. 65,18-19: the verb lyG (rejoice) appears in 35,1-2 and the verb cwc in 35,1. The noun ˆwcc which derives from the latter verb and is similar in meaning to cwcm appears in Isa 35,10 of the joy which awaits God’s ransomed returnees. There may also be an allusion in Isa 65,18-19 to Isa 62,5 where God rejoices over the restored Jerusalem. Both Isaiah 35 and 62 are in the context of the restored community in Jerusalem, as is Isa 65,18-19. (6) ykb is used of Moab weeping in 15,2-3.5; 16,9; of Judah in 22,4.12 and in 38,3 of Hezekiah at the time of his apparently imminent death. hq[z is used only of Moab (15,5.8). (7) This may hark back to Gen 6,3 where God limited humans’ life span because of sin. Death was linked in Isa 51,6 with the old heavens and old earth and their passing. Isa 25,8 asserts that God has “swallowed up death forever” but this goes beyond 65,20 and 65,22 where life, although it is long, is limited. (8) SMITH, Rhetoric and Redaction, 146 points to Zeph 1,13 as the counterpart to Isa 65,21. Zeph 1,13 contains a similar message to Deut 28,30. (9) E. SEHMSDORF, “Studien zur Redaktionsgeschichte von Jesaja 56-66”, ZAW 84 (1972) 526-527 first drew attention to the links with Deuteronomy in Isa 65, 20-23. SMITH, Rhetoric and Redaction, 151 highlights Deut 28,12 as the background to the expression in Isa 65,22, but the other Deuteronomic passages cited above are also valid.