“He Filled Zion with Justice and Righteousness” 491 this prophecy. While in most other cases “distant land” refers to Mesopotamia or Persia, in Isa 33,17 it probably signifies Canaan as viewed from Mesopotamia, thus also presupposing an audience somewhere by the rivers of Babylon. This does not only corresponds to vv. 14-16 (who is going to dwell in Zion?), but also to vv. 18-19. The shocking questions of people wandering where foreign tribute gatherers could have disappeared can be well-understood if put in the mouths of those arriving home, but not from those already living in Zion. The phrase μyrhnAμwqm wnl hwhy ryda μvAμa yk in v. 21 is notoriously difficult. The problem is caused mainly by the words hwhy ryda. It is syntactically impossible to consider ryda an adjective here (64). Some separate the two words rendering “the mighty one, YHWH” (65). However, the lack of the definite article would be again troubling. Other scholars propose to change hwhy into hyhy, translating “there will be a mighty one for us” (66). But the emendation has no textual support. Moreover, the lack of the article would be a problem again, for while ryda is used as an adjective connected to the name or person of YHWH (1 Sam 4,8; Ps 8,2.10; 75,6; 93,4), in a nominal form it never substitutes YHWH. It is possible, however, to leave the MT unchanged and still arrive to an acceptable interpretation. I propose to translate hwhy ryda most simply as a genitival construction, “the mighty one of YHWH”. It is remarkable that when used as a noun, ryda refers almost exclusively to high rank officials (67). There are two important cases where ryda refers to a king. The first case is Isa 10,34. According to the original intention of Isa 10,28-34 as a prophecy directed against Jerusalem (cf. 11,1), the phrase lwpy rydab ˆwnblhw in 10,34 refers to the fall of Zion (“Lebanon”) by “a mighty one”, who will cut it off like trees (68). This ryda who will (64) Cf. KJV: “glorious Lord”. (65) A. DILLMANN, Der Prophet Jesaia (Leipzig 18905) 299. (66) WILDBERGER, Jesaja, 1311. (67) Jdg 5,13.25; 2 Chr 23,20; Neh 3,5; 10,30; Jer 14,3; 25,34.36; Nah 2,6; 3,18; Zech 11,2. ryda is never used in an abstract sense as “majesty” (Wildberger), or “might” (Young). (68) Contra the unnecessary emendations of e.g. H. WILDBERGER, Jesaja. Kapitel 1-12 (BKAT X/1; Neukirchen-Vluyn 1972) 425; H. BARTH, Die Jesaja- Worte in der Josiazeit. Israel und Assur als Thema einer produktiven Neuinterpretation der Jesajaüberlieferung (WMANT 48; Neukirchen-Vluyn 1977) 69-72, see, e.g., S. MOWINCKEL, “Die Komposition des Jesajabuches Kap. 1-39”, AcOr 11 (1933) 283-284; G.C.I. WONG, “Deliverance or destruction? Isaiah x 33-34 in the final form of Isaiah x-xi”, VT 53 (2003) 544-552.