A.L.H.M. van Wieringen, «The "I"-Figure's Relations in the Poem in Isa 38,10-20» biblica, Vol. 96 (2015) 481-497 page 486

Vol 96 (2015)

A.L.H.M. van Wieringen, «The "I"-Figure's Relations in the Poem in Isa 38,10-20», Vol. 96 (2015) 481-497

This article offers a close reading of the Writing of Hezekiah (Isa 38,10-20) and describes the development of both the relation between the "I"-figure and the Lord and that between the "I"-figure and the community. An "ellipsis" between vv. 14 and 15 plays a prominent role. Furthermore, the article demonstrates that the developments in the "I"-figure's relations in the poem fit well within the poem's context (chapters 36–39). The ellipsis in the poem is connected to the open ending of chapter 38, to the happy conclusion of chapters 36–37, and to the open ending of chapter 39.

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01_van Wieringen_481-497_481-497 10/12/15 10:10 Pagina 486 486 ARCHIBALD VAN WIERINGEN 486 16-19 is not introduced by a verbum dicendi. Moreover, the begin- ning in each case is also similar: it starts with the same vocative ynda (v. 17a). Step V is formed by v. 20. It is the first time that the Tetragram- maton hwhy is used in the poem. There is an inclusion between vv. 15 and 20 in the second part of the poem since “the Lord” is the sub- ject of the same verb lcn (hif.) in both verses. Due to this, the actions of the “he”-figure in v. 15c, which are not further described, become visible as the act of rescuing (the verb [vy) in v. 20a by hwhy. In sum, in five steps the relation between the “I”-figure and the Lord God is built up from a literary absence to the climactic men- tioning of the Tetragrammaton. The turning point appears to be the ellipsis present between vv. 14 and 15. II. Development 2 in the poem: the “I”-figure and the community In the poem, the “I”-figure is depicted in relation not only to the Lord but also to the community. This relation also develops gradu- ally. Five steps can be distinguished also in this second develop- ment, and to a large extent these occur in a way parallel to the five steps found in the climactic development of the “I”-figure’s rela- tionship with the Lord, as described above. Step I is formed by vv. 10-11. I have already demonstrated that these verses focus on the “I”-figure himself. Therefore, not only is the Lord absent before the second direct speech of the “I”-figure, but so is the community. The community, however, is indicated in- directly by the general expression ~da (v. 11c) and by the broad locative phrases ~yyxh #rab (“in the land of the living”, v. 11b) and ldx ybvy-~[ (“amongst the inhabitants of the world”, v. 11d). The word #ra is used to indicate not the territory of the “I”-figure’s kingdom but rather the entire world, as expressed in the parallel noun ldx 13. H. BAUER – P. LEANDER, Historische Grammatik der hebräischen Sprache [Halle 1892; reprint: Hildesheim 1991] 265 [§ 33c]) and not to persons, the rhetorical question does not imply that the “I”-figure would not be able to address the Lord. 13 See HAL 1 (1967) 281. Pace, inter alios, M. DAHOOD, “ldx ‘Cessation’ in Isaiah 38,11”, Bib 52 (1971) 215-216, who considers ldx as a poetic synonym for lwav.