01_van Wieringen_481-497_481-497 10/12/15 10:10 Pagina 490 490 ARCHIBALD VAN WIERINGEN 490 name hwhy is used in v. 20. In this instance, however, it is used not as a vocative, but as a third person. Both the “I”-figure’s speaking in the poem of Isaiah 38 and Hezekiah’s praying in the narrative of Isaiah 38 evoke a response. Following Hezekiah’s prayer to the Lord in v. 3, the Lord’s answer is mediated to Hezekiah by the prophet Isaiah. Consequently, Hezekiah’s direct speech addressed to the Lord does not result in the Lord speaking directly to Hezekiah. Instead, the Lord’s answer to Hezekiah is indicated in the poem itself, through the use of el- lipsis between vv. 14 and 15. The repetitions of words found in Hezekiah’s prayer and the poem are minimal. Only two literal repetitions of words occur, and they sup- port the difference between the prayer and the poem regarding the re- lation between the speaking character (Hezekiah / the “I”-figure) and the Lord. The first repetition is the word ~yny[. In his prayer, Hezekiah asks whether the eyes of the Lord have really seen his good deeds (v. 3). In the poem, in v. 14, it is the other way round: the “I”-figure ex- presses that his eyes are not able to look in the direction of the Lord. The second repetition is the verb hf[. In his prayer to the Lord, Hezekiah refers to what he himself has done (hf[, v. 3). In the end, it is the Lord who appears to be the acting person. Emphasizing that it is the Lord who really does (hf[, v. 7) what he says, Isaiah adds to God’s answer a further sign from God. In the poem, the “I”-fig- ure expresses the connection between speaking and doing: in v. 15 he is silent about his own deeds, but he acknowledges that the Lord has indeed done (hf[) what he said he would do. This contrast seems to be continued after the poem. The text does not explicitly mention to whom Hezekiah poses his question about the sign, but in view of the fact that hwhy is present as a third person in v. 22 and that Isaiah is speaking in v. 21, it is more likely that he directs the question not to the Lord but rather to Isaiah. This means that Hezekiah’s direct speech to the Lord at the end of the poem becomes an indirect speech after the conclusion of this poem. The repetitions of words found in the poem and in vv. 21-22 are also minimal. The nominal expression hwhy tyb is used both in v, 20, at the end of the poem, and in v. 22, in the direct speech of Hezekiah. In both cases, the house of the Lord is discussed from the perspective of those who are in the process of ascending. In v. 20, this is expressed by using the preposition l[, and in v. 22 by the verb hl[.