An Appendix to Chapter 10

An Imagined Journey

10:28-32

 

One has the sense that the text at this point was trying to find a conclusion with verse 20, but that it quickly amended itself with a brief summation, verse 21: ‘The remnant shall return, the remnant of Jacob to the God the Almighty,” signaling it bond with text that preceded it. This amendment, however, opened the door and though it came a series of restatements, 22-27 from a more protracted time. Through this door came also a unit that I find particularly interesting, as it sheds light on the capacity of those who were contributing to the early Isaiah text. It proports to be an account of the journey of a particular Assyrian campaign, without making clear which one that would be. The vagueness of the place names and the difficulty of mapping an actual journey, have long plagued interpreters.  This is not a history, but a poem, as the consonance and rhythm suggest.

 

בא על-עית

עבר במגרון למכמש

     יפקיד כליו

עבר מעברה גבע מלןן לנו

     רדה הרמה

     גבעת שאול נסה:

יצהלי קולך בת-גלים

הקשיבי לישה עניה ענתות

     נדדה מדמנה

     ישבי הגבים העיזו

עוד היום בנב לעמד ינפף ידו   הר בית-ציון   גבעת ירושלם

 

It is difficult to hear Hebrew poetry, much to our loss. Chanting or Cantillation are not much help as they focus on the text as text and on the capacity of an audience to hear the text. One can, however, see in the poem the predominance of ayin, beth and gimel sounds that give the poem a consonant ring.  The lineation, form the first three-word line, cascades down with sustained rhythm unto it final line where it slows and pools into a depth and encompasses it audience.  

Verse 28 begins without an introduction: “He came upon Aiath.” This suggests that some prior verses have been dropped. The “he” is not identified but it is assumed that reader will understand from the context that is the king of Assyria or one of his generals. Aiath is probably the twin city of Bethel known more simply as Ai. Ai lies on the main north-south road where it  is intersected by an east west road. The invading army appears to travel west through to Migron, to Michmash where he leaves his baggage. From there he crosses the ford and lodges at Giba.  Ramah quaked; Gib’ath Saul fled.” The poet suddenly surfaces with a call to villages on the periphery of this imagined journey. Bath-gallim is to raise her voice in alarm. Laishah, Aniah, Annathoth are to pay attention.   Madmenah retreats and the inhabitants of Gebim fortify themselves. This indicates that the attention of the invading army was focused on the Benjamine town along the Northern Kingdom southern border.  In the course of this activity, the king finds himself among the northern villages of the Southern Kingdom. At one point it is said “he” stood at Nob, a hilltop village, from which Jerusalem could be seen. His audience well in hand by his account, poet closes by turning his description of what had happening to others to what was likely to happen to those in his audience. The king “waves his hand,” ינפף ידו, to Jerusalem.  This is not so much a threat, as if it were a fist, but a jester of contempt. In this sense it is an illustration of the arrogance of the Assyrian king, which explains why editor thought it belonged here in connection with the two previous examples of Assyrian arrogance.

While many have claimed that this itinerary is based on Sennacherib’s attack on Jerusalem in 701, and was written back into the Isaiah text, it should be clear a poet needed more than the knowledge of the Assyrian campaign of 733 to create this splendid poem. Moreover, the poet had ever reason to believe after two successive seasons of campaigning in the west, that third would soon follow.  As it turned out, Assyria turned its attention to the east, and by 730 was totally preoccupied with its newly acquired control of Babylon and the west had a respite. It is somewhere in this respite that he writes not history, but a poem which was relevant to preparing the Southern Kingdom for its future. The value for us that it gives us evidence of the creative capacity of early first Isaiah.