NRLF 
 
 373 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 OF THB 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 lo 
 
 Class 
 
THE 
 
 STROPHIC STRUCTURE 
 of ISAIAH 52:13-53 
 
 BY 
 
 ARTHUR L. BRESLICH 
 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 
 
 52:13-53 
 
 BY 
 
 ARTHUR L. BRESLICH 
 
 A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN 
 
 1904 
 
 -; . : --. , ',. , 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 of Wisconsin 
 
 1904 
 
PRINTED AT 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS 
 1904 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53. 
 
 IN the following dissertation an attempt is made to show that 
 Isaiah 52 113-53 is written in poetry, 1 and also to discover the original 
 strophic division of the passage. 
 
 Since up to this day no satisfactory arrangement of this passage 
 has been offered, it is evident that its translation is also not very satis- 
 factory, because in Hebrew poetry the form of a passage e. g., the 
 parallelism very often decides the translation. Thus Delitzsch 
 refuses to accept the translation of JTP (Isa. 52:15) by "sprinkle," 
 because this translation, although otherwise allowable, does not agree 
 in parallelism with tEElD in vs. 14. Therefore, since form and mean- 
 ing stand in inseparable relation to each other, it will be necessary to 
 investigate the translations of this passage, offered in connection with a 
 deficient poetical scheme, and to make necessary corrections of the same. 
 
 Ewald remarks very correctly: 
 
 In order to recognize somewhat more particularly the original form and 
 meaning of this passage, which is in many respects a marvelous production, it is 
 well first of all to remember how great and manifold was the art which was 
 very early employed by the prophets in their labors and literary productions. 2 
 
 Several divisions have been offered for this passage by those who 
 accept it as poetry. Briggs divides it into five gradually increasing 
 strophes of 9, 10, n, 13, 14 lines; Harper, into five strophes of 9, 10, 
 n, 12, 13 lines; G. A. Smith, into five strophes of 9, 10, n, 13, 14 
 lines ; Duhm, followed by Cheyne in the Polychrome Bible, considers 
 it as made up of five strophes of four lines each. While the sugges- 
 tions of Briggs, Harper, and G. A. Smith do not differ very much 
 from each other, it is the latter who deserves credit for the careful 
 consideration which he has given to his poetical scheme. After 
 stating the division of the poem, as mentioned above, he says : 
 
 Each strophe begins with one or two words which summarize the meaning 
 of the whole strophe and form the title for it : My Servant shall prosper, who 
 
 hath believed, surely our sicknesses The measure is neither regular 
 
 nor smooth, and does not depend on rhyme, yet there is an amount of asso- 
 nance which at times approaches to rhyme. 3 
 
 But, after all, it is Duhm who has succeeded more than any other in 
 bringing this great prophecy into a regular strophical arrangement. 
 
 1 Kb'nig prefers to call the Ebed-Yahweh passages " prophecies " and not " songs " or " poems." 
 * P. of O. T., Vol. IV, p. 308. 3 E. ., pp. 338 ff. 
 
 3 
 
4 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH $2:13-53 
 
 The only objection to his scheme is the radical and arbitrary change 
 of the text by which he succeeds in bringing the poem into four-line 
 strophes of even meter ; which seems to be a higher price than we can 
 afford to pay. 
 
 It is assumed by Bartholet, Duhm, and others that this prophecy is 
 composed of different parts, written by different authors. The pro- 
 posed strophic structure will prove that this is not true, because the 
 six strophes agree in form and stand in a corresponding relation of 
 thought to each other. 
 
 This prophecy has all the characteristics of Hebrew poetry. It is 
 religious, simple, natural, subjective, sententious, and realistic. 1 There 
 are examples of synonymous antithetical and synthetical parallelism in 
 it, and also (Bishop Jebb) introverted parallelism. The relation of 
 the strophes to each other is either antithetical or progressive. This 
 prophecy is composed of two parts, which stand in antithetical rela- 
 tion to each other. The first part might have as title, " Israel and the 
 Servant," and the second, " Yahweh and the Servant." Each of these 
 parts is composed of three strophes of ten lines, which are subdivided 
 into 2, 4, 4 lines, the first two lines always pointing out the topic of 
 the remainder of the strophe. The two parts agree with each other in 
 their poetical arrangement Strophes I and IV, II and V, III and VI 
 as shown in the following sketch : 
 
 I. IV. 
 
 The details of the poetical arrangement will be given in the treat- 
 ment of the single strophes. 
 
 A similar strophical arrangement to that of Isa., chap. 53, we find 
 in Isa. 5 : 1-7. 
 
 Almost all modern commentators agree that the parable of the 
 vineyard is written in poetry, but differ as to its extent : Cheyne, 5 vss. 
 i-6a; Duhm, 3 vss. 1-4 (id, il>, 2, 3-4) and 5-7; Gesenius, 4 vss. 1-6 ; 
 
 1 Briggs, B. S., p. 251. 3 Duhm's commentary on Isaiah. 
 
 2 Polychrome Bible. 4 Gesenius's commentary oh Isaiah. 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH $2:13-53 5 
 
 Skinner, 1 vss. la, 1^-7; Ewald, 2 vss. 1-2; Haupt, 3 vss. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7 ; 
 Ernst Meier, 4 vss. 1-4, 5-7. 
 
 Thus we see that, although there is a difference of opinion as to 
 the length of the poem, at least four (Cheyne, Duhm, Meier, Haupt) 
 agree that there is a marked division between the fourth and the fifth 
 verse. Duhm finds the right subdivision of the first part of the poem, 
 but fails to work it out in the second. Haupt's scheme is certainly 
 ingenious, but very arbitrary, for he omits twenty- five words on the 
 very doubtful ground that they are scribal expansions, such as we meet 
 with in other texts. 
 
 Leaving the text as it stands, another division of this poem might 
 be offered : The parable consists of two strophes, each strophe being 
 composed of three parts of 2, 8, 8 lines, the first two lines of each 
 strophe expressing the theme. (Compare Isa., chap. 53, which is com- 
 posed of six strophes, each of 2, 4, 4 lines.) Hence the Hebrew text 
 of Isa. 5 : 1-7 may be arranged as follows : 
 
 I. II. 
 
 TTb feti nT Dsna 5-nrti nron * 
 
 tzrob "HYI rrp-B rirttb nw ^arnica na 
 
 h TTb mn D-O * VOIIBE ion * 
 
 parc-p "ppa *onb mm 
 
 inbpoi inpm TTO -pa 
 
 pn-o irwi OE-iEb mm 
 
 wra b^M p^i 1537" 5<b nnn inn^xi 
 
 in nsn a^-Dai n h T25i nraic nbn ^nr 161 
 
 MY* nroi ^ nixnn mm 
 
 mim isw b^ntc^ rvn 
 
 mim ir h Ki 
 
 TO ntob-rra 
 ia 
 
 mwb 
 
 nam 
 
 . The theme: the song of the vineyard, d. The theme : the fate of the vineyard. 
 
 b. Its preparation. e. Its destruction. 
 
 c. Its fruit. /. The reason for it. 
 
 1 Cambridge edition. 3 A. J. S. L. L., July, 1903, p. 195. 
 
 2 Isaiah 2 (Gottingen, 1867), p. 306. 4 Commentary (Pforzheim, 1850). 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 
 
 A. ISRAEL AND THE SERVANT. 
 STROPHE I. THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SERVANT. 
 
 *73$ b n DT2T nDJl a Behold my Servant will be successful; 1 
 "Qjfi 812331 D1T b He will rise, be exalted and be very high. 
 
 "pb? 1E3JIB TlDitt c Just as many were appalled at thee, 2 
 
 t"\)"TM~p ^ So disfigured was his appearance among 
 
 men. 
 
 "PXlnl e And his form among the children of men 
 FTP "p / So will he startle 3 nations. 
 
 D^H^ ^ Many will be silent before him ; 
 DiTB D^/J 1Sp h ^ Kings will close their mouths ; 
 DJlb ^BC"tfb TfflKI * For what has n t been told them they see ; 
 
 niDHI j And what they have not heard they con- 
 sider. 
 
 The first strophe of the Ebed-Jahweh poem consists of three parts 
 of 2, 4, 4 lines; the first being the theme, the announcement concern- 
 ing the Servant, the other two carrying out the idea of exaltation 
 expressed therein. The relation of the two equal parts is progressive. 
 The first strophe as a whole renders the main thought of the prophecy, 
 namely, that the Servant will rise from the lowest humiliation to the 
 highest exaltation. 
 
 Lines a and b stand in synonymous parallelism to each other, but 
 they are progressive in thought and lead up to a climax; 4 or their 
 relation may be expressed as that of cause and effect. In a the cause 
 of b is given : on account of his success the Servant will rise ; and in b 
 the effect or consequence is stated : his exaltation is due to the success 
 of his mission. Note in b the accumulation of kindred words, varying 
 slightly in sense to express the greatness of the exaltation. 
 
 Duhm cuts out b^312T, because the LXX omits the word D1T in 
 the next line, which is arbitrary and done only to perfect the trimeter 
 in the two lines. 
 
 A question arises concerning the person who is speaking here. Is 
 it the prophet or Yahweh ? And in the second strophe is it Israel or 
 
 i Budde : KltD' 1 J Ew., Dil. : " Geschick haben ; " Del., Chey., Luth., Syr., LXX, Vulg. : " deal 
 wisely;" G. A. Smith, Ges., Briggs: "prosper." 
 
 2 Versions, Ges., Duhm, Gies., 
 
 3 Ges., Duhm, Del., Chey., Dil., Smith, Or., a. o., offer similar translations ; others : " sprinkle. 
 
 4 See Del., commentary. 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 7 
 
 the heathen, or someone else ? The greatest diversity of opinion pre- 
 vails on this subject. 
 
 Expressions like " my Servant" and "my people" will be under- 
 stood only by taking into consideration the peculiar position of the 
 prophets of Israel. They stand between God and the people, some- 
 times speaking in the name of God, sometimes as one of the people, 
 and then again speaking personally, and often changing suddenly 
 from one position to the other, especially in animated discourse. 1 
 
 Taking this position, it will not be very difficult to see that Rosen - 
 miiller's dramatic arrangement of this poem is extreme (in 52:13-15 
 he regards Yahweh as speaking; in 53:1, the prophets; in 53:2-7, 
 the people; in 53 : 8-12, Yahweh). It is even quite hard to accept 
 Gesenius's arrangement. By following the prophet through his dis- 
 course, we find that he takes the same position as a modern preacher 
 in addressing his congregation, speaking of God or of Jesus as "my 
 God" and "my Jesus," whom he himself loves, and whom he wishes 
 to be accepted by the people. In this way the change of person in c 
 and / can be explained, and also the independent position at the 
 beginning of the second strophe, and that later, in speaking of the 
 fatal sin of the people, who reject his *n3?, he counts himself as one 
 of them, not because he also rejects the Servant, whom he has preached, 
 but rather to show his sympathetic feeling toward the people that he 
 loves. " My Servant " therefore means the Servant who is revealed to 
 me, whom I preach, and whom I love. 
 
 The lines c, d, e, f form the second part of the first strophe and 
 furnish a good example of the high art of poetry found in this 
 prophecy: c and / form an antithesis, ^llBfctt and "p expressing the 
 degree of the change from I/^JHJ to HT* 1 , and Y27J1Z3 and fTP denoting 
 the great change from aversion to joyous approval. The rhyme of 
 D^*l (c) and D13 (/) is to be noted. Lines d and e, which are 
 explanatory of c, stating the cause of TflttlB, form a synonymous 
 parallelism, and in connection with c and f are an example of the 
 so-called introverted parallelism, which is found in three other places 
 in this poem. 
 
 Duhm makes two lines out of c by adding Vb^ YCEIZT "p , and thus 
 forms the first strophe of a, b, c, and the second of d, e, /, g, h. In his 
 comment on c, d, e,f, g he says that d and e cannot be a parenthesis, 
 because the old versions have not translated it so ; *pb3> must be a mis- 
 take, and hence there must be a corruption of the text at this point. 
 
 1 See Konig's E. B. C., p. 160. 
 
8 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 
 
 "p""p ne changes to 5"5. Line c is, of course, "griindlich verderbt," 
 but worse than all is the fact that c, d, e, /, g do not work out into 
 four-line strophes as nicely as 42 : i ff.; 49 : i ff.; 50 : 4 ff. 
 
 Although Duhm shows great ingenuity in carrying out his arrange- 
 ment, he has met with but little success in clearing up the situation, 
 since neither his translation nor the combination of lines is very satis- 
 factory and the reasons for his changes are very weak. The versions 
 give no encouragement for them, and Tpbl? does not necessarily have 
 to be a mistake, for the change of the person, which might have been 
 caused here by the parenthesis and the transition from the animated 
 direct address to the Servant to a discussion of his exaltation, is a 
 common occurrence in Hebrew poetry. Line c is not corrupt at all, 
 and the whole passage works out well as it stands. The change of "p 
 into h lD, as Gies. suggests, in d, is not necessary: nor is there anything 
 omitted between c and d, as he intimates. 
 
 Aside from the versions in which, however, we find the passage 
 verbally translated Ges., Smith, Del., Chey., Or., Ew., Dil., and 
 others recognize the lines d and e as a parenthesis against Duhm and 
 Chey. (Polychrome). In fact, there is no reason against this view, at 
 least so far as accomplishment of a strophical arrangement is concerned. 
 
 In HJ^^/J "pa is best taken partitively in a comparative or superlative 
 sense (Ges., Ew., Dil.): "So disfigured among men" or "the most dis- 
 figured of men" (cf. Ps. 45 : 3). The rendering "away from men" 1 or 
 "not that of man"* seems awkward. 
 
 It is generally agreed that TT must stand over against T23312J in c 
 according to the rules of Hebrew poetry. This being a fact, the most 
 natural translation of the Hiphil would be "to cause to rejoice" or 
 "startle." In translating the word thus, we stand in accord with the 
 Hebrew meaning of the word and with the rules of Hebrew poetry, 
 which ought to settle the argument on this point. The word D" 1 ^ is 
 probably chosen to indicate that the exaltation is far greater than the 
 humiliation. 
 
 Lines g, h, i, j form the last part of this first strophe. While in c, 
 d, e, f only the change from terror to joy is stated, and the reason for 
 the former is given, g, h, /, /, being progressive in thought, state the 
 manner in which the joy is expressed and give the reasons therefor. 
 
 If the first of the suggestions, mentioned below, is applied to 
 insert the Piel of VSp in g then g and h form an antithetic parallel- 
 ism : the multitudes rejoicing, hastening (leaping) to the Servant, the 
 
 i LXX, Vulg., Chey., Konig's Synt. * Duhm. Del., Harper's Synt. 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 9 
 
 kings standing by in astonishment ; the multitudes attracted by what 
 they see running to him, the kings conservatively considering the great 
 announcement. Thus g and /, and h and/, would go together. If the 
 second suggestion is applied the insertion of the Kal of VSp in line 
 g g and h would be synonymous : the many and the kings beholding 
 the change in the career of the Servant are standing in consternation 
 or astonishment. Lines i and/ are synonymous. 
 
 Duhm in his comment on this strophe rightly remarks that there is 
 something left out somewhere, but makes the correction at the wrong 
 place and thus disconnects the lines that according to their meaning 
 ought to go together. By adding an extra line after c, he is able to 
 make three four-line strophes out of Isa. 52:13-15, with the addition 
 of 53 : i, but they do not seem to hold together; they sound awkwardly 
 and forced, and although Duhm tries very hard to give an explanation 
 for their relation, he has but little success in accomplishing it. 
 
 No doubt there is a difficulty here, but Duhm's suggestion makes 
 things still more difficult. I therefore propose to insert after D^ZTl 
 Vb? in g either the Piel or the Kal of VBp. The Piel of ysp means 
 "to leap upon," 1 hence : "many will leap upon him, or hasten to him." 
 If the Kal of V*Sp is inserted or assumed, we should have here a con- 
 struction similar to that in Strophe VI, e, /. Then the line would 
 read: "Many will be silent before him." 
 
 The D"Q"I, which would be superfluous with D" 1 ^, refers to the 
 people mentioned in c: "the many, who were appalled, will now 
 hasten unto him for joy or stand silent in astonishment." 
 
 These suggestions are to be recommended because (i) they make 
 possible a poetical arrangement that can be carried out all through 
 the poem ; (2) they do not disturb the connection of thought, but 
 rather bring it into a perfect poetical form ; (3) they enable us to 
 understand the words D^13 JIT'S the translation of which has caused 
 great trouble; (4) they are brought about by a very small correction of 
 the text an addition of one word, which could easily have been 
 omitted by one of the early copyists on account of the similarity in 
 sound to the next word in one case or a repetition of the same word 
 in the other. 
 
 STROPHE ii. ISRAEL'S INCREDULITY. 
 
 "PEHJl Tffl Who believes 2 our message? 3 
 
 Q"2 lin h 21"rn *> And the arm f Yahweh, unto whom is it 
 revealed ? 
 
 * Ges., Diet. 
 
 2 Del.: "Who has believed?" Chey., Or., Ew., Ges., Dil. : " Who believed?" Duhm: "Wer kann 
 glauben ?" 
 
 3Ew., Duhm: "prophecy;" Del., Chey., Or.: " that which we heard." 
 
10 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 
 
 For 1 he grew up like a sapling before* him, 
 And as a rootsprout from parched ground, 
 T7H Ki i IKtrja * He had no form nor majesty, that we 
 
 should perceive 3 him; 
 
 / And no sightliness, that we should delight 3 
 in him. 
 
 blfil TQ5 g Despised (he was) and deserted 4 of men ;s 
 21T1 t^DKM 12TK h A m an 6 in pain and acquainted? with 
 sickness ; 
 
 D^DSD *l)nD/Q^1 z And as one 8 from whom there is hiding 
 
 of the face ; 
 STQ5 y Despised, and we esteemed him not. 
 
 The second strophe, as the first and the four following strophes, 
 consists of three parts of 2, 4, 4 lines. The first part gives the theme, 
 " Israel's incredulity," in the form of two rhetorical questions ; the 
 other two state the reason for the same. The last part is epexegetical 
 to the second. The second strophe stands in connection with the first 
 by carrying out the thought expressed in Strophe I, c, d, e. 
 
 Lines a and b form a synonymous parallelism. Duhm falsely 
 brings IDt^ETfl and fflnbjiS into correspondence, and states that the 
 former relates to prophetic hearing, the latter to prophetic seeing ; but 
 0, b form a chiasm, and therefore "PE^H h *J and HtlbjD correspond. 
 Lines c and d are synonymous ; also e and f. Note the rhyme in e 
 and /. The repetition of |$b denotes the entirety of the humiliation. 
 
 The prophet, who in the two rhetorical questions has expressed the 
 improbability of Israel's belief in his message, gives now the reason 
 for it, hence the 1 cons, must be translated "for" (Cheyne). V5Sb 
 refers to Jahweh in b. It does not mean " under Yahweh's care and 
 
 1 Del., Dil.: "And;" Gies.: "Auch;" Chey.: "For." 
 
 2 Ew., Chey., Gies. : " before us." 
 
 3 For construction see: Ges., K., i66a; Driver, H. T., 64; Davidson, Syntax, 6$c. 
 
 4 Duhm, Del., Chey., Or., Ew., Ges., Gies., and others. Lange, Hengstenb., Nag. : "ceasing to 
 be man." Some falsely suggest superlative idea (Sym., Pes., Mart., Ros., Harper, Synt., 9, 4^). 
 
 5 Compare Ps. 141:4; Prov. 8:4; Ges., K,, 296. Hardly a better class in distinction to mfcfc 
 131B (Del.). 
 
 6 For relation of the two words see Harper, Syntax , 8, $e; Ges., fC., 128^. 
 T=expertus, Konig, S 1 ., 235^- Davidson, 100, R. 7; Ew., Ges., Chey., Dil. 
 
 8 Ges., Ew., Del., Chey., and others. Some take the word "1)T|D12 as P artic >P le (Konig, 192; 
 Ges.) ; others as a noun (Green, 941, and most commentators). 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH $2:13-53 II 
 
 protection" (Dil.), but "under Yahweh's eyes." For Israelites could 
 not understand how this person could remain in such a lowly condi- 
 tion, if he really was Yahweh's Servant. 
 
 Isaiah is very fond of using illustrations from nature. There are a 
 number of examples of it in this poem : *nn Kb*l ib ""IKIT&tb is a 
 hendiadys (Duhm), i. e., "majestic form," or "beautiful appearance." 
 IJlK^OI must be taken with e against the accents and the transla- 
 tions of the versions. It is difficult to see why Duhm and Gies. sacri- 
 fice the good parallelism in e, f by cutting out this word for metrical 
 reasons. The parallelism is also against the conditional sense of the 
 phrase (as Lange, Del., Chey.), but favors the translation offered (Or., 
 Ges., Ew., and others): the Servant did not have a majestic appear- 
 ance, and therefore Israel did not recognize him. The 1fI&O3 in ^, 
 being in parallelism to T/JFI, means "to perceive with pleasure." 
 
 The relation of g, h, /, / to the former is epexegetical. The facts 
 are stated here which were illustrated in c, d, e, f. Note the climax : 
 despised ; deserted ; a man in pain ; one from whom there is hiding of 
 the face. Lines g and h are synonymous ; also h and /". This part of 
 the strophe is another example of the introverted parallelism. It is 
 very important to observe this in making a correct translation. TQ5 
 and bin may be taken as two constructs, 1 but the parallelism with j 
 favors the independent, absolute position of {"ITH3 : "despised, and 
 therefore . . . . " 2 In HTS5 reference is made to the appearance of 
 the Servant, as the versions indicate, and not to the treatment of the 
 1U, which is expressed in the following clause both in g and/ 
 
 Duhm and others would infer from this passage that the Servant's 
 disease was leprosy, but 3 makes only a comparison with that disease, 
 and by no means introduces a statement to that effect. Duhm's remark 
 on this passage, that the description of the Servant's suffering is too 
 realistic to consider the prophecy an ideal one, is certainly not justi- 
 fied, since the ideal is not brought out in the nature of the suffering, 
 but in the representative suffering for the people, as shown in the next 
 strophe. 
 
 STROPHE in. ISRAEL'S CONFESSION. 
 
 Surely, 3 but our sicknesses he bore ; 
 And our pains he took upon himself. 
 
 i Ew., Synt., 235 ; Dav., 28 R, 4, and most of the commentators. 2 Green, Gr., 258, y. 
 
 3 V3fc$, "surely! but," is not only affirmative (LXX, Syriac, Vulg., Luther, Del.) or adversative 
 (Ges., Lange, Ew., Duhm, Dil.), but combines both meanings here (Chey., Or., Gies.). 
 
12 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH $2:13-53 
 
 c For we considered him stricken, 1 
 
 d Smitten of God and afflicted ; 
 
 e But ne was pierced for our rebellions, 
 
 / Slain for our iniquities. 
 
 IDElblZJ *ID1E ^ Tne chastisement for 2 our peace (was) 
 upon him 
 
 ItVQFQl h And through his stripes came healing to us. 
 We all like sheep have gone astray ; 
 We have turned every one to his own way. 
 
 This strophe stands in antithetical relation to the former. The 
 theme is Israel's confession. Israel has rejected the Servant on 
 account of his lowly appearance, but now they confess their grave 
 mistake, seeing that he suffered for them. 
 
 Lines a and b are synonymous; they connect themselves closely 
 with 11,^. fcttBD, being in parallelism to b^O, cannot mean "take 
 away." Gies. cuts out SOU in a and inserts it in b for metrical reasons. 
 There is no support for this. Some versions imply a X1H in both lines. 
 
 Lines c, d, e, f are explanatory to a and ^, being introduced by 1 
 (cf. II, c). Lines c and d are synonymous, also e and /. Lines e 
 and / are antithetical to c and d. 1 in c must be translated by " for," 
 as in II, c, and not by "and" or "while." The strophical arrange- 
 ment brings out the different meanings of the 1 in this strophe. VI 
 resume the double meaning of "pX in a: "for it is true that . . . . 
 but." Most commentators bring c in antithesis to fcOfl in a, and there- 
 fore translate 1 by "but" or "while." 3 This strophical arrangement, 
 strengthened by the position of the pronouns, 4 indicates that c is 
 antithetical to e and not to a. DVlbtf is in thought to be taken with 
 3?1J0 5 and also with n53?7J. The words bbn and Ml indicate the 
 death of the Servant. Thus e, f render an additional thought in 
 stating the end of the affliction. Note the accumulation of words 
 denoting pain and suffering, intimating the severity of judgment (cf. 
 I, a, b}. Duhm's remark that bbn and &DT denote the effect of lep- 
 rosy is rather far-fetched. 
 
 Lines g and h are synonymous; also i and/. Note the chiasm and 
 antithesis in g and h. The blessing of the Servant's representative 
 
 1 Used of any disease or affliction brought about by God's direct judgment ; does not therefore 
 necessarily indicate that the Servant was afflicted with leprosy. 
 
 2 Genitive of purpose (cf. Gesenius). 
 
 3Duhm, Del., Or., Ew., Dil., Gies., against Driver (H. 7\,i6o), Ges., Chey. 
 4 Harper, Synt., 7, i. 5 Konig, 275*. 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 13 
 
 suffering is stated in g, h. In the last two lines Israel's painful con- 
 fession is resumed and concluded (cf. II,/). They are not to be taken 
 as giving the reason for the Servant's suffering (Del., Lange, Ges., Dil., 
 and others), but refer only to Israel's failure to recognize the Servant. 
 
 Note figure from animal life (cf. II, c, d). 
 
 We have now come to the end of the first part of the poem : Israel 
 and the Servant. The three strophes, then, express the following 
 principal and secondary thoughts : 
 A. Israel and the Servant. 
 
 I. The announcement of the Servant. 
 
 a. His humiliation. 
 
 b. His exaltation. 
 II. Israel's incredulity. 
 
 a. Because his form and figure were lowly. 
 
 b. Therefore he was not accepted. 
 III. Israel's confession. 
 
 a. He was afflicted, but for us. 
 
 b. He brought us peace, but we did not recognize it. 
 
 B. YAHWEH AND THE SERVANT. 
 
 At this place there is a marked difference in the treatment of the 
 subject. There is a sudden turn from Israel's to Yahweh's relation to 
 the Servant. With Yahweh another person is introduced, although 
 referred to in II, b, c; III, d. As stated in the introduction, there is a 
 corresponding similarity in the poetical form in Strophes I and IV, 
 II and V, III and VI. 
 
 STROPHE iv. YAHWEH'S PLAN : THE SERVANT'S HUMILIATION. 
 "p") a But x Yahweh caused to fall upon him 
 TO ritf b The iniquity 8 of us all. 
 
 123B5 c He was oppressed, 2 but he humbled him- 
 *P3 self and opened not his mouth, 
 "JT2J5 d As a lamb, 3 that 4 is led to the slaughter; 
 iTTO . n j3b bri"01 e And as a sheep, 3 that 4 is dumb before her 
 
 shearer, 
 VB nMEP fc^bl / So did he not open his mouth. 
 
 iGies., Ges.: "but;" Del., Chey., Or., Dil., versions: "and;" Duhm, Ew. : "while" or "yjet." 
 
 2 wy is collective and includes sin and the consequence of sin, or punishment (Chey.). 
 
 3 Read HtD3 (Konig, zggA; Ew., 5>/., 33). HtU is a male, brH >s a grown female sheep 
 (Del.). 
 
 4 Relative clause, *YOfc$ being omitted. 
 
14 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 
 
 S Through 1 oppression and judgment 2 he 
 
 was taken 3 away; 
 
 ^ And as for his generation, 4 who considers 
 *O * That 4 he was cut off from the land of the 
 
 living, 
 j O n account of the sin of my 5 people he 
 
 was slain. 6 
 
 In a, b the theme is stated : the Servant's humiliation. Israel's 
 confession is stated here as a fact : Yahweh has made the Servant a 
 sacrifice for Israel. The rest of the strophe describes the representa- 
 tive suffering of the Servant, and how he bore it with voluntary endur- 
 ance and submissive silence (Del.). 
 
 Lines a, b are synthetic, but contain an antithesis : *O and "Oblj- 
 The division of thought is marked by the adversative 1, which stands 
 over against the last strophe as well as in contrast to the whole of the 
 first part. From now on, as will be shown in the comment of the 
 following strophes, the poet brings out Yahweh as the acting person, 
 who humiliates, puts to death, and rewards the Servant. 
 
 "p3> refers, not to Israel's failure to recognize the Servant, nor to 
 any particular sin, but to Israel's sin in general, which consisted mainly 
 in disobedience against Yahweh. 
 
 Lines f, d, <?, f are explanatory of a, b. Lines c, f and d, e go 
 together and form another introverted parallelism. They are synony- 
 mous. Note again the figures from animal life. 
 
 Duhm and Gies. by cutting out /destroy the finish that is given to 
 this strophe (cf. II, g, h, i, j). Gies. also cuts out JT-bfcO- Both 
 suggestions are arbitrary. 
 
 There are a number of explanations given with reference to 
 
 1 Dil., Lange, Chey., Gies.: "on account of, through;" Duhm, Ges., Del., Ew., Or.: "out of." 
 
 2 Best understood as hendiadys (Lange, Del.) : " oppressive judgment ; " *. e,, " unrighteous admin- 
 istration of justice." 
 
 3 See Ew., Synt., 124; Konig, 324^/3 ; Green, 245, ze. 
 
 4 Dil. : The translations of ^*1 by " seed, offspring, fate, habitation, grave," are forced and do not 
 agree with the meaning of "\1^ , which means contemporaries or generation. 
 
 ^Jj$ is best taken in demonstrative force, which is probably the original usage of the word (Ew., 
 critical notes; Chey., Del., Dil., Ges.). The phrase is either ace. abs. (Ges., Lange, Duhm) or nom. 
 abs. with demonstrative J"|fc$ (Chey.). Orelli takes JHb5 as preposition. Against Duhm's criticism 
 on this passage can be said that the absolute position of mi~T"lfc$ is for emphasis, and not because 
 the contemporaries are newly introduced, and further that the prophet does not expect them to consider 
 the Servant's ascension, but the Servant's representative suffering. The translation of "^ by "that" 
 does not make the sentence too long, if we take.f, k, t t j (Chey., Ew., Ges., Dil. translate "that") as 
 synthetic parallelism. 
 
 5 Affectionate expression of the prophet. 
 
 6 Refers to the Servant (Ges., although he takes Iftb s plural ; Del., Chey., Or., Ges., M., 261) ; 
 Ew. and Dil. refer it to *?$ ; Duhm follows LXX : " unto death." 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH $2:13-53 1 5 
 
 TZ330, and also some changes of the Mas. text offered 
 by taking JOH with IT jD (Gies.) and changing to to iZJjiU (Pes.) or ISM 
 (Vulg.). Gies. remarks rightly that, according to the translation, " he 
 was ill-treated, while" .... (Lange, Del., Dil.), the text ought to be 
 reversed. He therefore reads . . . .1 fcOJTJ 1&2D and translates, " he was 
 plagued and humiliated." Others translate OTTl by "though" (Ges., 
 Ew., Or.) or "but" (Duhm, Chey.). 
 
 Neither is there any necessity to change the position of &V|"I (Gies.) 
 to avoid the awkward translation of Lange, Del., Dil.; nor need we 
 follow Ges., Ew., Or., for their translation " though" is still less in 
 harmony with the meaning and does not explain OTT1- The meaning 
 is : though he was oppressed, smitten, he humbled himself, did not 
 object to such degrading treatment. Therefore "but" (Duhm, Chey.) 
 alone explains the position of fcOlTJ, bringing it into contrast with the 
 active subject of TZJjO- There is a difference of opinion, however, as 
 to who that person is. Duhm says it is " das Geschick;" most of the 
 commentators leave it indefinite, but the context shows very plainly 
 that it is Yahweh, who, as a, b state, placed upon the Servant the 
 Ijb^ V13?. Not that he smote the Servant, but that he allowed him to 
 be smitten by the people. See comment on IV, g, and V, a, g. The 
 meaning of this sentence then is : he was oppressed, smitten by God, 
 but he humbled himself and did not open his mouth. The last clause 
 may be taken as circumstantial to W3. 
 
 The subject of VS fiftS" 1 tfbl is the Servant, and not bm of the 
 preceding line (Ges.), because bin is fern., and c, f ought to agree 
 with the subject for poetical reasons (introv. par.). The comparison 
 does not end with e (Del.), but c, d and e,f form two comparisons. 
 Therefore 1 in / must be translated by "so" (Dil., Or.). Others take 
 / independently, and then it would be merely a repetition and super- 
 fluous, as stated by Duhm, who cuts out/. The correction of the text 
 by Gies., who cuts out HEbfcW in e and adds JHK after nFl2^ in /, 
 deserves no consideration. 
 
 The comparison drawn here could hardly have been made by the 
 poet without the consideration of the inner relation between the sacri- 
 fice of the lamb in the Jewish cult and the sacrifice of the Servant. 
 
 The versions differ from this point on from the Massoretic text and 
 from each other to such an extent that they are hardly trustworthy for 
 the reproduction of the original text, but seem to be free translations 
 according to the individual view taken with regard to the poem. 
 
 Lines g, h, i, j refer to b. They are best taken as synthetic paral- 
 lelism. Note the antithesis in/ and the chiasm in /,/. Commentators 
 
1 6 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 
 
 seem to find great difficulty in the translation of this passage, but their 
 troubles are due either to their efforts to bring the text into harmony 
 with their own views, or to their inability to find the right connection 
 of the sentences. The fact that the proposed strophical arrangement 
 enables us to render a satisfactory translation of this and all the diffi- 
 cult parts of this poem adds great strength and value to it. Therefore 
 we may well question Duhm's remark that from now on the text has 
 many defects. There are several views offered with regard to these 
 lines, but that of Duhm is certainly the most fanciful of all. Fipb, " he 
 was taken away" (not "spirited away," like Enoch and Elijah Ges.), 
 means, in correspondence with the context: he was put to death. 
 Here again, as in 12335 in c, the acting person is Yahweh, at least indi- 
 rectly, because he permits the unlawful procedure on the part of the 
 Jews. This is certainly the best explanation, since Yahweh is intro- 
 duced in IV, #, as the one who placed upon the Servant the 15bD TO, 
 and after that the subject is left indefinite until V, 0, where it is again 
 Yahweh who is pleased to crush him. 
 
 STROPHE v. YAHWEH'S PLAN : THE SERVANT'S DEATH AND 
 
 RESURRECTION. 
 
 V"Qp DTCVftK "im a And he made ' with the wicked' his grave ; 
 
 But ne was with the honored 3 after his 
 death/ 
 
 032fi"fc$b b# c Although he had done no evil, 
 
 d Neither was any deceit in his mouth, 
 
 e Yet il pleased Yahweh to smite him ; 
 
 IVD J^nn / He made (him) sick. He died. 
 
 1123SD DTU8 D'""IB S His sou16 having been made'-san offering, 
 
 3HT JlXT h He 7 will see seed, 
 
 DTQ" 1 T"lfcT * He 7 will prolong days, 
 
 ITS J"fiPP ySni / And the pleasure of Yahweh will prosper 
 in his hand. 
 
 i See comment and references on IV, -, on the subject of these words. Delitzsch says: "The 
 subject of f)n^ * s no * Yahweh, because it appears in antithesis to vs. 10, yet it is not an unnatural sup- 
 position." (But <x, b are not antithetical to what follows, but to each other. The apodosis of the con- 
 cessive clause <r, d is *,/.) 
 
 ~ I, e., his grave was considered that of an outcast, a wicked man. 
 
 3 Del., Chey., Or., Dil. : "rich" or "honored;" Duhm, Ges., Ew. change the text, which is 
 unnecessary. (The proposed strophical arrangement favors the text as it stands, and the antithesis in 
 a, b is upheld by the context in the other two parts of the strophe.) 
 
 4 Duhm, Or., Ew., Gies., and others: "his mound." 5 Passive participle. 
 
 6 tEJSj either masc. or fem. (Konig, 166; Fiirst, Diet.; Gen. 46 : 25, vja; Numb. 31 : 28). For con- 
 struction see Driver, M. and 7 1 ., 249^. For the usage of Q1^5 ' n connection with QTEX see Del., Com. 
 
 7 For the co-ordination of verbs without a copula see Ges., AT., izoA. 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 1 7 
 
 The theme, as given in a, b, is the Servant's death and resurrection. 
 This strophe connects itself closely with the preceding. The poetical 
 arrangement is the same as in II. The second part, c, d, e,f referring 
 to #, states very clearly that it is Yahweh who permitted the Servant to 
 be put to death. Lines g, h, i,j, looking back to b, close the strophe 
 by expressing the satisfaction of the success of Yahweh's plan. 
 
 This is no doubt the hardest part of the poem so hard that 
 Duhm despairingly cries out : " Es ist zweifelhaft, ob wir jemals den 
 urspriinglichen Wortlaut und Sinn herausbekommen ;" and adds: 
 "Der Text ist hier in einem greulichen Zustande, und ganzlich 
 unverstandlich." There is, however, only one slight mistake in the 
 text that of the separation of the letters into words (mistake of a 
 copyist). 
 
 Lines a, b are antithetical (see footnote). 
 
 Some change YTtfQl to l'fY!25l, "his mound," but this is neither 
 
 T T 
 
 necessary nor good Hebrew (Dil.). The i is translated by "through" 
 or " after" (Chey.). The latter seems the better. The plural in VtYD 
 may be explained in various ways, 1 but Chey. is probably right in 
 stating that an intrusive * is no novelty in the Old Testament. 
 
 Lines c, d are synonymous; also e,f. Most commentators translate 
 b2 (for T8 b?) by "though," but connect it with a, b. The offered 
 strophical arrangement indicates that the apodosis follows. Duhm 
 remarks that the prophet does not state here that the Servant was 
 without sin, but only that he was no deceiver and innocent; but it 
 seems that the prophet could not have stated it more plainly that the 
 Servant was without sin than by pronouncing him free from sin of 
 deed and word. 
 
 The 1 in e stands over against b^ in c; it very commonly intro- 
 duces the apodosis. 2 Yahweh comes out with great force. There is 
 no difficulty in this verse, unless the text is changed, but there is in 
 line /. As it stands, the passage reads : D^TCH Dtf "bm The 
 commentators point out the various difficulties of the text and try to 
 explain them, but without much avail. Leaving the text as it stands, 
 another division of the words can be made that will clear up the dark- 
 ness which seems to cover this passage. If we, instead of reading 
 D^lEtl Dtf h bnn, read D^IB Fl/2 fcrbnn, we have the verb in its regular 
 form, and avoid the change of person and the awkward translation' of 
 D^ICH D3$- This arrangement gives us three short lines /, h, // but 
 this is not strange, since the description is agitated and lively. 3 
 
 i Lange; Konig, 261^. 2 Green, 306^. 3 C/. Ges., K., i2o&; Konig, 375^-, 357^, 
 
1 8 THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 
 
 The change of ^FT! to fcrbftn caused by the proposed arrange- 
 ment of words, settles all arguments on this word and gives a regular 
 form of the Hiphil of J$bri , which otherwise would appear like a verb 
 
 The last part of this strophe,^, h, /,/, forms a conditional sentence, 
 g being the protasis, and h, i,j the apodosis. 
 
 STROPHE VI. YAHWEH REWARDS THE SERVANT. 
 
 a On account 1 of the travail 3 he will enjoy' 
 
 his life ; 
 3DTZT b He wil1 be satisfied with his knowledge. 
 
 p^S" 1 c The righteous one/ my Servant, justified 
 
 many, 5 
 DlTCW ^ For their sins he bore ; 
 
 "p'b e Therefore will I 6 give him a portion 
 among the many, 7 
 
 bbts pbrr DTai^'tw / Even g reat 7 nes win he8 s ive him as 
 
 spoil. 
 
 TttJX InHn S Because he poured out his soul 9 unto 
 death. 
 
 Arid was numbered among sinners, 
 X123D D h 2*l"Ht3n ^111 * While he bore the sins of many, 
 
 / ^ n d interceded for the transgressors. 
 
 The theme of this strophe, as indicated in a, b, is: " Yahweh 
 rewards the Servant." In form the strophe corresponds to III. The 
 enjoyment of his life, the satisfaction with his experience, and the 
 success of his work are his reward. 
 
 Lines a, b are synonymous. Note the chiasm. Duhm and Gies., 
 following the LXX and their own imagination, make a number of 
 changes in this strophe. Leaving the text as it is, it gives good mean- 
 
 iDel., Dil. : " on account of ;" Duhm, Or., Ew., Ges. : "from;" Lange, Chey. : "after." 
 a 5127 refers to the painful work of the Servant. 
 
 3 For the phrase "enjoy life" see Ges. and Fiirst, Dt'ct., G. A. Smith, footnote in E. J5., 345. It 
 is also favored by chiasm. Most commentators take ItDBD w * tn blfl^ 
 
 4 Attribute before possessor (Del., Chey., Dil., Ges., Lange). 
 
 5 For b see Konig, 289 f.; Ges., A'., ii7/ Green, Gr., 286, za. 
 
 6 I.e., Yahweh. 
 
 7 Most commentators : " great and mighty." See comment on these words. 
 
 8 Change of person is a frequent occurrence. 
 
 9 /. e. t " life-blood" (Duhm, Chey., Dil.). 
 
THE STROPHIC STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 52:13-53 19 
 
 ing and works out well poetically. Most of the commentators take 
 IFCnn with line <:, and explain it accordingly (see Del.). In accord- 
 ance with the adopted strophical arrangement, it stands over against 
 b523fl2 (chiasm) : the Servant has come back to life, looks over his 
 work, and is satisfied with his knowledge, /. <?., his experience, not the 
 knowledge of God or divine things. 
 
 Lines c, d are synonymous; also e,f. p* 1 ^* 1 must refer to the past, 
 <?, / being based on c, d. Line d is an explanatory clause to c. 1 
 
 The frequent usage of 0*01 in this poem favors the translation 
 "many" (cf. I, g, h: "many .... kings." While some commenta- 
 tors see in the picture the 73$ placed among the great of the world, it 
 seems better to read with LXX, Luther, Vulg., and make him the 
 receiver of the spoil, which consists in the many and the mighty as his 
 followers ("2 is partitive). 
 
 The last part of this strophe recapitulates the Servant's work. 
 Duhm cuts out PTl^b as a gloss. There is no cause for this, other than a 
 desire to adapt it to his metrical arrangement. Gies. omits the last 
 two lines for the same purpose. J^Wl in i introduces a circumstantial 
 clause (Duhm, Del., Dil.). 
 
 This brings the second part of the poem to an end. 
 The division of B is as follows : 
 B. Yahweh and the Servant. 
 
 IV. Yahweh's plan : the Servant's humiliation. 
 a) How he bore the humiliation. 
 ) Why he was humiliated. 
 
 V. Yahweh's plan : the Servant's death and resurrection. 
 a) The Servant's death. 
 
 b} After death awaits him honor. ' ' ii^ 
 
 VI. Yahweh rewards the Servant. S V 
 
 a) His reward. 
 b} The reason for it. 
 
 i Driver, H. T.,i6o. 
 
is 3*5^ 
 
 BOOKg^^BBLOW 
 
 TH B I^ST DATE 
 
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 DAY 
 
YD 14342 
 
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