(Note, however, that many attribute chapters 55-66 to yet a third prophet known by others as Trito-Isaiah!!! Though personally, I just go with those who claim we are only dealing with a "Deutero," referring to the author of all of the chapters 40-66 collectively as "the Herald." )
With that, let's turn in a moment to a passage of this week's Haftorah quite different in tone from what we've gotten used to these past few weeks. In my opinion, this is one of the most evocative passages in all of our ancient Judean literature.
And then, in the distance, a figure begins to materialize, striding towards our Herald. As the figure nears, our Herald - trying to identify this figure from afar - starts to make out a few strange details. When the figure gets close enough, our Herald hails him and calls out a few questions, trying to piece together who this figure is.
Here is there exchange, with this mysterious figure's answers being in italics:
(א) מִי־זֶ֣ה ׀ בָּ֣א מֵאֱד֗וֹם חֲמ֤וּץ בְּגָדִים֙ מִבָּצְרָ֔ה זֶ֚ה הָד֣וּר בִּלְבוּשׁ֔וֹ צֹעֶ֖ה בְּרֹ֣ב כֹּח֑וֹ אֲנִ֛י מְדַבֵּ֥ר בִּצְדָקָ֖ה רַ֥ב לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃ (ב) מַדּ֥וּעַ אָדֹ֖ם לִלְבוּשֶׁ֑ךָ וּבְגָדֶ֖יךָ כְּדֹרֵ֥ךְ בְּגַֽת׃ (ג) פּוּרָ֣ה ׀ דָּרַ֣כְתִּי לְבַדִּ֗י וּמֵֽעַמִּים֙ אֵֽין־אִ֣ישׁ אִתִּ֔י וְאֶדְרְכֵ֣ם בְּאַפִּ֔י וְאֶרְמְסֵ֖ם בַּחֲמָתִ֑י וְיֵ֤ז נִצְחָם֙ עַל־בְּגָדַ֔י וְכָל־מַלְבּוּשַׁ֖י אֶגְאָֽלְתִּי׃ (ד) כִּ֛י י֥וֹם נָקָ֖ם בְּלִבִּ֑י וּשְׁנַ֥ת גְּאוּלַ֖י בָּֽאָה׃ (ה) וְאַבִּיט֙ וְאֵ֣ין עֹזֵ֔ר וְאֶשְׁתּוֹמֵ֖ם וְאֵ֣ין סוֹמֵ֑ךְ וַתּ֤וֹשַֽׁע לִי֙ זְרֹעִ֔י וַחֲמָתִ֖י הִ֥יא סְמָכָֽתְנִי׃ (ו) וְאָב֤וּס עַמִּים֙ בְּאַפִּ֔י וַאֲשַׁכְּרֵ֖ם בַּחֲמָתִ֑י וְאוֹרִ֥יד לָאָ֖רֶץ נִצְחָֽם׃ (ס)
(1) Who is this, coming forth from Edom! With crimson garments from the city of Bozra! This one! Majestic in his garments, striding forth with great strength!
"I speak righteousness ! Save abundantly!"
(2) Why are your garments red? And your clothes like one trampling in the vat?
(3) "The winepress I have trampled alone. And from the nations, there was no man with me. And I trampled them in my anger, and tread upon them in my fury. And splattered did their life-blood onto my raiments, and my garments I defiled.
(4) For a day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed comes!
(5) And I looked, and there was none to help! And I stared, and there was none to support!
Then saved me, did my arm. And my fury - that is what supported me!
(6) And I trod down nations in my anger, and made them drunken in my fury; And I brought down to the ground, their life-blood."
Do you have a hunch as to With whom our Herald is speaking?
Here's a hint; I can think of no mortal flesh-and-blood throughout history who has the power to "trod down nations in anger...," as this figure claims to have done.
And therefore, I have no choice to conclude that the Herald is witnessing the Almighty's triumphant return from Edom!
As Robert Alter says in his commentary:
[These verses are] the most vivid - and grisly - representation in biblical poetry of YHWH as a warrior-god.
Grisly, certainly.
But there's much going on beneath the surface, without which we can't really appreciate the full significance of this.
Without getting too into it, the Judeans and Edomite neighbors viewed each other as related kinsmen. But as the Judean Kingdom was falling to the Babylonian empire, rather than support her neighbor and come to her defense, or even just offer sanctuary and comfort for fleeing refugees, it seems that Edom rejoiced at Judah's downfall!
Here is a lament-poem which preserves memory of this:
(ז) זְכֹ֤ר יְהוָ֨ה ׀ לִבְנֵ֬י אֱד֗וֹם אֵת֮ י֤וֹם יְֽרוּשָׁ֫לִָ֥ם הָ֭אֹ֣מְרִים עָ֤רוּ ׀ עָ֑רוּ עַ֝֗ד הַיְס֥וֹד בָּֽהּ׃
(7) Remember, O YHWH, those people of Edom; The day of Jerusalem’s fall; Those who said:
“Strip her, strip her to her very foundations!”
Perhaps, therefore, Judah's redemption could not be complete until YHWH-of-Legions, Judah's eternal defender and savior, would sally forth and pursue vengeance in defending the honor of his beloved, of his dear family - to whom he is now returning in triumphant glory.
Take a listen to the US Army's rendition.
truth... is... mar... ching... truth... is... march... ing!
Here are the words in the first verse of her song:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored!
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword!
His truth is marching on!
We get marriage imagery, royal imagery, redemption imagery; There is also a nice recurring theme of name-changes.
Here are some passages which bring together all of the above ideas:
(ב) וְרָא֤וּ גוֹיִם֙ צִדְקֵ֔ךְ וְכָל־מְלָכִ֖ים כְּבוֹדֵ֑ךְ וְקֹ֤רָא לָךְ֙ שֵׁ֣ם חָדָ֔שׁ אֲשֶׁ֛ר פִּ֥י יְהוָ֖ה יִקֳּבֶֽנּוּ׃ (ג) וְהָיִ֛יתְ עֲטֶ֥רֶת תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת בְּיַד־יְהוָ֑ה וצנוף [וּצְנִ֥יף] מְלוּכָ֖ה בְּכַף־אֱלֹהָֽיִךְ׃ (ד) לֹֽא־יֵאָמֵר֩ לָ֨ךְ ע֜וֹד עֲזוּבָ֗ה וּלְאַרְצֵךְ֙ לֹא־יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שְׁמָמָ֔ה כִּ֣י לָ֗ךְ יִקָּרֵא֙ חֶפְצִי־בָ֔הּ וּלְאַרְצֵ֖ךְ בְּעוּלָ֑ה כִּֽי־חָפֵ֤ץ יְהוָה֙ בָּ֔ךְ וְאַרְצֵ֖ךְ תִּבָּעֵֽל׃
...
(יב) וְקָרְא֥וּ לָהֶ֛ם עַם־הַקֹּ֖דֶשׁ גְּאוּלֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וְלָךְ֙ יִקָּרֵ֣א דְרוּשָׁ֔ה עִ֖יר לֹ֥א נֶעֱזָֽבָה׃ (ס)
(2) Nations shall see your victory, And every king your majesty!
And you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of YHWH shall bestow.
(3) You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of YHWH, and a royal diadem In the palm of your Elohim!
(4) Nevermore shall you be called “Forsaken,” Nor shall your land be called “Desolate”; But you shall be called “I-delight-in-her,” and your land “Espoused.”
For YHWH takes delight in you, And your land shall be espoused!
...
(12) And they shall be called, “The-Holy-People, The-Redeemed-of-YHWH!”
And you shall be called, “Sought-out, A city-not-forsaken!”
In assigning a new name to Judah and to her land, the Herald demonstrates that there has been a complete transformation at the very essence of her character. She who had been Forsaken, Desolate has since ceased to exist, with The-Redeemed-of-YHWH taking her place. Note also that the Herald seems to emphasizes that this name will be bestowed by YHWH himself.
(ג) וְהָיִ֛יתְ עֲטֶ֥רֶת תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת בְּיַד־יְהוָ֑ה וצנוף [וּצְנִ֥יף] מְלוּכָ֖ה בְּכַף־אֱלֹהָֽיִךְ׃
(3) You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of YHWH, and a royal diadem in the palm of your Elohim!
Here's what I found in the Cambridge Bible Commentary:
There is probably an allusion to the mural crown which tutelary deities of cities are sometimes represented as wearing, on ancient coins &c. The prophet for some reason hesitates to adopt the heathen image in its completeness; and pictures Jehovah as holding the crown in His hand.
I had another idea, though. Perhaps YHWH will be so proud of his beloved crown that he cannot help but continuously remove it from his head in order to feel it, admire it, and continuously show it around to everyone and everything! And so with that, of course it will be in his hand more often than on his head!
Here's a comment I really like from the old Pulpit Bible Commentary (1897) which might speak to the same sentiment:
Thou shalt also be a crown of glory, etc. God will exhibit Israel to an admiring world, as a man might exhibit a "crown" or "diadem" which he held in his hand. They will look on with admiration and reverence—"for they shall perceive that it is his work" (Psa_64:9).
This is a nice complement to something that appears in the oracles of the Jerusalem-based 8th-century Isaiah:
(ה) בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִֽהְיֶה֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת לַעֲטֶ֣רֶת צְבִ֔י וְלִצְפִירַ֖ת תִּפְאָרָ֑ה לִשְׁאָ֖ר עַמּֽוֹ׃
(5) On that day, YHWH-of-Legions shall become a crown of splendor and a diadem of beauty for the remnant of his people.
His closing remarks to this week's Haftorah, which are also his closing remarks to this whole "Herald-Haftorah-Cycle," so perfectly fit this theme, as we see the Herald looking backwards with gratitude at the things that YHWH has already done for his beloved Israel, which is surely a part of what fuels so much of our Herald's confidence in YHWH's future saving hand.
So with that, I'm going to leave you with just the Herald's own words.
(ז) חַֽסְדֵ֨י יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אַזְכִּיר֙ תְּהִלֹּ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה כְּעַ֕ל כֹּ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־גְּמָלָ֖נוּ יְהוָ֑ה וְרַב־טוּב֙ לְבֵ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־גְּמָלָ֥ם כְּֽרַחֲמָ֖יו וּכְרֹ֥ב חֲסָדָֽיו׃ (ח) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַךְ־עַמִּ֣י הֵ֔מָּה בָּנִ֖ים לֹ֣א יְשַׁקֵּ֑רוּ וַיְהִ֥י לָהֶ֖ם לְמוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃ (ט) בְּֽכָל־צָרָתָ֣ם ׀ לא [ל֣וֹ] צָ֗ר וּמַלְאַ֤ךְ פָּנָיו֙ הֽוֹשִׁיעָ֔ם בְּאַהֲבָת֥וֹ וּבְחֶמְלָת֖וֹ ה֣וּא גְאָלָ֑ם וַֽיְנַטְּלֵ֥ם וַֽיְנַשְּׂאֵ֖ם כָּל־יְמֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם׃
(7) The faithfulness of YHWH I shall recount; The praises of YHWH!
For all that YHWH requited on us; And the abundance of good for the House of Israel which he requited them, according to his compassion, and according to the abundance of his faithfulness!
(8) And he said:
"For, they are my people! Children that do not betray!"
And he became for them a savior.
(9)In all of their troubles, he was troubled, and the agent of his presence saved them; With his love and with his kindness it was he, he saved them, and took them and lifted them all the days of yore.
