The Coming of the Lord: an inter-textual reading of Isa 40:1-11; 52:7-10; 59:15B-20; 62:10-11 and 63:1-6

The notion that God is coming to Jerusalem is attested both in Isa 40-55 and later in Isa 56-66. In particular, the three texts of Isa 40:1-11; 52:7-10; 59:15-20 and 63:1-6 speak of the coming of the Lord, and of God’s arm. There is, however, a significant difference between the texts in Isa 40-55 and those in Isa 56-66. In the former two texts, God’s arrival is depicted positively as a way of restoring Jerusalem. In contrast, the description of God’s arrival in the later Isa 59:15-20 and 63:1-6 contains elements of vengeance and violence. This paper explores the historical reasons for this difference and how it reflects a change in the way the people of Judah in the exilic and the post-exilic period understood God’s presence and acts. In addition, it suggests that the latter texts in Isa 56-66 are conscious and contrasting allusions to the former two in Isa 40-55. God is indeed coming, but, because he did not receive the help that he pleaded for in Isa 40:1-2, and, as a result thereof, because Jerusalem is still not comforted, God will now come alone as not only a redeemer but also as an avenger.