Isaiah

In Whom You Trust?

King Hezekiah’s Piety in the Light of the Textual History of Isaiah 36:4-10 // 2 Kings 18:19-25
Balogh Csaba

This chapter studies the piety and suffering of King Hezekiah of Judah in the context of the textual history of Isaiah 36 and its parallel text in 2 Kings 18. King Hezekiah is generally presented as a positive protagonist, and in Isaiah his personality is paradigmatic. Hezekiah’s faith in Yhwh’s deliverance from Assyria, or indeed from any life-threatening circumstances, points beyond his personal character on the stage of Judah’s history. On the other hand, the eighth-century prophecies, including those traditionally dated to Hezekiah’s era, are often critical of anti-Assyrian activities.

The Problem with Isaiah's So-Called ‘Refrain Poem’

A New Look at the Compositional History of Isaiah 9.7–20
Balogh Csaba

This article argues that Isaiah's so-called ‘refrain poem’ (Kehrversgedicht) in Isa. 9.7–20 is a composite text, going back to two early prophecies with different concerns. Isaiah 9.7–17* focused originally on the arrogant refusal of the divine word, while Isa. 9.18–20* reflected on the chaotic social circumstances in Samaria in the eighth century. The refrains in vv. 9,11cd, 16ef and 20cd were added to these two already connected prophecies at a later stage. The theological summary in v. 12 is yet another addition, closely affiliated with 5.24–25. Unlike v.

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