Glory! Glory, Hallelu-Ya!

This reflection is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Haftorah Series. The rest of the content can be found here: https://www.sefaria.org/groups/FHJC-Haftorah-Series .

This Sabbath marks the last of seven consecutive weeks of Haftaroth taken from (Deutero-)Isaiah, whom we've been referring to as the "Herald of Zion," or just "the Herald."

(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." )

And what a wonderful journey it's been! If you've been with us this whole time, then perhaps like me, you feel that you've really managed to form a connection with the Herald of Zion himself; And that his hopes, the vivid and poetic imagery of his dreams, the power of his optimism has taken a hold of you, sweeping you up in the momentum of his exhilaration for a future in which good triumphs over evil, the wronged will experience redemption, and those intended for greatness will be restored to all of their glory! I know that's what happened to me - And if it has not happened to you yet - well, our Herald's got one more chance.

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.

You'll see from the passage that we are looking in on a moment of truly epic importance. It seems as if our Herald is gazing outward from Judah, out over the Jordan river and into the east, towards Judeah's Edomite-neighbors.

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:

Here's my question for you:

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!

But the ancient near east was the kind of place where "triumph" for one collective meant catastrophe for another. And these are certainly not the most "pleasant" of passages, not by a long shot - especially given what we've been enjoying over the last several weeks.

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:

At least in this recollection, it seems that there were Edomites standing by, cheering gleefully, egging the Babylonians on as Jerusalem suffered devastation.

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.

Over 2,000 years later, during one of the darkest and most traumatic periods of American history - America's very own people waging war on each other - the Herald's words quoted above would be re-interpreted into what would become one of the most beloved songs in the American-patriotic repertoire.

Take a listen to the US Army's rendition.

I love this version! If you listen carefully, you can even hear the rhythm of YHWH's feet on the ground as he strides ever closer to the Herald's outpost:

truth... is... mar... ching... truth... is... march... ing!

The lyricist was Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910), a real warrior who dedicated her time and efforts towards fighting for social justices, including clean and hygienic conditions for soldiers in hospitals, voting rights for women, and the abolition of slavery.

How appropriate that her Battle Hymn was inspired by writings found in the scroll of Isaiah, when the great 8th-century Jerusalem-based prophet Isaiah himself criticized his Judean brethren for their own social injustices! (See for example Isaiah 1:17.)

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!

Below: I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Let's shift gears and look back at the beginning of our Haftorah, which is much more in-line with the Herald as we have come to know him.

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:

Names were a big deal in ancient Israel and Judah, and every single proper name of people and places alike carry significance. (One of my favorite TaNaKh-study tools is Hitchcock's Bible Name Dictionary, published in the late 19th century, and containing over 2,5000 entries!)

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.

Another image that really catches my eye is what we get above in verse 3. Here it is on its own:

First of all... weird, right? Crowns and diadems belong on the head; And yet, both halves of this verset place the crown/diadem in YHWH's hand!

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.

Below: Ancient Greek coin with goddess and mural crown. Smyrna, 2nd century BCE.

Below: some general mural crowns.

I think this is such a great image, and find myself wishing the Herald had gone just one step further and brought it to completion.

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:

What an image! YHWH and Zion's relationship with each other being such that each one is so totally dedicated towards and passionate for the other, even commissioning, or crafting a crown in the other's likeness to carry around with such adoration and pride.

We've seen so much optimism from the Herald over the last seven weeks, and it has been so uplifting bringing the week to a close and entering the sabbath after reading and reflecting upon such words.

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.