Read Isaiah 43 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
42:18-43:10 {s} His servants who were blind and deaf He will redeem and restore, for He loves them
43:11-13 {s} YHVH is YHVH, He alone is Savior, Israel is His witness that He is God
43:14-15 {s} For Israel’s sake, YHVH, Israel’s Holy One, Creator, and King, will make the Babylonians fugitives
43:16-21 {s} YHVH will make rivers in the desert to give drink to His people, who He has formed for Himself
43:22-28 {p} Jacob has not honored YHVH but burdened Him with their sin/ He will blot out their transgressions
The Strong theme:
42:18-43:28 {sx4+p} YHVH formed Jacob for Himself/He will forgive and restore them, and make the Babylonians fugitives
The Chiastic structure:
The central axis and the three verbs YHVH feels about us, from the Hebrew Root Word parables:
To be precious is Strong’s H3365, יקר yaqar. The ancient pictographs are yud + quph + resh
yud י = closed hand (work, throw, worship)
quph ק = sun on the horizon (condense, circle, time)
resh ר = head of man (head, first, top, beginning, man)
The parable is of the hand (yud) encircled around (quph) that which is choicest (resh).
To be honored is Strong’s H3513 כבד kabad, “to be heavy.” The positive spin on the verb is “numerous, weighty, glorious;” the negative spin is “burdensome, severe.” The ancient pictographs are kaph + bet + dalet.
kaph כ, ך = open palm (bend, open, allow, tame)
bet ב = house (household, family, in, within)
dalet ד = door (enter, move, hang)
In ancient days, the covering (kaph, as the father’s open palm covers the head of his son when he blesses him) of the tent (bet) was made from a black goat hair fabric. It allowed for some light to come through, “giving the appearance of stars overhead,” according to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon. Thus a related word to this root is the concrete noun for “stars.” As there is no end to the abundance of the stars overhead (Gen 15:5), the kaph + bet combination can signify “a great abundance” as it does here. So, a great abundance (kaph + bet) which hangs (dalet, as a door hangs from its frame) about a person. Thus to honor someone or something is to treat it respectfully according to the weight of glory which covers and surrounds it.
To be loved is Strong’s H157 אהב ahab, “to desire, to breathe after.” The ancient pictographs are aleph + hey + bet.
aleph א = ox head (strength, power, leader)
hey ה = man with upraised arms (look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath)
bet ב = house (house, household, family, in, within)
The two-letter foundation for the root is hey + bet. Thus, the sense of wonder, even astonishment, and appreciation the man feels when beholding (hey) his family (bet). We do not choose the family into which we are born. And even the man’s wife, in those days, was not chosen by him, but was chosen for him by his father. So in the Hebraic way of thinking, the family – parents, siblings, wife, children, extended family and tribal clan – is a gift chosen for him and given to him by God. Thus the verbal form of hey + bet means “to give.” The concrete form means “a gift.” The abstract form means “love;” from the complex emotion, desires, and protectiveness which is inspired in the heart for one’s cherished gifts; i.e., one’s family. The addition of the aleph intensifies the meaning, so that the parable is telling of strong (aleph) love (hey + bet).
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
God loves me – Christine Miller
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