Read Isaiah 46 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
45:18-46:2 {p} YHVH alone is God/ all will bow the knee to Him
46:3-4 {s} YHVH has upheld Israel from birth and will carry them to gray hairs and deliver them
46:5-7 {s} Does YHVH compare to false idols? They are made by men, carried about, not answering nor saving
46:8-11 {s} YHVH is God, there is no other: He declares the end from the beginning and does all His purpose
46:12-13 {s} YHVH Himself will bring His righteousness near, and saved Israel will glorify God
The Chiastic structure:
From the womb YHVH has borne us, and to gray hairs He will carry us, unlike the idols of the nations, who are made by men and must be carried by men.
To make is Strong’s H6213 עשה ashah, “to do, to make.” The 3-letter root is ayin + shin + hey, but according to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, the shin was transposed from an original sin because of their similar sounds.
ayin ע = eye (watch, know, shade)
sin ס = thorn (grab, hate, protect)
hey ה = man w/ upraised arms (look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath)
The parable being told by the Hebrew Root Word is of man’s first work in watching (ayin) for thorns and thistles (sin) which would seek to take over his crops:
Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground … Gen 3:17-19
The addition of the hey adds the element that a man is to do with all his might, whatever his hand finds (hey, i.e., pointing out what has been discovered) to do:
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. Ecc 9:10
To bear Strong’s H5375 נשא nasa, “to take up, to lift up, to pardon.” As per the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, the shin was transposed from an original sin.
nun נ ן = seed (continue, heir, son)
sin ס = thorn (grab, hate, protect)
aleph א = ox head (strength, power, leader)
The parable is of persistently (nun, continually) grabbing hold (sin) with strength (aleph), thus labor, to take up or lift up a burden.
To carry is Strong’s H5445, סבל sabal, “to bear, to carry a heavy burden.”
sin ס = thorn (grab, hate, protect)
bet ב = house (floorplan, house, household, family, in, within)
lamed ל = shepherd’s staff (teach, yoke, to, bind)
The parable is of grabbing hold (sin) and bearing (bet, as the family is borne) with the yoke (lamed). That the load cannot be carried without the assistance of the yoke reveals that the burden is a heavy one.
“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Mat 11:28-30
This is the same verb, via the Septuagint translators, used in Isaiah 46:4. In Isa 46:4, YHVH carries us, as a heavy burden. In Mat 11:28-30 Yeshua relieves us of our heavy burden, of being heavy-laden, when we take His yoke upon us, the sabal equivalent. Our heavy burden becomes light as He is carrying all of the load, back to Isa 46:4.
To deliver is Strong’s H4422, מלט malat, “to slip away, to escape.”
mem ם מ = water (chaos, mighty, blood)
lamed ל = shepherd’s staff (teach, yoke, to, bind)
tet ט = basket (surround, contain, hold, mud)
The parable is that when one is overwhelmed (mem, as water overwhelms a drowning man), the shepherd’s staff (lamed) draws him out of the chaos which encompassed (tet) him.
Leave a Reply