Read Isaiah 9 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
8:19-9:7 {p} Affliction of deep darkness + great distress/ upon them a light shines + a Child is born
9:8-13 {s} Woe to Israel who does not turn to YHVH when stricken
9:14-21 {s} Woe to the leaders who cause His people to err/ the wrath of YHVH will burns up the land
The Chiastic structure:
In the former time, He brought contempt upon the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time, He has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. Isa 9:1b
Contempt is Strong’s H7043, קלל qalal meaning, “to lightly esteem,” “something light in weight or stature,” according to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon. The ancient pictographs are quph + lamed + lamed.
quph ק = sun on the horizon, thus condense, circle, time
lamed ל = shepherd’s staff, thus teach, yoke, to, bind;
lamed ל = shepherd’s staff, thus teach, yoke, to, bind;
The Hebrew Root Word parable is of being accounted light (quph) by authority (lamed) in a doubled measure (second lamed). Quph represents the sun on the horizon, when we perceive light leaving the earth and sky and gathered to the sun. So, gathered light(ness) paints a picture of not just a slight lowering of esteem, but concentrated lightness in weight or stature, that is, concentrated contempt, held to be doubly so (lamed + lamed) from authority.
To be glorious is Strong’s H3513, כבד kabad, meaning, “to be heavy.” The positive spin on the verb is “numerous, weighty, glorious.” The ancient pictographs are kaph + bet + dalet.
kaph כ, ך = open palm, thus bend, open, allow, tame
bet ב = house, thus house, household, family, in, within
dalet ד = door, thus 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.
What was once light in esteem will be made heavy with glory, and the agent of change is the Child who will be born.
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. 1 Cor 1:26-29
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