155Polan, In the Ways of Justice, 191. 156Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 237, 245. 192 communication, the prophet utilizes various strategies such as genres, metaphorical language, and abundant rhetorical devices.
Having observed the communicative function of the text, we will now discuss the theological idea that the author intends to deliver to the audience.
Theological Implications
The theological theme of inheritance within 56:1-63:6 has profound intertextual connections with other books of the Old Testament. The prophet presents different aspects of the inheritance by reapplying some of …show more content…
The inheritance of the land is an underlying theological theme in the hope of restoration. Why then does the prophet continues using the land as the inheritance? And on what theological basis does the prophet promise the inheritance of the land? First, the promise of the land as Israel’s inheritance refers back to the ancient patriarchal covenant of the possession of Canaan in
157For the sake of the space, our study will focus only on the thematic and linguistic correspondences with other …show more content…
God promised the land to Israel and he gave it to them in the course of their history. The prophet seems to reapply the theme of the possession of land to the people who have felt dispossessed since the Babylonian exile in 587 B.C.159
Second, the land as an inheritance functions as a touchstone for the unique relationship between God and Israel. Thus, the inheritance language of the land as a whole is used metaphorically when it is compared with the physical meaning: the territory of tribes or the whole nation.160 Wright explains the word lxn; " (or hl'x]n): as follows:
In the Old Testament the terms are used in a kind of triangular set of relationships involving the LORD, Israel and the land. Thus (most commonly) the land is Israel’s (Ps. 105:11). But then, sometimes the land is the LORD’s (Exod. 15:17; 1 Sam.
158Harry M. Orlinsky, “The Biblical Concept of the Land of Israel: Cornerstone of the Covenant between God and Israel,” in The Land of Israel: Jewish Perspectives (ed. L. A. Huffman; Notre Dame: Notre Dame University, 1986), 27-64; Brueggemann, Isaiah 40-66, 180.
159Koole, Isaiah III: Isaiah 56-66, 258. 160Wright, “lxn,”