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Yeshayahu 18 | "When the Banner is Raised Up on the Mountains, You Shall See"
- Speaker:
- ספי אליאש
- Date:
- January 15 2025
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This prophecy is one of the most enigmatic in Yeshayahu, with many expressions throughout the chapter being subject to debate. For example, the meaning of the phrase "the land of buzzing insect wings" (eretz tzilatzal=ארץ צלצל) is unclear. Some interpret tzilatzal as referring to a species of locust found in the referenced land, others suggest it describes a land of towering mountains casting shadows (in Hebrew shadow is tzel=צל), while still others propose it refers to a hot land where people seek shade. Similarly, the interpretation of nearly every ambiguous phrase in this chapter is debated. I will strive to convey the general message of the prophecy without delving into the precise meanings of individual terms.
Yeshayahu addresses a nation dwelling at the edge of the known world, "far away beyond the Kushite rivers" — a phrase akin to the Chazal idiom "beyond the Mountains of Darkness" (Tamid 32b). This refers to a unique and distinct nation described as "people pulled apart and mauled, to a people always fearsome until now" (18:2), whose land is crisscrossed with rivers, therefore they have many messengers sailing "out by sea, reed vessels crossing the water" (18:2) . This nation, despite its remoteness, is called to proclaim the great message of the chapter, a message destined to be heard and seen by all inhabitants of the earth: "All you who live upon this earth, all dwellers on the land, when the banner is raised up on the mountains you shall see; when the horn sounded its blast, then you shall hear" (18:3).
The term "banner" appears earlier in Yeshayahu and consistently denotes an act of God with far-reaching impact. At times, it signifies calamity, as when Assyria was brought against Israel: "He will raise a signal (in Hebrew they are both "נס") to the nations from afar" (Yeshayahu 5:26). At other times, it signifies redemption: "He will lift up a banner to nations and gather in the banished ones of Israel" (Yeshayahu 11:12). In our case, this "banner" refers to a calamity that God will bring upon the nations, described in the following passage of the prophecy: God is depicted as sitting in His place, in tranquility and calm, preparing for the harvest. The metaphor refers to the harvest of grain, while the allegory signifies the "harvest" of nations. Immediately after the metaphor, the prophet shifts to a stark and realistic description of bodies being left for the birds of the sky: "The trembling stems shall fall to the pruning knife. The branches will be cleared, cut down, abandoned to mountains eagles, to beasts of the land." (18:5-6).
The outcome of God’s actions will be the magnification of His Name and the acknowledgment of His sovereignty by all nations. Also those at the ends of the earth and certainly those closer: "At that time, tribute shall be brought to the Lord of Hosts from this people pulled apart and mauled, from a people always fearsome until now, a nation trampled piece by piece, despoiled by the kings of the river land, to the place of the Lord of Hosts, His name: Mount Zion" (18:7).
Throughout the burdens concerning the nations, Zion and Israel are frequently mentioned. These are not merely prophecies about other nations but prophecies about their relationship to Zion and Yehuda. In this context, our prophecy elevates the role of Jerusalem to its peak. While the prophecy concerning Moav, for instance, described messengers sent to Jerusalem with a simple plea for refuge "Send a sheep, ruler of the land, from Sela into the desert, to the mount of daughter Zion... Let the outcasts of Moav bide among you; be their hiding place from the invading mass until the oppressor is gone" (16:1-4), our prophecy describes nations bringing tribute to God, evoking the grand vision: "Many peoples will come, saying: ‘Come, let us go up to the mount of the Lord, to the House of Yaakov's God; He will teach us of His ways; we will walk in His pathways,’ for teaching will come from Zion, from Jerusalem, the Lord's word" (Yeshayahu 2:3).
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