{"id":65261,"date":"2019-11-05T12:13:12","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T10:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=65261"},"modified":"2023-05-31T07:46:04","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T04:46:04","slug":"assyria-rod-of-the-lords-anger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/assyria-rod-of-the-lords-anger\/","title":{"rendered":"Assyria: Rod Of The Lord\u2019s Anger"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In our chapter, Isaiah explains to his audience (which includes us!) that Assyria\u2019s successful conquest of Ephraim\u2014and now posing a threat to Judah\u2014was not due to any particular virtue on its part, but rather to God having selected them to be the instrument of His anger. He says:<\/span><\/p>\n

Ha! Assyria, rod (<\/span>shevet<\/span><\/em>) of My anger (\u2018<\/span>api<\/span><\/em>), in whose hand, as a staff (<\/span>mateh<\/span><\/em>), is My fury (`<\/em><\/span>evrati<\/span><\/em>)! I send him against an ungodly nation, I charge him against a people that provokes Me, to take its spoil and to seize its booty and to make it a thing trampled like the mire of the streets. (5-6)<\/span><\/p>\n

Rod and staff and anger and fury are synonymous word pairs that were treated by Ibn Ezra and Radak as identical in meaning (Radak: <\/span>kefel ha`inyan bemilim shonot<\/span><\/em>,<\/em> v. 6). Malbim,* however, once again, drew fine distinctions between them: \u2018<\/span>api<\/span><\/em> denotes anger, while `<\/span>evrati<\/span><\/em> is a form of curse; <\/span>shevet<\/span><\/em> symbolized sovereignty, and <\/span>mateh<\/span><\/em> is the instrument of its enforcement. This enabled him to produce the following commentary that not only sets limits on the Assyrian action, but also manages to inject a note of consolation into an otherwise catastrophic prophecy.<\/span><\/p>\n

(5) Assyria is <\/span>only<\/span><\/em> the rod of my anger; it has no dominion of its own. Only my anger has given it sovereignty and made it my instrument for their destruction. He then added: Even its domination and sovereignty are not unmitigated; only my anger and curse are its staff and only by means of my curse can it strike and it has no warrant over a nation I have not cursed.<\/span><\/p>\n

(6) The symbol of rulership I have granted it is on account of my dispatching it against the ungodly people of Israel. And the instrument of my wrath signifies that it has no authority to strike every nation\u2014righteous and wicked alike\u2014because I have appointed it only over the object of my anger, namely the tribe of Ephraim, and not over the righteous tribe of Judah. Even with respect to the object of my anger, it has no authority to destroy it but only to loot their property; their bodies can only be trampled like mire in the streets. Just as the mire is trampled in order to fashion from it bricks or pottery, so will they be trampled in order to repair them and have them repent; not to utterly destroy them.<\/span><\/p>\n

*For the significance of Malbim\u2019s commentary to the Book of Isaiah,<\/span> see our introduction to chapter 1.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Image: Assyrian relief from the North-West Palace in Kalhu (c. 865-860 BCE) \/ ancient.eu<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":65262,"id":65262,"title":"is10-assyria","filename":"is10-assyria.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is10-assyria.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/assyria-rod-of-the-lords-anger\/is10-assyria\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is10-assyria","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":65261,"date":"2019-11-05 10:12:56","modified":"2019-11-05 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