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The Glory of Kings: A Festschrift for James B. Jordan
Fyodor Dostoevsky
(Christian Encounters Series)
Athanasius
(Foundations of Theological Exegesis and Christian Spirituality)
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom
From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John
Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
In a dense phrase, Isaiah captures the idolatry at the heart of Judah’s attempt at a political alliance with Egypt. He pronounces a woe against the rebellious sons who “make counsel but not of me” and who “pour a pouring but not My Spirit” (30:1). The last phrase is an intricate knot of allusions. The verb nasak, pour, is the standard term for pouring libations (Genesis 35:14; Exodus 30:9; Numbers 28:7; etc.). ”To pour” to Pharaoh is shorthand for entering into a covenant sealed with sacrificial rites.
But in Isaiah, the thing being poured is not a libation. The typical word for libation is nesek (Exodue 29:40-41; Leviticus 23:13). In Genesis 35:14 and Exodus 30:9, someone nasaks a nesek. The object of nasak in Isaiah 30:1 is massekah, also derived from nasak; this term refers to something molten, not a drink poured out but liquid metal poured into a mold, usually to make idolatrous images. The word is often translated as “molten image” though the term means, more woodenly, simply “molten thing” or “poureed thing” (e.g., Exodus 32:4, 8, 17; Leviticus 19:4; Deuteronomy 9:14). The Bible’s first uses of the word are found in Exodus 32, the story of the golden calf. When a delegation from Judah travels back to Egypt to form an alliance, it is as if they are repeating the sin of the golden calf, “pouring out” libations to make a covenant with Pharaoh and effectively making a “poured image” that will be an alternative God.
The second part of the phrase is also important: “to pour a pouring but not My Spirit” is an awkward but literal translation of the clause. There is perhaps an implied continuation of the same verb: “to pour out a pouring but not [to pour out] My Spirit.” Alliances, it seems, are always forged by pouring, whether of molten images or of the Spirit of Yahweh.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 7:04 am
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