Draft: A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 28-33

Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 25 April 2024 *

Fig. 1

Introduction

This study treats Isaiah 28-33 as a cryptochiasmus in order to arrive at a coherent reconfiguration of the text ( see definition of cryptochiasmus in [1] ). If you wish to skip the technicalities of a chiastic parse, you may read starting from Section 4 of the Discussion section, which has the reconfigured text.

This prophecy is primarily regarding the period of the re-establishment of Israel at the start of the Millennial Reign after their long exile. We show that the prophecy also makes predictions about Jesus' ministry at his First Coming. This is one of the few chiastically structured passages that are designated as sealed - other passages are Dan. 8, Dan. 10-12 and Isa. 7-9.

Discussion

1. Presuppositions

We base our parse of Isaiah 28:1-33:24 on the assumption that it refers to 3 periods:

1. The Assyrians defeat Samaria and exile Ephraim (c. 725-720BC). Shalmaneser V, king of Assyria, attacks Israel, because Hoshea, king of Samaria, stopped paying tribute to him and instead formed an alliance with Egypt against Assyria.
2. The Period from the Ministry of Christ (26AD-30AD) to the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD). Christ's message was mocked by some of the Judahites who were under the influence of Pharisaism. The Roman army began their siege of Jerusalem in 70AD and completely destroyed the city and its people shortly thereafter.
3. The start of Christ's Millennial Reign (circa 2027AD). Satan's army will be defeated and Christ and his Messiah will lead a blessed new Israel.

2. Parsing the chiasmus

We will use the NIV Bible for this parse.

Parsing this chiasmus involves dividing portions of the text into three categories as above. We will call the time of Assyria's defeat of Samaria Period 1, Christ's ministry and the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD Period 2 and the start of Christ's Millennial Reign Period 3.

Categorizing Isaiah 28:1-33:24

Ch 28 Vs 1-4 belong to Period 1. Samaria, the pride of Ephraim's "drunkards", will be defeated by Assyria.

Ch 28 Vs 5-6 belong to Period 3. The Lord will lead the New Israel during the Millennial Reign.

Ch 28 Vs 7 - Ch 29 Vs 4 belong to Period 2. Christ's message is mocked. The New Covenant from Jesus replaces the Old Covenant. Jerusalem is destroyed.

Ch 29 Vs 5-8 belong to Period 3. Satan's Beast army and its allies are defeated and destroyed at the start of Christ's Millennial Reign.

Ch 29 Vs 9-12 belong to Period 1. The people of the Northern Tribes are made spiritually blind. The prophecy is sealed.

Ch 29 Vs 13-16 belong to Period 2. The Judahites do not worship God in the right spirit, and they follow false doctrines. We believe this passage belongs to Period 2 because of the way 29:13 is referenced in the New Testament (Matthew 15:7-9).

Ch 29 Vs 17-24 belong to Period 3. The Northern Tribes return to their God, and Israel becomes a righteous nation.

Ch 30 Vs 1-18 belong to Period 1. Ephraim is defeated, because it chose to rely on Egypt instead of repenting for its waywardness and trusting its God.

Ch 30 Vs 19-33 belong to Period 3. Israel will turn back to its God and He will lead them into prosperity. God will destroy the Beast army.

Ch 31 Vs 1-3 belong to Period 1. The Israelites trust in Egypt instead of their God.

Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8 belong to Period 3. God will defend Israel and defeat the Beast army. The coming Messiah will reign over a just and righteous Israel, and the wicked of Israel will be purged.

Ch 32 Vs 9-15 belong to Period 1. The women of Ephraim are warned that their nation will be devastated. The second phrase of 32:15 could belong to Period 1 or Period 3; we place it here in Period 1 so that we get a proper regular chiasmus under Period 3.

Ch 32 Vs 16 - Ch 33 Vs 6 belong to Period 3. Israel will be a just and righteous nation under God, and its wicked will be destroyed. The Beast army will be destroyed.

Ch 33 Vs 7-9 belong to Period 1. Ephraim is defeated and destroyed.

Ch 33 Vs 10-22 belong to Period 3. God is exalted after defeating the Beast. The wicked of Israel are destroyed and its righteous will live in a blessed and secure land.

Ch 33 Vs 23-24 belong to Period 1. Ephraim is destroyed.

Original text

We color-code the chiastic units of the original text (NIV) below for easy visual identification using: red for Period 1, blue for Period 2 and green for Period 3. We have retranslated parts of the text.

Isaiah 28 1 Woe to that crown, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards—its fading precious metals and jewels are set on the head of a fertile valley—the pride of those laid low by wine. [a] 2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground. 3 That crown [b], the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, will be trampled underfoot. 4 Its fading precious metals and jewels, that are set on the head of a fertile valley, [c] will be like figs ripe before harvest— as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.
5 In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. 6 He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 These [d] also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. 8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast? 10 For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there.” 11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people. 12 To them he said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”—[e] but they would not listen. 13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will be [f]: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there— so that as they go they will fall behind and [g] be injured and snared and captured.
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. 15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us. Surely we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves [h].”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will not act in haste [i]. 17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line. Hail [j] will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. 18 Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it. 19 As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror. 20 The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you. 21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task. 22 Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
23 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. 24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? 25 When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? 26 His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick. 28 Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain. 29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.

Retranslation notes for Isaiah 28
[a] vs 1 "Woe to that crown, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards—its fading precious metals and jewels are set on the head of a fertile valley—the pride of those laid low by wine." instead of "Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!".
[b] vs 3 "crown" instead of "wreath".
[c] vs 4 "Its fading precious metals and jewels, that are set on the head of a fertile valley," instead of "That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley,".
[d] vs 7 "These" instead of "And these".
[e] vs 11,12 'people. 12 To them he said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”—' instead of 'people, 12 to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and, “This is the place of repose"—'.
[f] vs 13 "be" instead of "become".
[g] vs 13 "behind and" instead of "backward; they will".
[h] vs 15 "us. Surely we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves " instead of "us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place".
[i] vs 16 "not act in haste" instead of "never be stricken with panic".
[j] vs 17 "line. Hail" instead of "line; hail" - changed the punctuation.


Isaiah 29 1 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David settled! Year after year you celebrate your feasts.[a] 2 Yet I will besiege Ariel; she will mourn and lament, she will be to me like an Ariel [altar hearth] [b]. 3 I will encamp against you on all sides; I will encircle you with towers and set up my siege works against you. 4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground; your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth; out of the dust your speech will whisper.
5 Your [c] many enemies will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff. Suddenly, in an instant, 6 the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. 7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her bulwarks [d] and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night— 8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating, but awakens hungry still; as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking, but awakens faint and thirsty still. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.
9 Stupefy yourselves, and be stupid [e], blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from beer. 10 The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep. He has sealed your eyes, O prophets; he has covered your heads, O seers. [f]
11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”
13 The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. 14 Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.” 15 Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” 16 You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”?
17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into an orchard, an orchard that seems like a forest [g]? 18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down— 21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.
22 Surely [h] this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says of [i] the descendants of Jacob:
"No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will his face grow pale, 23 for he will see the work of my hands among his children." They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, [j] and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 Those who erred [k] in spirit will gain understanding; those who criticized [l] will accept instruction.”

Retranslation notes for Isaiah 29
[a] vs 1 "Year after year you celebrate your feasts" instead of "Add year to year and let your cycle of festivals go on".
[b] vs 2 "Ariel [altar hearth]" instead of "altar hearth".
[c] vs 5 "Your" instead of "But your".
[d] vs 7 "bulwarks" instead of "fortresses".
[e] vs 9 "Stupefy yourselves, and be stupid" instead of "Be stunned and amazed". ( Based on the JPS Tanakh.)
[f] vs 10 "The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep. He has sealed your eyes, O prophets; he has covered your heads, O seers" instead of "The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep: He has sealed your eyes (the prophets); he has covered your heads (the seers)".
[g] vs 17 "an orchard, an orchard that seems like a forest" instead of "a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest".
[h] vs 22 "Surely" instead of "Therefore".
[i] vs 22 "of" instead of "to".
[j] vs 22,23 'No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will his face grow pale, 23 for he will see the work of my hands among his children." They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob' instead of 'No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale. 23 When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob'.
[k] vs 24 "erred" instead of "are wayward".
[l] vs 24 "criticized" instead of "complain".


Isaiah 30 1 “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; 2 who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge. 3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace. 4 Though they have officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes, 5 everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace.”
6 O the burden on the beasts in the Negev! [a] Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs, their treasures on the humps of camels, to a nation that is of no benefit. 7 Egypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore [b] I call her Rahab the Do-Nothing.
8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness. 9 That [c] these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!”
12 Surely [d] this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, 13 this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. 14 It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.”
15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. 16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift! 17 A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.”
18 Surely the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he waits on high to show you compassion. Yet [e] the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 The Lord will give you bread in adversity and water in affliction. Your Teacher will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see him [f]. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22 Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, “Away with you!”
23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. 24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.
27 See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with his burning anger forming dense clouds of smoke, and his lips full of wrathful foam. His tongue is like a consuming fire; [g] 28 His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the peoples [h] in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray. 29 You [i] will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. 30 The Lord will cause his voice of authority to be heard and show the descent of his arm in raging anger with consuming fire, cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail. [j] 31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria; with the [k] rod he will strike them down. 32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them with the [l] punishing club will be to the music of timbrels and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm. 33 Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.

Retranslation notes for Isaiah 30
[a] vs 6 "O the burden on the beasts in the Negev!" instead of "A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev:".
[b] vs 6,7 "to a nation that is of no benefit. 7 Egypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore" instead of "to that unprofitable nation, 7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless. Therefore".
[c] vs 9 "That" instead of "For".
[d] vs 12 "Surely" instead of "Therefore".
[e] vs 18 "Surely the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he waits on high to show you compassion. Yet" instead of "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For". (The phrase "waits on high" is from the NASB.)
[f] vs 20 "The Lord will give you bread in adversity and water in affliction. Your Teacher will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see him" instead of "Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them". (Based on the New American Bible.)
[g] vs 27 "with his burning anger forming dense clouds of smoke, and his lips full of wrathful foam. His tongue is like a consuming fire;" instead of "with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire.".
[h] vs 28 "peoples" instead of "nations".
[i] vs 29 "You" instead of "And you".
[j] vs 30 "The Lord will cause his voice of authority to be heard and show the descent of his arm in raging anger with consuming fire, cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail" instead of "The LORD will cause people to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail".
[k] vs 31 "the" instead of "his".
[l] vs 32 "the" instead of "his".


Isaiah 31 1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord. 2 Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers. 3 Now [a] the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey— and when a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise— [b] so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. 5 Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; By defending it, he will deliver it; by flying over it, he will preserve it. [c]”
6 Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against. 7 For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.
8 Then Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of man; a sword will devour them, but not one made by mortals. [d] They will flee before the sword and their elite warriors [e] will melt away [f]. 9 Their rock will pass away in terror, and their commanders will abandon the standard in panic [g],” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Retranslation notes for Isaiah 31
[a] vs 3 "Now" instead of "But".
[b] vs 4 "and when a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise" instead of "and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor". (Based on the ESV, primarily for a better balanced regular chiasmus.)
[c] vs 5 "By defending it, he will deliver it; by flying over it, he will preserve it" instead of "he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it". (Based on the KJV.)
[d] vs 8 "Then Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of man; a sword will devour them, but not one made by mortals" instead of "Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them". (Closer to the Hebrew, but primarily for a better balanced regular chiasmus.)
[e] vs 8 "elite warriors" instead of "young men".
[f] vs 8 "melt away" instead of "put to forced labor". (Assuming a parallelism with the previous line.)
[g] vs 9 "Their rock will pass away in terror, and their commanders will abandon the standard in panic" instead of "Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic".


Isaiah 32 1 See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. 2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. 4 The unwise [a] heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. 5 No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. 6 For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry soul [b] they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water. 7 Scoundrels use wicked methods, they make up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. 8 But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.
9 You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say! 10 In little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble; the grape harvest will end [c], and the harvest of fruit will not come. 11 Tremble, you complacent women; shudder, you daughters who feel secure! Strip off your fine clothes and wrap yourselves in rags. 12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines 13 and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers— even for every house of merriment in the revelrous city. [d] 14 The fortress is abandoned, the noisy city deserted; the citadel and watchtower will become lairs for a very long time, [e] the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks, 15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes an orchard, an orchard that seems like a forest. [f]
16 The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the orchard [g]. 17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. 18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. 19 Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, 20 how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.

Retranslation notes for Isaiah 32
[a] vs 4 "unwise" instead of "fearful".
[b] vs 6 "hungry soul" instead of "hungry".
[c] vs 10 "end" instead of "fail".
[d] vs 13 "even for every house of merriment in the revelrous city" instead of "yes, mourn for all houses of merriment and for this city of revelry".
[e] vs 14 "The fortress is abandoned, the noisy city deserted; the citadel and watchtower will become lairs for a very long time," instead of "The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever".
[f] vs 15 "an orchard, an orchard that seems like a forest." instead of "a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest". (Based on the Berean Bible.)
[g] vs 16 "orchard" instead of "fertile field".


Isaiah 33 1 Woe to you who destroy, though you have not been destroyed! Woe to you who betray, though you have not been betrayed! [a] When you are done [b] destroying, you will be destroyed; when you are done [c] betraying, you will be betrayed.
2 Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. 3 At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter. 4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness. 6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
7 Look, their ambassadors [d] cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of the treaty [e] weep bitterly. 8 The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty is broken; there is no regard for the cities or the people [f]. 9 The land mourns and languishes [g], Lebanon is ashamed and withers; Sharon is like a desert [h], and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.
10 “Now I rise,” says the Lord. “Now I am exalted; now I am lifted up. [i] 11 You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw; your breath is a fire that consumes you. 12 The peoples are [j] burned to ashes; like cut thornbushes they have been [k] set ablaze.”
13 You who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my power! 14 The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” 15 Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil— 16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar. 18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror: “Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs? [l] Where is the officer in charge of the towers?” 19 You will see those fierce [m] people no more, people whose speech is obscure, whose language is strange and incomprehensible.
20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. 21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them. 22 Surely [n] the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.
23 Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread. Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder. 24 No inhabitant will say, “I am put to grief”; [o] and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.

Retranslation notes for Isaiah 33
[a] vs 1 "Woe to you who destroy, though you have not been destroyed! Woe to you who betray, though you have not been betrayed!" instead of "Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed!".
[b,c] vs 1 "are done" instead of "stop".
[d] vs 7 "ambassadors" instead of "brave men". (On the assumption that vs 7 is a parallelism)
[e] vs 7 "the treaty" instead of "peace".
[f] vs 8 "The treaty is broken; there is no regard for the cities or the people" instead of "The treaty is broken, its witnesses are despised, no one is respected".
[g] vs 9 "mourns and languishes" instead of "dries up and wastes away".
[h] vs 9 "a desert" instead of "the Arabah".
[i] vs 10 'Now I rise,” says the Lord. “Now I am exalted; now I am lifted up' instead of 'Now will I arise,” says the LORD. “Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up'. (Based on a literal translation.)
[j] vs 12 "are" instead of "will be".
[k] vs 12 "have been" instead of "will be".
[l] vs 18 "Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs?" instead of "Where is that chief officer? Where is the one who took the revenue?".
[m] vs 19 "fierce" instead of "arrogant".
[n] vs 22 "Surely" instead of "For".
[o] vs 24 'No inhabitant will say, “I am put to grief”;' instead of 'No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill"'.
.

3. Building the reconfigured text

From this parse, it appears that Isaiah 28-33 forms a cryptochiasmus as below:

A1   Ch 28 Vs 1-4 Period 1. Samaria is defeated by Assyria
  B1   Ch 28 Vs 5-6 Period 3. The Lord will guide the new Israel
    X   Ch 28 Vs 7 - Ch 29 Vs 4 Period 2. Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans
  B2   Ch 29 Vs 5-8 Period 3. The Beast army is defeated
A2   Ch 29 Vs 9-12 Period 1. The prophecy is sealed

We now reconstruct the passages in the right order based on the chiastic structure above and based on the ordering rules of a cryptochiasmus [1].

We usually lead with the pivot point but in this case, we will place central pivot point 'X' last as allowed by the rules of cryptochiasmi [1]. The corresponding subunits (For example; subunit A1 corresponds to A2) are placed contiguously to form units (For example, A1,A2 is a unit ) so that we get a list of such units.

The sequence selected for rearrangement is:

[A1,A2]  [B1,B2]  X        (1)

We have the following sequence when we include the next 3 subunits of the prophecy:
[A1,A2] - Period 1
[B1,B2] - Period 3
X - Period 2
Ch 29 Vs 13-16 - Period 2. The Judahites do not worship God in the right spirit
Ch 29 Vs 17-24 - Period 3. Ephraim returns to its God
Ch 30 Vs 1-18 - Period 1. Ephraim relies on Egypt instead of on its own God

We still have text for the periods in a non-contiguous form. We can treat this as a multiply-applied cryptochiasmus as below.

M1   [A1,A2] - Period 1
  N1   [B1,B2] - Period 3
   XX   X,  Ch 29 Vs 13-16 - Period 2
  N2   Ch 29 Vs 17-24 - Period 3
M2   Ch 30 Vs 1-18 - Period 1

The sequence selected for rearrangement is:
XX  [M1,M2]  [N1,N2]        (2)


Translating this sequence (2) into the subunits of the first chiasmus, we get:

X, Ch 29 Vs 13-16   [[A1,A2], Ch 30 Vs 1-18]   [[B1,B2], Ch 29 Vs 17-24]        (3)

Further translating (3) into verse numbers, we get:

[Ch 28 Vs 7 - Ch 29 Vs 4, Ch 29 Vs 13-16]  [[Ch 28 Vs 1-4, Ch 29 Vs 9-12], Ch 30 Vs 1-18]   [[Ch 28 Vs 5-6, Ch 29 Vs 5-8], Ch 29 Vs 17-24]        (4)

Below, we have another 8 subunits of the prophecy that remain to be integrated into the reconfiguration.

Ch 30 Vs 19-33 belong to Period 3. Ephraim will turn back to its God
Ch 31 Vs 1-3 belong to Period 1. The Israelites trust in Egypt instead of their God
Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8 belong to Period 3. The coming Messiah will reign over a righteous Israel
Ch 32 Vs 9-15 belong to Period 1. The women of Ephraim are warned of devastation
Ch 32 Vs 16 - Ch 33 Vs 6 belong to Period 3. Israel will be a just and righteous nation
Ch 33 Vs 7-9 belong to Period 1. Ephraim is defeated and destroyed
Ch 33 Vs 10-22 belong to Period 3. God is exalted after defeating the Beast
Ch 33 Vs 23-24 belong to Period 1. Ephraim is destroyed

These subunits are in the sequence Period 3, Period 1, Period 3, Period 1.... The units in (2) above can trivially rearranged to form a chiasmus with the first two of these subunits so that the Periods are in the sequence [1,3,2,3,1], and this chiasmus can be reconfigured. This process can be repeated to incorporate the remaining 6 subunits as well.

But we eschew the lengthy and complex formalism of a chiastic reconfiguration and, instead, use the expedient of appending the subunits to the Period to which they belong in (4), so that we get (5) below.

[Ch 28 Vs 7 - Ch 29 Vs 4, Ch 29 Vs 13-16] 
[[Ch 28 Vs 1-4, Ch 29 Vs 9-12], Ch 30 Vs 1-18], [Ch 31 Vs 1-3, Ch 32 Vs 9-15, Ch 33 Vs 7-9, Ch 33 Vs 23-24]  
[[Ch 28 Vs 5-6, Ch 29 Vs 5-8], Ch 29 Vs 17-24] [Ch 30 Vs 19-33, Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8, Ch 32 Vs 16 - Ch 33 Vs 6, Ch 33 Vs 10-22]   (5)

We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses so they are in sequence (5).

4. Isaiah 28-33 Reconfigured

The Period from the Ministry of Christ (26AD-30AD) to the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (Ch 28 Vs 7 - Ch 29 Vs 4, Ch 29 Vs 13-16)

Chiasmus 1: The non-believing Judahites will be punished


Chiasmus 2: Do not worship other gods


Chiasmus 3: The transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant


Chiasmus 4: Jerusalem is destroyed


Chiasmus 5: The Wickedness of the Judahites



The Assyrians defeat Samaria and exile Ephraim (c. 725BC-720BC) (Ch 28 Vs 1-4, Ch 29 Vs 9-12, Ch 30 Vs 1-18, Ch 31 Vs 1-3, Ch 32 Vs 9-15, Ch 33 Vs 7-9, Ch 33 Vs 23-24)

Chiasmus 1: Samaria, the capital of the Northern Tribes (Ephraim), is destroyed


Chiasmus 2: This prophecy is sealed, the Northern Tribes are spiritually blinded, their alliance with Egypt proves fruitless


Chiasmus 3: The Northern Tribes trust in Pharaoh instead of their God


Chiasmus 4: Ephraim is devastated and the people are separated from their God



The Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (circa 2027AD) (Ch 28 Vs 5-6, Ch 29 Vs 5-8, Ch 29 Vs 17-24, Ch 30 Vs 19-33, Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8, Ch 32 Vs 16 - Ch 33 Vs 6, Ch 33 Vs 10-22)

Chiasmus 1: Israel is restored and its enemies are defeated


Chiasmus 2: God reforms the Israelites


Chiasmus 3: Israel is spiritually reformed and restored to prosperity


Chiasmus 4: God destroys Satan's Beast army


Chiasmus 5: The Beast army falls, the Israelites return to their God


Chiasmus 6: The New Israel is a righteous nation


Chiasmus 7: God destroys the wicked, He is the source of wisdom for Israel


Chiasmus 8: The New Israel is a blessed land during the glorious Millennial Reign

5. A Commentary on the Reconfigured Text

5.1 The Period from the Ministry of Christ (26AD-30AD) to the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (Ch 28 Vs 7 - Ch 29 Vs 4, Ch 29 Vs 13-16)

This Period is structured as a series of 5 chiasmi. The overarching theme of these chiasmi is that the Judahites who are wicked and reject Christ will be punished in the First Jewish-Roman War.

Chiasmus 1: Non-believing Judahites will be punished

The passage below in 28:7-13 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 28:7-8 Judahites who continue to follow false doctrines will be punished
    X 28:9-11 God tries to reform some of the Judahites with miracles
A2 28:12-13 Judahites who continue to follow false doctrines will be punished


Subunit A1: Judahites who continue to follow false doctrines will be punished (28:7-8)

Chapter 28 7 These also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. 8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.

The Judaism of the spiritual leadership of Judea - the Pharisees and prophets - was corrupted with Satanic ideas that had crept into their doctrines during their their stay at Babylon ("drunk with the wine" where the alcohol represents enticing false doctrines - see also Rev 17:2), so the prophets erred in their visions and the priests in their judgements (see Matthew 23,16:12, John 8:42-44). At the time, Judea was steeped in these false teachings ("all the dining-tables are covered with vomit", where the "vomit" represents false teachings from the "drunk" Pharisees), and there was little room for the truth from Jesus ("not a spot" for nourishing food).

Pivot X: God tries to reform some of the Judahites with miracles (28:9-11)

Chapter 28 9 “Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast? 10 For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there.”

This passage quotes the Pharisees and Scribes of the time, who denigrated Jesus' message. The Pharisees felt that, compared to the sophisticated doctrines that the Judahite leadership taught, made up of complex rules that demanded deep, extensive study, Jesus' simplistic teachings consisted of "a few silly little rules for this and that", a doctrine suitable for infants (see also 1 Cor. 1:18-31).

Chapter 28 11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people.

In His great love, God tries to reform even these supercilious mockers of Christ (of the previous passage) by impressing them with the miracle of tongues - a miracle by which Jesus' followers spoke in foreign languages previously unknown to them. Paul paraphrased this passage in 1 Cor. 14:21,22 when he explained that speaking in tongues was for the benefit of the non-believers among them.

Subunit A2: Judahites who continue to follow false doctrines will be punished (28:12-13)

Chapter 28 12 To them he said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”— but they would not listen.

The corrupted religion of the Pharisees was based on "works", which meant that its adherents had to follow a number of onerous man-made rules to please God (Matt. 23:4). Jesus promised rest and relief to these "weary and heavy laden" if they believed in him, as his "yoke is easy" (his requirements are simple) (Matthew 11:28-30), however most of the Pharisees and their followers would not listen. ( This passage continues from 28:8 in the corresponding subunit A1. "To them" refers to the prophets and priests of 28:7-8.)

Chapter 28 13a So then, the word of the Lord to them will be: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there—

To those who would not believe in him, Jesus' doctrine remained "a few silly little rules for this and that" and its true essence remained hidden (see also Matthew 11:25, Luke 8:10).

Chapter 28 13b so that as they go they will fall behind and will be injured and snared and captured.

Jesus' followers fled to the mountains as soon as they saw the Roman army at Jerusalem in 70AD, as he had instructed them (Matt. 24:15-18). Those that did not accept Christ's message remained in the city, and they were all killed or enslaved (Matt 24:22). The metaphor of this passage compares these non-believers to animals that fall behind the herd, so that they are easily captured and killed by predators.

Chiasmus 2: Do not worship other gods

The passage below in 28:14-19a is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 28:14-15a Those who rely on Satan will be destroyed
  B1 28:15b Those who secretly worship Satan will be exposed
    X 28:16-17a Our faith should be in Christ
  B2 28:17b Those who secretly worship Satan will be exposed
A2 28:18-19a Those who rely on Satan will be destroyed


Subunit A1: Those who rely on Satan will be destroyed (28:14-15a)

Chapter 28 14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. 15a You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us.

The leaders of the Judahites have made a covenant with the Satanic realm (the "realm of the dead", "death') to the effect that they would not be affected by any great calamity sent as punishment ("scourge") from God.

Subunit B1: Those who secretly worship Satan will be exposed (28:15b)

Chapter 28 15b Surely we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.”

These hypocritical Judahite leaders acted like pious worshippers of God, but in reality they worshipped Satan, and they hid their true beliefs from the public through lies and deception (see also Matt. 23:15,27,28).

Pivot X: Our faith should be in Christ (28:16-17a)

Chapter 28 16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will not act in haste.

The word of God from Jesus is the valuable ("precious"), tried and tested cornerstone of the foundation of the Christianity (this quote is applied to Christ in 1 Peter 2:6, see also 1 Peter 2:4-8, Ephesians 2:20, Romans 9:33, Matthew 21:42,). Jesus shows us the right way to think, live and worship God (John 14:6). Those who follow Christ's teachings will be spiritually safe and secure (according to the metaphor of this passage, Christians will not need to "act in haste" to escape a tottering spiritual building, since they have a "sure foundation" through Christ's words) (see Matt. 7:24-25).

Chapter 28 17a I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.

Christians will be guided by God's just and righteous principles, just as measuring lines and plumb lines guide the construction of a building (this passage continues with the metaphor of Christianity as a building founded on God's word from Christ).

Subunit B2: Those who secretly worship Satan will be exposed (28:17b)

This subunit is God's response to the words of the wicked in 28:15b in the corresponding subunit B1 above.

Chapter 28 17b Hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.

Jesus revealed the true wicked nature of Pharisaism and other Satanic doctrines to the Judahites (see Matthew 23). All those who secretly followed Satanic teachings, while pretending to worship God, were killed in the First Jewish-Roman War - they could no longer take refuge in their lies ("hail" represent punishment from God and "water" represents the Roman army - see also Rev 16:21, Rev 12:15). Only those who truly believed in God, the Christians, escaped this massacre as they heeded Christ's warning to flee to the mountains (Matthew 24:15-17).

Subunit A2: Those who rely on Satan will be destroyed (28:18-19a)

This subunit is God's response to the words of the wicked in 28:14-15a in the corresponding subunit A1 above

Chapter 28 18 Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it. 19a As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.”

The Satanic forces could not honour their covenant with the wicked Judahites, because Satan does not have the power to stop punishment from God. During the First Jewish–Roman War, the Romans comprehensively destroyed Judea and brutally massacred its wicked people ("overwhelming scourge") over a period of seven long miserable years ( God's cruel scourge/whip swung across the nation "morning after morning...") (see details in our paper on Daniel 9 [2]).

Chiasmus 3: The transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant

The passage below in 28:19b-29 is arranged in the form of a two-unit chiasmus:

A1 28:19b-20 The Transition from the Old to the New Covenant: Introduction
  B1 28:21-22 The wicked Judahites are identified and purged
    X 28:23-26 Jesus preaches the Gospel of the New Covenant
  B2 28:27-28 The wicked Judahites are identified and purged
A2 28:29 The Transition from the Old to the New Covenant: Conclusion


Subunit A1: The Transition from the Old to the New Covenant: Introduction (28:19b-20)

Chapter 28 19b The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.

The message of this chiasmus is entirely in the form of obscure metaphors (see also Mark 4:10-12). The understanding its true meaning would have brought sheer terror to the Judahites, for it predicts a great purge.

Chapter 28 20 The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.

God decided that the Old Covenant Law, as laid out in the Old Testament, was no longer appropriate for the Israelites, for by the time of Christ, the people of Israel and the world had outgrown the covenant. This passage seems to be proverbial, and in this case, the "bed" and "blanket" represent the Old Covenant.

Subunit B1: The wicked Judahites are identified and purged (28:21-22)

Chapter 28 21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task. 22 Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.

God decreed the comprehensive slaughter of those who rejected the New Covenant from Christ and He ordered the destruction of Judea and Jerusalem (Jerusalem and its temple represented the Old Covenant). In the past, God had miraculously helped the Israelites devastate their enemies in places like Mount Perazim (2 Samuel 5:20-21, 1 Chronicles 14:11), and the valley of Gibeon (1 Chronicles 14:16), but this time He will perform the "strange work" of helping outsiders destroy His own people. The mockers of Christ (for ex., those in 28:9,10) among the Judahites are warned that they will be more severely punished if they continue with their mocking.

Pivot X: Jesus preaches the Gospel of the New Covenant (28:23-26)

Chapter 28 23 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.

This pivot begins with a call for attention because of the importance of its message; however, its meaning is shrouded in a parable about crop husbandry (cf. Mark 4:10-12).

Chapter 28 24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? 25 When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? 26 His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.

The farmer, after he has ploughed the ground adequately, prepares to plant his crop, and similarly, God, who has adequately prepared the Judahites (the "ground") for the message of the New Covenant (around 62 "Sevens" or 434 years - see Period 1 in [2]), sends Christ to "plant the seed" of the Gospel (see also Mark 1:14,15). God had to prepare the Judahites for this Gospel, because the New Covenant is quite different in spirit from the Old Covenant - see Matthew 9:16-17.

The farmer plants various crops in the most suitable way for each crop ("sow caraway, scatter cumin, plant wheat..." - 28:25) and plants each crop in its allotted place ("wheat in its place, barley in its plot...") (as prescribed in Leviticus 19:19). Similarly, God, who teaches the farmer to correctly cultivate various crops, chooses the ideal way and the correct time and place to teach ("plant") the message of the New Covenant ("seed").

Note that the passage in 28:26 indicates that God advised farmers, and presumably those in other occupations, on their craft. Man apparently has had help with science from heaven, at least with basic, essential technologies.

Subunit B2: The wicked Judahites are identified and purged (28:27-28)

Chapter 28 27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick. 28 Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.

The farmer uses the most suitable threshing technique for each type of crop ("caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick...the wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over grain..."). Similarly, God, who taught the farmer these methods, chooses the best way to separate ("thresh") the good Judahites ("grain") from the wicked ("chaff"). In this significant period of judgement for the Judahites, all the wicked among them are killed in the First Jewish-Roman War (see also Matt 3:10-12, Dan 12:1).

Note that although this subunit appears to be an extension of the parable of the pivot (28:24-26), this is a new metaphor with a different meaning. For while the "seed" represents the word of God and the "ground" represents the Judahites in the pivot, here the harvested "grain" and "chaff" represent the good and wicked Judahites respectively (the metaphor of this passage is also used in Matt. 3:12).

Subunit A2: The Transition from the Old to the New Covenant: Conclusion (28:29)

Chapter 28 29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.

All these things related to this transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant are a part of God's wonderful plan for mankind (Galatians 3:8). This transition was predicted in prophecies long before Christ's arrival; for example, all cryptochiasmi have a Period regarding the destruction of the temple in 70AD, signifying the end of the Old Covenant.

Because the Israelites, and the rest of mankind, had matured and become more civilized, the detailed Laws of the Old Testament were replaced by a summary of its essentials (Mark 12:30-31. John 13:34-35) and Christ's atoning sacrifice (Ephesians 2:8-9) under the New Covenant.

Chiasmus 4: Jerusalem is destroyed

The passage below in 29:1-4,13 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 29:1-2 Jerusalem is punished for its "works" based worship
    X 29:3-4 Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans
A2 29:13 Jerusalem is punished for its "works" based worship


Subunit A1: Jerusalem is punished for its "works" based worship (29:1-2)

Chapter 29 1 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David settled! Year after year you celebrate your feasts. 2 Yet I will besiege Ariel; she will mourn and lament, she will be to me like an Ariel [altar hearth].

The people of Jerusalem ("Ariel") religiously observe the appointed festivals and other rituals as prescribed by the Law, but they do not act according to the spirit of the Law (see corresponding subunit A2 below). So God employs the Romans to destroy the city, the capital that He had established through David (2 Sam. 5:6-7).

Jerusalem is called 'Ariel' here. The word 'Ariel' can mean "Lion of God" (an appropriate name for the Judahite capital - Gen 49:9) or "altar hearth" (the people of Jerusalem will be burned at this "altar hearth" - vs 2,4). Since both meanings of 'Ariel' can apply in this passage, Isaiah may be punning on the word. We propose that 'Ariel' takes on the first meaning in the first 3 instances of 29:1-2 and the second in the last line of vs 2.

Pivot X: Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans (29:3-4)

Chapter 29 3 I will encamp against you on all sides; I will encircle you with towers and set up my siege works against you. 4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground; your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth; out of the dust your speech will whisper.

Jerusalem is besieged and quite literally razed to the ground by the Romans (see also Luke 21:6, 19:43,44). The great city is left in ruins, ruins that will forevermore only vaguely hint at its former glory (the city will "whisper ghostlike from the ground").

Subunit A2: Jerusalem is punished for its "works" based worship (29:13)

Chapter 29 13 The Lord says:
“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

The hypocritical Pharisees may make pious declarations and may follow the man-made rules they have been taught by their corrupt leaders ("works") to earn God's favour (see also Eph. 2:8–9), but their hearts are lacking in love for God and their fellow man. Jesus paraphrases this passage in Matthew 15:7-9, making it clear that it refers to the Pharisees of this Period (see also Mark 7:6).

Chiasmus 5: The Wickedness of the Judahites

The passage below in 29:14-16 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 29:14 Some Judahites followed Satanic doctrines
    X 29:15 Some Judahites worshipped other gods
A2 29:16 Some Judahites followed Satanic doctrines

This chiasmus provides additional details on the wickedness of the Judahites.

Subunit A1: Some Judahites followed Satanic doctrines (29:14)

Chapter 29 14 Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

Those Judahites who followed false doctrines like Gnosticism thought themselves wise and of superior intellect. Jesus astounded them with miracles and wonders so that some believed in him and followed him. Through his ministry, Jesus made it clear to the Judahites that the "wisdom" of their false teachers was but foolishness (this passage is quoted in 1 Cor. 1:18-20 as referring to the "wise" of this Period.)

Pivot X: Some Judahites worshipped other gods (29:15)

Chapter 29 15 Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”

Judahites who engaged in witchcraft and the worship of demon gods tried to hide their evil from God and His faithful followers (see also Zephaniah 1:4-6). But God sees all things (Psalm 33:13–14) and these wicked are punished through the Romans.

Subunit A2: Some Judahites followed Satanic doctrines (29:16)

Chapter 29 16 You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”?

False doctrines such as Gnosticism (which originated in the 1st century) teach of a complex spiritual hierarchy in which God is subordinate to a "supreme being", and in which the demon gods are exalted. The adherents of these belief systems tend to believe that, on account of their "secret knowledge" or gnosis, they are superior to others and even to God, the "potter" who made them. Everything is upside down according to these belief systems, and so their adherents tend to manifest a disdain for God (“You did not make me”, “You know nothing”).

5.2 The Assyrians defeat Samaria and exile Ephraim (c. 725-720BC) (Ch 28 Vs 1-4, Ch 29 Vs 9-12, Ch 30 Vs 1-18, Ch 31 Vs 1-3, Ch 32 Vs 9-15, Ch 33 Vs 7-9, Ch 33 Vs 23-24)

This Period is structured as a series of 4 chiasmi.

Chiasmus 1: Samaria, the capital of the Northern Tribes (Ephraim), is destroyed

The passage below in 28:1-4 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 28:1 Samaria, the pride of Ephraim, is severely weakened by Shalmaneser (c. 725-722BC)
    X 28:2-3 Samaria is sent into exile by Sargon (722-720BC)
A2 28:4 Samaria, the pride of Ephraim, is severely weakened by Shalmaneser (c. 725-722BC)


Subunit A1: Samaria, the pride of Ephraim, is severely weakened by Shalmaneser (c. 725-722BC) (28:1)

Chapter 28 1 Woe to that crown, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards—its fading precious metals and jewels are set on the head of a fertile valley—the pride of those laid low by wine.

Samaria, the capital city of Ephraim ("Ephraim" represents the Northern tribes of Israel), was located on a hill that rose above a fertile valley. so that it looked like a crown on a head. Samaria, the crown, was "fading" because it had already been defeated by the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser III (2 Kings 15:29, [3]) and turned into a vassal capital.

Hoshea, the king of Israel in Samaria, stopped paying tribute to the Assyrians, and instead sent envoys to king So of Egypt (Pharaoh Osorkon IV) to form an alliance (2 Kings 17:3-5). For this rebellion, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser V imprisoned Hoshea and then captured Samaria after a three year siege ("woe to that crown") (c. 725-722BC).

The "drunkenness" in this Period refers to the corruption of the mind that occurs through the worship of pagan demon gods (2 Kings 17:7-17) - it was for this sin that Samaria and Ephraim were punished.

Pivot X: Samaria is sent into exile by Sargon (722-720BC) (28:2-3)

Chapter 28 2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground. 3 That crown, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.

Shalmaneser died soon after defeating Samaria, but God sent the Assyrians under Sargon II ("one who is powerful and strong...") to devastate the city and exile its people (2 Kings 17:6) (722-720BC).

Subunit A2: Samaria, the pride of Ephraim, is severely weakened by Shalmaneser (c. 725-722BC) (28:4)

Chapter 28 4 Its fading precious metals and jewels, that are set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest— as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.

The Assyrian king Shalmaneser V defeated Samaria and left it weak and without a king (2 Kings 17:3-5); so it was like a fig that was ripe before harvest time - immediately finished off (instead of stored for processing). ( This passage continues from 28:2 in the corresponding subunit A1.)

Chiasmus 2: This prophecy is sealed, the Northern Tribes are spiritually blinded, their alliance with Egypt proves fruitless

The passage below in 29:9-12,30:1-11 is arranged in the form of a three-unit chiasmus:

A1 29:9-10 The Northern Tribes are punished with spiritual blindness for their rebellion
  B1 29:11-12 About this prophecy: It is sealed
    C1 30:1-2 The Northern Tribes seek Egypt's help instead of looking to God
      X 30:3-5 The alliance with Egypt brings humiliation to Ephraim
    C2 30:6-7 The Northern Tribes seek Egypt's help instead of looking to God
  B2 30:8-9 About this prophecy
A2 30:10-11 The Northern Tribes are punished with spiritual blindness for their rebellion


Subunit A1: The Northern Tribes are punished with spiritual blindness for their rebellion (29:9-10)

Chapter 29 9 Stupefy yourselves, and be stupid, blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from beer. 10a The Lord has brought over you a deep sleep.

Because the Northern Tribes have wilfully turned away from their God ("stupefy yourself", "blind yourself"), the prophet pronounces a spiritual curse on them (see also Isaiah 6:9,10). They are cursed to be spiritually stupid and blinded to the truth of their own God. Their minds will be clouded when it comes to spiritual thinking and judgement, as though they are drunk (this passage clearly indicates that the "drunkenness" in this prophecy is figurative) (cf. Isaiah 28:7). The idolatrous Northern Tribes will be in a state of spiritual slumber, so that they and their descendants will continue to worship idols until the start of the Millennial Reign in Period 3 (see also Deut. 28:64). Note that 4 different metaphors are used to indicate that God had hidden himself from the Northern Tribes: stupidity, blindness, drunkenness and deep sleep.

Chapter 29 10b He has sealed your eyes, O prophets; he has covered your heads, O seers.

The spiritual leadership of Ephraim - the prophets and seers - will also be blinded to the truth ("sealed their eyes", "covered their heads" so that they are effectively blind) regarding their God.

Subunit B1: About this prophecy: It is sealed (29:11-12)

Chapter 29 11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”

The meaning of this prophecy is hidden to all people (this subunit is addressed to everyone and not only to the people of the Northern Tribes) through the cryptochiastic method. It will be like a physically sealed scroll that no one - neither the literate nor the illiterate - can read and understand. This is one of the few prophecies that are designated as sealed (see also Daniel 8, Daniel 10-12 [4], and Isaiah 7-9).

Subunit C1: The Northern Tribes seek Egypt's help instead of looking to God (30:1-2)

Chapter 30 1 “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; 2 who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge.

Samaria faced punishment from God, because it looked to the Egyptian Pharaoh for protection from the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:4), instead of trusting God and seeking the council of His prophets.

Pivot X: The alliance with Egypt brings humiliation to Ephraim (30:3-5)

Chapter 30 3 But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace. 4 Though they have officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes, 5 everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace.”

Samaria sent envoys to Zoan and Hanes, centres of Egyptian power, but the Egyptian Pharaoh proved a useless ally to Ephraim when the Assyrians, angered by Hoshea's betrayal, attacked Israel. Ephraim was thoroughly defeated and sent into humiliating exile in Assyria (2 Kings 17:5,6).

Subunit C2: The Northern Tribes seek Egypt's help instead of looking to God (30:6-7)

Chapter 30 6 O the burden on the beasts in the Negev! Through a land of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’ backs, their treasures on the humps of camels, to a nation that is of no benefit. 7 Egypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore I call her Rahab the Do-Nothing.

Instead of seeking God's help, envoys from Samaria weighed down camels and donkeys with expensive gifts and travelled through a harsh, dangerous desert region to Egypt. They embarked on this difficult, treacherous and costly mission to make an alliance that proved worse than useless. God mocks the impotence of the vaunted Egyptians by calling them Rahab the Do-Nothing (Rahab is a poetic name for Egypt - see Psalm 87:4).

Subunit B2: About this prophecy (30:8-9)

Chapter 30 8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness. 9 That these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.

Isaiah is told to write down this prophecy in a scroll, so that the reason for the punishment of the Northern Tribes will be known to them and the world when this prophecy is unsealed. They are punished for their rebellion and for breaking their promise to God that they would be faithful to Him ("deceitful children") (see also Isa 59:13). ( This passage continues from 29:11-12 in the corresponding subunit B1.)

Subunit A2: The Northern Tribes are punished with spiritual blindness for their rebellion (30:10-11)

Chapter 30 10 They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!”

The rebellious people of Ephraim do not want to hear admonishments from God, as conveyed through His prophets (cf. Micah 2:6), and so God punishes them with spiritual blindness. ( This passage continues from 29:9-10 in the corresponding subunit A1.)

Chiasmus 3: The Northern Tribes trust in Pharaoh instead of their God

The passage below in 30:12-17, 31:1-3 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 30:12-15 Ephraim looks to Egypt for protection instead of seeking its God
    X 30:16-18 Hoshea and his army will flee
A2 31:1-3 Ephraim looks to Egypt for protection instead of seeking its God


Subunit A1: Ephraim looks to Egypt for protection instead of seeking its God (30:12-15)

Chapter 30 12 Surely this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, 13 this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. 14 It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.”

Samaria has rejected this message from God (the message in 31:1-3 in the corresponding subunit A2 below) by seeking the help of the oppressive, deceitful Egyptians. Because they refused to listen, Northern Israel will be like a tall, weakened, bulging wall, in that it will be destroyed suddenly and completely; it will be like pottery that is broken into tiny pieces (2 Kings 17:6).

Chapter 30 15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.

All that the people of Ephraim had to do to be saved from the Assyrians was repent for their waywardness and trust in their God, but they were unwilling to do so (2 Kings 18:12).

Pivot X: Hoshea and his army will flee (30:16-18)

Chapter 30 16 You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift! 17a A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away,

Apparently, Hoshea's plan was that if the Israelites faced defeat at the hands of the Assyrians, they would flee, regroup, and return with their Egyptian allies. But, because they disobeyed God, Hoshea and his forces were easily panicked and fled ("A thousand will flee at the threat of one..."), and they were captured because the Assyrian horses were swifter (2 Kings 17:4).

Chapter 30 17b till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.”

With its king and his forces captured at the beginning of the war, Samaria was isolated and unprotected, "like a flagstaff on a mountaintop..." (Samaria was located on a hill); it endured a 3-year siege before it was taken by the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:9-11).

Chapter 30 18 Surely the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he waits on high to show you compassion. Yet the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

A compassionate God longs to be gracious to His people. But a just God can only save His people from the Assyrians if they turn to Him and wait for His instructions, instead of seeking Egypt's help (see also 30:15 in subunit A1 above).

Subunit A2: Ephraim looks to Egypt for protection instead of seeking its God (31:1-3)

Chapter 31 1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.

The people of Ephraim are punished because they trust Egypt and the might its cavalry instead of their God (see also Deut. 17:16, Psalm 20:7).

Chapter 31 2 Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers. 3 Now the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.

God is also powerful ("wise" in this context refers to ability), and, as promised, He will bring disaster to Ephraim. He will punish both those who help and those who seek help; for not only were the Northern Tribes exiled by the Assyrians, the Egyptian forces were also defeated by Sargon II at Raphia c. 720BC and Egypt later had to send tribute to the Assyrians.

Chiasmus 4: Ephraim is devastated and the people are separated from their God

The passage below in 32:9-15,33:7-9,33:23-24 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 32:9-13 The Assyrians devastate Ephraim
    X 32:14-15 Ephraim is separated from its God for a long time
A2 33:7-9,33:23-24 The Assyrians devastate Ephraim


Subunit A1: The Assyrians devastate Ephraim (32:9-13)

Chapter 32 9 You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say!

God predicts the destruction of Ephraim through this subunit addressed to its women (cf. Isa. 3:16-25), for the smug women of Northern Israel face the same fate as its men. The women of the Northern Tribes feel secure because of their unwarranted faith in Ephraim's defences.

Chapter 32 10a In little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble;

This passage dates this prophecy to a little more than a year before the Assyrian attack in 725BC.

Chapter 32 10b the grape harvest will end, and the harvest of fruit will not come. 11 Tremble, you complacent women; shudder, you daughters who feel secure! Strip off your fine clothes and wrap yourselves in rags. 12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines 13 and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers— even for every house of merriment in the revelrous city.

The women of Ephraim tremble with fear, wear sackcloth and beat their breasts in sorrow (these predictions on the state of the women are phrased as mocking imperatives in the text), because the Northern Tribes are devastated and exiled by the Assyrians. The villages and cities are emptied, so that the vineyards and cultivated lands are overgrown with briers and the cities are without their merrymakers (the merrymakers and vineyards synecdochically represent all the people and crops of Ephraim) (cf. Isaiah 7:23-25).

Pivot X: Ephraim is separated from its God for a long time (32:14-15)

Chapter 32 14 The fortress is abandoned, the noisy city deserted; the citadel and watchtower will become lairs for a very long time, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

The Northern Tribes reject their God, and they will remain separated from Him until the start of the Millennial Reign in Period 3, for God had hardened their hearts against Himself (Isaiah 29:9-10). In the metaphor of this pivot, the "fortress" ("fortress", "noisy city" and "citadel and watchtower" are synonyms here) represents the relationship between the Northern Tribes and their God, and its abandonment indicates a spiritual separation between the two. ( One reason that we believe vs 14 is a metaphor is that the land of Ephraim was immediately repopulated by foreigners - 2 Kings 17:24.)

Chapter 32 15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes an orchard, an orchard that seems like a forest.

At the start of the Millennial Reign, the Holy Spirit will open the hearts of the Northern Tribes to their own God ("till the Spirit is poured on us from on high"). They will stop worshipping idols and return to their God forever (the "fortress" will no longer be desolate) (see Ezekiel 37:23).

At that time, the Israelites will also be restored from the poverty of exile ("desert") to prosperity ("an orchard that seems like a forest") (the same metaphor is used in Isa. 29:17 in Period 3).

Subunit A2: The Assyrians devastate Ephraim (33:7-9,33:23-24)

This subunit covers an unusually large variety of topics, but all of them are associated with Assyria's defeat of Ephraim.

Chapter 33 7 Look, their ambassadors cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of the treaty weep bitterly.

The envoys of Samaria weep bitterly, because the Egyptians could not save Ephraim from the Assyrians. These envoys had gone to Egypt to form an alliance against Assyria. They had placed their faith in the Egyptian Pharaoh instead of in their God, but the Egyptians proved useless when the Assyrians attacked (see Isaiah 30:1-7).

Chapter 33 8a The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads.

The highways are empty, because the Assyrians control all the strategically important assets of Ephraim - the Assyrians have gained complete dominance over the land of the Northern Tribes (2 Kings 17:5).

Chapter 33 8b The treaty is broken; there is no regard for the cities or the people.

Ephraim, a vassal state under Assyria, violated its treaty with Assyria when it stopped paying tribute and formed an alliance with Egypt (2 Kings 17:3,4), so the Assyrians are free to attack and destroy the cities and people of Ephraim.

Chapter 33 9 The land mourns and languishes, Lebanon is ashamed and withers; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.

The Northern Tribes mourn and languish at the destruction caused by the Assyrian assault. In the metaphor of this passage, the famously luxuriant vegetation of Lebanon, Sharon, Bashan and Carmel (cf. Isaiah 35:2, Zech. 11:2) represents the prosperity of Ephraim, and the "withering" and "drying up" of these fertile lands represent the impoverishment of the nation.

Chapter 33 23a Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread.

Ephraim is no longer a functioning nation, as represented by a ship that is not seaworthy.

Chapter 33 23b Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder.

Left without any ability to defend itself, Ephraim is plundered - both its people and treasure are taken away - with ease ("even the lame will carry off plunder") (see also Isaiah 28:4).

Chapter 33 24 No inhabitant will say, “I am put to grief”; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.

The Assyrians brought in foreigners and settled them in the towns of the Northern Tribes to replace the Israelites (2 Kings 17:24). These foreigners were initially put to grief because they did not worship God (2 Kings 17:25,26) - God continued to be the reigning deity of the land of the Northern Tribes, although His people had been exiled. So an Israelite priest taught the foreigners in the land to worship the God of Israel properly, and they were forgiven of their sins (2 Kings 17:27,28).

5.3 The Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (circa 2027AD) (Ch 28 Vs 5-6, Ch 29 Vs 5-8, Ch 29 Vs 17-24, Ch 30 Vs 19-33, Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8, Ch 32 Vs 16 - Ch 33 Vs 6, Ch 33 Vs 10-22)

This Period is structured as a series of 8 chiasmi. The primary themes of this Period are: the restoration of Israel and the defeat of the Beast army.

Chiasmus 1: Israel is restored and its enemies are defeated

The passage below in 28:5-6, 29:5-8, 29:17-19 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus.

A1 28:5-6 Israel is physically and spiritually restored
    X 29:5-8 The Beast army is defeated
A2 29:17-19 Israel is physically and spiritually restored


Subunit A1: Israel is physically and spiritually restored (28:5-6)

Chapter 28 5 In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.

A remnant of the Israelites will turn back to their God (those survivors of the purge of "Jacob's trouble" - Jer 30:7) at the start of the Millennial Reign (Romans 11:25). God will be their glorious crown - their political and spiritual leader (in Period 1, Samaria was the "crown of pride" of the Northern Tribes).

Chapter 28 6a He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment,

God will, through Christ, counsel the coming Messiah ("the one who sits in judgment"), so that he may rule over Israel, and the world, with justice (Rev. 2:26,27, Isaiah 11:2).

Chapter 28 6b a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

God will help the New Israel miraculously defeat hostile nations that come against it, before they can harm the residents of the New Israel ("turn back the battle at the gate") (see, for ex., Ezekiel 39, 38).

Pivot X: The Beast army is defeated (29:5-8)

Chapter 29 5 Your many enemies will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff. Suddenly, in an instant, 6 the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.

At the end of the reign of the Beast (the Beast of Rev 13,17), the armies of the Beast alliance mass outside the New Israel. Even as this army prepares for an assault on Israel, God comes down and attacks it, marshalling nature to defeat it suddenly and completely (we believe the list of calamities in 28:6 is literal) (see also Isaiah 30:30, Rev 19:19,20, Ezekiel 39).

Chapter 29 7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her bulwarks and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night— 8 as when a hungry person dreams of eating, but awakens hungry still; as when a thirsty person dreams of drinking, but awakens faint and thirsty still. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.

The many nations of the Beast alliance that send fighting forces against the New Israel may consider victory a foregone conclusion because of the strength and numbers of their allied army, but this mighty army will suddenly and miraculously be destroyed (see Rev 14:19-20). The seemingly assured victory of these forces over Israel will be like a dream, and in reality the New Israel will go on to reign supreme over the world. (Jerusalem, referred to as Mount Zion and Ariel in this passage, synecdochically represents the New Israel.)

The word 'Ariel' can mean "lion of God", for Israel is a conquering lion, and it can also mean "altar hearth", for Israel is a hearth at which its enemies are burned (29:6); so Isaiah again seems to be punning on the word, as in 29:1-2.

Subunit A2: Israel is physically and spiritually restored (29:17-19)

Chapter 29 17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into an orchard, an orchard that seems like a forest?

Suddenly ("In a very short time") an impoverished Israel ("Lebanon") will become a prosperous nation again ("an orchard that seems like a forest") (see also Joel 2:18). This passage alludes to Isaiah 33:9 under Period 1, which establishes "Lebanon" (and other fertile regions) as representing Israel, and states that the lush "Lebanon" (and other fertile regions) had become like a "desert", to indicate that Israel had become poor. So this verse indicates a reversal of the impoverishment of Israel in Period 1 (the same metaphor is used in Isaiah 32:15 in Period 1).

Chapter 29 18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

The Northern Tribes, who were cursed with spiritual ignorance regarding their own God in Period 1 (29:9,10), will now have their spiritual "eyes" opened to their God, and their spiritual "ears" to the word of God from the Bible ("scroll"). The spiritually humble and needy Israelites will once again be spiritually blessed - they will turn back to their God and rejoice in Him (see also Ezekiel 37).

Chiasmus 2: God reforms the Israelites

The passage below in 29:20-24 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 29:20-21 Israel's leadership is reformed: The political leaders
    X 29:22-23a Jacob will no longer be ashamed, for Israel is reformed
A2 29:23b-24 Israel's leadership is reformed: The spiritual leaders


Subunit A1: Israel's leadership is reformed: The political leaders (29:20-21)

Chapter 29 20 The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down— 21 those who with a word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.

Israel will be purged of its unrighteous political leaders: those who are ruthless to the weak; those who mock the needy; those who use their power and connections to subvert the law and take advantage of the poor.

Pivot X: Jacob will no longer be ashamed, for Israel is reformed (29:22-23a)

Chapter 29 22 Surely this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says of the descendants of Jacob: "No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will his face grow pale, 23a for he will see the work of my hands among his children."

The God who turned pagan Abraham into His servant will also redeem his descendants, the people of Israel, so that they will stop worshipping idol gods. The soul of the patriarch Jacob, in the underworld's Realm of the Dead, will no longer be ashamed of his idol-worshipping descendants, because God will open their hearts to Himself ("the work of my hands"), and they will once again worship the Deity of their fathers (Romans 11:25-28). ( According to Jer. 31:16,17, Jacob's soul had been weeping and praying for his wayward descendants until this Period.)

Subunit A2: Israel's leadership is reformed: The spiritual leaders (29:23b-24)

Chapter 29 23b They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 Those who erred in spirit will gain understanding; those who criticized will accept instruction.”

The spiritual leaders of Israel will only worship the God of Israel, the one true God, the creator of all things. God will reform these leaders, who had practised false religions ("erred in spirit") and criticized Christianity, so that they accept and learn the word of God.

Chiasmus 3: Israel is spiritually reformed and restored to prosperity

The passage below in 30:19-24 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 30:19-20a Israel is nurtured and restored to prosperity
    X 30:20b-22 Israel is spiritually reformed
A2 30:23-24 Israel is nurtured and restored to prosperity


Subunit A1: Israel is nurtured and restored to prosperity (30:19-20a)

Chapter 30 19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20a The Lord will give you bread in adversity and water in affliction.

The Lord will take care of the needs of the people of Israel ("Jerusalem" and "Zion" synecdochically refer to the New Israel). When the Israelites cry for help in times of adversity, He will answer them (see also Zech. 9:16).

Pivot X: Israel is spiritually reformed (30:20b-22)

Chapter 30 20b Your Teacher will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see him.

We propose that the Teacher of this passage is the coming Messiah, the Archangel Michael. Michael had led and guided the Israelites from the spiritual realm ("hidden") (Daniel 10:21), but now, as Messiah and King, he lives among them ("you will see him") and instructs them (see John 14:26,15:26, Isaiah 11:1-2...).

Chapter 30 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Israel will be a nation of priests, and God will guide them in all their actions through his angels in the spiritual realm, like a parent guiding a toddler from behind ("a voice behind you...") (see also Isaiah 11:9, Jer. 31:34, Isaiah 61:6).

Chapter 30 22 Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, “Away with you!”

The Northern Tribes will be ashamed of their idolatrous past and contemptuously ("like a menstrual cloth") get rid of all things related to idol worship (see also Isaiah 27:9, Isaiah 17:7-8, Micah 5:12-14).

Subunit A2: Israel is nurtured and restored to prosperity (30:23-24)

Chapter 30 23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. 24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel.

This picture of rural prosperity - even the lowly oxen and donkeys eat the choicest feed prepared with great care - represents the strong economy of a wealthy New Israel during the Millennial Reign of Christ and his Messiah (see also Joel 2:19,22-23, Jer. 50:19, Isaiah 51:3...).

Chiasmus 4: God destroys Satan's Beast army

The passage below in 30:25-33 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 30:25-28 The Beast army is destroyed
    X 30:29 Israel rejoices at its spiritual awakening
A2 30:30-33 The Beast army is destroyed


Subunit A1: The Beast army is destroyed (30:25-28)

This unit A, on the war against the Beast army, begins with events that take place soon after the Beast army's defeat (in 30:25,26).

Chapter 30 25 In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.

The strongholds ("towers") of Satan's Beast empire are destroyed after its army is defeated in a great slaughter (note that "day" in vs 25 refers to a period). The defeat of the Beast army and Satan marks the beginning of Christ's glorious Millennial Reign, an era of great prosperity for the Israelites (we take "streams of water" and "bright light" to indicate prosperity) (Rev 19:11-16) - God will remedy the punishment He has inflicted on His people, the Israelites, for the sins of their forefathers ("heals the wounds he inflicted").

Chapter 30 27 See, the Name of the Lord comes from afar, with his burning anger forming dense clouds of smoke, and his lips full of wrathful foam. His tongue is like a consuming fire; 28a His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck.

The Lord will come down from heaven ("from afar") in great glory and wrath to destroy the wicked people that make up Satan's Beast army (Rev. 14:17-19) - the "Name of the Lord" refers to God's glory (see the parallelism in Isaiah 59:19, Psalm 102:15). God's great anger at the wicked soldiers of Satan's Beast army is emphasised with two images: it is burning, resulting in thick clouds of smoke; and it leaves His lips foaming. God's furious words ("tongue", "breath"), ordering the destruction of the wicked, are described by two similes: they are as terrifying as a raging fire, and as frightening as a flood that reaches up to the neck.

Chapter 30 28b He shakes the peoples in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray.

God will sift the people of the earth to separate out the wicked, whom He will destroy ("sieve of destruction"). God will entice the wicked; He will lead them - as with a bit - into a disastrous assault on the New Israel that results in their own death ("leads them astray") (see Rev 14:18-19, Ezekiel 39:2, cf. a similar metaphor used in Ezekiel 38:4).

Pivot X: Israel rejoices at its spiritual awakening (30:29)

Chapter 30 29 You will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.

The Israelites will celebrate with great joy - as their forefathers did during festivals in ancient times - at their spiritual awakening. ( We believe this passage is regarding spiritual matters and not the about defeat of the Beast because of the mention of the "holy festival" and the "mountain of the Lord", and because the other chiasmi of this Period have a passage about the spiritual restoration of Israel.)

Subunit A2: The Beast army is destroyed (30:30-33)

Chapter 30 30 The Lord will cause his voice of authority to be heard and show the descent of his arm in raging anger with consuming fire, cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.

In His great wrath, God will give the order ("His voice of authority"), and His angels ("His arm") will come down to earth to attack the Beast army. These events in the spiritual realm will be made manifest in the physical realm ("cause to be heard", "show") through the calamities that God's angels bring down on the Beast army; for, as the Beast army prepares to attack the New Israel, God's angels will attack it with fire, cloudburst, thunderstorms and hail (we believe that this list is literal - see also 29:5,6).

Chapter 30 31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria; with the rod he will strike them down. 32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them with the punishing club will be to the music of timbrels and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.

The Beast ('Assyria') will be destroyed by God's order ("voice") through great calamities ("rod", "punishing club"). Each calamity that God brings down upon the Beast army will be met with celebratory music from the Israelites ("to the music of timbrels and harps").

'Assyria', in this Period, refers to the Beast empire of Rev 13:1-3, the empire through which Satan rules the world shortly before the start of the Millennial Reign. Ancient Assyria was Satan's kingdom at the time of the prophecy, and it is the first of the Satanic empires of Rev. 17:10.

Chapter 30 33 Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.

After the Beast army is defeated, the spiritual aspects of the Antichrist ("king") and the Beast will be thrown into the Lake of Fire ("Topheth") (see Rev. 19:20), a place of eternal punishment for wicked souls (Rev. 21:8). Note that the Lake of Fire is only created around this time of the start of the Millennial Reign.

Topheth, which refers to the Lake of Fire in this Period, was a valley near Jerusalem where unspeakable acts of evil, like child sacrifices, were committed (Jer. 7:31-34, 19:5-6), and it later became a place where carcasses and other refuse was burnt. Topheth is also called Gehenna, a word for "hell" in the New Testament (for ex. Matt 5:29).

Chiasmus 5: The Beast army falls, the Israelites return to their God

The passage below in 31:4-9 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 31:4-5 The Beast army is destroyed
    X 31:6-7 The Israelites return to their God
A2 31:8-9 The Beast army is destroyed


Subunit A1: The Beast army is destroyed (31:4-5)

Chapter 31 4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey— and when a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise— so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.

Just as a lion cannot be scared away from its prey by a band of shepherds (by large numbers of weak attackers), so also God will stand and defend His nation and battle even the giant alliance of the Beast army as it masses for an attack on the mountains ("heights") at the borders of the New Israel ("Mount Zion" synecdochically refers to the whole nation) (see also Rev 19:19,20).

Chapter 31 5a Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem;

Like the watchful hovering of birds over their young, God will take care of the land of Israel to preserve it ("Jerusalem" refers to the whole nation).

Chapter 31 5b By defending it, he will deliver it; by flying over it, he will preserve it.”

This passage summarizes the two metaphors of this subunit: God will deliver Israel from its enemies by fighting for it like a lion, and He will preserve it by watching over it like hovering birds.

Pivot X: The Israelites return to their God (31:6-7)

Chapter 31 6 Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against. 7 For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.

The Israelites will turn back to their own God and they will stop worshipping idols (see also Isaiah 27:9, Isaiah 17:7-8, Micah 5:12-14). The curse of spiritual blindness that Isaiah pronounced on them for their waywardness at the start of their exile in Period 1 (Isaiah 29:9,10) will be lifted after millennia.

Subunit A2: The Beast army is destroyed (31:8-9)

Chapter 31 8 “Then Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of man; a sword will devour them, but not one made by mortals. They will flee before the sword and their elite warriors will melt away.

The Beast army ('Assyria') will be supernaturally defeated by God ("not by the sword of man") (see also 30:30,31), and it will be forced to abandon its attack on the New Israel.

Chapter 31 9 Their rock will pass away in terror, and their commanders will abandon the standard in panic,” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

The leader of the Beast army, the Antichrist ("their rock"), will pass away in terror (see Rev. 19:20), and the rest of the leadership will abandon their posts. Isaiah again uses the image of Zion as God's furnace (see 'Ariel' in 29:2,7) that burns up those He wishes to punish.

Chiasmus 6: The New Israel is a righteous nation

The passage below in 32:1-8,16-20 is arranged in the form of a two-unit chiasmus:

A1 32:1-2 Israel enjoys peace and security under righteous leaders
  B1 32:3-4 The Israelites turn back to God and to righteousness
    X 32:5-8 The wicked leaders of Israel are purged
  B2 32:16-17 The Israelites turn back to God and to righteousness
A2 32:18-20 Israel enjoys peace and security under righteous leaders


Subunit A1: Israel enjoys peace and security under righteous leaders (32:1-2)

Chapter 32 1 See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. 2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

The coming Messiah ("king") and those who help him reign will be righteous and just. They will protect the Israelites from calamity ("shelter from the wind", "refuge from the storm") and nurture them ("like streams of water", "shadow in a thirsty land") (see also Isaiah 1:26, Isaiah 11:1-4,...).

Subunit B1: The Israelites turn back to God and to righteousness (32:3-4)

Chapter 32 3 Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. 4 The unwise heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

The curse of spiritual "blindness" and "deafness" pronounced on the Israelites in Period 1 (see Isaiah 29:10, see also Isaiah 6:9,10) is reversed, so that they stop worshipping idols and return to their God (31:6,7).

The Israelites. who were spiritually unwise ("unwise heart"), will now understand the Word of God. They will no longer speak the language of pagan religions (spiritual "stammerers"), but, as a nation of priests, they will clearly explain the Word of God to others (see also Isaiah 11:9, Jer. 31:34, Isaiah 61:6).

Pivot X: The wicked leaders of Israel are purged (32:5-8)

Chapter 32 5 No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. 6 For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry soul they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water.

While the Israelites were under Satan's rule, from the time of their exile from Israel, spiritual 'fools' and 'scoundrels' - those who secretly worshipped Satan - were made the 'elite' of the land, and they were rewarded for their worship with wealth, power, honour and fame (Rev. 17:2, Rev. 18:3). These ungodly 'elite' spread lies and hid the truth about God, because their god, Satan, is the father of lies (John 8:44); they left the people spiritually "hungry" and "thirsty".

Chapter 32 7 Scoundrels use wicked methods, they make up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just. 8 But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.

Satan's 'elite' leaders implemented his evil plans, and they used their power unjustly against the weak and poor. But during the Millennial Reign, these evil 'scoundrels' will no longer rule; they will be replaced by the faithful of God, who are righteous and make righteous plans that align with the will of God.

Subunit B2: The Israelites turn back to God and to righteousness (32:16-17)

Chapter 32 16 The Lord’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the orchard. 17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

Israel ("desert", "orchard"), which has turned back to its God (see 32:3-4 in the corresponding subunit B1 above), will now be a land of Godly justice and righteousness (see also Isaiah 1:26), and the result of that righteousness will be true spiritual peace and confidence.

Verse 16 alludes to the metaphor of Isaiah 32:15 in Period 1, which compares Israel to a "desert" and an "orchard" (note that 29:17 in Period 3 also alludes to a metaphor in Period 1).

Subunit A2: Israel enjoys peace and security under righteous leaders (32:18-20)

Chapter 32 18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

Under its righteous leaders (see 32:1-2 in the corresponding subunit A1), the New Israel will enjoy peace and security; it will be a safe land, and there will be no uprisings or invasions.

Chapter 32 19 Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, 20 how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.

Though Ephraim's army ("the forest") and its capital Samaria ("the city") had been destroyed by God in Period 1 (armies are similarly compared to "forests" in Isa. 10:18-19,33-34, and "hail" represents God's wrath - Isaiah 28:17), Israel will now enjoy the golden age of the Millennial Reign, a time of freedom and prosperity ("sowing your seed by every stream...").

Note that an event in Period 1, the destruction of Ephraim, is mentioned here in Period 3 (similarly, a prediction regarding Period 3 is mentioned in Period 1 in 32:15).

Chiasmus 7: God destroys the wicked, He is the source of wisdom for Israel

The passage below in 33:1-6,10-14 is arranged in the form of a two-unit chiasmus:

A1 33:1 The wicked of Israel are destroyed
  B1 33:2-4 God destroys the Beast army
    X 33:5-6 God is the source of wisdom and knowledge for Israel
  B2 33:10-13 God destroys the Beast army
A2 33:14 The wicked of Israel are destroyed


Subunit A1: The wicked of Israel are destroyed (33:1)

This subunit is addressed to the wicked Satan worshippers of Israel, and in the corresponding subunit A2 below, the wicked react.

Chapter 33 1 Woe to you who destroy, though you have not been destroyed! Woe to you who betray, though you have not been betrayed! When you are done destroying, you will be destroyed; when you are done betraying, you will be betrayed.

Those Israelites who secretly worship Satan have harmed others without provocation ("though you have not been destroyed...") (see also 32:7), purely as part of their duties as Satan worshippers. God has allowed these wicked to practise their evil for a time, but after that they themselves will be betrayed and destroyed - they will be purged at the time of Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).

Subunit B1: God destroys the Beast army (33:2-4)

The prophecy of this subunit is presented as a prayer from the Israelites, and in the corresponding subunit B2 below, God responds.

Chapter 33 2 Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.

As the Beast army gathers for an attack on the New Israel, the Israelites pray for daily strength and for salvation from this giant army.

Chapter 33 3 At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter. 4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

When God's army of angels attacks the Beast army alliance, its soldiers flee at the noise from the natural calamities brought upon them (see 30:30,31 and 31:8,9). The Beast army is destroyed at the borders of Israel; the Israelites and scavenging animals in the region plunder the remains like locusts, leaving nothing behind (see Ezekiel 39:9-10,17-20, Rev 19:17-18).

Pivot X: God is the source of wisdom and knowledge for Israel (33:5-6)

Chapter 33 5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with his justice and righteousness.

During the Millennial Reign, the Lord is honoured in Israel ("Zion" refers to all of Israel) for His greatness ("he dwells on high"); because the people of Israel heed God's word, they become just and righteous (see also Isaiah 1:26).

Chapter 33 6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

God is the great source of wisdom, knowledge and of the doctrines that lead to salvation, and the Israelites will have access to this wealth of wisdom because they fear God (Psalm 111:10).

Subunit B2: God destroys the Beast army (33:10-13)

In this subunit, God responds to the prayer of the Israelites in the corresponding subunit B1 above.

Chapter 33 10 “Now I rise,” says the Lord. “Now I am exalted; now I am lifted up.

After the defeat of its enemy, the mighty Beast army (this passage continues from 33:4), Israel sees the might of God, and God is raised up and exalted in the land.

Chapter 33 11 You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw; your breath is a fire that consumes you. 12 The peoples are burned to ashes; like cut thornbushes they have been set ablaze.”

The plans of Satan's Beast army have proved worthless ("chaff", "straw"). Its anger ("breath is a fire") against God's nation and its consequent assault on Israel has led to its own demise by fire, for the Beast army has been burned like thornbushes (cut and dried thornbushes burn rapidly - cf. Nahum 1:10) (see also 30:30).

Chapter 33 13 You who are far away, hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my power!

The whole world (those "near" and "far") hears of God's great victory and acknowledges His power (see also Ezekiel 39:21).

Subunit A2: The wicked of Israel are destroyed (33:14)

In this subunit, the wicked of Israel react to the pronouncement of woe against them in 33:1 in the corresponding subunit A1.

Chapter 33 14 The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”

The wicked Satan worshippers ("godless") of Israel ("Zion" represents all of Israel) are terrified, because they face eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire (see Rev 21:8).

Chiasmus 8: The New Israel is a blessed land during the glorious Millennial Reign

The passage below in 33:15-22 is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 33:15-16 The righteous of Israel will live in a blessed land under God
    X 33:17-19 Israelites are freed from slavery
A2 33:20-22 The righteous of Israel will live in a blessed land under God


Subunit A1: The righteous of Israel will live in a blessed land under God (33:15-16)

Chapter 33 15 Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil— 16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them.

Righteous Israelites will live in the blessed land of Israel from this time onward. Some of the characteristics of the righteous are listed here: the righteous do and speak what is right, they reject unjust gain, and they shun all evil (see also Psalms 15:2; 24:4). During the Millennial Reign, the Israelites will not suffer from invasions (refuge in the "heights", "mountain fortress") or destitution ("bread and water will be supplied") (see also 28:5 and 30:23).

Pivot X: Israelites are freed from slavery (33:17-19)

Chapter 33 17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar. 18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror: “Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs? Where is the officer in charge of the towers?” 19 You will see those fierce people no more, people whose speech is obscure, whose language is strange and incomprehensible.

Shortly before the Millennial Reign, during the reign of the Beast, certain hostile organizations had captured many Israelites and sold them as slaves to the "Javans" (see Joel 3:4-6 in [5]). We believe "Javan" refers to China (see Gen. 10:4) (people whose language is obscure, strange, incomprehensible to the Israelites), the leading nation of the Beast army ("fierce people").

But with Satan's Beast empire defeated, these enslaved Israelites will be freed (Joel 3:7). So instead of being terrified of their enslavers ("he who tallies", "he who weighs", "officer in charge of the towers"), they will now see their benevolent king, the coming Messiah, in all his glory and beauty (see also Psalms 45:2, Zech 9:17), and instead of being imprisoned (in prison "towers") they will be free to roam a vast land (see also Zech. 2:4).

Subunit A2: The righteous of Israel will live in a blessed land under God (33:20-22)

Chapter 33 20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.

During the Millennial Reign, Israel ("Zion", "Jerusalem" and "city of our festivals" synecdochically refer to the whole nation) will be a stable and secure nation that enjoys peace and quiet (as indicated by "a tent that will not be moved" with its tent pegs and ropes remaining intact). The land of Israel is called the "city of our festivals", because people around the world will be obliged to go to Israel and participate in the festivals of the Millennial Reign as prescribed by God (see Zech. 14:16-21).

Chapter 33 21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams. No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them.

Israel will be blessed with a prosperous economy (the "broad rivers and streams" represent the economy), and its economy will not be controlled by outsiders ("galley with oars" and "mighty ships" refer to enemy warships and they represent a hostile takeover of the economy) (an attack on Israel's economy is detailed in Ezekiel 38).

Chapter 33 22 Surely the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.

During the Millennial Reign, God Himself will be Israel's king ("judge" and "lawgiver" are synonyms for "king") and protector ("He will save us"), and He will reign through Christ and the coming Messiah.

Conclusion

We have shown that the first Period of the prophecy predicts the defeat and exile of the Northern Tribes by Assyria and that the third Period predicts the restoration of Israel and the defeat of "Assyria", Satan's Beast empire. The second Period is regarding the first century, and we have shown that the New Testament has correctly applied certain passages in this prophecy to Christ's time, namely: 28:11 (1 Cor. 14:21), 28:12 (Matt 11:28), 28:16 (1 Peter 2:6), 29:13 (Matt 15:8,9) and 29:14 (1 Cor. 1:19). The cryptochiastic structure of this lengthy prophecy, one that is designated as sealed, is unusual, as it has many more subunits and reconfigurations than is typical.

References

[1] A Definition of Cryptochiasmus
[2] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of "The 70 Weeks Of Daniel"
[3] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 7-9
[4] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Daniel 8
[5] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Joel





* First version published on 22 March 2020.