A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 28-33
Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 9 October 2026 *
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 restoration of Israel at the start of the Millennial Reign. We show that it also makes predictions about Jesus' ministry at his First Coming and the exile of the Northern Tribes of Israel. We propose that this prophecy was made c. 726BC, based on 32:10. This is one of the prophecies that are designated as sealed - other passages are Dan. 8, Dan. 10-12, Isa. 7-9 and Revelation.
Discussion
1. Presuppositions
We base our parse of Isaiah 28:1-33:24 on the assumption that it refers to 3 periods:
- 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.
- 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.
- The start of Christ's Millennial Reign (from 2026AD). Christ and his Messiah will lead a blessed New Israel and Satan's army will be defeated.
2. Parsing the chiasmus
We will use the NIV Bible for this parse.
Parsing this chiasmus involves dividing portions of the text into the three categories above. We will call the time of Assyria's defeat of Samaria Period 1, the time of Christ's ministry and the First Jewish-Roman War 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 is defeated and destroyed at the start of Christ's reign over the earth.
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 13-17 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 18-24 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 trusting in its God and repenting for its waywardness.
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 9-14 belong to Period 1. The women of Ephraim are warned that their nation will be devastated.
Ch 32 Vs 15 - Ch 33 Vs 6 belong to Period 3. Israel will be a just and righteous nation under God, and its wicked will be purged. 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 and the land is inhabited by foreigners.
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 gold 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 gold 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 Indeed these [d] 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 [g] as they go they will fall behind and [h] be injured and snared and captured.
14 Now [i] 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 [j].”
16 Surely [k] 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 need not worry [l]. 17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line. Hail [m] 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 gold 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 gold 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 "Indeed these" instead of "And these also".
[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 "there. So" instead of "there—so that".
[h] vs 13 "behind and" instead of "backward; they will".
[i] vs 14 "Now" instead of "Therefore". For the chiasmus.
[j] 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".
[k] vs 16 "Surely" instead of "So".
[l] vs 16 "need not worry" instead of "will never be stricken with panic".
[m] vs 17 "line. Hail" instead of "line; hail". Changed the punctuation for the regular chiasmus.
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 comes like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech like a whisper from the dust [c].
5 Your [d] 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 [e] 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 be the hordes [f] of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.
9 Stupefy yourselves, and be stupid [g], 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. [h]
11 To [i] 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 Behold, [j] 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, and will not the orchard be considered a forest [k]?
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 oppressors will vanish, the scoffers will disappear, and all who have an eye for iniquity [l] will be cut down— 21 those who with a claim make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the judge in court and with false charges [m] deprive the innocent of justice.
22 Surely, [n] this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says of [o] 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, [p] and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 24 Those who erred [q] in spirit will gain understanding; those who criticized [r] 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 4 "Your voice comes like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech like a whisper from the dust" instead of "Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth; out of the dust your speech will whisper". Changed tense, based Young's Literal Translation.
[d] vs 5 "Your" instead of "But your".
[e] vs 7 "bulwarks" instead of "fortresses".
[f] vs 8 "So will be the hordes" instead of "So will it be with the hordes".
[g] vs 9 "Stupefy yourselves, and be stupid" instead of "Be stunned and amazed". Based on the JPS Tanakh.
[h] 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)".
[i] vs 11 "To" instead of "For".
[j] vs 14 "Behold," instead of "Therefore once more".
[k] vs 17 "an orchard, and will not the orchard be considered a forest" instead of "a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest".
[l] vs 20 "The oppressors will vanish, the scoffers will disappear, and all who have an eye for iniquity" instead of "The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil".
[m] vs 21 "claim make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the judge in court and with false charges" instead of "word make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the defender in court and with false testimony".
[n] vs 22 "Surely," instead of "Therefore".
[o] vs 22 "of" instead of "to".
[p] 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'.
[q] vs 24 "erred" instead of "are wayward".
[r] 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 Pharaoh’s [a] 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! [b] 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 [c] 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 [d] 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 [e] 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 charge on fleet horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be faster [f]! 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 [g] 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 [h]. 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; [i] 28 His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the peoples [j] in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray. 29 You [k] 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. [l] 31 The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria; with the [m] rod he will strike them down. 32 Every stroke the Lord lays on them with the [n] 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 3 "Pharaoh’s" instead of "But Pharaoh’s". For the chiasmus.
[b] vs 6 "O the burden on the beasts in the Negev!" instead of "A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev:".
[c] 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".
[d] vs 9 "That" instead of "For".
[e] vs 12 "Surely" instead of "Therefore".
[f] vs 16 "No, we will charge on fleet horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be faster" instead of "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".
[g] 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.
[h] 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.
[i] 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.".
[j] vs 28 "peoples" instead of "nations".
[k] vs 29 "You" instead of "And you".
[l] 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".
[m] vs 31 "the" instead of "his".
[n] 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 able [a] and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against the wicked nation, and [b] against those who help evildoers. 3 Now [c] 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— [d] 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. [e]”
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. [f] They will flee before the sword and their elite warriors [g] will melt away [h]. 9 Their rock will pass away in terror, and their commanders will abandon the standard in panic [i],” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Retranslation notes for Isaiah 31
[a] vs 2 "able" instead of "wise".
[b] vs 2 "the wicked nation, and against" instead of "that wicked nation, against".
[c] vs 3 "Now" instead of "But".
[d] 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.
[e] 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.
[f] 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.
[g] vs 8 "elite warriors" instead of "young men".
[h] vs 8 "melt away" instead of "put to forced labor". Assuming a parallelism with the previous line, based on Barnes notes.
[i] 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 once saw [a] will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who once heard [b] will listen. 4 The unwise [c] 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 Fools [d] speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry soul [e] 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 [f], 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 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the happy homes in the joyous city. [g] 14 The fortress is abandoned, the noisy city deserted; the citadel and watchtower will become lairs forever, [h] the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks.
15 When the Spirit is poured on us from on high, the desert will be an orchard, Carmel will be considered a forest. [i] 16 Then judgement will settle down in the wilderness, and righteousness will remain in the orchard [j]. 17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be calm and security [k] 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 3 "once saw" instead of "see".
[b] vs 3 "once heard" instead of "hear".
[c] vs 4 "unwise" instead of "fearful". Based on the Douay-Rheims Bible.
[d] vs 6 "Fools" instead of "For fools". For the chiasmus.
[e] vs 6 "hungry soul" instead of "hungry".
[f] vs 10 "end" instead of "fail". Based on the New American Standard Bible.
[g] vs 12,13 "vines. 13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the happy homes in the joyous city" instead of "vines 13 and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers—yes, mourn for all houses of merriment and for this city of revelry".
[h] vs 14 "The fortress is abandoned, the noisy city deserted; the citadel and watchtower will become lairs forever," instead of "The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever".
[i] vs 14,15 "flocks. 15 When the Spirit is poured on us from on high, the desert will be an orchard, Carmel will be considered a forest" instead of "flocks, 15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest".
[j] vs 16 "Then judgement will settle down in the wilderness, and righteousness will remain in the orchard" instead of "The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field.".
[k] vs 17 "calm and security" instead of "quietness and confidence".
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 alliance [e] weep bitterly. 8 The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty is broken; the witnesses are ignored, there is no regard for 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, based on commentaries.
[e] vs 7 "the alliance" instead of "peace".
[f] vs 8 "The treaty is broken; the witnesses are ignored, there is no regard for 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". Based on the ESV.
[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 reconfigure 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 13-17 - Period 2. The Judahites do not worship God in the right spirit
Ch 29 Vs 18-24 - 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 13-17 - Period 2
N2 Ch 29 Vs 18-24 - 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 13-17 [[A1,A2], Ch 30 Vs 1-18] [[B1,B2], Ch 29 Vs 18-24] (3)
Further translating (3) into verse numbers, we get:
[Ch 28 Vs 7 - Ch 29 Vs 4, Ch 29 Vs 13-17] [[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 18-24] (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 9-14 belong to Period 1. The women of Ephraim are warned of devastation
Ch 32 Vs 15 - 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 13-17]
[[Ch 28 Vs 1-4, Ch 29 Vs 9-12], Ch 30 Vs 1-18], [Ch 31 Vs 1-3, Ch 32 Vs 9-14, Ch 33 Vs 7-9, Ch 33 Vs 23-24]
[[Ch 28 Vs 5-6, Ch 29 Vs 5-8], Ch 29 Vs 18-24] [Ch 30 Vs 19-33, Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8, Ch 32 Vs 15 - Ch 33 Vs 6, Ch 33 Vs 10-22] (5)
We rearrange the Periods in (5) so that they are in chronological sequence to get (6) below:
[[Ch 28 Vs 1-4, Ch 29 Vs 9-12], Ch 30 Vs 1-18], [Ch 31 Vs 1-3, Ch 32 Vs 9-14, Ch 33 Vs 7-9, Ch 33 Vs 23-24]
[Ch 28 Vs 7 - Ch 29 Vs 4, Ch 29 Vs 13-17]
[[Ch 28 Vs 5-6, Ch 29 Vs 5-8], Ch 29 Vs 18-24] [Ch 30 Vs 19-33, Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8, Ch 32 Vs 15 - Ch 33 Vs 6, Ch 33 Vs 10-22] (6)
We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses so they are in sequence (6).
4. Isaiah 28-33 Reconfigured
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 9-14, Ch 33 Vs 7-9, Ch 33 Vs 23-24)Chiasmus 1: Samaria, the capital of the Northern Tribes (Ephraim), is destroyed (28:1-4)
Chiasmus 2: The Northern Tribes are punished with physical and spiritual exile: The Seal (29:9-12,30:1-11)
Chiasmus 3: The Northern Tribes trust in Pharaoh instead of their God (30:12-17, 31:1-3)
Chiasmus 4: The complacent women of Ephraim will soon mourn for their land (32:9-14)
Chiasmus 5: The aftermath of the Assyrian assault: The Seal (33:7-9,23-24)
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 13-17)
Chiasmus 1: Judea's spiritual leaders who reject Christ will be punished (28:7-13)
Chiasmus 2: The Judahite leaders must rely on Christ and not on other gods (28:14-19a)
Chiasmus 3: The transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant (28:19b-29)
Chiasmus 4: Jerusalem is destroyed for its wicked theology: The Seal (29:1-4,13)
Chiasmus 5: The Wickedness of the Judahites: The Seal (29:14-17)
The Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (from 2026AD) (Ch 28 Vs 5-6, Ch 29 Vs 5-8, Ch 29 Vs 18-24, Ch 30 Vs 19-33, Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8, Ch 32 Vs 15 - Ch 33 Vs 6, Ch 33 Vs 10-22)
Chiasmus 1: Israel is restored and its enemies are defeated: The Seal (28:5-6, 29:5-8, 29:18-19)
Chiasmus 2: God reforms the Israelites (29:20-24)
Chiasmus 3: Israel will be spiritually and materially prosperous (30:19-24)
Chiasmus 4: God destroys Satan's Beast army (2030AD) (30:25-33)
Chiasmus 5: God destroys the Beast army, and all the Israelites return to Him (2030AD) (31:4-9)
Chiasmus 6: Israel is restored spiritually and politically: The Seal (32:1-8,15-20)
Chiasmus 7: God is honoured after he defeats and destroys the wicked (from 2030AD) (33:1-6,10-14)
Chiasmus 8: The New Israel is a blessed land during the glorious Millennial Reign (33:15-22)
5. A Commentary on the Reconfigured Text
5.1 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 9-14, Ch 33 Vs 7-9, Ch 33 Vs 23-24)
This Period is structured as a series of 5 chiasmi.Chiasmus 1: Samaria, the capital of the Northern Tribes (Ephraim), is destroyed (28:1-4)
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)
We propose that this chiasmus is read in the sequence: [A1,A2], [X].
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 gold 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 comes with the worship of pagan demon gods (2 Kings 17:7-17) - it was for this sin of unfaithfulness that Samaria and Ephraim were punished. Samaria was the pride of the "drunken" people of the Northern Tribes, when their pride should have been in Jerusalem, the city of their God.
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)
This subunit continues from the corresponding Subunit A1 above.
Chapter 28 4 Its fading gold 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 Samaria was ripe for the taking; it was like a fig that was ripe before harvest time - these figs were immediately finished off, instead of being harvested and stored for processing.
Chiasmus 2: The Northern Tribes are punished with physical and spiritual exile: The Seal (29:9-12,30:1-11)
The Seal and its Opening
This chiasmus contains one of the 4 parts of the seal of this prophecy (see comment in 29:11-12 below), and we "open" this part of the seal here. We notice that subunits of this chiasmus are not in their "proper places", and so we propose that 29:11-12 and 30:3-5 are interchanged. This operation is the "twist" that opens this part of the seal.
Chiasmus 2: After the unsealing
A1 29:9-10 The Northern Tribes are punished with spiritual exile
B1 30:3-5 The Northern Tribes are punished with exile for their rebellion
C1 30:1-2 The Northern Tribes seek Egypt's help instead of looking to God
X 29:11-12 This prophecy is sealed
C2 30:6-7 The Northern Tribes seek Egypt's help instead of looking to God
B2 30:8-9 The Northern Tribes are punished with exile for their rebellion
A2 30:10-11 The Northern Tribes are punished with spiritual exile
We propose that this chiasmus is read from the centre, in the sequence: [X], [C1,C2], [B1,B2], [A1,A2].
Subunit A1: The Northern Tribes are punished with spiritual exile (29:9-10)
This subunit continues from Subunit B2 below.
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.
The prophet pronounces a spiritual curse on the Northern Tribes, because they have wilfully turned away from their God (they had "stupefied and blinded" themselves) (see 30:10-11 in the corresponding Subunit A2 below, 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" is figurative) (cf. Isaiah 28:7). The idolatrous Northern Tribes will remain in this 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: The Northern Tribes are punished with exile for their rebellion (30:3-5)
This subunit continues from Subunit C2 below.
Chapter 30 3 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.”
The Egyptian Pharaoh could not save Ephraim when the Assyrians, angered by Hoshea's betrayal of their alliance, attacked Israel. Samaria had sent envoys to Zoan and Hanes (see Unit C below), centres of Egyptian power, instead of obeying their God and keeping their treaty with Assyria. Ephraim was thoroughly defeated and sent into humiliating exile in Assyria (2 Kings 17:5,6).
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. This passage continues in Subunit C2 below.
Pivot X: This prophecy is sealed (29:11-12)
Chapter 29 11 To 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.”
This pivot is addressed to everyone ("you" of 29:11) - not only to the people of the Northern Tribes. The true meaning of parts of this prophecy are hidden to all people; the prophecy will be like a physically sealed scroll that no one - neither the literate nor the illiterate - can read and understand fully.
The Seal: The sealed 'scroll' in Period 1
This prophecy is designated as sealed in this passage in Period 1, and it will be unsealed in Period 3 (see 29:18). The word 'scroll' in this chiasmus (29:11 and 30:8) connects this Period 1 to Period 3 (see 29:18), and forms a part of The Seal of this prophecy.
The Seal of this entire prophecy
The seal of this prophecy, that ties Period 3 to the two other sections of the prophecy, Period 1 and Period 2, is made up of 4 words: the 'scroll' of this passage that connects Period 1 (29:11, 30:8) to Period 3 (29:18); "Carmel", which ties Period 1 (33:9) to Period 3 (32:15); the related word, "orchard", that connects Period 2 (29:17) to Period 3 (32:16); and "Ariel", which ties Period 2 (29:1-2) to Period 3 (29:7). Note that the word "scroll" is a part of the seal because this passage explicitly states that it is sealed; both "Carmel/orchard" and "Ariel" are repeated several times in this prophecy and both are used in two senses in this prophecy - we have not picked arbitrary words from the passage to be a part of the seal. The theme of this seal is the exile and restoration of the Israelites.
The opening of this Fourth Seal of Rev 6 (which involves correctly reconfiguring and explaining this prophecy and identifying and opening its seal) unleashes the Rider on the Pale Horse (see Rev 6:7,8). Note that each seal has its number encoded in the seal, and this 4th seal of Rev 6 has 4 parts that must be opened.
Subunit C2: The Northern Tribes seek Egypt's help instead of looking to God (30:6-7)
This subunit continues from the corresponding subunit C1.
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). This passage continues in Subunit B1 above.
Subunit B2: The Northern Tribes are punished with exile for their rebellion (30:8-9)
This subunit continues from the corresponding subunit B1.
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.
In order that there is a public, permanent record, Isaiah is told to write down the reason for the Northern Tribes' humiliation through the Assyrians on a tablet (cf. Isaiah 8:1): they are punished with exile for their rebellion against God's commands (see also Isa 59:13). The "scroll" mentioned in this passage may refer to this prophecy itself.
The Seal: The 'scroll' in Period 1
The word, "scroll", is a part of the seal of the Pivot above. For it connects this passage about the rebellion of the Northern Tribes to 29:18 in Period 3, which predicts the spiritual restoration of the Northern Tribes.
Subunit A2: The Northern Tribes are punished with spiritual exile (30:10-11)
This subunit continues from the corresponding subunit A1 above.
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 (see Subunit A1 above).
Chiasmus 3: The Northern Tribes trust in Pharaoh instead of their God (30:12-17, 31:1-3)
A1 30:12-15 Ephraim will be punished for seeking Egypt's help
X 30:16-18 Hoshea and his army will be captured at the start of the war (c. 725 BC)
A2 31:1-3 Ephraim will be punished for seeking Egypt's help
Subunit A1: Ephraim will be punished for seeking Egypt's help (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 Samaria refused to listen to its God, Israel's alliance with Egypt ("this sin" in 30:13) will be like a tall, weakened, bulging wall, in that it will fall apart suddenly and completely; the alliance will be like pottery that is broken into such tiny pieces that it is completely useless - not even usable for carrying coals or scooping water.
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 exhibit quiet confidence in their God, but they were unwilling to do so (2 Kings 18:12).
Pivot X: Hoshea and his army will be captured at the start of the war (c. 725 BC) (30:16-18)
Chapter 30 16 You said, ‘No, we will charge on fleet horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be faster!
This passage is addressed to Hoshea and his forces. Hoshea rejected God's instructions ("No"); he planned to attack the Assyrians with his swift Egyptian steeds, but instead, the king and his army fled on their horses and they were captured (2 Kings 17:4).
Chapter 30 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.”
This passage is addressed to Samaria. When they attacked the Assyrians, Hoshea and his allied forces were easily panicked and fled ("A thousand will flee at the threat of one..."). After Hoshea's forces were defeated and the king was captured (2 Kings 17:4), Samaria ("you") was left 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.
Subunit A2: Ephraim will be punished for seeking Egypt's help (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 of their cavalry instead of their God (see also Deut. 17:16, Psalm 20:7).
Chapter 31 2a Yet he too is able and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. 2b He will rise up against the wicked nation, and against those who help evildoers. 3a Now the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. 3b When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.
God is all powerful, and He is willing ("does not take back his words") and able to punish the disobedient, while the Egyptians, even with their strong horses, are mere mortals (31:2a and 31:3a). God punished both the wicked and those who helped them (31:2b and 31:3b have similar meanings); 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 was later forced to send tribute to the Assyrians.
Chiasmus 4: The complacent women of Ephraim will soon mourn for their land (32:9-14)
A1 32:9-10 The women of Ephraim are warned of its devastation
X 32:11-12 The women of Ephraim will mourn for their land
A2 32:13-14 The women of Ephraim are warned of its devastation
Subunit A1: The women of Ephraim are warned of its devastation (32:9-10)
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!
The smug women of the Northern Tribes face the same fate as its men (cf. Isa. 3:16-25). The women of the Northern Tribes feel secure because of their unwarranted faith in Ephraim's defences.
Chapter 32 10 In little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble; the grape harvest will end, and the harvest of fruit will not come.
The Assyrians will defeat and exile the people of Ephraim, so that there is no more farming in the land.
This passage dates this prophecy to c 726BC, a little more than a year before the Assyrian attack in 725BC.
Pivot X: The women of Ephraim will mourn for their land (32:11-12)
Chapter 32 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.
The women of Ephraim will tremble with fear, wear sackcloth and beat their breasts in sorrow (these predictions on the state of the women are phrased as imperatives), because the land of Ephraim will be destroyed by the Assyrians.
Subunit A2: The women of Ephraim are warned of its devastation (32:13-14)
Chapter 32 13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the happy homes in the joyous city. 14 The fortress is abandoned, the noisy city deserted; the citadel and watchtower will become lairs forever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks.
The Northern Tribes will no longer cultivate this land and their cities will be emptied, so that their nation will be overgrown with briers and become suitable for the grazing of cattle (cf. Isaiah 7:23-25). The Northern Tribes will never return to this land again ("forever") - the Israel of the Millennial Reign will be located elsewhere.
Chiasmus 5: The aftermath of the Assyrian assault: The Seal (33:7-9,23-24)
The Seal and its Opening
This chiasmus contains one of the 4 parts of the seal of this prophecy (see comment in 33:9 below), and we "open" this part of the seal here. We notice that these passages do not form a proper chiasmus, and so we propose that the passages 33:9,23a and 33:23b-24 are interchanged. This operation is the "twist" that opens this part of the seal.
Chiasmus 5: After the unsealing
A1 33:7-8 Ephraim is devastated: Its people are exiled after the treaty is broken
X 33:23b-24 Ephraim is inhabited by outsiders
A2 33:9, 33:23a Ephraim is devastated: Its economy is destroyed
Subunit A1: Ephraim is devastated: Its people are exiled after the treaty is broken (33:7-8)
Chapter 33 7 Look, their ambassadors cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of the alliance weep bitterly.
Ephraim, a vassal state under Assyria, violated its treaty with Assyria when it stopped paying tribute and joined with Egypt (2 Kings 17:3,4). Those who were responsible for maintaining the treaty with Assyria weep at the loss and misery that comes with the revocation of the treaty.
Chapter 33 8a The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads.
The highways are empty, because the Northern Tribes have been exiled to Assyria.
Chapter 33 8b The treaty is broken; the witnesses are ignored, there is no regard for the people.
With the treaty broken, those responsible for supervising the treaty ("witnesses") are powerless, and the Assyrians are at liberty to enslave the people of Ephraim. This passage is a closing summary of 33:7-8a.
Pivot X: Ephraim is inhabited by outsiders (33:23b-24)
Chapter 33 23b Then an abundance of spoils will be divided and even the lame will carry off plunder.
The land of the Northern Tribes is handed over to foreigners as their own, and, with the Northern Tribes exiled, their land is plundered and occupied 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). In a limited sense, these outsiders replaced the Israelites as God's people.
Subunit A2: Ephraim is devastated: Its economy is destroyed (33:9, 33:23a)
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 famously luxuriant vegetation of Lebanon, Sharon, Bashan and Carmel (cf. Zech. 11:1,2) represents the economic prosperity of all of Ephraim, and the "withering" and "drying up" of these fertile lands represent the impoverishment of the nation (cf. 29:17).
The Seal: The 'Carmel' of Period 1
The word, 'Carmel', can refer to a fertile mountain promontory on the Mediterranean, or it can refer to an 'orchard'; 'Carmel' is used in the former sense here. 'Carmel', which represents the Northern Tribes, connects this Period 1 to Period 3 (see 'Carmel' in 32:15) and forms a part of The Seal of this prophecy.
Chapter 33 23a Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread.
Ephraim is no longer a functioning economy, as represented by a ship that is not seaworthy. This is a closing summary of the previous passage (33:9).
5.2 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 13-17)
This Period is structured as a series of 5 chiasmi. The overarching message of these chiasmi is that the Judahites who are wicked and reject Christ will be punished in the First Jewish-Roman War.Chiasmus 1: Judea's spiritual leaders who reject Christ will be punished (28:7-13)
A1 28:7-8 Judea's spiritual leaders who lead people astray will be punished
X 28:9-11 God reforms some of the Judahite leaders with miracles
A2 28:12-13 Judea's spiritual leaders who lead people astray will be punished
Subunit A1: Judea's spiritual leaders who lead people astray will be punished (28:7-8)
Chapter 28 7 Indeed these 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 that cloud the mind - 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 of Jesus' ministry, 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 reforms some of the Judahite leaders 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 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" (as in the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12), 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 by impressing them with the miracle of tongues - whereby Jesus' followers speak 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: Judea's spiritual leaders who lead people astray will be punished (28:12-13)
This subunit continues from 28:8 in the corresponding Subunit A1.
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 leaders imposed on the Judahites a number of onerous man-made rules (Matt. 23:4). Jesus asked the Judahite leaders to ease the heavy burden of religious requirements on the struggling Judahites by guiding them to his Gospel ("This is rest, give rest to the weary..."), as the requirements of the New Covenant are simple (Matthew 11:28-30), but they would not listen. ("To them" refers to the prophets and priests of 28:7-8 in the corresponding subunit.)
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 accept him, Jesus' doctrine remained "a few silly little rules for this and that" and its true, deep essence remained hidden (see also Matthew 11:25, Luke 8:10).
Chapter 28 13b So 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 hunters or predators.
Chiasmus 2: The Judahite leaders must rely on Christ and not on other gods (28:14-19a)
A1 28:14-15a The Judahite leaders who rely on Satan will be destroyed
B1 28:15b The Judahite leaders who secretly worship Satan will be exposed
X 28:16-17a The Judahites' faith should be in Christ
B2 28:17b The Judahite leaders who secretly worship Satan will be exposed
A2 28:18-19a The Judahite leaders who rely on Satan will be destroyed
Subunit A1: The Judahite leaders who rely on Satan will be destroyed (28:14-15a)
Chapter 28 14 Now 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 scornful 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. This passage continues in Subunit A2 below.
Subunit B1: The Judahite leaders 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; they hid their true beliefs from the public through lies and deception (see also Matt. 23:15,27,28). This passage continues in Subunit B2 below.
Pivot X: The Judahites' faith should be in Christ (28:16-17a)
Chapter 28 16 Surely 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
need not worry.
Jesus is the valuable ("precious"), dependable cornerstone of the foundation of the Christian faith, the New Covenant: Christians are forgiven of their sins through Christ's death, and he will be their mediator (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). Through the New Covenant, Jesus shows us the right way to think, live and worship God (John 14:6). Those who believe in Christ and follow his teachings will be spiritually safe and secure - according to the metaphor of this passage, Christians do not inhabit a tottering spiritual "structure", since they have a "sure foundation" through Christ and his Gospel (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 "structure" founded on God's word from Christ).
Subunit B2: The Judahite leaders 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.
All those who secretly followed Satanic teachings, while pretending to worship God, were exposed and killed in the First Jewish-Roman War (see Luke 12:2,3) - 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: The Judahite leaders 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 (28:19b-29)
A1 28:19b-20 The Transition from the Old to the New Covenant: Introduction
B1 28:21-22 The Judahites who reject the New Covenant are purged
X 28:23-26 Jesus preaches the Gospel of the New Covenant
B2 28:27-28 The Judahites who reject the New Covenant are 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 of 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 Judahites who reject the New Covenant are 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 field adequately, plants his crop, implying that God, who has adequately prepared the Judahites (the "field") 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 some regards 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" - 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 Judahites who reject the New Covenant are 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..."), implying that 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 "field" 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.
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, because the Israelites, and the rest of mankind, had changed and God had decided that the time was right.
Chiasmus 4: Jerusalem is destroyed for its wicked theology: The Seal (29:1-4,13)
The Seal and its Opening
This chiasmus contains one of the 4 parts of the seal of this prophecy (see comment in 29:1-2 below), and we "open" this part of the seal here. We notice that the passages of this chiasmus are not in their proper locations, and so we propose that the passages 29:3-4a and 29:13 are interchanged. This operation is the "twist" that opens this part of the seal.
Chiasmus 4: After the unsealing
A1 29:1-2 Jerusalem is destroyed for its corrupt beliefs (70AD): The Seal
X 29:13,29:4b Jerusalem's worship is purely "works" based
A2 29:3-4a Jerusalem is destroyed for its corrupt beliefs (70AD)
We propose that this chiasmus is read from the centre, in the sequence: [X], [A1,A2].
Subunit A1: Jerusalem is destroyed for its corrupt beliefs (70AD): The Seal (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' 4 times in this passage, and the word 'Ariel' can mean "Lion of God" or "altar hearth". We propose that 'Ariel' is used in the former sense in the first 3 instances and in the "altar hearth" sense in the last case, for everything in Jerusalem, that was once a "lion of God", will be burned to ashes, like the ashes that remain on an "altar hearth" (29:2,4).
The Seal: 'Ariel' in Period 2
The word 'Ariel' (altar hearth), in this Period 2, indicates that Jerusalem will be destroyed and that the Israelites will be separated from their land. The same word is also used in Period 3 (see 29:7), when Israel is restored to being an 'Ariel' (Lion of God). So the word 'Ariel', that is used in 2 senses and connects this Period 2 to Period 3, forms a part of The Seal of this prophecy.
Pivot X: Jerusalem's worship is purely "works" based (29:13,29:4b)
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).
Chapter 29 4b Your voice comes like that of a spirit from the ground; your speech like a whisper from the dust.
The wicked Judahites were spiritually dead, and so, to God, their worship and prayers were like the speech of dead people ("spirit"), as though buried bodies ("from the ground/dust") were speaking.
Subunit A2: Jerusalem is destroyed for its corrupt beliefs (70AD) (29:3-4a)
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. 4a Brought low, you will speak from the ground; your speech will mumble out of the dust.
The Romans besiege and attack Jerusalem with siege towers/siege works; they breach the city walls and quite literally raze it to the ground (see also Luke 21:6, 19:43,44). The great city is left in ruins ("Brought low"), ruins that will forevermore only vaguely hint at its former glory as God's holy city (the city will "speak from the ground...").
Note that the metaphors in 29:4a in this passage and 29:4b in the pivot have different meanings, though they appear to be similar. In 29:4a Jerusalem "speaks from the ground" because it is destroyed, while in 29:4b the prayers of the wicked Judahites appear to "come from the ground" because they are spiritually dead.
Chiasmus 5: The Wickedness of the Judahites: The Seal (29:14-17)
The Seal and its Opening
This chiasmus contains one of the 4 parts of the seal of this prophecy (see comment in 29:17 below), and we "open" this part of the seal here. We notice that the passages of this chiasmus are not in their proper locations, and so we propose that the passages 29:14 and 29:15 are interchanged. This operation is the "twist" that opens this part of the seal.
Chiasmus 5: After the unsealing
A1 29:15 The wicked Judahites will be destroyed
X 29:14,16 The "learned" Judahites will look foolish
A2 29:17 The wicked Judahites will be destroyed
Subunit A1: The wicked Judahites will be destroyed (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 worship Satan and other demon gods through witchcraft and idol worship (see also Zephaniah 1:4-6) try to hide their evil from God and His faithful followers, but God sees all things (Psalm 33:13–14). These wicked Judahites rejected Christ's message and continued to worship according to the Old Covenant. This passage continues in the corresponding subunit A2 below.
Pivot X: The "learned" Judahites will look foolish (29:14,16)
Chapter 29 14 Behold, 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 certain false doctrines, such as Gnosticism, thought themselves wiser and more intelligent than others, even wiser than God (see 29:16 below). 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).
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”?
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”) (see also Isaiah 45:9).
Subunit A2: The wicked Judahites will be destroyed (29:17)
This subunit continues from the corresponding Subunit A1.
Chapter 29 17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into an orchard, and will not the orchard be considered a forest?
Those Judahites who rejected Christ in their wickedness (see corresponding Subunit A1) and continued to follow the Old Covenant were like trees in a cultivated "orchard" as long as the Old Covenant was active; but God abandoned them when the Old Covenant was terminated at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, so that they became a part of a neglected "forest".
The righteous Judahites who believed in Christ were like the stately trees of "Lebanon"; they were saved at Christ's death, when the New Covenant became the active covenant, so that they became a part of a cultivated "orchard" .
The Seal: The 'orchard' of Period 2
The word 'orchard', which, after the fall of Jerusalem, refers to Christian Judahites, connects this Period 2 to Period 3 (see 'orchard' in 32:16, where it refers to the Judahites and other Christian Israelites) and forms a part of The Seal of this prophecy.
5.3 The Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (from 2026AD) (Ch 28 Vs 5-6, Ch 29 Vs 5-8, Ch 29 Vs 18-24, Ch 30 Vs 19-33, Ch 31 Vs 4 - Ch 32 Vs 8, Ch 32 Vs 15 - 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 Seal (28:5-6, 29:5-8, 29:18-19)
A1 28:5-6 Israel is restored to being a nation ruled by God: Physically
X 29:5-8 The Beast army is defeated (2030AD): The Seal
A2 29:18-19 Israel is restored to being a nation ruled by God: Spiritually: The Seal
Subunit A1: Israel is restored to being a nation ruled by God: Physically (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 (those survivors of the purge of "Jacob's trouble" - Jer 30:7) will turn back to their God at the start of the Millennial Reign (Romans 11:25). God will be their glorious 'crown', their political leader from the spiritual realm, and He will reign through Christ and his Messiah. ( Note that in Period 1, the Northern Tribes rejected God and considered Samaria to be their 'crown' - 28:1.)
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 (2030AD): The Seal (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 29:6 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 be the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.
The mighty Beast army that comes against the New Israel ("Ariel") will suddenly and miraculously be destroyed (see Rev 14:19-20), just as suddenly and completely as the food and drink in the dream of a hungry person vanishes as soon as he wakes up. Jerusalem, referred to as Mount Zion and Ariel in this passage, synecdochically represents all of the New Israel.
The Seal: 'Ariel' in Period 3
In this subunit, Israel is called 'Ariel', which we take to mean "lion of God". This word, 'Ariel', connects Period 2 to Period 3 and forms a part of The Seal of this prophecy. For 'Ariel', the "altar hearth" at which Jerusalem was destroyed before the Israelites were separated from their land in Period 2 (29:1-2, Zech. 11:14), is now 'Ariel', the "lion of God" which destroys its enemies when the Israelites are restored to their land in this Period 3.
Subunit A2: Israel is restored to being a nation ruled by God: Spiritually: The Seal (29:18-19)
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 were cursed with spiritual ignorance regarding their own God in Period 1 (29:9,10), so that they were spiritually "humble" and "needy"; but they will now have their spiritual "eyes" opened to their God, and their spiritual "ears" opened to the word of God (see also Ezekiel 37), and they will once again rejoice in their God. The seal of this scroll will be opened in this Period, so that the Israelites and everyone else can fully understand all parts of the prophecy.
The Seal: the 'scroll' in Period 3
The word, "scroll," connects this Period 3 to Period 1 and forms a part of The Seal of this prophecy. The 'scroll' that was sealed in Period 1 (29:11,12) is unsealed in this passage (29:18,19) in Period 3; also, the Northern Tribes were exiled for their rebellion, as recorded in a "scroll" (30:8,9) in Period 1, and the Israelites are restored as the people of God in this Period.
Chiasmus 2: God reforms the Israelites (29:20-24)
A1 29:20-21 Israel is purged and reformed: It is purged
X 29:22-23a Jacob, the patriarch, will no longer be ashamed, for Israel is reformed
A2 29:23b-24 Israel is purged and reformed: It is reformed
We propose that this chiasmus is read in the sequence: [A1,A2], [X].
Subunit A1: Israel is purged and reformed: It is purged (29:20-21)
Chapter 29 20 The oppressors will vanish, the scoffers will disappear, and all who have an eye for iniquity will be cut down— 21 those who with a claim make someone out to be guilty, who ensnare the judge in court and with false charges deprive the innocent of justice.
The unrighteous in the land will be purged in the time of "Jacob's trouble" (Jer 30:7), so that the New Israel will be a fair and just nation. Verse 20 lists examples of unrighteous behaviour: oppressing the poor and weak, scoffing at the law, subverting the law ("eye for iniquity"). Verse 21 lists examples of this subversion of the law: perjury, bribery ("ensnare the judge") and false charges.
Pivot X: Jacob, the patriarch, 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 (Gen 12:1-3) will also redeem Abraham's 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 is purged and reformed: It is reformed (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.”
Israel will only worship and honour ("sanctify") the God of Israel, the one true God, the creator of all things. God will reform those Israelites who had practised false religions ("erred in spirit") and criticised Christianity, so that they accept and study the word of God.
Chiasmus 3: Israel will be spiritually and materially prosperous (30:19-24)
A1 30:19-20a Israel is nurtured and restored to prosperity
X 30:20b-22 Israel is spiritually guided
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" 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 guided (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, who had been idolators until this Period, will now be ashamed of their demon worship and contemptuously ("like a menstrual cloth...") get rid of all things connected 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 - a land of abundant rains and crops, where 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, Jer. 50:19, Isaiah 51:3...). Note that the mention of agriculture in this passage does not indicate that the economy of the New Israel will primarily be agricultural.
Chiasmus 4: God destroys Satan's Beast army (2030AD) (30:25-33)
A1 30:25-28 God destroys the Beast army
X 30:29 Israel celebrates its deliverance by God
A2 30:30-33 God destroys the Beast army
We propose that this chiasmus is read in the sequence: [A1,A2], [X].
Subunit A1: God destroys the Beast army (30:25-28)
The events of this subunit are in reverse chronological order. The chronological order is: 28b (events before the war), 27-28a (God destroys the Beast army), 25-26 (the aftermath of the Beast's defeat).
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 (see Rev 19:11-21). The defeat of Satan and his Beast army occurs during Christ's glorious Millennial Reign (note that "day" in vs 25 refers to a period), an era of great prosperity for the Israelites (we take "streams of water" and "bright light" to indicate prosperity) - when God remedies the millennia of punishment He had inflicted on His people, the Israelites, for the sins of their forefathers ("heals the wounds he inflicted") (see also Joel 2:19, Jer. 31:4,5...).
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 destructive as a raging fire, and as calamitous 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 celebrates its deliverance by God (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 when God delivers them from the mighty Beast army. They will celebrate as their forefathers celebrated their prescribed festivals (see for ex., 2 Chronicles 30:21-23).
Subunit A2: God destroys the Beast army (30:30-33)
This subunit continues from the corresponding Subunit A1.
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 celebration 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 (2026-2030AD) shortly before the start of Christ's reign over the world. Ancient Assyria was Satan's kingdom at the time of the prophecy, and it is the first of the great 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 first used only at this time of the end of Satan's reign over the world (2030AD), and God Himself starts the fire ("breath of the Lord").
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: God destroys the Beast army, and all the Israelites return to Him (2030AD) (31:4-9)
A1 31:4-5 God destroys the Beast army
X 31:6-7 The Israelites return to their God
A2 31:8-9 God destroys the Beast army
We propose that this chiasmus is read in the sequence: [A1,A2], [X].
Subunit A1: God destroys the Beast army (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" refers to the whole nation) (see also Rev 19:19,20). This period is called a "Day of the Lord", because God Himself participates in the punishment of the wicked (see Joel 3:14).
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 summarises 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.
At this great deliverance, all 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. Note that this prediction of the Israelites' spiritual restoration is phrased as an imperative.
Subunit A2: God destroys the Beast army (31:8-9)
This subunit continues from the corresponding Subunit A1.
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 ("Zion" represents the whole nation) as God's furnace (see 'Ariel' in 29:2,7) that burns up those He wishes to punish.
Chiasmus 6: Israel is restored spiritually and politically: The Seal (32:1-8,15-20)
A1 32:1-2 Israel is restored: Politically
B1 32:3-5 Israel is restored: Spiritually
X 32:6-8 The wicked leaders of Israel are replaced by the righteous
B2 32:15-17 Israel is restored: Spiritually: The Seal
A2 32:18-20 Israel is restored: Politically
Subunit A1: Israel is restored: Politically (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 reign with him ("rulers") 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: Israel is restored: Spiritually (32:3-5)
Chapter 32 3 Then the eyes of those who once saw will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who once heard will listen.
The Israelites, as the people of God, had access to spiritual wisdom from Him (they "once saw and heard"), but they were cursed with spiritual "blindness" and "deafness" in Period 1 (see Isaiah 29:10, see also Isaiah 6:9,10). That curse is now lifted, so that they stop worshipping idols and return to their God (they "see and hear" once more) (31:6,7).
Chapter 32 4 The unwise heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
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).
Chapter 32 5 No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
No longer will the Israelites be tricked by godmen who fool people into honouring and worshipping them; no longer will they be deceived by spiritual scoundrels who cheat them.
Pivot X: The difference between wicked and righteous leaders (32:6-8)
Chapter 32 6 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.
Wicked spiritual leaders spread lies about God to lead people away from Him and into demon worship and ungodliness (Rev 18:2-3); they leave 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.
Wicked political leaders implement Satan's evil plans (see Rev 17:2); they cheat the people they control, and they use their power unjustly against the weak and poor.
Chapter 32 8 But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.
But righteous spiritual and political leaders make noble plans and lead righteously, according to the will of God.
Subunit B2: Israel is restored: Spiritually: The Seal (32:15-17)
Chapter 32 15a When the Spirit is poured on us from on high, 15b the desert will be an orchard, Carmel will be considered a forest.
The Northern Tribes had rejected their God, and so God had hardened their hearts against Himself (29:9-10). At the start of the Millennial Reign, the Holy Spirit will once again open the hearts of the Northern Tribes to their own God ("the Spirit is poured on us from on high"). They will stop worshipping idols and return to their God forever (see Ezekiel 37:23).
The Northern Tribes will be restored from spiritual poverty to spiritual prosperity. They will go from being a spiritual "desert" to a spiritual "orchard"; from being a "Carmel" ("Carmel" represents the Northern Tribes) that had lost all its leaves (see 33:9 in Period 1) to a "Carmel" that is once again considered a lush forest. Note that 32:15b has two metaphors in parallel, with the same meaning.
The Seal: 'Carmel' of Period 3 that connects to Period 1
The word, 'Carmel', which represents the Northern Tribes, connects Period 1 (33:9) to Period 3 (32:15) and forms a part of the seal of this prophecy.
Chapter 32 16 Then judgement will settle down in the wilderness, and righteousness will remain in the orchard.
Sound judgement and righteousness permeate all of Israel, whether it be the Northern Tribes, who were in a spiritual "wilderness" before turning to God, or the Judahites and others. who were already Christians in the New Israel ("orchard") and remain faithful to God.
Note that while both "Carmel" and "orchard" are translations of the same Hebrew word, "Carmel" refers to the Northern Tribes in the previous verse, while "orchard" refers to the Christian Judahites in this passage.
The Seal: The 'orchard' of Period 3 that connects to Period 2
This word, 'orchard', that refers to the Christian Judahites in Period 2 (29:17) and the Christians of the New Israel in Period 3, connects Period 2 to Period 3 and forms a part of the seal of this prophecy.
Chapter 32 17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be calm and security forever.
With all of Israel turning to God and Christ, sound judgement and righteousness permeate the whole land The effect of this righteousness will be peace and security in the land forever.
Subunit A2: Israel is restored: Politically (32:18-20)
Chapter 32 18 My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
Under God and its righteous leaders (see 32:1-2 in the corresponding subunit A1), the New Israel will enjoy peace and security; Israel will be a safe land, as its people will be righteous 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.
With the Beast army ("the forest") and Satan's organization of "Babylon" ("the city") are destroyed by God ("hail"), 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: armies are similarly compared to "forests" in Isa. 10:18-19,33-34; the international organization of "Babylon" is called a "city", as in Rev 17:18 and Rev 18:10; and "hail" represents God's wrath (see also Isaiah 28:17).
Chiasmus 7: God is honoured after he defeats and destroys the wicked (from 2030AD) (33:1-6,10-14)
A1 33:1 God destroys the wicked of Israel
B1 33:2-4 God destroys the wicked Beast army
X 33:5-6 God is honoured and heeded
B2 33:10-13 God destroys the wicked Beast army
A2 33:14 God destroys the wicked of Israel
We propose that this chiasmus is read in the sequence: [A1,A2], [B1,B2], [X].
Subunit A1: God destroys the wicked of Israel (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 allows 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 wicked Beast army (33:2-4)
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 attacks 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.
This passage is addressed to God. When God's army of angels attacks the Beast army alliance ("peoples"), the Beast's soldiers flee at the noise from the natural calamities brought upon them (see 30:30,31 and 31:8,9).
Chapter 33 4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.
This passage is addressed to the Beast army ("nations"). The Beast army is destroyed at the borders of Israel; the Israelites and scavenging animals in the region plunder the remains like locusts, leaving behind nothing of this once great army (see Ezekiel 39:9-10,17-20, Rev 19:17-18).
Pivot X: God is honoured and heeded (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"). Israel will be a just and righteous nation (see also Isaiah 1:26), because its people heed God's word.
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; the Israelites and those in the rest of the world that fear God will have access to this wealth of wisdom (the fear of God is the "key to this treasure") (see Psalm 111:10).
Subunit B2: God destroys the wicked Beast army (33:10-13)
This subunit continues from the corresponding subunit B1 above. God declares victory after defeating the Beast army.
Chapter 33 10 “Now I rise,” says the Lord. “Now I am exalted; now I am lifted up.
When God defeats the mighty Beast army, Israel and the rest of the world see His power, and so God is raised up and exalted around the world.
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.”
This passage is addressed to the Beast army. The plans of Satan's Beast army have proved worthless ("conceive 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 members of Beast army ("peoples") have been burned like thornbushes (cut and dried thornbushes burn rapidly - cf. Nahum 1:10) (see also 30:30). Satan and his empire are destroyed through this ignominious defeat (see Isaiah 14:12-14).
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: God destroys the wicked of Israel (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 (33:15-22)
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, while the wicked among them will be purged. 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 (their refuge is 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.
During the reign of the Beast, certain Chinese industrial provinces had captured many Israelites to work as slaves (the "four horns" of Zech. 1:18-21, see Joel 3:4-6 in [5]). These Chinese enslavers (people whose language is obscure, strange, incomprehensible to the Israelites) were harsh taskmasters ("fierce people") to the Israelites.
But with Satan's Beast empire defeated, these enslaved Israelites will be freed (Joel 3:7, Zech. 1:18-21). So instead of being terrified of their slave drivers ("he who tallies", "he who weighs", "officer in charge of the towers"), they will now be led by 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 in place). 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 ("broad rivers and streams" indicate a flourishing economy); its economy will be protected by God and it 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) (note that 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 this prophecy is regarding 3 distinct periods, and that it is primarily regarding the restoration of Israel at the start of the Millennial Reign. We have also 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 is unusual, as it has many more subunits and reconfigurations than is typical.
This prophecy is designated as sealed and the unsealing of this prophecy, that predicts a great purge in Period 2 (28:21-22,27-28), releases the Rider on the Pale Horse, who purges Israel of its wicked (see 29:20, Rev 6:7-8).
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.