A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 1

Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 14 September 2026 *

Fig. 1

Introduction

This study treats Isaiah 1 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.

In this opening chapter, Isaiah makes the important prediction of the coming of a New Covenant, the one that Christ brought into effect through his death. Isaiah also predicts the restoration of Israel to a righteous people of God at the start of the Millennial Reign.

Discussion

1. Presuppositions

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

1. Christ introduces a New Covenant through His Ministry and Death (26AD-30AD).
2. Judea is destroyed during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD).
3. Israel is Spiritually Restored at the Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (from 2026AD).

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 Christ's Death Period 1, the time of the First Jewish–Roman War Period 2 and the start of Christ's Millennial Reign Period 3.

Categorizing Isaiah 1:2b-31

vs 2b-3 belong to Period 3. God has hidden His face from the Northern Tribes until the start of the Millennial Reign.

vs 4-9 belong to Period 2. The Judahites are stubbornly evil and rebellious. The Romans destroy Judea and lay siege to Jerusalem.

vs 10-20 belong to Period 1. God signals the end of the Old Covenant and instructs the Judahites on righteous behaviour. God introduces a New Covenant, as the Judahites did not follow the Old Covenant in the right spirit. ( Verse 10 could also belong to Period 2, but we place it here in Period 1 so that we get proper regular chiasmi within the Periods.)

vs 21-28 belong to Period 2. The Judahites are purged and the remaining Judahite Christians become a righteous people. ( Although vs 26-28 could be regarding Period 3, we place it here in Period 2 so that the "city" metaphors of vs 21 and vs 26 are together, and so that we get proper regular chiasmi within the Periods.)

vs 29-31 belongs to Period 3. The Israelites renounce idol-worship and are restored to being a people of God.

Original text

We color-code the chiastic units of the original text 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 1 2b “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”
4 Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.
5 Why do you continue to invite punishment? [a] Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is sick, your whole heart diseased [b].
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil.
7 Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire. Your [c] fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers. 8 Daughter Zion is left—like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field—a city besieged [d] . 9 Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 12 Surely you come to appear before me, but who requires this of you, [e] this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. 17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; 20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
21 See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her— but now murderers! 22 Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water. 23 Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Woe! I will rid myself of my adversaries [f] and avenge myself on my enemies. 25 I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. 26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”
27 Zion will be delivered with judgement [g], her converts [h] with righteousness. 28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish.
29 “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen. 30 You are [i] like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water. 31 The strong one was tinder and his work a spark; both have burned [j] together, with no one to quench the fire.”

Retranslation notes for Isaiah 1:
[a] vs 5 "Why do you continue to invite punishment?" instead of "Why should you be beaten anymore?".
[b] vs 5 "sick, your whole heart diseased" instead of "injured, your whole heart afflicted".
[c] vs 7 "fire. Your" instead of "fire; your".
[d] vs 8 "Daughter Zion is left—like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field—a city besieged" instead of "Daughter Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city under siege". Changed the punctuation; a city cannot be compared to a city, Jerusalem is literally besieged.
[e] vs 12 "Surely you come to appear before me, but who requires this of you" instead of "When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you".
[f] vs 24 "Woe! I will rid myself of my adversaries" instead of "Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes".
[g] vs 27 "judgement" instead of "justice".
[h] vs 27 "converts" instead of "penitent ones".
[i] vs 30 "are" instead of "will be". Changed the tense based on the Literal Standard Version.
[j] vs 31 "The strong one was tinder and his work a spark; both have burned" instead of "The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn". Changed the tense based on the Literal Standard Version.

3. Building the reconfigured text

From this parse, it appears that Isaiah 1 forms a cryptochiasmus as below:

A1   vs 2b-3 Period 3. The Northern Tribes don't know their God
  B1   vs 4-9 Period 2. Judea is destroyed for its rebellion
    X   vs 10-20 Period 1. Christ introduces a New Covenant
  B2   vs 21-28 Period 2. The Judahites are purged and restored
A2   vs 29-31 Period 3. Israel's Northern Tribes are redeemed

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 lead with central pivot point 'X'. 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:

X  [A1,A2]  [B1,B2]        (1)

Translating (1) into verse numbers, we get:

vs 10-20  [vs 2b-3, vs 29-31]   [vs 4-9, vs 21-28]        (2)

We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses so they are in sequence (2).

4. Isaiah 1 Reconfigured

Christ introduces a New Covenant through His Ministry and Death (26AD-30AD) (vs 10-20)

Chiasmus 1: God signals the end of the Old Covenant (vs 10-15)


Chiasmus 2: God proposes a New Covenant (vs 16-20)



Israel is Spiritually Restored at the Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (from 2026AD) (vs 2b-3, vs 29-31)



Judea is destroyed during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (vs 4-9, vs 21-28)

Chiasmus 1: The Judahites continue to rebel even after they are punished (vs 4-6)


Chiasmus 2: Judea and Jerusalem are destroyed (vs 7-9)


Chiasmus 3: The Judahites will become a righteous people again (vs 21-28)

5. A Commentary on the Reconfigured Text

5.0 Introductory Passage (vs 1-2a)

1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Isaiah son of Amoz ministered to Judah between the reigns of Uzziah and Hezekiah, circa 742BC–687BC. The name Isaiah means "Yehovah is salvation."

We believe that this passage, in vs 1-2a, is an introduction to the whole book and not just this prophecy in Ch. 1. Although many prophecies in the book are regarding nations other than "Judah and Jerusalem," we have shown that in the many cryptochiastically structured passages in the book, all have one Period regarding the First Jewish-Roman War and almost all have a Period on the time of the Millennial Reign - both these Periods can be considered to be regarding "Judah and Jerusalem."

2a Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken:

All Isaiah's prophecies from God are addressed to all in the heavens and the earth.

5.1 Christ introduces a New Covenant through His Ministry and Death (26AD-30AD) (vs 10-20)

This Period is structured as a series of 2 chiasmi.

Chiasmus 1: God signals the end of the Old Covenant (vs 10-15)

A1 vs 10-11 The Judahites act wickedly even as they follow aspects of the law: So their sacrifices no longer please God
    X vs 12-13a God wants the Judahites to stop their sacrifices and feasts
A2 vs 13b-15 The Judahites act wickedly even as they follow aspects of the law: So their temple visits have become a burden to God

We propose that this chiasmus is read in the sequence: [A1,A2], [X].

Subunit A1: The Judahites act wickedly even as they follow aspects of the law: So their sacrifices no longer please God (vs 10-11)

10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 “The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

For the enormity of their sins, God compares the leaders and people of Judah to those of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Ezekiel 16:49–50). God abhors the sacrifices and offerings from these wicked people (cf. 1 Samuel 15:22); though the sacrifices are according to the Old Covenant, they have become empty rituals as practised by the evil Judahites.

Pivot X: God wants the Judahites to stop their sacrifices and feasts (vs 12-13a)

12 Surely you come to appear before me, but who requires this of you, this trampling of my courts? 13a Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me.

In this Pivot, God tells the Judahites to stop their visits to the temple (as detailed in Subunit A2 below) and their sacrifices (as detailed in Subunit A1 above) because they have become meaningless and detestable. God clearly signals the upcoming end of the Old Covenant here - it will be terminated with the fall of Jerusalem in Period 2 (see also Romans 7:6, 8:3).

Subunit A2: The Judahites act wickedly even as they follow aspects of the law: So their temple visits have become a burden to God (vs 13b-15)

13b New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!

God detests the Judahites' visits to the temple for rituals, assemblies, festivals and sabbaths. These visits were at one time a joy to the Lord, but now have become a burden because of the Judahites' sinfulness. The Judahites may follow the letter of the Mosaic Law ("works", see Galatians 2:16), faithfully observing the sacrifices, rituals and prayers, but they ignore its spirit, for they continue to be unrighteous in their dealings ("hands full of blood") (see also 1 Samuel 15:22).

Chiasmus 2: God proposes a New Covenant (vs 16-20)

A1 vs 16-17 The terms of the Covenant: The Judahites must become a righteous people
    X vs 18 God proposes a New Covenant through Christ
A2 vs 19-20 The terms of the Covenant: Righteous Judahites will be blessed, those who reject the Covenant will be killed

We propose that this chiasmus is read from the middle, in the sequence: [X] [A1,A2].

Subunit A1: The terms of the Covenant: The Judahites must become a righteous people (vs 16-17)

16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. 17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

The strict and detailed rules that made up the Old Covenant are replaced in the New Covenant by a few commands that capture the essence of the Law (see Matt. 22:37-40). But while there are fewer rules to follow under the New Covenant, the standard of behaviour expected of Christians is far superior (see Matthew 5:17-48). This passage lists a few examples of the type of behaviour expected of Christians; they are to stop doing evil ("wash and make yourselves clean") and live a life of love, faith and righteousness (Galatians 5:22-24, 1 Cor. 13. Hebrews 11:1-3, Philippians 4:8...).

Pivot X: God proposes a New Covenant through Christ (vs 18)

18a “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.

God calls on the Judahites to solemnly commit to the superior New Covenant ("let us settle the matter", meaning "let us commit to a binding contract") from Christ that goes into effect at his death (1 Peter 2:24-25). All those who believe in Christ become parties to this covenant, and the mutual obligations of the parties are detailed in the subunits A1 & A2.

18b “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

God promises that even the worst sinners ("those whose sins are as scarlet") will be forgiven ("white as wool" - cf. Psalm 51:7), they start anew with a clean slate, if they only believe in Christ ("washed in the blood of the Lamb" - Rev. 7:14) - the sacrifices of the Old Covenant are no longer necessary after Jesus' death on the cross for the sins of mankind (Col. 2:14).

The dyes that were used for crimson at the time (extracted from insect eggs and worms) were known to be colour-fast - it was impossibly difficult to wash off this colour from wool or cotton to make it white again. So the thrust of the metaphor is that Christ's death cleanses people of even those sins that seem too heinous to be forgiven. ( We do not believe that the intention here is to associate sin with the colour crimson/red/scarlet.)

Although this chiasmus on the New Covenant is addressed to the Judahites, the New Covenant is for all mankind.

Subunit A2: The terms of the Covenant: Righteous Judahites will be blessed, those who reject the Covenant will be killed (vs 19-20)

19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land;

Those Judahites who are willing to commit to this covenant, and remain righteous and obedient to the word of God and Christ, will enjoy a blessed existence in the land (see Isaiah 3:10) (note that "good things of the land" does not mean great earthly wealth).

20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Those Judahites who resist Christ and therefore reject this New Covenant will be killed by the Romans in Period 2 ("devoured by the sword") (see also Matt 24:15,16. Dan 12:1). The declaration that "the mouth of the Lord has spoken" these words is designed to draw the attention of the Judahites to this prophecy, for God wanted to spare as many of them as possible from the slaughter of Period 2.

5.2 Israel is Spiritually Restored at the Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (from 2026AD) (vs 2b-3, vs 29-31)

This Period is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:

A1 vs 2b-3 Israel had sinned against God and it had been punished: Spiritually punished (c 722BC-2026AD)
    X vs 29 Israel will reject its idolatry and return to its God (from 2026AD)
A2 vs 30-31 Israel had sinned against God and it had been punished: Physically punished (c 722BC-2026AD)

We propose that this chiasmus is read in the sequence: [A1,A2], [X].

Subunit A1: Israel had sinned against God and it had been punished: Spiritually punished (c 722BC-2026AD) (vs 2b-3)

Note that the events of this Unit A take place before this Period.

2b “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”

God had chosen the nation of Israel as His portion (Deut. 32:9), and He had nurtured it in its early years (see also Hosea 11:1a). But the Northern Tribes of Israel, that make up its overwhelming majority, had rebelled against God, and they had been punished for their sins. Because of their unfaithfulness, God had cursed them with spiritual blindness and hid His face from them (see Isaiah 29:9,10). Right up to the start of Christ's Millennial Reign over Israel, the descendants of those Israelites continued to be ignorant of the God of their forefathers - they were worse than the ox and donkey in this regard - and unmoved by Christianity; they continued to worship the idols of demon gods (see also Isaiah 31:6,7).

Pivot X: Israel will reject its idolatry and return to its God (from 2026AD) (vs 29)

29 “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen.

The Israelites will turn back to their God in a great awakening (Ezekiel 37:22-23), and they will become ashamed of their idolatrous past (see also Isaiah 30:22). The "sacred oaks" and "gardens" - instruments of idolatry - represent the worship of fallen angels (see also Isaiah 57:5).

Subunit A2: Israel had sinned against God and it had been punished: Physically punished (c 722BC-2026AD) (vs 30-31)

30 You are like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water.

Israel ("You") has been severely weakened for its sins as a nation ("oak with fading leaves...") (Deut. 28:15-68). ( While in the previous verse, vs 29, the oaks and gardens represented idolatry, here the nation of Israel is itself compared to an oak and a garden.)

31 The strong one was tinder and his work a spark; both have burned together, with no one to quench the fire.”

Israel, once a strong nation under God, has been punished - it has burned like tinder, and its idolatry ("work") has been the spark that set it ablaze (see 2 Kings 17:7-23). This punishment from God that began in ancient times has continued until this Period ("no one to quench the fire").

5.3 Judea is destroyed during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (vs 4-9, vs 21-28)

This Period is structured as a series of 3 chiasmi.

Chiasmus 1: The Judahites continue to rebel even after they are punished (vs 4-6)

A1 vs 4 The Judahites have become a wicked people and they have been punished for it
    X vs 5 The Judahites refuse to repent
A2 vs 6 The Judahites have become a wicked people and they have been punished for it

We propose that this chiasmus is read in the sequence: [A1,A2], [X].

Subunit A1: The Judahites have become a wicked people and they have been punished for it (vs 4)

4 Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.

By this Period the Judahites had become a wicked nation, primarily because they were the followers ("children", "brood") of the false teachings of the Pharisees (see Matt. 23). They followed a version of Judaism that was corrupted with teachings from Babylon, and many even turned to other gods (see also Zephaniah 1:5-6). This subunit continues in Subunit A2 below.

Pivot X: The Judahites refuse to repent (vs 5)

We propose that this pivot concludes the thoughts in the subunits.

5a Why do you continue to invite punishment? Why do you persist in rebellion?

God asks Judah why it continues to disobey Him, forcing Him to punish the nation severely (see also Matthew 23:37,38). This passage concludes Subunit A2 below.

5b Your whole head is sick, your whole heart diseased.

The soul of the nation ("head/heart") is thoroughly infected with the disease of wickedness. This passage concludes Subunit A1 above.

Subunit A2: The Judahites have become a wicked people and they have been punished for it (vs 6)

6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with olive oil.

God has physically punished the Judahites severely for their wickedness (so that the nation has "wounds, welts and open sores" all over its body) (see for ex. Dan 11:28-31).

Chiasmus 2: Judea and Jerusalem are destroyed (vs 7-9)

A1 vs 7 Judea is destroyed by the Romans (66-73AD)
    X vs 8 The Romans lay siege to Jerusalem (70AD)
A2 vs 9 Judea is destroyed by the Romans (66-73AD)

Subunit A1: Judea is destroyed by the Romans (66-73AD) (vs 7)

7 Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire. Your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.

God used the Romans to severely punish His own people, the Judahites. The Romans under Titus ("strangers", "foreigners") ravaged the towns and villages in Judea, leaving the whole land in a devastated state (see also Joel 1:9-12). ( See our parse Daniel 9 for more details on this Period [2].)

Pivot X: The Romans lay siege to Jerusalem (70AD) (vs 8)

8 Daughter Zion is left—like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field—a city besieged.

Most of the Judahites from the surrounding regions had fled to the well-fortified capital, Jerusalem. The city is like a watchman's hut at the centre of a crop field - a lone refuge for the Judahites from the rampaging Romans. Jerusalem is called "Daughter Zion" according to the custom of the time of comparing great cities to comely young ladies (cf. for ex., Micah 4:8).

After a few months the Romans go on to breach the fortifications of the city, kill all its people and destroy it (see Luke 21:20,24).

Subunit A2: Judea is destroyed by the Romans (66-73AD) (vs 9)

9 Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.

The Romans conducted an indiscriminate slaughter of the Judahites and took the few that remained into slavery. Judahite Christians were spared the Roman massacre, as those who believed in Christ took his advice to flee to the mountains on seeing the Romans (see Matt. 24:15,16, Matt. 11:23). So Judah was spared the utter annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah. ( This verse is quoted in Romans 9:29 as an example of God sparing those that are the objects of His mercy, those prepared in advance for glory - Rom. 9:23.)

Chiasmus 3: The Judahites will become a righteous people again (vs 21-28)

A1 vs 21-22 The Judahite "city" has become corrupt
  B1 vs 23 The Judahites' leaders have become corrupt
    X vs 24 God destroys His enemies among the Judahites
  B2 vs 25-26a The Judahites' leaders will be restored to righteousness
A2 vs 26b-28 The corrupt Judahite "city" will be restored to righteousness


Subunit A2: The Judahite "city" has become corrupt (vs 21-22)

21a See how the faithful city has become a prostitute!

The Judahite community (the community is called a "city", as in Isaiah 26:5) that once faithfully worshipped God has become a prostitute; that is, the people have turned to false doctrines like Gnosticism and even to idol worship (see John 8:44, Zephaniah 1:5-6).

21b She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her— but now murderers!

With their religion perverted, the Judahites' behaviour has become immoral. Jerusalem's unrighteous people used the corrupt governing system to commit crimes, even murder (as they did in the case of Jesus' crucifixion in Period 1 - Luke 23:13-25).

22 Your silver has become dross, your choice wine is diluted with water.

With the souls of the people defiled with bad doctrines, all aspects of the nation have become corrupt (see also Isaiah 3:14,15). For example, its merchants cheat with debased silver and diluted wine. ( We treat this passage as literal.)

Subunit B1: The Judahites' leaders have become corrupt (vs 23)

23a Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves;

The rulers and the judges of the Judahites rebel against God and they are partners with the wicked Pharisees who steal from the poor (see Isaiah 3:14) .

23b they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.

Because of their corrupt religious beliefs, the judges of Judah are unscrupulous in their dealings; they accept bribes from the rich, so that the poor and weak do not have justice (see also Isaiah 3:14-15).

Pivot X: God destroys His enemies among the Judahites (vs 24)

24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Woe! I will rid myself of my adversaries and avenge myself on my enemies.

This pivot can be considered a closing summary of this chiasmus. Through the war of this Period, God will purge the Judahites of its wicked and rebellious leaders and people ("adversaries", "enemies") (see also Matthew 23:37-38).

Subunit B2: The Judahites' leaders will be restored to righteousness (vs 25-26a)

25 I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities.

The Judahites will be purged of its wicked leaders during the war (see also Isaiah 3:2-4).

26a I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning.

After the war, only the Christian Judahites remain, and this community's righteous leaders will be chosen by God, as it was in the times of the judges of ancient Israel and of king David (1 Samuel 16:7).

Subunit A2: The corrupt Judahite "city" will be restored to righteousness (vs 26b-28)

26b Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”

The community of Christian Judahites (the community is called "the City of Righteousness" and "the Faithful City", as in 21:21a above and in Isaiah 26:1) will be a bastion of righteousness that remains faithful to God and to Christian principles.

27 Zion will be delivered with judgement, her converts with righteousness. 28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish.

The righteous Christian Judahites ("converts") will protect themselves from the Roman rampage by following Christ's instructions to flee to the mountains (see Matthew 24:15-16), while the wicked among them ("rebels and sinners") will be killed (see also Isaiah 18:5).

Conclusion

With this chiastic reconfiguration of the text, we have shown that Isaiah 1 contains prophecies on three distinct Periods. Christ's death for the redemption of the world indicated the start of the New Covenant in Period 1. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD and the killing off of the Judahites who did not believe in Christ signalled the end of the Old Covenant in Period 2. After the rest of the world came under the New Covenant, the Northern Tribes are finally brought under it in Period 3 (Romans 11:25-26).

References

[1] A Definition of Cryptochiasmus
[2] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of "The 70 Weeks Of Daniel"
[3] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 10-12
[4] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Daniel 8
[5] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Revelation 4-22, Part 2





* First version published on November 10 2021.