Isaiah: The Most Prophecies Concerning the Redemption | Introduction Part 2
Fourteen promises for hope.
Welcome to Gateways, where you experience the Nevi'im Acharonim—the Later Prophets—through the teachings of Don Yitzchak Abarbanel, distilled into easy-to-follow lessons.
In this post, we continue with Abarbanel’s introduction to the Book of Isaiah. In the previous post, he explained why it makes sense for Isaiah to come first in our cannon—unlike the order the Rabbis perscribed in the Talmud—for five reasons.
The first post covered the first three reasons: due to, chronology, his stature, the quality of his prophecy.
This post covers the fourth reason: due to the number of prophecies concerning the redemption.
The final reason for Isaiah’s importance is the number of prophecies concering the resureection.
Abarbanel starts with a comparison to the number of prophecies stated by other prophets, then lists his 14.
I’ve added a Takeways section where I include a few ideas for how the content presented her can inform our life.
For the full unabridge version of this post at the end, click here.
Photo by Michael Goyberg
Fourth Reason: Number of Prophecies Related to Salvation
And the fourth consideration is from the perspective of the material of the book, and this will be understood in two ways. The first is that the level of the book, or the prophet who composed it, is estimated according to the number of consolations and good things that he prophesied for Israel—or their fewness.
And you will see that in the Book of Isaiah came many prophecies of consolation and the redemption of Israel, more than in any other book of the other prophets—to the point that in Masechet Pesachim 56a the Sages said, as I already mentioned above, that the entire Book of Isaiah is “Consolation.” Because more promises and prophecies of consolation appeared in it, they concluded from this statement that the entire book is consolation.
Comparison to Other Prophets
And I already made a treatise in memory of the necessary and clarified prophecies about the future redemption that appear in all the Holy Scriptures. I called it “The One Who Announces Salvation” (Mashmi'a Yeshuah). And there I brought from the words of the
Master of the Prophets (i.e., Moses) four prophecies,
and from the words of Balaam, one prophecy,
and from the words of Jeremiah, six prophecies,
and from the words of Ezekiel, ten prophecies,
and from the words of Hosea, one prophecy,
and from the words of Joel, one prophecy,
and from the words of Amos, one prophecy,
and all the words of Obadiah, which is one prophecy,
and in the words of Micah, two prophecies,
and in the words of Habakkuk, one prophecy,
and in the words of Zephaniah, one prophecy,
and in the words of Haggai, one prophecy,
and in the words of Zechariah, four prophecies,
and in the words of Malachi, one prophecy.
Indeed, in the words of Isaiah, I have found fifteen clear and explained prophecies about the future redemption. And perhaps, by the decree of the “watchers and the word of the holy ones” (Daniel 4:17), his name was called Isaiah from birth and from the womb, either to signify that he would proclaim and publicize God's salvation and the redemption of His people, or to hint that he would prophesy fifteen prophecies about salvation and future redemption. For "yesha" (salvation) is a name for deliverance and redemption, as it says, "I will show him the salvation of God," and the letters Y-H add up to fifteen. .
And since the prophecies of comfort in the book of Isaiah are so many, the content of his book, which focuses on consolation and future redemption, deserves to be placed before the books of the other prophets, who included fewer such prophecies. Isaiah himself praised this in the verse, "The Lord has called me from the womb; from the belly of my mother He mentioned my name," and in another place:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord anointed me to bring good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners, to proclaim a year of favor for the Lord and a day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn, to grant the mourners of Zion beauty instead of ashes..."
This is the first aspect of the book's content. The second aspect is that Isaiah went further than any other prophet in revealing and promising the future redemption.
Fourteen Promises for Hope
If you delve deeply and investigate well his prophecies, you will recognize and understand that this honorable prophet revealed and explained, regarding our future redemption and the rescue of our souls, fourteen promises:
First promise: God will take vengeance on all the nations who acted wickedly toward Israel—whether through their own mutual warfare when gathered to fight over the Holy Land, or through plague, fire, sulfur, or destructive storms from heaven. This is seen in the eleventh prophecy ("Woe, land of buzzing wings"), the twelfth ("Burden of Egypt"), the twentieth ("Behold, the Lord empties the land"), the twenty-third ("Draw near, O nations"), the twenty-ninth ("Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness"), and the thirty-fifth ("Behold, I will extend to her peace like a river"), and others.
Second promise: The vengeance upon Edom and the city of Bozrah will be greater than that upon other nations. They will not merit to call upon the name of the Lord or to serve Him in unity like the remnant of other nations. This is seen in the twenty-third prophecy ("Draw near, O nations") and the thirty-third ("Who is this coming from Edom"), among others.
Third promise: The salvation and redemption of Israel, and the ingathering of the exiles. This appears in the eighth prophecy ("On that day the Lord will again extend His hand to acquire the remnant of His people"), the eleventh ("Woe, land of buzzing wings"), the twentieth ("On that day this song will be sung in Judah... the great shofar will be blown"), the twenty-third ("Strengthen weak hands"), the twenty-fifth ("Comfort, comfort My people"), the twenty-eighth ("Thus said the Lord: In a time of favor I answered you"), the twenty-ninth ("I, I am He who comforts you"), the thirty-first ("Sing, barren one"), the thirty-third ("Arise, shine; I will rejoice greatly"), the thirty-fourth ("Thus said the Lord: as wine is found in the cluster"), the thirty-fifth ("Rejoice with Jerusalem"), and others.
Fourth promise: In the future redemption, the ten tribes exiled by Sennacherib to Assyria will return, for they did not return during the Second Temple. This is seen in the eighth prophecy and in the twentieth ("From the ends of the earth we heard songs"), and in the twenty-eighth ("Behold, these come from afar"), and others.
Fifth promise: The future redemption will resemble the redemption from Egypt in many ways—in the vengeance upon those who held Israel captive (like Pharaoh and Egypt), in a complete redemption with no Israelites left in exile (just like none remained in Egypt), through a great prophet with signs and wonders (like Moses), and with a splitting of the sea. This is seen in the eighth prophecy, and in the nineteenth ("Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the Lord...").
Sixth promise: There is a set time decreed by God for Israel's redemption, which will not be delayed, even if there are many sinners. The wicked among them will perish during the ingathering and birth pangs of the Messiah, while the righteous will inherit the land. This is seen in the twenty-third prophecy: "For it is the day of vengeance for the Lord, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion," and "No unclean person shall pass through it." Also: "I, the Lord, in its time, I will hasten it," and "I looked, but there was no one..."
Seventh promise: This exile will be long and extended. Redemption will only come after a long period of exile. This is seen in the twenty-eighth prophecy ("Zion said, the Lord has abandoned me..."), and others.
Eighth promise: At the time of redemption, the Divine Presence and prophecy will return to Israel, and knowledge and wisdom will increase among them. This is seen in the eighth prophecy ("The earth will be filled with knowledge of the Lord"), the eleventh, the twenty-fifth ("The glory of the Lord will be revealed"), the thirty-third ("Arise, shine, for your light has come").
Ninth promise: At the future redemption, all sinners of Israel who left the faith and assimilated among the nations—whether under coercion, temptation, or other reasons—will return to God, repent, and rejoin their heritage. This is seen in the twenty-sixth ("Thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob..."), the thirty-second ("A redeemer shall come to Zion and to those who repent of transgression"), and the thirty-fifth ("From them, too, I will take priests and Levites").
Tenth promise: In the future redemption, a king from the House of David will reign, called by name, and will be full of wisdom and justice. This is in the eighth prophecy ("A shoot will emerge from the stump of Jesse"), and the twenty-fifth ("Behold, My servant, whom I uphold").
Eleventh promise: After the future redemption, Israel will never go into exile again. Their hearts will be transformed so they will no longer return to foolishness and sin. All will be righteous and inherit the land forever. This is seen in the twenty-ninth prophecy ("I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering... you will never drink it again"), the thirty-first ("This is like the waters of Noah to Me..."), and the thirty-third ("Violence will no longer be heard in your land...").
Twelfth promise: After the redemption, the remaining nations will accept faith in God, and all will call on the Lord's name and serve Him together. This is seen in the twentieth ("The mountain of the Lord will be established"), the eleventh, the twelfth ("Burden of Egypt"), and the thirty-third.
Thirteenth promise: After the redemption and vengeance, peace will prevail across the entire world. No one will learn war anymore. This is seen in the second prophecy ("They shall beat their swords into plowshares..."), the eighth ("The wolf shall dwell with the lamb"), the twelfth, and the twenty-fourth ("The wolf and the lamb shall graze together").
Fourteenth promise: Around the time of the redemption, God will perform a wondrous miracle on earth—the resurrection of the dead. This is seen in the second prophecy, the twenty-eighth, the thirty-fifth ("Rejoice with Jerusalem"), and onward to the end of the book.
Thus, here are fourteen extraordinary foundations that Isaiah prophesied about the future redemption. Without doubt, he was given these fourteen in great abundance.
Comparison to Other Prophets
It’s reasonable to say that many of our sages were geniuses. This evaluation by Abarbanel, to my mind, demonstrates a grasp of the Bible that is nothing short of breathtaking. Having said that, feel free to scan down to the last paragraph, “In conclusion.”
Other prophets only prophesied about some of these and not all. Even within Isaiah's words are encompassed the others'.
For behold: Jeremiah foretold in all his prophecies only about eight of these promised redemptions of Isaiah, and they are: the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the seventh, the eighth, the tenth, and the eleventh.
As for Ezekiel, he prophesied about ten of these promises, and they are: the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the eighth, the tenth, the eleventh, the twelfth, the thirteenth, and the fourteenth.
As for Hosea, he prophesied about eight of these promises, and they are: the first, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the eighth, the tenth, the eleventh, and the twelfth.
As for Joel, he prophesied about seven of these promises, and they are: the first, the second, the third, the sixth, the eighth, the eleventh, and the twelfth.
As for Amos, he prophesied about five of these promises, and they are: the first, the second, the third, the tenth, and the eleventh.
As for Obadiah, he prophesied about five of these promises, and they are: the first, the second, the third, the fourth, and the eighth.
As for Micah, he prophesied about eleven of these promises, and they are: the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the eighth, the tenth, the eleventh, the twelfth, and the thirteenth.
As for Habakkuk, he prophesied about six of these promises, and they are: the first, the second, the third, the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth.
As for Zephaniah, he prophesied about eight of these promises, and they are: the first, the third, the fourth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the eleventh, and the twelfth.
As for Haggai, he prophesied about four of these promises, and they are: the first, the third, the eighth, and the thirteenth.
As for Zechariah, he prophesied about eleven of these promises, and they are: the first, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the eighth, the tenth, the eleventh, the twelfth, the thirteenth, and the fourteenth.
As for Malachi, he prophesied about only four of the promises, and they are: the first, the fourth, the twelfth, and the fourteenth.
But as for Jonah son of Amittai and Nahum the Elkoshite, they did not speak at all about the future redemption—not about any of these fourteen promises that Isaiah mentioned.
As for what Nahum said: “Behold on the mountains the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace”—it was said about the building of the Second Temple, and the end of the verse proves this, for he said: “O Judah, keep your feasts, fulfill your vows, for no more will the wicked one pass through you; he is utterly cut off.” He said this about the seed of Nebuchadnezzar.
So it is clear that everything these prophets prophesied, Isaiah had already prophesied before them, besides the additional promises that he prophesied and they did not.
It is true that Ezekiel prophesied in great detail about the expansion of the land of Israel and Jerusalem in the future, and about the division of the land among the tribes, the prince, and the sojourners who will inherit with them, and about the building of the future Temple.
And Jeremiah also prophesied about the expansion of Jerusalem clearly in his prophecy beginning with “I found grace in the wilderness”. Other prophets also spoke of this. But even this was not hidden from Isaiah, for he said: “Expand the place of your tent”, and he said: “To the right and to the left you shall spread out.” And the idea of inheriting the land includes the division, and the idea of the dwelling of the Divine Presence among them includes the building of the Temple.
In conclusion, the words of all of them are included within his words. And all this proves the superior content of this book, based on the totality of its prophecies and promises.
Takeaways
Obviously, there’s so much to say about the importance of the redemption, our reasons for hope, our inspiration to pray, our desire to be worthy of it, that it seems silly to try and provide a simple takeaway.
In Igrot Ha-Re'aya, a distraught father writes to Rav Kook expressing his concern that his son is no longer following the ways of Judaism. Rav Kook consoles him by sharing that Judaism today is just a faint echo of what we were and what we will be. To me, this idea helps me judge more kindly all the followers of our faith—myself included—for when we fall short of our calling, and inspires me to live life as it should be lived.