Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 181:724 (Oct 2024)
Article: Isaiah’s Understanding Of The Babylonian Threat
Author: Phillip A. Powers

BSac 181:724 (October-December 2024) p. 435

Isaiah’s Understanding Of The Babylonian Threat

Phillip A. Powers

Phillip A. Powers is a PhD student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

Abstract

Composite authorship of Isaiah has been the consensus in modern scholarship for many decades. However, the traditional position that the book’s oracles were composed by Isaiah ben Amoz in the mid- to late eighth century BCE should not be dismissed out of hand. This article argues that the Babylonian oracle (13:1–14:23) fits plausibly within the historical, literary, and theological context of the mid- to late eighth century BCE, and therefore, the authorship of these oracles should be attributed to Isaiah ben Amoz.

Isaiah 13:1 reads, “A pronouncement concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw.”1 The meaning of this text seems relatively straightforward, namely that the oracle that follows concerns Babylon and was seen and written down by Isaiah ben Amoz as part of his prophetic ministry in the mid- to late eighth century BCE. However, this is not how this verse is typically understood in modern scholarship. For example, Watts writes matter-of-factly that “Isa 13:1–14:23 reflects the world of the Babylonian period (612–540 B.C.E).”2 Likewise, Childs writes, “Even more important, the description of Babylon in chapter 13 as the epitome of evil and world power is far more suitable to the age of Nebuchadnezzar than Merodach-baladan.”3 The conclusions of these two authors are illustrative of the broad consensus of critical scholarship regarding

BSac 181:724 (October-December 2024) p. 436

the authorship of Isaiah, namely that the canonical form of Isaiah results from a long process of combining smaller, originally independent units from different periods in Israel’s history—a process that was finally completed in the postexilic period.4

Three pieces of evidence are usually marshaled in support of this late-date hypothesis. The first and most common is simply the timeline for Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power. The rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire is usually dated to the ascension of Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar II, in 625 and the subsequent conquest of Nineveh in 612.You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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