Poetry of Reconciliation

When Yahweh returns to abandoned Zion, she breaks into song. He breaks into poetry (Isaiah 54).

He describes Zion as a “woman forsaken and grieved in Spirit, a wife of youth refused” (v. 6). “Forsaken” translates ‘azuvah , and “grieved” translates ‘atzuvat , and the assonance in Hebrew continues, though less pronounced, with the word “youth,” ne’uriym .

He explains, “With little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment” (v. 8). “Little wrath” is shetzef qetzef . You can almost see the dismissive hand-wave that accompanies the phrase: “Pish, posh; it was nothing, because now we’ll be together forever.”