Saving hand, hearing ear

Isaiah 59 opens with an arresting parallel line:

A. Not shortened the hand of Yahweh

B. from saving

A’. And not heavy ( kavod ) his ear

B’. from hearing.

Several observations emerge from this structure.

First, the connection of hand and ear is significant. Yahweh saves by His outstretched hand; Yahweh’s hand is Yahweh activated, with the finger that is Yahweh’s Spirit. When God hears, He acts. His open ears mean that His hand is ready to strike.

Second, contrary to what some in Judah might think, Yahweh’s ear is not “heavy.” He is not like Judah, who has become “dull of hearing” (Isaiah 6:10). His ears are open, like a good priest, like a faithful servant (!), ready to act at Israel’s request.

Third, the B sections are also parallel. If the hand works in response to what the ear receives, then saving is also a product of hearing. The parallel is reinforced by a verbal pun: In Isaiah 59:1, “from saving” translates mehoshiya’ , while “from hearing” translates mishshemoa’ .

For Yahweh, to hear is to be poised to save. For us, trust in God’s saving power is trust in His willingness to hear our prayers, and, conversely, confidence in prayer is just another form of trust in God as Savior.