In an essay form Israel’s Prophetic Heritage, Bernard W. Anderson analyzes the “exodus typology” in what he calls “second Isaiah” (available here). He acknowledges that “there are numerous linguistic echoes of the Exodus tradition” throughout the text, he finds ten places where “the new exodus is the specific subject” (181-2).
The passages are arranged in two chiasms. I have changed his numeration to bring out the structure:
A. 40.3-5 The highway in the wilderness.
B. 41.17-20 The transformation of the wilderness.
C. 42.14-16 Yhwh leads his people in a way they know not.
B’. 43.1-3 Passing through the waters and the fire.
A’. 43.14-21 A way in the wilderness.
Then:
A. 48.20-21 The exodus from Babylon.
B. 49.8-12 The new entry into the Promised Land.
C. 51.9-10 The new victory at the sea.
B’. 52.11-12 The new exodus.
A’. 55.12-13 Israel shall go out in joy and peace
It’s a useful summation of Isaiah’s second exodus.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…