Isaiah 40-55: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (review)

Hebrew Studies 44 (2003) 257 Reviews scrutiny of the weaknesses of those views. Then, bringing ample and convincing evidences from extra-biblical and inner-biblical resources, including the LXX, the author admirably reconstructs both the historical and the plain meaning of the texts. The results provide an alternative-and quite often more convincing-theory on the origin and development of the texts. One notable achievement, for example, is his compelling interpretation of many cases of "dialectical tension" or "internal discrepancy" (e.g., pp. 217, 326, 384, 396, 493) as signs of the transitions of early prophecy, wrought not by the imaginative creation of the final redactor, but rather by the internal shift of perspectives within the "literary masterpiece." Some readers may find the author's orientation toward historical positivism for (original) "historical truth" (p. 357) not without problem. However, because of the compelling argumentation, comparison of significant resources, and careful scrutiny on the details of the literary development, it would be a difficult task to surmount many of the author's reconstructions. On top of that, even the English translation is simply superb. Editorial tlaws are only minimal (e.g., "II Kings 21" on p. 346 should be changed to "I Kings 21" and "II. The Elisha Stories" on p. 414 should be "IV. The Elisha Stories"). Uffenheimer's discussion of key scholarly issues, critique of those views, and his own reconstructions of the biblical texts in light of the whole range of data are truly masterful. This book should be a welcome addition to the English-speaking readers on the early prophecy in Israel. Students of both history and literature of the relevant biblical texts likewise should be thankful for this major achievement. H. C. P. Kim Methodist Theological School ill Ohio Delaware, OH 43015 pkim@mtso.edu ISAIAH 40-55: A NEW TRANSLATION WITH INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY. By Joseph Blenkinsopp. AB 19A. Pp. xvii + 411. New York: Doubleday, 2002. Cloth, $45.00. Following the format of the Anchor Bible series, Professor Blenkinsopp first offers a translation of 40-55, after which he considers the relationship of these chapters to 1-39 and 56-66, as well as to the rest of the canon. After addressing questions of date, place, literary forms, and composition, he sketches the early reception history of 40-55 and then concludes with a rationale for interpreting these chapters according to historical-critical canons. Hebrew Studies 44 (2003) 258 Reviews The commentary proper is preceded by a forty-six page bibliography and followed by a sixteen page subject index, as well as an index of "Biblical and Other Ancient References" and a "List of Key Hebrew Terms." Two features of this commentary are salient. First, it differentiates the identities of the cebed of 42:1-9 and the cebed of 49:1-6 in a way that also accounts for the oft-noted traits that distinguish 40-48 from 49-55. More notably, it vigorously reasserts the divide between 40-55 and 1-39. Blenkinsopp accounts for the thematic distinctions between chapters 40-48 and 49-55 (viz., the addressee becomes Zion/Jerusalem rather than Israel/Jacob, while Cyrus disappears) by linking, in a novel way, the Servant poems with the prophet's work. Noting that throughout the rest of 40-48 the Servant is always a group (p. 60), and observing similarities between 42: 1-9 and the description of Cyrus elsewhere (pp. 210-211), Blenkinsopp identifies the Servant of 42:1-9 with Cyrus (pp. 77, 210). He posits that in 49:1-6 the prophet "has taken over the task originally assigned to Cyrus," having come to realize that "Cyrus is not prepared to discharge" this task (p. 78). And thus, Cyrus vanishes in 49-55, while the prophet "fall[s] back on the internal dynamics of the Judean community, principally the possibility of the rebuilding and repopulation of Jerusalem" (p. 360). The novelty of this proposal is not the recognition that the Servant's role is expanded in 49: 1-6, but that the expansion has to do with the prophet adopting the mission assigned to Cyrus in 42:1-9. Supporting this identification is the appropriateness of the Servant's...