"A Scent" of the Spirit: Exegesis of an Enigmatic Verse (Isaiah 11:3)

Abstract

While Jews and Christians might offer differing interpretations of Isaiah as a religious text, both would agree on the intense beauty and power of its poetry. Translating the meanings and subtle nuances of a poetic work written in ancient Hebrew can present formidable obstacles to linguists and biblical scholars alike. One such passage that has traditionally represented an interpretive challenge is the first three Hebrew words of Isa 11:3, והריחו ביראת יהוה. Outside of scholarly dis courses on Hebrew texts, this verse is seldom translated literally because scholars tend to view its meaning as having been irreparably obscured by time, as well as by language and cultural changes. Most interpreters have traditionally employed various techniques to render the text meaningful both to the phrase in question and to the verse as a whole. In this article I will review the various interpretive approaches used by scholars over the centuries to derive spiritual meaning from this challenging passage.

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