The Counsellors of the Lord in Isaiah 40—55: A Proposal to Understand their Role in the Literary Composition

Abstract

The presence of counsellors in Isaiah 40…55 is, although well-known, never explained satisfactorily. The main reason for this is the difficulty in giving meaning to the mutual relationship between the texts speaking of 'giving counsel' (41.28) or being 'a counsellor' (40.13; 46.11). This article seeks to provide a new understanding of the function of these counsellors, on the basis of a step-by-step examination of these texts, starting from the level of syntax via analyses of discourse and participants up to the level of the literary composition. These examinations make it clear that the counsellors of Yhwh play a prominent role in the disputation between Yhwh and Jacob/Israel about knowledge. In opposition to the counsellors of Jacob/Israel, Yhwh presents his own advisers: Wisdom (40.13), the failure of the idols (41.28), and Cyrus (46.11).

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