Interpreting prophetic oracles: key hermeneutical principles

Hermeneutical Principle #1: Prophet’s message centers on, though not limited by, conditions understood by the original audience.

Historical context of prophetic oracles: Political developments in the Ancient Near East during the 9^th to 5^th centuries is vital to interpretation

 

 

Theological context of prophetic oracles: Law, blessings and curses

Curses of unfaithfulness (Lev. 26:14—39; Deut. 4:15—27; 28:15ff.)

Curses center on death, destruction, and deportation—God removing his protection and provision of life in the land

Exile of Judah rooted in failure to uphold the Law. Lev. 26:23—35 (Jer. 25:11,12; Dan. 9:2; 2 Chron. 36:20, 21)

 

Blessings of faithfulness (Lev. 26:1—13; Deut. 4:32—40; 28:1—14)

Blessings center on life in the land. Consequently, prophetic blessing and promise is rooted in restoration of life in the land.

 

 

Hermeneutical Principle #2: Prophet’s language shared by other prophets, providing continuity of thought among prophetic books.

Prophets recognized other prophets words as authoritative revelation from God and freely incorporated each others words in their oracles.

 

Strong linguistic and conceptual similarities between prophets of the same era are significant in terms of understanding the contents of the prophecies.

Idioms

Images

In Micah there are several texts that are clearly tied by concept and language to his contemporaries:

	Mic. 4:1—3		Is. 2:2—4		Restoration of Jerusalem
	Mic. 2:12; 4:7; 7:18		Is. 37:32		Remnant
	Mic. 3:12		Jer. 26:18		Jeremiah cites Micah
	Mic. 6:7,8		Is. 1:10—15		Superficial sacrifice

Hermeneutical Principle #3: Prophetic oracles are frequently cast as typological extensions of historical narrative.

In prophetic philosophy of history, Israel’s present is informed by its past, which is "filled" and ultimately "fulfilled" in the future. The future, interpreted in light of the past, creates a link between memory and hope.

Israel’s history is a witness against present disobedience

Micah 6:1—5

You are your patriarch Jacob!

Hosea 12:2—4

1. Cosmological creation imagery and historical redemption

Redemption complete with new heavens and earth (Is. 65:17); creation itself requires redemption (Rom. 8:18--23)

Historical redemption is an extension of God’s cosmic ordering and sovereignty over all (Ps. 89:9, 10; Gen. 1:2,3)

Is. 51:9—11

Israel’s redemption from Egypt and future redemption cast in cosmological—creation terms, as God defeats his enemies Rahab and Yam

Is. 27:1 (cf. Rev. 12:7—9)

Leviathan, God’s final adversary defeated

Apocalyptic images of cosmic judgment preceding eschatological blessing (not to be taken literally) fit the cosmology—redemption motif (e.g.: Joel 2:30, 31; Is. 13:9—11)

2. Future redemption echoes through historical prototype

Exodus as a prototype of universal redemption is the most common, and present in almost all pre-exilic prophets as both a context for judgment and hope

Micah 7:15; Is. 19:19ff.

Provision in the wilderness (Is. 43:18—21; cf. Ex. 15:13, 16 and 17:1—7)

 

3. Spatial images and the place of redemption

Eden (Is. 51:3; Ezek. 36:35)

Zion (Jerusalem) the presence of God (Is. 2:1—4; Micah 4:1,2,7,8)

 

4. Biographical typology and the agents of redemption

Abraham as paradigm for Israel in covenant relationship to God (Micah 7:20 …)

Jacob as paradigm of servant of the Lord (Is. 41:8; 43:10; 44:1; 21; 45:4; 48:20 …)

Hermeneutical Principle #4: Prophet’s message extends meaning of previous covenants and promises—like historical motifs, they are to be "filled" and ultimately "fulfilled" in subsequent acts of God.

Jeremiah 23:1—8

David as paradigm promise king—the agent through whom God rules

Seed as promise of future deliverance (Gen. 3:15…)

 

Seed from David (2 Samuel 7:12; cf. Gen. 49:10)

 

From seed to branch and related metaphors

Tsemach: branch, bud, sprout: something that sprouts and grows

Netser: a shoot, descendant

The sprouting seed: 2 Sam. 23:5

 

David’s house will sprout and grow in Jerusalem (Ps. 132:17)

 

Isaiah incorporates "branch" language into a technical messianic designation:

Is. 4:2.  

 

Is. 11:1.

 

Is. 60:21.

 

After Isaiah, the term "branch" carries clear messianic meaning:

Jer. 23:5,6.

 

Jer. 33:14,15

 

Ezek. 19:10—14.

 

Zech. 6:11—13.

 

Note: Is. 53:2 uses the same language as other "branch" texts.

Hermeneutical Principle #5: Prophetic oracles often weave events together that are separate in time and extent of "fullness"

Pay careful attention to language

Dramatic shift in time frame from blessings of resettlement (Joel 2:18—27) to promise of eschatological rule of God (Joel 2:28—3:3) introduced merely by "And it will come about after this…"

Notice irreconcilable shifts in actions, events, or persons

Daniel 9:26, 27 shifts subjects from destruction of the temple to offering sacrifice in the temple

 

Dramatic shift in Micah 5:2ff. from historical redemption (return of exiles) pronounced in 4:9—13

 

Note that the meaning of many prophetic texts can not be truly know prior to their fulfillment: "Unintelligible before, unmistakable after" (1 Peter 1:10—12)

 

1. Isaiah 40—56: The Servant of Yahweh
A short overview of the Old Testament centering on the greatness of Yahweh—reflections from the pentatuch (41:8; 51:2; 63:16; 42:6; 49:8; 54a:10)

"I am Yahweh your God" (41:4,10,13; 42:6,8; 43:3,10; 45:5,6,18; 46:9; 48:12).

Yahweh is the creator: (40:15,17,23-34; 42:5; 43:1-7)

Yahweh is go’el, redeemer: "to redeem" used 26 times.

From bondage (43:5-7; 45:13; 48:20)

Spiritual redemption (43:25; 44:22); Gentiles (45:20-23)

Land/Jerusalem (40:9,10; 43:20; 44:26; 45:13…)

Yahweh is Lord of history:

Called "King" (41:21; 43:15; 44:6)

Sovereign over nations (40:15,17; 41:1-4; 43:3-14; 44:24-45:8; 47:509)

Discloses the future (41:22,23,26; 42:9; 43:9,10; 44:7-8;45:21; 46:10,11; 48:5)

Servant of salvation to Israel and the nations

Universal scope of the servant’s work: (52:9,10; 52:15; 54:2-5; 55:3-5)

 

The Servant’s identity

2. The work of the Servant (Is. 52:13—53:12)

52:13—15 A dramatic pronouncement

God narrates

Israel is the audience, not the servant

vs. 14 "just as you… so he"

Broader context: 52:5,6; 53:8

Work of the servant summarized

vs. 13 Servant "prospers" or "gets the job done"

vs. 14 Servant is humiliated

vs. 15 Servant "sprinkles" the nations

Key issue: "sprinkle" or "startle", yazah

"Startle" based on context (vs. 14a) and 19^th cent. Work of Gesenius

yazah is "hiphil imperfect" form of nazah (indicating future causitive action) which is always translated "to sprinkle"

see Koelher and Baumgardner, Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, v.2, 683

Only other identical use of yazah is Leviticus 16:14

The Servant is performing the priestly function

53:1—12 Career of the Servant

Narrator shifts to those giving a report (vs. 1—9)

Condition of the people

Guilty and lost

The Servant provides atonement "for the many" (v. 11).

8,9, "deaths"

"Plural of amplification" (idiom): 2 Kings 22:20; 2 Chron. 16:14…

Servant is both the administrator of the sacrifice (52:15) and the sacrifice itself (53:12)—see Hebrews 9:11,12.

Romans 15:21 (52:15)

John 12:38/Romans 10:16 (53:1)

Matthew 8:17 (53:4

Acts 8:32,33 (53:7)

1 Peter 2:24,25 (53:5)

Allusions: Eph. 3:5; Heb. 9:28; 1 cor. 15:3; Mt. 27:57-60; Phil 2:9-11

Hermeneutical Principle #6: Prophetic dreams, visions and apocalyptic language are interpreted in light of the text itself and how it is used in other texts

Most dreams and visions are followed by an interpretation

Zech. 4—6

Daniel 7:1—28

Apocalyptic imagery used in common by Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation are interpreted in light of each other (see John Walvoord, Daniel: Key to Prophetic Revelation)