by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
The 8-day Jewish Feast of Dedication/Festival of Lights known as חֲנוּכָּה Hanukkah has come and gone last December 7-15. Israel says 20 hostages have perished while in captivity. But still more than a hundred (~117), including the remaining 19 women and children including a baby are still held hostage in Gaza, even as I write this. We should continue to pray for the release of all hostages and a just end to this war between Israel and Hamas.
Last week, the lectionary reading from the Old Testament (OT) during the English 10 AM Service was from Isaiah 40:1-8. Note that Isaiah 40:1 is the familiar “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” verse which marks the change for exegetes and interpreters of the Book of Isaiah from the previous pronouncements of God’s judgment by the prophet to words of comfort and reconciliation with God. Also, I recall that while pursuing my studies of Biblical Languages at the Asian Theological Seminary (ATS) a couple of years ago, I learned from our Biblical Hebrew textbook that part of Isaiah 40:2 was troublesome. Our textbook cited the (late) evangelical scholar, Dr. Meredith G. Kline, who published a theological study named “Double Trouble” in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 32.2 (June 1989): 171-179 (downloadable from https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/32/32-2/32-2-pp171-179_JETS.pdf). Dr. Kline was an American theologian and Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and at Westminster Theological Seminary.
Dr. Kline’s study focused on the Hebrew text of Isaiah 40:2 and the theological question concerning God’s justice. This verse is given below:
דַּבְּר֞וּ עַל־לֵ֤ב יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ וְקִרְא֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ כִּ֤י מָֽלְאָה֙ צְבָאָ֔הּ כִּ֥י נִרְצָ֖ה עֲוֹנָ֑הּ כִּ֤י לָקְחָה֙ מִיַּ֣ד יְהוָ֔ה כִּפְלַ֖יִם בְּכָל־חַטֹּאתֶֽיהָ׃
There are 3 same color highlighted words in this verse which are conjunctions that introduce 3 different clauses. This is the highlighted word כִּי (“ki” meaning that, for, when, because). Furthermore, a survey of the English translations show that the other highlighted word כִּפְלַ֖יִם (“kiphlayim” which is a dual form of כֶּפֶל “kephel”) has been translated as “double” in 31 out of 32 different Bibles found in https://biblehub.com/isaiah/40-2.htm. For example, the Literal Standard Version (LSV) renders the verse this way:
2Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her warfare has been completed, that her punishment has been accepted, that she has received from the hand of YHWH double for all her sins.
The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation differs a bit:
2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and announce to her that her time of hard service is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all he sins.
We can see the phrase “speak tenderly to Jerusalem” of the CSB replaces the more literal “speak to the heart of Jerusalem” of the LSV but are parallel in meaning. The LSV explicitly mentions the 3 clauses introduced by כִּי (“ki”) while the CSB shows only the first. But the reader can get the logical divisions by means of the commas used before the next clauses. Another difference is the rendering of the 1st clause: the LSV has “her warfare has been completed” while the CSV has “her time of hard service is over.” But both translations use “double for all her sins” in the last clause. The other English translations would have differences revolving around these items.
As mentioned earlier, almost all the versions use “double for all her sins” or words to that effect; the only exception is the Good News Translation (GNT) that rendered כִּפְלַ֖יִם (“kiphlayim”) as “in full,” to wit:
2Encourage the people of Jerusalem. Tell them they have suffered long enough and their sins are now forgiven. I have punished them in full for all her sins.
Looking at Isaiah 40:2 more closely, Dr. Meredith Kline proceeds by taking the 3 clauses as Hebrew synonymous parallels. The 3 statements in total speak of the completion of the time for punishment, wherein Jerusalem has been pardoned after her punishment and that her recompense has been commensurate with her sins. He analyzes the first 2 clauses/statements to build up his case for a proper translation for the 3rd clause. He then dissects the meaning of the dual word כִּפְלַ֖יִם (“kiphlayim”) in its contextual usages. The underlying Hebrew noun כֶּפֶל (“kephel”) is only found 3x in the OT. He suggests that it can be more correctly translated to mean “equivalent” instead of “double.” Dr. Kline says that the translation option of “equivalent” or “matching image” or “duplicate” rather than “twofold” has not been reckoned sufficiently. He believes that it the “notion of an inequitable double payment” for sin is inappropriate with the character of God.
It is not only the word כֶּפֶל (“kephel”) which is studied; Dr. Kline also takes a look at other Hebrew nouns and verbs related to this word that upon closer examination “double” actually has the meaning or sense of having a twin or duplicate or a match, and not twice the quantity. He also examines Greek words in the New Testament (NT) and suggests that in the light of God’s righteous “scales of justice” the words should be more appropriately translated as “equivalent” rather than “double.”
From the foregoing, one can ask whether God can actually punish anyone more than one deserves. It really is a question of fair punishment for sin. Of course, God is sovereign, he hates sin and determines what is, or what is not fair. But since our God is a God of justice and righteousness, then he is just and consequently fair. With these theological truths in mind, Dr. Kline in his study gave his translations to the 3 clauses. For the 1st clause: that “her assigned term of service is completed.” For the 2nd clause: that “the debt of her iniquity has been paid.” And for the 3rd clause: that “she has received from Yahweh’s hand matching punishment as the payment for all her sins.”
In conclusion, my formal equivalence translation of Isaiah 40:2 follows:
2Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her assigned term of service has been completed, that her punishment of iniquity has been accepted, that she has received from the hand of the LORD a matching equivalent for all her sins.
We will continue in January after the Christmas break.
God bless us all.