Israel, the Righteous, the Prophets, and the Messiah as the Servant(s) of the Lord: Networks of Association and Interpretation in Targum Jonathan Isaiah
This essay explores the rationale behind the different interpretations of the servant of the Lord in Targum Jonathan Isaiah. In order to facilitate understanding of this material, I survey the use of the designation “servant(s) of the Lord” in the Hebrew Bible and then discuss the rationale behind t...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
|
| In: |
Journal of ancient Judaism
Year: 2025, Volume: 16, Issue: 1, Pages: 101-122 |
| Further subjects: | B
Servant of the Lord
B Messiah B Isaiah B Targum Jonathan |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This essay explores the rationale behind the different interpretations of the servant of the Lord in Targum Jonathan Isaiah. In order to facilitate understanding of this material, I survey the use of the designation “servant(s) of the Lord” in the Hebrew Bible and then discuss the rationale behind the use of singulars and plurals in the Targum’s translation of Isaiah 40–55. After this, I analyze the relevant passages within the Targum, suggesting that the scribes interpret the figure of the servant to have four different referents: the nation of Israel, the righteous, the prophets, and the messiah. Throughout this analysis, I attend to the features of the text that appear to have influenced the scribes to identify the servant in these ways. I conclude by reviewing the most important factors contributing to these decisions and then highlighting the coherence between my observations and some recent works on the scribes’ hermeneutical orientation. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2196-7954 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of ancient Judaism
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.30965/21967954-bja10063 |