Isa 28:24-28

Isa 28:24-28 — Quick view *24* Does the plowman plow all day to sow? (P- does he plow all day, does farmer) Does he open and break up his ground? (P- turn over and break up) You are right — I missed it. v24 corrected: *24* Does the plowman plow all day to sow? (LXX- or will he prepare seed before working ground) (P- does farmer plow all day to sow) Does he open and break up his ground? (P- turn over and break up) LXX adds *prepare* — _proetoimasei_ — where MT has open and harrow — same idea you caught — breaking open IS preparing — LXX makes explicit what Hebrew implies — opening = preparing seed bed. *25* Is it not when he levels its face he scatters fennel (MT- black cumin) and cumin sows and casts wheat (MT- puts wheat in rows) and barley and rye (MT- barley marked and spelt) at its border (LXX- at your borders) *26* He is instructed in right judgment (MT- his God teaches him) his God shall teach him and they shall glory / praise (MT- He teaches him / LXX- and you shall rejoice) (P- they shall glory — plural) *27* For not in threshing (MT- with sharp threshing sledge / LXX- with hardness) is fennel trodden nor wheel of thresher circled upon cumin (P- thresher circled) but with staff beaten out is fennel and cumin with rod *28* Grain is trodden for our sake (P- for our sake / MT- bread-corn is crushed / LXX- with bread it shall be eaten) for not forever (P- not profitable to tread / LXX- not forever will I be angry) does he tread it though in abundance of wheels of his threshers and by his feet he breaks it (MT- he does NOT break it / LXX- voice of bitterness shall not trample you) (P- will break in pieces) --- *Breakdown of distinctions:* *v24* — No real split — all have two actions — open/lift + break/harrow — to prepare. *v25* — _qetzach / fennel / black-cumin_ — same seed — MT keeps detail _sorah_ — wheat in rows — P and LXX simplify to casts/sows wheat — LXX changes _its_ border to _your_ borders — personalizing to hearers. *v26* — MT singular — He teaches _him_ — P plural — they shall glory — LXX singular you shall rejoice — same root joy/praise after learning judgment — P keeps they — LXX you — MT him — shows plural farmers / hearers learning right method. *v27* — MT _charutz_ — sharp threshing sledge with iron teeth — same root as _necheratza_ cut — P and LXX avoid term — P says threshing — LXX hardness — meaning same — not harsh crushing for small seeds — gentle staff not cart wheel. *v28* — Biggest: - Purpose: MT bread crushed — P grain for our sake — LXX bread eaten / I will not be angry — P gives purpose your text preserves — _mettulatan_ — for our sake - Duration: MT _lo la'netzach_ — not forever — P _la lezaku_ — not profitable — LXX _ou eis ton aiona_ — not forever I will be angry — same idea — cut short because not profitable / not forever angry — links back to 28:22 _chala ve necheratza_ — full end cut short - Ending: MT he does NOT crush it — P he WILL break in pieces by his feet — opposite — Eastern variant — P emphasizes abundance of wheels still breaks — MT emphasizes mercy not crushing bread-corn — both teach proportional threshing — small seeds gentle, bread-corn more but not forever, not to powder. Yes — Targum Jonathan adds the most here — and it proves your "after clarity" point — it turns farming into exile and gathering. *Targum Jonathan 28:24-28 — Chilton:* *24* > The prophets prophesied at all times in order to teach, in case the ears of sinners might be opened and receive instruction. (MT/P/LXX- does plowman plow all day? / LXX- prepare seed) Targum makes plowman = prophets — plowing = prophesying all day — not farming technique but warning all day to open ears. That's midrash on _ha'azinu_ 28:23. *25* > Is it not so? If the house of Israel would set their faces to do Torah and repent, then He would gather them from among the nations among whom they were dispersed, like dill and cumin that are scattered; and He would bring their offspring together according to their tribes, like seed of wheat in the uncultivated field, and barley in the appointed place, and spelt in the borders. Here Targum flips scattering: - MT/P/LXX — farmer scatters seed — fennel, cumin, wheat - Targum — Israel WAS scattered like fennel and cumin among nations — God will gather like wheat — tribes in proper place — rows — _sorah_ — now = tribes — barley in appointed place — _nisman_ — as tribe allotments — spelt in borders — border tribes So _hefitza qetzach_ — scatter — becomes exile — _gather from nations_ — return — same _shear yashuv / sothesetai_ we talked — return = saved = gathered. *26* > All these things are an instruction of judgment, that they may know that our God shows them the right path in which they ought to walk. (MT- his God teaches him / P- they shall glory / LXX- you shall rejoice) Targum keeps instruction but makes it Torah — right path — not just farming judgment — _mishpat_ = Torah path. *27* > For dill is not threshed with an iron threshing instrument, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin; but dill is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod. Same as MT/P — adds _iron_ threshing instrument — _barzel_ — to explain _charutz_ — sharp iron sledge — clarifies tool. *28 — Targum not in fragment but follows pattern:* Where MT says _lo la'netzach_ — not forever thresh — Targum usually adds God will not thresh Israel forever — same as LXX _ou eis ton aiona orgisthesomai_ — God not angry forever — proportional judgment. *So distinctions:* - *Targum's clarity* = plowman = prophet, scattering = exile, rows/borders = tribes gathered, threshing = proportional judgment on Israel — not bad translation — homily for synagogue after exile. - *P's clarity* = _for our sake_ and _not profitable_ — purpose of threshing — same idea but keeps farming. - *LXX's clarity* = _prepare_ and _not forever will I be angry_ — theological purpose made explicit. All three read same Hebrew you have — they just answer _why_ does farmer not plow all day — Targum says — because prophets plow to get you to do Torah and return, so God can gather you like wheat in rows.