Appendix 1. List of Chiasms in the Book of Isaiah

The following list presents about 130 examples of chiasmus in Isaiah. Note that many chiastic structures in the Hebrew language are not always evident when translated into English. This is partly due to the different sentence structures in the two languages. Many of the following examples of chiasmus are followed with the word Hebrew in parentheses, indicating that the chiasmus exists in the Hebrew but has lost its chiastic value in the English translation.

1:11: I have eaten/rams, fatted steers/ /bulls, lambs, male goats/I do not desire

1:21: prostitute/justice/ /righteousness/murderers

1:21–26: faithful town/justice . . . righteousness/silver . . . dross/rulers . . . thieves/the LORD of Hosts/ /the mighty One of Israel/adversaries . . . enemies/dross . . . slag/judges . . . counselors/faithful town

2:3: from Zion/law/ /word of the LORD/from Jerusalem

2:3–5: House of the God of Jacob . . . we may walk/nations/swords into plowshares/ /spears into pruninghooks/nation . . . nation/house of Jacob . . . let us walk

3:1–8: Jerusalem . . . Judah/bread/judge . . . prophet . . . captain/young people/ /everyone by another/ /everyone by a neighbor/young person/you will be our leader/bread/Jerusalem . . . Judah

3:8: has stumbled/Jerusalem/ /Judah/has fallen (Hebrew)

5:7: vineyard/house of Israel/ /men of Judah/delightful plant

5:11–13: strong drink . . . wine/banquets/deeds of the LORD/ /work of His hands/ hungry/thirst

5:14–17: opened its mouth/bow down . . . humbled/exalted/ /shows Himself holy/feed . . . feed

5:20: evil/good/ /good/evil

5:20: darkness/light/ /light/darkness

5:20: bitter/sweet/ /sweet/bitter

5:21: wise/in their own eyes/ /in their own sight/understanding

6:7: is removed/your iniquity/ /your sin/atoned

6:10: heart/ears/eyes/ /eyes/ears/hearts

7:7–9: it will not happen/head . . . head/Ephraim will be shattered/ /it is no longer a people/head . . . head/will not hold firm

7:11–12:  Lord/Ahaz/ask/ /ask/Ahaz/ Lord

7:22: eat/butter/ /butter/eat

9:21: Manasseh/Ephraim/ /Ephraim/Manasseh

10:4: to crouch/under the prisoners/ /under the slain/to fall (Hebrew)

10:6: I will send him/against a godless nation/ /against the people of my wrath/will I command him

10:20–21: remnant of Israel/survivors of the house of Jacob/rely upon him who smote them/ /rely upon the LORD/remnant will return/remnant of Jacob

10:24: Assyria/smite you with a rod/ /lift up his staff/Egypt

11:1: will come forth/rod/ /branch/will grow (Hebrew)

11:4: smite the earth/rod of his mouth/ /breath of his lips/slay the wicked

11:6: will dwell/wolf . . . with the lamb/ /leopard . . . with the kid/will lie down (Hebrew)

11:8: will play/nursing babe . . . on the hole of the viper/ /toddler . . . on the hole of the viper/ will put his hand (Hebrew)

11:13: Ephraim/Judah/ /Judah/Ephraim

13:10: will be darkened/sun/ /moon/will not cause its light to shine (Hebrew)

13:16: plundered/their houses/ /their wives/ravished

13:21: will dwell there/owls/ /wild goats/will leap about there (Hebrew)

14:15: Sheol/brought down/ /to the depths/pit

14:25: be removed/his yoke/ /his burden/be removed (Hebrew)

14:25: to break the Assyrian/My land/ /My mountains/I will trample him

14:30: shall feed/poor/ /needy/lie down in safety (Hebrew)

14:30: I will kill/your root/ /your remnant/it shall slay

16:7–12: Moab/Kir-hareseth/Heshbon/Sibmah/Jazer/ /Jazer/Sibmah/Heshbon/Kir-hareseth/Moab

17:10: you have forgotten/God of Your Salvation/ /Rock of Your Stronghold/you have not remembered

18:6: will summer upon them/birds of prey/ /wild animals/will winter upon them (Hebrew)

19:21:  Lord/be known/Egyptians/ /Egyptians/know/ Lord

21:12: you/inquire/ /inquire/you

22:19: I will thrust you/from your station/ /from your position/he will cast you

22:22: open/shut/ /shut/open

25:10–11: hand of the LORD/trodden down/ /trodden down/his hands

26:7: righteous/level/ /level/righteous

26:9–10: righteousness/learn/inhabitants of the world/ /wicked/learn/righteousness (Hebrew)

26:19: will live/dead men/ /bodies/will . . . arise (Hebrew)

27:5: he will make/peace/ /peace/he will make (Hebrew)

27:11: will not have compassion/their Maker/ /their Fashioner/will show them no favor (Hebrew)

28:12: to those whom He has said/this is the rest/ /give rest to the weary/ /this is the resting place/they are not willing to hear

28:15–18: covenant with death . . . Sheol, we made an agreement . . . overflowing scourge/lie our place of refuge . . . shelter/laying a stone/precious cornerstone/ /sure foundation/measuring line . . . plumb line/refuge of lies . . . shelter/covenant with death . . . agreement with Sheol . . . overflowing scourge

29:10: shut your eyes/prophets/ /your rulers/ /seers/He has covered

29:14: shall perish/wisdom of their wise/ /understanding of their prudent/will be hid (Hebrew)

29:17: will be turned/Lebanon/fertile field/ /fertile field/forest/be regarded (Hebrew)

30:8: write it/tablet/ /book/inscribe it (Hebrew)

30:22: you will defile/idols, overlaid with silver/ /gold-plated molten images/you will cast them away (Hebrew)

32:1: will reign/king/ /princes/will govern (Hebrew)

32:3: will not be closed/eyes of those who see/ /ears of those who hear/will listen (Hebrew)

32:6: folly/speaks/ /works/iniquity (Hebrew)

32:6: to make empty/the hungry/ /the thirsty/to deprive (Hebrew)

32:16: reside/in the wilderness/justice/ /righteousness/in the fruitful field/will dwell (32:16)

33:14: sinners in Zion/are afraid/ /trembling seizes/the godless

33:17: King/your eyes will see/ /they will see/land (Hebrew)

34:4: host/heaven/ /heavens/host

34:5–8: Edom/judgment/fat/lambs and goats/sacrifice/ /slaughter/bulls . . . mighty ones/fat/vengeance/Zion

35:1–2: be joyful/blossom/ /blossom/be joyful

35:10: everlasting joy/upon their heads/ /they will obtain/exultation and rejoicing

36:18–19: deliver . . . hand/where are the gods/ /where are the gods/delivered . . . hand

38:12: My dwelling/is pulled up/ /is removed from me/like a tent of a shepherd

40:12: measured/hollow of His hand/waters/ /heavens/width/marked off (Hebrew)

40:14: made Him understand/taught him/ /taught him/made Him know the way of understanding

40:26: Lift up . . . on high/your eyes/ /see/who created these (Hebrew)

40:26: calling them all by name/abundant might/ /mighty power/not one is missing

40:27: is hidden/my way/from the LORD/ /my God/my judgment/is passed over (Hebrew)

40:28–31: does not faint/is not weary/He gives power to the faint/strength/youth/ /young men/strength/they will go up with wings like eagles/not grow weary/not faint

41:4: I the LORD/first/ /last ones/I am He

42:4: he have established/in the earth/justice/ /his law/the islands/will wait (Hebrew)

42:12: let them give glory/the LORD/ /his praise/declare

42:15: lay waste/mountains and hills/ /all their vegetation/dry up (Hebrew)

43:1–21: your Fashioner/waters . . . rivers/fire . . . scorched/ Lord, God, Holy One, Savior/Egypt, Cush, Seba/I give, I will bring, gather, say, created, fashioned/you are My witnesses/I am the LORD/ /there is no Savior besides Me/ /you are My witnesses/I act/Babylon, Chaldeans/ Lord, Holy One, Creator, King/snuffed like a wick/water . . . rivers/I have fashioned this people

43:18: do not remember/former things/ /things of old/nor consider

43:20–21: wilderness/desert/beast/ /jackals and ostriches/wilderness/desert

44:21: Israel/My servant/ /My servant/Israel

45:1: before him/I will loose/ /to open/before him (Hebrew)

45:22–25: ends of the earth/God/righteousness/every knee/ /every tongue/righteousness/Lord/seed of Israel

48:1: are called/Israel/ /Judah/came forth

48:1: who swear/by the name of the LORD/ /the God of Israel/acknowledge

48:3, 5: announced/the former things/ /of old/told

48:4: iron/neck/ /forehead/brass (Hebrew)

48:18: like a river/your peace/ /your righteousness/like the waves of the sea (Hebrew)

48:21: waters/rock/ /rock/water

49:1: O you house of Israel/all you that are broken off and are driven out/ /because of the wickedness of the pastors of My people/ /all you that are broken off, that are scattered abroad/O house of Israel

49:1:  Lord has called me/from the womb/ /from my mother’s belly/he assigned my name

49:1–6: islands/peoples/womb/made me a sharpened arrow/You are my servant/ /I have labored/my reward is with my God/womb/tribes of Jacob/ends of the earth

49:11: And I will make all My mountains/a way/ /and My highways/will be exalted

49:13: has comforted/His people/ /His afflicted/will have compassion (Hebrew)

49:14: has forsaken me/ Lord/ /Lord/has forgotten me (Hebrew)

49:18: as with an ornament/you will surely clothe all of them/ /bind them on /as a bride (Hebrew)

49:22: I will lift up/nations/ /peoples/raise up (Hebrew)

49:22: they shall bring/sons in their lap/ /daughters . . . upon their shoulders/will be carried (Hebrew)

49:24–25: prey/captives/ /captives/prey

50:1: thus says the LORD/Have I put you away/ /have I cast you off forever/thus says the Lord

50:1: your mother/put you away/sold/ /sold/put you away/your mother (Hebrew)

50:3: clothe/blackness/ /sackcloth/covering

50:4: he wakens/morning/ /morning/he wakens

51:4: hearken/to me/My people/ /My nation/to me/give ear (Hebrew)

51:7: fear not/insults of men/ /their revilings/neither be dismayed (Hebrew)

51:11: will overtake them/gladness and joy/ /sorrow and sighing/will flee away

51:15: I am the LORD your God/who stirs up the sea/ /and its waves roar/the LORD of Hosts is His name

51:23: pass over/like the ground/ /like the street/passed over

53:7: He opened not His mouth/as a lamb/ /as an ewe lamb/He openeth not his mouth

54:2: enlarge/the place of your tent/ /the curtains of your habitations/stretched out (Hebrew)

54:2: lengthen/your cords/ /your stakes/strengthen (Hebrew)

54:13: your children/taught of the LORD/ /peace/your children

55:8–9: My thoughts/your thoughts/your ways/My ways/heavens are higher/ /than the earth/My ways/your ways/My thoughts/your thoughts

56:5: I will give/name/ /name/I will give (Hebrew)

56:9: beasts of the field/ /come to eat/ /beasts in the forest

57:15: contrite/lowly in spirit/ /lowly in spirit/contrite

57:20–21: the wicked/tossing sea/it cannot be quiet/ /its waters toss up mire and dirt/no peace/the wicked

58:10: pour out/your soul/ /afflicted/satisfy (Hebrew)

59:3: have spoken/lies/ /wickedness/mutters (Hebrew)

59:16–17: salvation/righteousness/ /righteousness/salvation

60:1–3:

 

A	Arise,
	B	shine;
		C	for your light has come;
			D	and the glory
				E	of the LORD
					F	has risen upon you.
						G	For behold, the darkness will cover the earth,
						G	and gross darkness the people:
					F	will arise on you,
				E	but the LORD
			D	and His glory will appear on you.
		C	And the nations will go to your light
	B	and kings to the brightness
A	of your rising. (Hebrew)

 

60:13: to beautify/the place of My sanctuary/ /the place of My feet/make . . . glorious (Hebrew)

60:16: you will suck/the milk of nations/ /the breast of kings/you will suck (Hebrew)

62:1: as brightness/her righteousness / /her salvation/as burning torch (Hebrew)

63:16: You are our Father/Abraham does not know us/ /Israel does not acknowledge us/You, O  Lord, are our Father

65:18: be joyful forever/I create/ /I create/for joy . . . for exultation