Isaiah 40, The Divine Council, The Temple, and the Comfort of God

This analysis of Isaiah 40.1-8 contains links to a few books that have helped me understand the context and content of the scriptures. As an Amazon Affiliate, I do earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you). Click here to see all of my favorite books on Amazon.

Scholars of the book of Isaiah have long recognized the presence of the divine council in the book of Isaiah, particularly Isa 40.1-8. ^[1]See, for example, H. H. Rowley, “The Council of Yahweh,” JTS 45 (1944): 151-157; Kingsbury, “Prophets and the Council of Yahweh,” 279-286; Polley, “Hebrew Prophecy Within the Council of … Continue reading As C. Seitz has recently contended, one’s understanding of the redactional whole of the book of Isaiah depends to a large extent upon discerning the presence of the divine council in Isa 40:1-8.^[2]Christopher Seitz, “Divine Council: Temporal Transition and New Prophecy in the Book of Isaiah,” Journal of Biblical Literature, 109:2, 1990, 229, 243-247.

Biblical scholar Michael Heiser argues that there are essentially two features that demonstrate the presence of a divine council narrative in Isaiah 40.  First, there are several plural imperatives in verses 1: (נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ “comfort/console”), and in Isaiah 40.2: (דַּבְּרוּ…  וְקִרְאוּ “speak . . . and call”) and in Isaiah 40.3: (פַּנּוּ … יַשְּׁרוּ “prepare . . . make straight”) as well as plural suffixes, for example in Isaiah 40.1, “your God” (אֱלֹהֵיכֶם) and in Isaiah 40.3 “our God” (אלֹהֵינוּ). Heiser contends that the grammar here in the Masoretic Text forces us to understand that this is a gathering of a divine council and that these “commands are issued to an unseen audience, and require actions that cannot be fulfilled by earthly addressees.”^[3]Michael Heiser, The Divine Council in Late Canonical and Non-Canonical Second Temple Jewish Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004, p. 104. See also Seitz, “Divine Council,” JBL, … Continue reading

Secondly, the passage features a clear shift in speakers across Isaiah 40.1-6. Initially, the speaker in Isaiah 40.1-2, likely God the Father [Elohim]^[4]Isaiah 40.1 reads: נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱלֹהֵיכֶם “Comfort, comfort [you all -2nd person masculine imperative] my people, says your Elohim … Continue reading or perhaps Yahweh addressing his divine assembly, uses plural imperatives, identifying the residents of Jerusalem as “my people” and declaring their sins forgiven. The narrative voice transitions in Isa. 40.3, where a member of the divine council, having received Yahweh’s instructions, exhorts others (again addressing a group) to prepare for Yahweh’s forthcoming arrival and the manifestation of his glory (Isa. 40.5). Subsequently, this celestial voice directs a command to another individual using a singular imperative (v. 6a, “A voice said, cry!” קוֹל אֹמֵר קְרָא).

The Meaning of “Comfort” (נָחַם) in Isaiah 40.1

The word “comfort” is pivotal but challenging to fully grasp due to shifts in its meaning since the translation of the King James Version in 1622. Originally, closer to its Latin roots, “comfort” embodied the notion of “with strength”—implying to strengthen or empower. This interpretation persisted into 1787, evident when the American Constitution described treason as “giving aid and comfort to the enemy,” signifying not merely providing relief but empowering an adversary.^[5]LeGrand Baker and Stephen Ricks, Who Shall Ascend to the Lord Into the Hill of the Lord? The Psalms in Israels Temple Worship In the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon?, Eborn Books, 2010, 340. … Continue reading Gary Anderson offers a thorough analysis of the Hebrew word, elaborating that:

This verb “to comfort” (נָחַם – n-h-m) does not connote a simple act of emotional identification. Comfort can imply either the symbolic action of assuming the state of mourning alongside the mourner, or it can have the nuance of bringing about the cessation of mourning. In grammatical terms, the former usage reflects a processual usage of the verb, while the latter usage would be resultative.”^[6]Anderson, Time to Mourn, p. 84. He goes on to explain, “The latter usage, to bring about the cessation of mourning, is very common in prophetic oracles of deliverance. The famous exhortation of Isaiah 40:1, ‘Comfort, comfort, my people,’ comes to mind immediately. As Westermann noted, the term conveys ‘God’s intervention to help and restore.’”^[7]Gary A. Anderson, A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance: The Expression of Grief and Joy in Israelite Religion, Penn State University Press, 1991, p. 85.

LeGrand Baker and Stephen Ricks explain^[8]Who Shall Ascend? p. 340-341., “Anderson’s definition can account for the way the English translators used the word “comfort” to mean the bestowal of authority or power—an empowerment—and it also adds substantial depth to the meaning of the 23^rd Psalm^[9]In the words, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me,” a rod is a scepter, the symbol of kingship; the staff is a shepherd’s crook, the symbol of priesthood. So the words say, “I am empowered … Continue reading and other scriptures where “comfort” might be read as “to give consolation,” they might also be read as “to give power and authority, thus enabling one to transcend sorrow.”^[10]Isaiah 40:1-2 is an example. The verses report an event at the Council where God (Elohim) speaks to the Council (the word ye is plural). If one reads “comfort” to mean empower through the … Continue reading In this way, we can see many of the scriptures dealing with “comfort” or comforting “those that stand in need of comfort” as bringing individuals into a space whereby they can be anointed, “redeemed of God, and numbered with those of the first resurrection”^[11]Mosiah 18.9., all elements of temple worship, empowerment, authority, and sacral kingship.

What is the point?

What we see in Isaiah 40 is a council. Latter-day Saints should be familiar with this idea, for it is displayed in the narrative of the creation, where God the Father gives directives to a council who then respond and send directions to individual divine beings who then follow these directives and return and report the events of the creation and so forth. Plural directives trickle down to singular directions given to individual servants of God. In the text of Isaiah 40, we can see a direction given to one individual in Isaiah 40.6, in this case it could be John. But it can also be any servant of God who chooses to hearken to their call, declaring that followers of God need to “get up into the high mountain” (Isa. 40.9), that the followers of Yahweh will be fed like a lamb being fed by a shepherd and carried in his bosom (Isa. 40.11), and that these individuals will “wait upon the Lord,” and “mount up with wings as eagles,” and will “run and not be weary, and walk, and not faint” (Isa. 40.31).

This idea of comfort is tied to the rituals of the temple, baptism, kinship, and resurrection. It means “to empower, and the empowerment causes one to be able to transcend suffering and sorrow.”^[12]Baker and Ricks, Who Shall Ascend?, p. 657. In the words of Baker and Ricks, the concept of giving and receiving “comfort” is “accomplished through the coronation ceremony which includes washing, anointing, clothing, crowning, and giving a new name.” We see this played out in Psalm 23.3, where “he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” could be read as, “Even though I am in the darkness of this world, I have no reason to fear, for I am empowered by the symbols of kingship (rod) and of priesthood (staff)” (Psalm 23.3-4).