Isaiah
Chapter 22
Against Jerusalem
An oracle concerning the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,
you with your hustle and bustle a tumultuous city, a wanton town? Your slain men have not been killed by the sword, nor have they died in battle.
Together your leaders have fled; they were captured under the threat of the bow. Your valiant were caught together, they had fled far away.
That is why I say, “Look away from me. I will weep bitterly. Do not try to comfort me over the ruin of the daughter of my people.”
It is a day of panic, rout and confusion, from the Lord, the God of hosts, in the Valley of Vision walls crash; a cry for help to the mountains.
Elam bears the quiver with charioteers and horsemen; Kir uncovers the shield.
Chariots are all over your choicest valleys; horsemen are stationed at the gates.
Judah is stripped of her defenses. On that day you turned your eyes to the arsenal at the Palace of the Forest.
You saw the many breaches in the defenses of the city of David. You gathered together the waters of the lower pool.
You counted the houses of Jerusalem and tore down some of them to strengthen the wall.
You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old Pool. But you gave no thought to its Maker. You had no regard for him who had planned it long ago.
On that day the Lord, the God of hosts, called you to weep and mourn, to shave your head and put on sackcloth.
But look, instead of that, there is wanton revelry: oxen are butchered, and sheep are slaughtered. You eat meat and get drunk, saying: “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.”
A word from the Lord Sabaoth has reached my ears: “This sin will not be forgiven until they die.”
Against the Palace Steward
Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Go and talk to this man Shebna, the palace steward. Ask him:
Who are you and what right have you to carve a resting place on the heights, to cut out a burial place for yourself here in the rock?
Look here, O you strongman, the Lord will seize you; he will take you captive and take firm hold of you.
He will roll you up, toss you like a ball, then violently hurl you down into a large open land. There you will perish with the chariots of your glory, O you, the shame of your master’s house!
New Steward
You will be deposed, strongman. I will throw you down from where you stand.
That day, I will call upon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah.
I will dress him with your robe, strengthen him with your belt, grant him your authority, and he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the people of Judah.
Upon his shoulder, I will place the key of the house of David: what he opens, no one shall shut; what he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fasten him like a peg in a sure spot, and he will be a seat of honor in the house of his father.
Upon him will hang all the load of his father’s house— offspring and descendants, all the little vessels from bowls to jars.
On that day, says the Lord Sabaoth, the peg fastened in a sure spot will give way; it will be cut down and the load hanging on it will fall. Thus the Lord has spoken.
Commentaries
Against Jerusalem.
While the people celebrate, possibly due to the withdrawal of Sennacherib’s army in 701 B.C., the prophet is troubled by the vision of the “day of the Lord” (v. 4; cf. 2 Kgs 18:13-16; 19:9; Is 36:1f; 37:8). Isaiah emphasizes that, despite everything, punishment still looms and criticizes the stubbornness of the city’s inhabitants who, instead of trusting in the Lord, rely more on their weapons and strategies. Because they refuse to do penance, they plunge into debauchery (12ff).
Against the Palace Steward.
It is common to find a prophetic oracle directed at a specific individual (cf. Jr 20:1-6; 28:12-17). This one targets a foreigner, likely an Egyptian, who has gained a high position in Hezekiah’s court. His role may have given him too much influence over royal decisions, which prompts the prophet’s criticism (cf. 30:2-5; 31:1-3, cf. 2 Kgs 18:26; 19:2).
New Steward.
The prophet does not approve of a foreigner holding the role of palace steward; he therefore supports his dismissal and replacement by a true Israelite. Matthew 16:19 attributes these words addressed to Peter to Jesus, while Revelation 3:7 applies them to the Messiah. The foreign official’s replacement also falls from grace, and in his fall, he takes down all his followers.