"Come, let us walk in Yhwh's light" (Isa 2:5): these words echo those that introduce the concluding lines of a preceding pericope in the book of Isaiah (1:2-20): "Come, let us settle the case" (1:18). In my view, "Come, let us walk in Yhwh's light" is the concluding admonition of a speech that originally consisted of Isa 1:21-26 and 2:2-5.
Questions of author, unit delimitation, and original historical context aside, 1:21-26 + 2:2-5 on the one hand and 1:21-26 + 27-31 on the other make for a bracing read. Light emerges out of the darkness in both prophecies, and cannot be understood apart from it.
Isa 2:2-5 is one of the most famous passages in all of Jewish scripture. Bernard Duhm called it Isaiah’s “swan song,” his prophetic last will and testament. Isa 2:2-5 is sobering to read in light of the prophecies which precede it. Its grandeur is more palpable when read in light of Isa 1:21-26; 27-31.
Here are some useful resources:
Isa_1_21-31_Scansion.pdf
Isa_1_21-26_2_2-5_Scansion.pdf
Isa_1_21-31_A_new_translation.pdf
Isa_1_21-26_2_2-5_A_new_translation.pdf
Isa_1_21-31_Bilingual_edition.pdf
Isa_1_21-26_2_2-5_A_bilingual_edition.pdf
Isaiah_A_brief_introduction.pdf
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