נחמוּ NAXAMU, Isaiah 40:1

[Isaac Fried]

Who is being referred to as the הוּא of נַחֲמוּ = נחם-הוּא NAXAMU = NAXAM-HU of Isaiah 40:1?
נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם
I agree with with the beautiful Wycliffe rendering
"My people, be ye comforted, be ye comforted, saith your Lord God"
that this הוּא is עַמִּי, the people of Israel, as both performer and beneficiary of the act נחם NAXAM, 'comfort'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

On the other hand, the second verse, Isaiah 40:2, opens with
דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם
Wycliffe Bible: "Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem"
where the PP הוּא of דבר-הוּא = דַּבְּרוּ designates for a hopeful collection of comforters urged to come forth and perform the act דבר DABAR, 'speak'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Galena]

Isaac, three points:
1. I see here the fact that נַחֲמוּ as an imperative is a command to comfort and as a piel comfort with empathy (some element of shared grief here perhaps)?
2. I see that fact that we have אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם 'your God' and not the usual 'our God' or even 'the Lord your God says' as a subtle address to those outside of Israel.
3. עַמִּי indicating that the author is speaking to those outside of Israel. I would have expected Isaiah to have perhaps used the words 'these people' or maybe 'your people' or 'the Jews' if Isaiah was talking to his fellow nation. In summary I do feel that Wycliffe's translation of this verse seems to have de-emphasized its original intent when he uses these words: 'be ye comforted, be ye comforted,'?
Just my thoughts
Kind regards
Chris

[Isaac Fried]

Chris,
You say: I see here the fact that נַחֲמוּ as an imperative is a command to comfort and as a piel comfort with empathy (some element of shared grief here perhaps)? But who is the performer(s) and who is the beneficiary(s) of this act נחם? Is an agent being exhorted to comfort עמי, or is עמי being told to seek self consolation and fortitude because forgiveness and redemption are at hand? Grammatically, the question is who is referred to by the "pronominal suffix" U of NAXAM-U?

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Galena]

Hallo Isaac, briefly, I believe a key for understanding this is found in Jeremiah 16:14-19 (verse 18 is the key). The 2 pers plural suffix, I believe, is speaking to the Gentiles, (this does not have to be the whole world, maybe quite some thousands from around the world)? And Isaiah is speaking to the Gentiles, whoever they maybe or from whatever nations they shall come. My thoughts you understand.

kind regards
chris

[Isaac Fried]

Chris,
I see now what you mean.
I recall also Deut. 4:5
רְאֵה לִמַּדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוַּנִי יהוה אֱלֹהָי
with the personal אֱלֹהָי rater than the shared אֱלֹהֵיכֶם or אֱלֹהֵינוּ.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

We continue and read Isaiah 51:3
כִּי נִחַם יהוה צִיּוֹן נִחַם כָּל חָרְבֹתֶיהָ וַיָּשֶׂם מִדְבָּרָהּ כְּעֵדֶן וְעַרְבָתָהּ כְּגַן יהוה שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יִמָּצֵא בָהּ תּוֹדָה וְקוֹל זִמְרָה
Wycliffe Bible: "Therefore the Lord shall comfort Zion, and he shall comfort all the fallings thereof; and he shall set the desert thereof in delights, and the wilderness thereof as a garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, the doing of thankings and the voice of praising"

The internal היא in נִחַם = נ-היא-חם is undoubtedly for יהוה, but I would put for נִחַם 'regretted, felt sorry for', rather than 'shall comfort'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Or possibly נִחַם is here in the sense of 'restore, fortify, invigorate'. After all, חם like קם is 'rise, swell, uplift'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Galena]

Dear Isaac,

May I suggest two points that spring immediately to mind when I read your post?

1. If the author wished to express God's pity then I am surprised the word: רַחֵ֥ם was not used instead;
2. The idea of 'comfort' is (not the literal translation but rather the feeling) is consistent with Isa 40 and Isa 61 where a double idea of comfort is maintained consistently. Actually I have not checked, but I think you will find a double comfort in Jeremiah somewhere that is consistent with the return of the exiles in the last days, forgive me for not checking this just now, I will check later on today.

PS: I had in mind Jeremiah 31, but this is not strictly speaking the case, however I had thought of that passage because two comforts are implied though not expressly stated, There is one 'comfort' in verse 13 but then after an awkward interjection in verse 16, there is the immediate "implied" comfort in verse 17. Really I am not trying to push scripture but I think it is, at the least, a little bit noteworthy, not sure how others feel about this.

Kind regards
Chris

[Isaac Fried]

Chris,
What do you think of נִחַם כָּל חָרְבֹתֶיהָ. Is it "comforted" her ruins!?

Recall also Gen. 6:6-7
וַיִּנָּחֶם יהוה כִּי עָשָׂה אֶת הָאָדָם בָּאָרֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּב אֶל לִבּוֹ. וַיֹּאמֶר יהוה אֶמְחֶה אֶת הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר בָּרָאתִי מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה מֵאָדָם עַד בְּהֵמָה עַד רֶמֶשׂ וְעַד עוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם כִּי נִחַמְתִּי כִּי עֲשִׂיתִם.
NIV: "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”

Isaac Fried, Boston University.