A Refutation of Eli Soriano's Interpretation Of Isaiah 34:16

(Note: this is a revision of my article for a year ago entitled : Books And Animals : How Eli Soriano And Other Cults Misread Isaiah 34:16.)

"Inyong saliksikin at basahin ang aklat ng PANGINOON: Kahit isa sa mga ito ay hindi magkukulang; walang mangangailangan ng kanyang kasama. Sapagkat iniutos ng bibig ng PANGINOON, at tinipon sila ng kanyang Espiritu." (Isa. 34:16) Ang Biblia 2001

Ang Isa. 34:16 ay ang favorite na passage ng mga MCGI members to assume ang "Solo Scriptura" (not to be confused with Sola Scriptura) and this is something that Latter Day Saints should be aware of dahil ginagamit ito against sa atin for our acceptance of the Book of Mormon to be the word of God and as a companion to the Bible, but however this passage doesn't have to worry Latter Day Saints dahil hindi nito sinabi kung anong gusto nilang sabihin. they put words in Scripture without letting the context speak. Soriano badly took out the context of the verse at binigyan ito ng sariling meaning. ang panguanawa ni Soriano sa verse na ito ay na ang "aklat ng Panginoon"/"book of the Lord" ay ang tinutukoy dito na "hindi mangangailangan ng kanyang kasama". he concluded na hindi na daw mangangailangan ng kasama ang Biblia, na kagaya ng dictionary, world history, the Book of Mormon, etc. Other groups kagaya ng Inc will hold to the same na mali maling interpretation of this passage.  there is absolutely no implications ng formal sufficiency at Isaiah's prophecies for such concepts is foreign in the Bible, Judaism, and Christianity. reading this in context, from v. 12-17 reads:

"They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be a habitation of dragons, and a court for owls. The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate. Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them. And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it forever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein." (Isa. 34:12-17) KJV

"Kanilang tatawagin iyon na Walang Kaharian Doon, at lahat niyang mga pinuno ay mawawalang kabuluhan. At mga tinik ay tutubo sa kanyang mga palasyo, mga dawag at damo sa mga muog niyon. Iyon ay magiging tahanan ng mga asong-gubat, tirahan ng mga avestruz. At ang maiilap na hayop ay makikipagsalubong sa mga asong-gubat, at ang lalaking kambing ay sisigaw sa kanyang kasama; ang malaking kuwago ay maninirahan din doon, at makakatagpo siya ng dakong pahingahan. Doo'y magpupugad at mangingitlog ang ahas, at magpipisa ng itlog at titipunin sa kanyang lilim; doon matitipon ang mga lawin, bawat isa'y kasama ng kanyang kauri. Inyong saliksikin at basahin ang aklat ng PANGINOON: Kahit isa sa mga ito ay hindi magkukulang; walang mangangailangan ng kanyang kasama. Sapagkat iniutos ng bibig ng PANGINOON, at tinipon sila ng kanyang Espiritu. At siya'y nagpalabunutan para sa kanila, at ito'y binahagi ng kanyang kamay sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng pising panukat; ito'y kanilang aariin magpakailanman, mula sa mga sali't salinlahi ay maninirahan sila roon." (Isa. 34:12-17) Ang Biblia 2001

Isaiah writes some animals in this passage, namely :

V. 14
1. Maiilap na hayop
2. Mga lobo/asong gubat
3. Lalaking kambing (with mate)
4. Malaking Kuwago
5. Ahas (v. 15)

1. When the verse reads "kahit isa sa mga ito'y hindi magkukulang", it uses the Hebrew word הֵנָּה (hennah) which is a feminine plural. however, book/scroll (סֵ֤פֶר - seper) is in a masculine gender. it cannot refer to the book of the LORD!  2. Kung ating mapapansin, ang sinasabi na "none shall want her mate" ay tumutukoy sa pairings of creatures in the context and this pairing can follow that it is read in the book of the Lord (v. 14-16) at hindi ang "book of the Lord" ang siyang hindi need ng kasama. It's the creatures mentioned. it's breeding in the context. when Isaiah listed these creatures, feminine nouns are used for them to identify. Furthermore, commentators comment on this verse:

" 34:16–17 The second paragraph in the chapter begins with two imperative verbs, just like 34:1. These imperatives exhort a Hebrew audience that has access to God’s revelation to search the “scroll of the Lord.” If they will read what God has said, they will know that his promises are true. The idea of God having a book is well known from passages that refer to a scroll containing the names and deeds of the righteous (Exod 32:32; Dan 7:10; Mal 3:16), but this appears to be a different scroll. Clements concludes that the scroll about animals inhabiting a city refers to the earlier prophecies about Babylon (13:21–22) or prophecies about the fall of Edom (Jer 49:7–22; Ezek 25:12–15). The repetition of words from v. 15 in v. 16, “each with its mate,” argues that this “scroll of the Lord” contains God’s promises about the animals mentioned in 34:11–15, thus as O. Kaiser suggests the prophet is referring to his own prophecies that have already appeared in writing. This suggests that 34:16–17 were spoken at some point later in the prophet’s career and added here (similar to the final comments about Moab in 16:13) to emphasize the reliability of God’s promises. Consequently, the prophet’s words from God were considered authoritative, and someone wrote them down so that others could know what God had said (cf. 8:1, 16, 20; 29:11–12). There is no way of dating this later word in vv. 16–17, for it does not claim that the promises in vv. 11–15 were already fulfilled.

The understanding of v. 16b is complicated by textual difficulties. The prophet communicated his belief that God’s past statements are true, that not one of the animals mentioned in 34:14–15 will be missing; each one will have a mate. Why should people believe all this? The proof is assuredly based on the fact that God has “truly, surely” (kî; omitted in NIV) commanded “my mouth” (pî; not “his mouth,” pô, as in NIV) to cause this to happen and “his Spirit itself” (wĕrûḥô hûʾ) will bring all these things about.

Building on the thought that God originally divided the land among the nations and the Israelite tribes through the casting of lots (Deut 4:19; 32:8; Josh 14:1–2), God himself ironically now casts lots to give each animal a place to live. Though these lands were once the possessions that God gave to the tribes of Israel, after God’s devastating judgment these wild animals will possess these lands forever (34:17), just as God said would happen (34:10)."  (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1–39 [ed. E. Ray Clendenen; The New American Commentary; Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007], 575–576.)

" 16. Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read: none of these shall fail, etc. None of the divine decrees, which are written down with the finger of God, shall fail; all of them will be fulfilled in Edom. Or: None of those, for which Edom is said (ver. 13, 14) to become the habitation, shall fail. My mouth. The decrees that come from the mouth of the Lord. ורוחו And its breath, that is, the breath of His mouth. It is a repetition of the same idea."  (Abraham Ibn Ezra, The Commentary of IBN Ezra on Isaiah [ed. M. Friedländer; vol. 1; London: Trübner & Co., 1873], 160.)

" 34:9–17 / Once again the images of judgment and sacrifice give way to the image of devastation, as we saw between verses 1–3 and 4–5a. Here the devastation consists in natural disaster in Edom. While Yahweh is no doubt assumed to be the agent of disaster, there is no mention of this (niv’s reference to “God” in v. 11 is an interpretive addition; cf. nrsv). The land is devastated as if by a volcano or a nuclear accident, in the manner of Sodom and Gomorrah. It becomes for ever lifeless and impassible, habitable only by the hardiest of birds (vv. 9–11a). It is as if God has used the state of the world before creation as the blueprint for planning what Edom should now be: chaos and desolation (v. 11b) are the frightening onomatopoeic words of Genesis 1:2, tohu wabohu (niv “formless and empty”), which sound as meaningless as the scene they conjure. There is nothing for the rulers to rule and, in any case, no rulers to rule it (v. 12). The cities in which they lived are overrun by thorns, nettles, and brambles, and become home for desert creatures instead of human beings (vv. 13–15). Yahweh has definitively determined that these creatures should thus gain permanent new homes, and put it into writing; they have the title deeds (vv. 16–17). While the historical Edom went into decline three centuries after Isaiah’s day, it is a mercy to it that the declaration in chapter 34 has never been implemented on it."  (John Goldingay, Isaiah [ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston; Understanding the Bible Commentary Series; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012], 195–196.)

" 16–17 The opening exhortation of v.16 is noteworthy. What is “the scroll of the Lord“? There have been numerous suggestions, including the Book of Life and also other passages in Isaiah. It seems more than likely, however, as both Young and O. Kaiser recognize, that the prophet is speaking about the prophecy just given. Thus the communication of prophetic oracles to writing has importance because it makes possible later recognition of the veracity of God. What he has said comes to pass because it is he, the God of truth, who has said it. The emphasis of some recent biblical theology on promise and fulfillment as a major biblical theme is a very healthy one, for Scripture is God’s witness to his own faithfulness. The Spirit of God puts into effect what his word has promised, and the birds and animals gathering in Edom are mute testimony to the truth of what he has said. Just as God apportioned the world among its human inhabitants (Deut 32:8), so now he would order the new homes of these creatures in Edom so that each is given his proper place. Even in his judgments—perhaps especially in these—God is concerned that everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way (cf. 1 Cor 14:40)."  (Geoffrey W. Grogan, “Isaiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel [ed. Frank E. Gaebelein; vol. 6; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986], 6:219.)

" Isaiah 34
1QIsaa has a space between Isaiah 33 and 34. What this indicates we can only guess, but there are grounds for thinking that Isaiah 34 and 35 come from a period after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 bc when the Edomites (descended from Esau) had exploited the disaster and begun to occupy the southern parts of Judah (1 Esdr 4:50). Jer 49:7–22 predicts that Edom will become a horror, a taunt, a waste, and a curse and that all its cities will be permanent wastes (v. 13). Ezek 25:12–14 promises that wrath will come on Edom because of their actions against Judah. The whole of the prophecy of Obadiah warns that there will be no survivor left in the house of Esau because they helped the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem, rejoiced in the calamity, prevented the escape of refugees, and even handed them over to the enemy (Obad 11–14). It is in this context that the ferocity of Isaiah 34 must be set.

The whole chapter is a description of the day of the Lord and his judgment on the host of heaven (cf. Isa 24:21). The Lord is enraged against all nations and against all their hordes, that is, host of patron angels (34:2), who will lose their immortality and die like mortals. The word “slain” (v. 3) is significant in this context and has many meanings (cf. Isa 43:28). In Ezekiel 28 a heavenly being is also cast out from the heavenly Garden of Eden; all his many punishments are described by this one word, which is to be translated by “pierced,” “wounded,” “desecrated,” “defiled,” or “killed.” Those who were at home with temple tradition knew these were the same; like the sons of God in Ps 82:6–7, the guardian deities of all nations were to be cast out to mortality and death. The imagery of 34:4 also appears in Rev 6:13–14, when the sixth seal is opened and the Day of Wrath arrives; it also accounts for Mark 13:25 and parallels.

The scene then moves to the earthly counterpart of the destruction of the host; as in Isa 24:21, the host of heaven is punished in heaven and the kings of the earth below. The whole of Edom is to be a great burnt offering (34:6). For “My sword has drunk its fill,” 1QIsaa has, “My sword has appeared in the heavens.” The judgment then comes to earth, to Bozrah the capital city of Edom. “Blood” and “fat” (v. 7), were the most important parts of any offering, and separate instructions were given for dealing with them (e.g., Lev 3:1–4). The day of vengeance would turn Edom into one huge furnace, like Sodom and Gomorrah, which were also destroyed by avenging angels (Gen 19:24–25). Enoch sees similar destruction on his heavenly journey as the rebel angels burn in a blazing abyss (e.g., 1 Enoch 21; cf. Rev 20:14). The ruins of Bozrah will be marked out for confusion and chaos (34:11); the same words are used to described the state of things before the Lord began to create heaven and earth (Gen 1:2), “formless and void.” Wildcats and goat demons (34:14) will inhabit the ruins. All these horrors are written in the book of the Lord, not a reference to earlier prophecies against Edom but to the book in which the heavenly scribe recorded all the evil deeds of the angels of the nations (see on Isa 62:6–7). It was read before the Lord and then sealed in readiness for the Day of Judgment (1 Enoch 89:70–71)." (Margaret Barker, “Isaiah,” in Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible [ed. James D. G. Dunn and John W. Rogerson; Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003], 521.)

" Isaiah 34–35: Prophetic Instruction concerning YHWH’s Return of Exiles to Zion

The Text in Its Ancient Context

Isaiah 34–35 introduce the second half of the book of Isaiah, in chapters 34–66, with an emphasis on the judgment of the nations, here represented by Edom, and the return of the exiles to Zion, a major concern in Isaiah 40–66. Edom is condemned in biblical literature for its role in the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (Ps. 137:7; Jer. 49:7–22; Lam. 4:21–22; Ezek. 25:12–17; Obadiah). Isaiah 34 presents a number of parallels with Isaiah 1: the call to attention (Isa. 1:2; 34:1); YHWH’s vengeance (Isa. 1:24; 34:8); unquenchable burning (Isa. 1:24; 34:10); YHWH’s mouth has spoken (Isa. 1:20; 34:16); the sword of punishment (Isa. 1:20; 34:5–6); sacrificial blood and fat (Isa. 1:11–15; 34:6–7); Sodom and Gomorrah (Isa. 1:7–10; 34:9–10); and wilting leaves (Isa. 1:30; 34:4). Isaiah 35 portrays the return of the exiles to Jerusalem as a second exodus, much like Second Isaiah.

The Text in the Interpretive Tradition

The Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran (1QIsaiaha) has a gap of several lines between Isaiah 33 and Isaiah 34, indicating the fundamental structural division of the book. Various scholars have confirmed the literary division of the book at this point.

The Text in Contemporary Discussion

The recollection of the exodus in Isaiah 35 points to one of the most important holidays in Judaism, the Passover, which celebrates the exodus from Egypt. The exodus is recounted each year at the Passover seder, a home dinner service that celebrates Jewish freedom from oppression and return to the land of Israel. The appearance of this motif in Isaiah 35—and indeed throughout the entire book of Isaiah—points to the importance of the Passover observance in antiquity as well as in modern times." (Carol J. Dempsey et al., “Themes and Perspectives in the Prophets: Truth, Tragedy, Trauma,” in The Old Testament and Apocrypha (ed. Gale A. Yee, Hugh R. Page Jr., and Matthew J. M. Coomber; Fortress Commentary on the Bible; Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2014), 695.)

Isa. 34:16 definitely does not say anything about formal sufficiency. hindi nito sinasabi na sapat na ang Bible at na hindi na nito kailangan ng companion as scripture. ang misreading ni Eli Soriano at ng mga Filipino cults show only how bad they interpret the Bible and how bad they misuse it to favor their falsehoods. no part of scripture claims formal sufficiency. this is a later tradition that rose after the Bible was completed and after the Bible was compiled but the Bible itself does not teach anything about it. the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it is a companion to the Bible and I testify that it is.