"תדוש הרים ותדק": הגולים כבעלי הכוח בנבואת המורג (ישעיהו מא 14-16)

This article examines an unusual prophecy found in Isaiah 40-48, which likens the weak exilers in Babylon to a new and sharp threshing sledge that will crush his enemies (41:14-16). The prophecy of the threshingsledge is the only one throughout the section in which the exiles are presented as taking an active part in the redemption process, and the article discusses the reasons for its uniqueness. The analysis shows that theactivity in question fits the broader context. The prophecy is the culmination of a series of prophecies about God’s power, and it uses royal motifs to draw parallels betweeaiahn Cyrus and Israel, implying that, contrary to Cyrus’s propaganda, it was YHWE and not Marduk who granted him the power to conquer Babylon, and that this was done for the good of Israel and not for the benefit of Babylon. In addition, the image of the threshing sledge alludes to an earlier prophecy (28:23-29), which it uses as a precedent to convince the people that the fantastic promises can indeed be fulfilled, and nothing is beyond God’s power. The analysis demonstrates how the prophet exploits literary motifs to further his rhetorical goals.