Four by Four Equals Six
Isaiah 3 promises “comfort” for barren, bereft mother Zion. Comfort isn’t just soothing pain, but a change of condition. Yahweh brings comfort because He brings justice, establishing righteousness. The comfort is spelled out in a lovely list:
From her wilderness as Eden
From the Arabah as the garden of God
Joy and gladness will be found in her
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
A fourfold comfort, a comfort as extensive as the four-cornered land itself. But the last two items on the list are themselves a list of four: joy, gladness, thanksgiving, voice of melody. Joy and gladness spread out in song to the four corners: Eden restored is a soundscape.
Put all this together, and you get a six: Eden, garden, joy, gladness, thanks, voice of melody. It is a sixfold renewal of Eden, the creation of the sixth day.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
In Medias Res
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.