Jacob Rennaker and Dr. Donald Parry, Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages
The language that people use conveys a myriad of meaning. In examining the language an author uses, for example, one can discover his or her understanding of a subject. This holds true for the author of the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 57:15 contains a curious phrase that is used nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Here, God is referred to as One who “inhabiteth eternity.” These words imply a certain understanding of deity. Traditionally, this verse has been interpreted as a metaphor regarding God’s kingship and His transcendence. In a careful examination of the phraseology and context of the verse, however, Isaiah’s description is reflective of symbols in which ancient Israel found superlative meaning: the tabernacle and temple of God.
The entire verse says: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones (KJV).” The phrase under consideration in Hebrew is “עד שכן.” The first word, “שכן” means to reside or inhabit. This verb is in the active participle form, which in the King James Version was translated as “inhabiteth,” or in modern English, “inhabiting.” The second word, “עד,” can mean either “perpetual continuation; enduring future,” or “time without end.” In the King James Version, the word in this verse was translated as “eternity.” Interestingly, this is the only time the word “eternity” appears in this translation of the Bible. The uniqueness of this combination of words allows for many different translations and interpretations.
One way of interpreting this verse is from a kingship context. Some read the phrase “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity” instead as “in the height as Holy One I sit enthroned,” or “who sits enthroned forever.” This particular verse has also been viewed as taking place in some sort of royal audience chamber. One scholar believes that “this reference to [His] eternal rule derives apparently from the Jerusalem tradition of God’s kingship” which is reflected elsewhere in the Old Testament. This imagery can be seen in another chapter of the book of Isaiah: “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up …Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory…Mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isa. 6:1, 3, 5). This “kingship” of God can be seen as “a royal metaphor for the great sovereign who from the exalted throne room extends the royal presence and the royal concern” to His subjects. While this interpretation fits quite nicely into the context of an Israelite kingship ideology, there are other possible interpretations that take into account additional aspects of ancient Israel’s theology.
Another interpretation of the phrase “inhabiteth eternity” is “abides forever.” “שכן” can be translated “to reside,” which implies a stationary condition. The following word, “עד” was cited before as implying perpetual continuation. This second word could be seen as clarifying and intensifying the first verb. Thus, the phrase in its entirety can be used to show the eternal and unchanging nature of God. This particular principle is expressed by a number of biblical authors. The author of Psalms wrote, “even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Ps. 90:2), and “thou [God] art the same, and thy years shall have no end” (Ps. 102:27). Elsewhere, God says, “For I am the LORD, I change not” (Mal. 3:6). As an eternal Being, God is not subject to the vicissitudes of mortality; He is not subject to death or any other type of change.
This different interpretation changes the meaning of the verse. Instead of bringing to mind a royal setting, it now stresses the unchangeable nature of God. Whereas a king can be seen in relation to his subjects, a transcendent and unchangeable being cannot possibly relate to those who are constantly changing. Isaiah touched upon this concept in an earlier chapter: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9). The “high and holy place” of God’s residence mentioned in Isaiah 57:15, in this view, is nowhere on earth, but in heaven. One scholar, however, attempted to reconcile this view of God as unchanging with the view of God as a type of king. In his synthesis, he stated, “[God] has always sat enthroned.” This view includes the royal imagery, while maintaining God’s permanence. Despite this apparent reconciliation, the impression is still one of a deity who is far removed and unapproachable.
While God possesses eternal characteristics, the words used in this verse do not necessarily describe a completely static or unreachable deity. The verb “שכן” can mean “to dwell.” However, this word does not necessarily imply “the notion of a static remaining,” but can also mean a “transition into a spatially and temporally as yet unspecified condition.” It can also be translated as “to rest,” which implies some sort of transition. The word used for the Israelite tabernacle was “משכן” which is made using the same root letters as “שכן”. The tabernacle was a temporary structure that was moved many times during Israel’s journey in the wilderness. When Israel was finally settled in their promised land, they built a permanent place for their God: the temple. The temple was not referred to as a “משכן,” but as a “הכל,” a “בית,” or a “מקדש.” The visible difference between the words used to describe the transitory tabernacle and the stationary temple helps to further demonstrate the implications of the word “שכן.”
An interesting parallel is found in the New Testament. The Greek word “σκηνη” means “tabernacle.” In the prologue to John’s gospel, it states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). The word translated as “dwelt” is “εσκηνωσεν” which literally means to “tent” or “tabernacle.” Further associations can be made with the words Isaiah used because some “suggest that the LXX translators may have favored this particular Greek term for ‘tabernacle’ because its consonants [σ-κ-ν] correspond to the Hebrew consonants for the Shekinah [ש-כ-נ], God’s presence.” Here, a transcendent and eternal being is seen as transitioning from an eternal realm to a temporal realm. The language used in these New Testament verses appears to be referring to Israel’s exodus. God was not static or utterly transcendent during the sojourn in the wilderness; He was seen as a dynamic deity who regularly made contact with mankind. By means of the tabernacle, He temporarily left His heavenly abode to associate with Israel. John applied this imagery to Jesus, as a God, transitioning from heaven to earth, just as the God of Israel had done in the past. If this was the meaning of John’s writings, then such a view of Israel’s God must have been existent within the greater system of Judaism.
When these differing translations are all seen in light of the temple, a harmonious description of God emerges. He is a perpetual King, who rules His people with constancy and equity. Even though He is transcendent, He can be approached by humanity in His holy palace, the temple. The temple is a place where sacred space meets sacred time. The verb “שכן,” as mentioned earlier, refers to dwelling in a certain place. The place where God dwells is considered sacred, as can be seen in the book of Genesis when altars and memorials were erected at places where God appeared (Gen. 26:24-25, 28:12-18, 35:1). Related to the concept of sacred space is the element of time implicit in the word “עד.” God sets apart sacred time, as shown in the Ten Commandments: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy … wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Ex. 20:8-11).
The Holy of Holies combined both the elements of sacred space and sacred time. It was the most holy place within the tabernacle and temple (Ex. 26:34), and was to be entered once a year on the holiest day, the Day of Atonement (Ex. 30:10). It was in this Holy of Holies that the Eternal God would appear on his “throne” above the mercy seat to “commune” with man (Ex. 25:22, see also 1 Sam. 4:4).
The people of Israel were profoundly affected by the events and aftermath of the Exodus. The symbolism of the tabernacle, the evidence of God among His wandering people, permeated their very language. In describing God as One who “inhabiteth eternity,” Isaiah used words in Hebrew that reflected his understanding of deity. The particular words used by this prophet depict God in terms of the tabernacle: God was the divine king of His people Israel, whose rule was constant. This God was not utterly transcendent; He condescended to visit His people. Even after their sojourn through the desert, God continued to visit this people in the temple that they built for Him. Both the tabernacle and the temple became the symbol for the place where this celestial sovereign manifested Himself as the God of Israel.