Isaiah’s ‘New Heaven and New Earth’ (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22)

Abstract

The interpretation of “new heaven and new earth” in Isaiah 65:17; 66:22 has attracted scholarly attention leading to polarization of views in scholarship. This enigma seems to come from the divergence among scholars with regard to the eschatology in Isaiah 65-66. Accordingly, this study uses contextual, linguistic and structural analytical methods to conclude that the creation of “new heaven and new earth” in Isaiah 65:17 should be understood as a metaphoric and hyperbolic expression of the future deliverance and restoration of Judah after captivity. The making of “the new heaven and the new earth” in Isaiah 66:22 is an anaphoric nuance of Isaiah 65:17. The phrase “new heaven and new earth” in Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22 is clearly in the context of post exilic restoration of Judah.