Between Absurdity And Hope: Suffering In The Book Of Isaiah

This article explores the theme of suffering in the book of Isaiah using the concept of the absurd, developed by Albert Camus. Confronted with a reality of persistent displacement and suffering, and with Yhwh's indifference to it, the authors/editors of the book of Isaiah accentuate a sense of absurdity of Israelite existence after the Babylonian exile. Some of the more peculiar texts about divine punishment—such as the hardening of the heart (Isa 6), the suffering of the innocent servant (Isa 53), and the culpability of Yhwh in the Israelite predicament (Isa 63–64)—are here read as an absurd protest, rejecting justifications of the horrors of Israelite suffering through war and exile.

Through this protest, the Book of Isaiah embraces suffering as the essence of Israelite existence, asserting that integrity and meaningful life are not acquired through a quiet acceptance of the destructive forces sent by Yhwh, but through an unyielding refusal to submit to these forces.