Eyes and Ears #Messiah texts Isaiah 35:5–6

19. Recitative (mezzo-soprano) – Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. 

 

Isaiah 35:5–6

Ear (azn) and eye (yin) are used 8 times together in Isaiah's verses. He emphasizes the senses from the beginning (chapter 6) to the middle here and to the end (chapter 64). I'm sorry that Handel didn't indulge in the last part of the verse and give us the music of the waters in the wilderness. Perhaps if he could have heard the future, Handel would have enjoyed the work of the 19th century S.S. Wesley on these words.

As the Hebrew az (then) begins the sentence, so in this case the music starts on other than the tonic, explicitly connecting this passage with the prior verse. We should inquire as to what went before: If you read chapter 35:4, you will find encouragement to persevere and the coming of vengeance. I am struck by how often vengeance has popped up in my reading of the scriptures these days. Remember Deuteronomy 32, the Song of Moses and how we ended up with vengeance on Christmas Day. Blood and vengeance are in chapters 34 and 35 of Isaiah.

אָ֥ז תִּפָּקַ֖חְנָה עֵינֵ֣י עִוְרִ֑ים וְאָזְנֵ֥י חֵרְשִׁ֖ים תִּפָּתַֽחְנָה		5 ♪f Then the eyes of the blind will receive sight, and the ears of the deaf will be opened.
h az tipqknh yini yivvrim vaozni kirwim tiptknh	9 9	az t/pqk\nh yin\i yvr\im v/azn\i krw\im t/ptk\nh
אָ֣ז יְדַלֵּ֤ג כָּֽאַיָּל֙ פִּסֵּ֔חַ וְתָרֹ֖ן לְשׁ֣וֹן אִלֵּ֑ם כִּֽי־נִבְקְע֤וּ בַמִּדְבָּר֙ מַ֔יִם וּנְחָלִ֖ים בָּעֲרָבָֽה		6 ♪B Then one that is lame will leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy, [for waters will split in the wilderness, and torrents in the steppe.]
v az idlg caiil pisk vtron lwon ailm ci-nbqyu bmdbr mim unklim byrbh	17 15	az i/dlg c/ail psk vt/rn lwvn alm ci n/bqy\v b/mdbr mim v/nkl\im b/yrb\h