God's voice in Discipleship (IS 50:4)

The importance of listening to God’s voice in discipleship.

Understanding Hebrew poetry, and the NASB translation help unlock the meaning of Is 50:4.

The Hebrew word לִמֻּד, (limmud) is listed twice in the verse identifying a Hebrew poetic structure drawing attention to two roles of the disciple: To listen to God’s voice and sustain the weary by teaching him or her God’s Word.

Note the parallelism in the two stanzas of AB and ABC;

A) The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
B) That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.

(the above is a poetic bicola or two lines that reflect an advancement in thought – He has given me the tongue (or word) to sustain the weary.

A) He awakens Me morning by morning,
B) He awakens My ear
C) to listen as a disciple.

(A Tricola, or a three line stanza reflects a climatic relationship, note the repetition of lines one and two that puts the emphasis on the third line on listening to God’s voice, which is why I reversed it in the summary statement above.

Both in the Old and New Testament God’s voice was communicated in the written and spoken word. The emphasis in this verse is on the prophet hearing the spoken word, ie: not in dreams or visions but in the waking hours.

I believe the NASB rendered a more accurate translation of the Hebrew word לִמֻּד, limmud as “disciple.”

The Hallot lexicon differentiates the definition in the NASB and the ESV which is translated as “taught”

—1. adj. taught, trained: with לִמּוּדֵי הָרֵעַ trained to do evil (Jer 13:23);

—2. pupil (ï תַּלְמִיד, (Is 50:4)

I tend to like the BDG lexicon which incorporates both
“taught, as disciples”.