Abstract
The so-called songs of the Servant (Is 42, 1-4; 49, 1-6; 50, 4-9; 52, 13-53, 12) are related to two offices of the prophet (Second Isaiah himself) and the leader of the returning exile. The prophecy of the second Isaiah is divided into two parts. The first part includes chapters 40-48 and the second chapters 49-55. The first part is supposed to be spoken from the time of Cyrus'attack against the city of Babylon until its fall. The second is uttered from the time of departure of a group of judean exile from Babylon to the time of their arrival and settlement in Jerusalem.
The first song of the Servant (42, 1-4) is a part of installment liturgy (Is 41, 21-42, 13) of the political leader of the exile whose responsibility is to gather together those who were willing to return to Jerusalem in order to reconstruct the temple of Jerusalem. The second song (49, 1-6) is related to the renewal of the prophetic office of the second Isaiah to be a spiritual leader of the returning exile. In relation to it, we can find another liturgy of the official renewal of the servant to be a actual leader of the returning group (Is 49, 7-13). The third song (50, 4-11) reflects the difficulties of the prophetic work on the way to Jerusalem. This song shows close affinities with the confessions of Jeremiah. The last song (52, 13-53, 12) is the lamentation on the death of the Servant, who was fallen, because of his premature ambition to restore political independence in Judea. The suffering servant could be identified with the leader of the returuing exile, Sheshbazzar, whose name is recorded in Ezra 1, 8. 10; 5, 14. 16.
