8.

8. The two approaches to which we have referred may for convenience, though with some ambiguity, be described as ‘historical’ and ‘literary’. They seem to be radically different; whether they can be reconciled to one another, as some have claimed, must remain doubtful. In the commentary which follows more attention will be paid to the second approach, partly because it has been less prominent in commentaries on Isaiah. It is hoped, however, that the important concerns of the first approach have not been ignored.