2: Biblical excerpts, Isaiah 2:4 and Isaiah 11:6.

2: Biblical excerpts, Isaiah 2:4 and Isaiah 11:6.

Amichai’s poem includes two major biblical references, both drawn from the prophetic book of Isaiah. The first (line 2) draws its imagery from the vision of peace put forth in Isaiah 11:6. The second reference occurs in line 11 and takes its language from Isaiah 2:4.

Suggested Activities: Ask students to reread the poem in light of these biblical sources. Amichai could have used any of the other images offered in these two quotations (for example, “spears into pruninghooks” instead of “swords into plowshares”), but how would doing so change our reading of the poem? Try substituting the imagery in lines 2 and 11 with other images from their respective biblical verses and discuss how doing so not only changes how one reads the poem but also alters the relations between images that Amichai emphasizes. Amichai’s references to biblical texts also call attention to what remains unstated in the poem. Does reading all of Isaiah 11, for example, expand our understanding of the poem? Consider the final image of Isaiah 11:6—“and a child shall lead them”—and how it resonates in Amichai’s poem and its preoccupation with inheritance. Students could also look at the rest of Isaiah 2:4 and reflect on its vision of a world without war.

Source: Isaiah 2:4, Isaiah 11:6, trans. Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Source sheet compiled by Sadie Gold-Shapiro using sefaria.org, 2018.