”Han var föraktad” : Forskningen i Sverige under 1900-talet kring Jesajabokens s.k. tjänaresånger med utblick mot övriga Skandinavien

Sammanfattning: Ever since Bernhard Duhm launched his theory about the so-called Ebed YHWH-Songs in Deutero-Isaiah in 1875 and which continued in his commentaries on Isaiah from 1892, the matter has been eagerly discussed over the years, not least in Sweden. I want to illuminate how the matter has been treated in our country during the 20th century and even to give an overview of the discussions in the rest of Scandinavia during the same period of time. Certain aspects regarding Ebed YHWH stand in focus: Ebed YHWH:s identity, the question as to whether the songs should be seen as genuine parts of the text or if they are to be seen as interpolations and, regarding the exegetes we meet, what has influenced them. As will be seen, Duhm’s influence on Swedish scholars during the 20th century has been insignificant. This is even true in most cases if we take into account the views of Old Testament scholars in the rest of Scandinavia. The starting point for the exegetes has been Duhm’s textual delimitations of the songs, but they have in many cases adjusted them. Even in other cases they have deviated from him, e.g. regarding Ebed YHWH:s identity.The scholars are presented even with some information of their personal lives and academic career. The aim is to illuminate the exegetes personal profile which can broaden our understanding of them.