Isaiah
Book Type
The first book of the Major Prophets; the twenty-third book of the Old Testament; the twenty-third book of the Bible.
Introduction to the Book of Isaiah
The book of Isaiah addresses the problem of sin, showing the need for salvation. Isaiah is called by God to speak to the people of Judah and call attention to their wrongdoings—and the resulting judgment. But judgment is not the end of the story; the book also prophesies salvation and restoration. This hopeful picture is what made Isaiah such a compelling book to early Christians, who saw its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus.
Can God rescue us from the problems we face? Can he save us from oppressive world powers? Can he break the power of our sin and help us deal with its consequences? Throughout this book—which provides a vision of the loving greatness and holiness of God—Isaiah answers these questions with a resounding yes! The prophet’s words sometimes overwhelm us with their beauty. At other times, his piercing words reveal our sin and drive us to our knees. Isaiah’s own ministry began with the kind of vision that convicts the human heart, motivating us to trust in our Creator alone for forgiveness, restoration, and purpose in life.
Isaiah was an eighth-century BC prophet. His book is the first of the Prophets in the English canon and the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew canon. Isaiah is powerful in its poetic imagination, intriguing in its prophetic vision, and complex in its structure. One can never read or study the book without gaining new insights into the nature of God and our relationship with him. The authors of the New Testament read the book of Isaiah in light of the coming of Christ and realized that this prophet anticipated Messiah’s coming with remarkable clarity. For this reason they quoted or alluded to Isaiah more than any other Old Testament book.
Theme & Overview
Isaiah predicts imminent judgment—but eventual restoration—for the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Do you know Christians who live double lives? Who only seem to be playing with God? The prophet Isaiah knew people who lived double lives—his fellow Israelites—and he shared God’s hatred for their duplicitous compromise. In the book of Isaiah, he challenges them to shape up and love God with all their hearts and minds. The NIV Quest Study Bible Isaiah wants his readers to see their hypocrisy and change their ways. Isaiah, who the NIV Student Bible calls the Shakespeare of Hebrew literature, was a poet who understood the two-sided nature of God’s character: mercy and judgment, grace and discipline, justice and forgiveness, exile and salvation. The tension of these great paradoxes fills the pages of Isaiah’s writings, demanding a resolution each reader must make: decide to commit to faith or to unbelief.
The book of Isaiah highlights the problem of sin but also offers a message of salvation. Yahweh is both just and merciful. He is the true God who created everything, and when people seek salvation in foreign nations and their gods, it is a denial of what He can and will do for His people. Idolatry leads to judgment.
After judgment there is a new era of comfort. Yahweh will bring His people back from exile and send a Servant. This future Servant—also referred to as the Messiah—will suffer, die, and rise again so that people can have a relationship with God. The Servant carries the sin of many and intercedes for transgressors. He will redeem God’s people and bring about worship of Yahweh by all the nations.
Isaiah’s message of mercy, justice, and salvation makes it the prophetic book most commonly cited in the New Testament. In particular, the Gospel writers point to Isaiah’s promise of a Messiah and its fulfillment in Jesus, born of a virgin in the lineage of King David (for example, compare Isa 7:14; 9:6; 11:1–2 with Matt 1; also see Matt 4:14–16; 8:17; 12:17–21; Luke 4:17–21; John 12:41). In the book of Isaiah, hope centers around the Suffering Servant—identified as Jesus in the New Testament—who dies and rises for us so we can be reconciled to God.
The central theme of the book is God himself, who does all things for his own sake (48:11). Isaiah defines everything else by its relation to God, whether it is rightly adjusted to him as the gloriously central figure in all of reality (45:22–25). God is the Holy One of Israel (1:4), the One who is high and lifted up but who also dwells down among the “contrite and lowly” (57:15), the Sovereign over the whole world (13:1–27:13) whose wrath is fierce (9:12, 17, 21; 10:4) but whose cleansing touch atones for sin (6:7), whose salvation flows in endless supply (12:3), whose gospel is “good news of happiness” (52:7), who is moving history toward the blessing of his people (43:3–7) and the exclusive worship due him (2:2–4). He is the only Savior (43:10–13), and the whole world will know it (49:26). To rest in the promises of this God is his people’s only strength (30:15); to delight themselves in his word is their refreshing feast (55:1–2); to serve his cause is their worthy devotion (ch. 62); but to rebel against him is endless death (66:24).
A microcosm of the book’s message appears in 1:2–2:5. The Lord announces his basic charge against the people: they have received so much privilege from God and ought to be grateful children, but “they have despised the Holy One of Israel” (1:2–4). He describes the purpose of the various judgments they face, namely, to bring them to repentance, or at least to preserve a remnant who will repent (1:5–9). Judah is very diligent to observe the divinely appointed sacrifices, but the people’s hearts are far from God, as their unwillingness to protect their own weakest members exhibits (1:10–20). The Lord called his people to be the embodiment of faithfulness in this world, and yet they are now filled with rampant unfaithfulness at every level (personal, religious, and social); but God intends to purge Zion of its sinful members and set her up as a beacon of light for the whole world. In view of this glorious future, Isaiah’s contemporaries should commit themselves afresh to walking “in the light of the LORD” (1:21–2:5).
Author
The prophet Isaiah, specifically noted in the first verse.
Recipients
Isaiah the prophet wrote to those in Judah and Jerusalem "in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (Isaiah 1:1). His audience consisted of Jews who served under the reigns of these four kings. Uzziah reigned for 52 years and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:4), as did Jotham (2 Chronicles 27:2), as did Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:2). However, King Ahaz was an evil king who "walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree" (2 Kings 16:3–4).
Date
Jewish tradition states Isaiah died at the hands of King Manasseh by being cut in two with a saw. Since Manasseh reigned in approximately 695—642 BC, the book of Isaiah would have been completed absolutely no later than 642 BC. Alternatively, the last king mentioned by Isaiah ended his reign in 686 BC, and so Isaiah's writing may have been completed around this time.
Background
Isaiah’s ministry spanned the reigns of four kings of Judah during the eighth century BC. Little is known about his life, although the book does allude to him being a husband and father (Isa 8:3).
Much of Isaiah’s prophetic activity, recorded in Isa 1–39, relates to the Syro-Ephraimite War during the reign of King Ahaz (ca. 735 BC) or to the Assyrian king Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah during Hezekiah’s reign (701 BC). In 722 BC Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, representing an imminent threat to the southern kingdom of Judah. Isaiah warned that a similar judgment would come to Judah.
Isaiah 40–66 addresses the period of the exile of God’s people, after Judah fell to Babylon in 586 BC, and the following return of God’s people. The shift in focus in these later chapters may indicate that a different author (or perhaps several authors) wrote or reworked them.
By the time of King Uzziah’s death (740 BC), the southern kingdom of Judah faced a major crisis. The empire of Assyria, dormant for nearly fifty years, was now on the move again. Assyria’s conquest reached southwestward from its homeland in what is now northern Iraq toward its ultimate destination, Egypt. The small nations of the Mediterranean coast, including Israel and Judah, stood in Assyria’s path. Assyria took Galilee and much of Israel’s territory east of the Jordan River. But Assyria would be satisfied only with total control of Israel, Judah, and all the other smaller nations in the area.
The World of Isaiah’s Time, about 745–701 BC. When Isaiah was living and prophesying in Jerusalem, Assyria was the major power in the region and the major threat to the kingdom of Judah—a threat that came to a head in 701 BC during the reign of King Hezekiah
While Judah’s King Uzziah was still alive, Judah was able to ignore the crisis. Uzziah had a strong army (2 Chr 26:11–15). Overall, Uzziah was a good and effective king, and his people hoped that he could somehow save the nation from the Assyrians. When Uzziah died, however, ungodly rulers succeeded him. During this crisis of leadership, God gave Isaiah the vision that launched his ministry for the next forty years (6:1–13).
Assyria, meanwhile, pushed steadily southward along the coast of the Mediterranean, conquering one small nation after another. During this time, Judah’s policy on Assyria oscillated between appeasement and confrontation. The prophet Isaiah brought a much-needed message: God is absolutely dependable, and it is utter folly to trust in anything or anyone other than God.
Unfortunately, Isaiah’s central message was not always heeded. Around 734 BC, Israel formed a coalition with Syria to stand against Assyria. When King Ahaz of Judah refused to join this alliance, Israel and Syria attacked Judah in order to force Ahaz to join them. Faced with this crisis, Ahaz foolishly chose not to trust God (7:1–12). Instead, Ahaz called the Assyrians to rescue him (2 Chr 28:16–21). Although the king of Assyria did come to the rescue, defeating Syria and Israel, he also attacked Ahaz and placed a heavy burden of taxation on Judah. Just a few years later (722 BC), Assyria defeated the kingdom of Israel again and sent most of its people into exile (2 Kgs 17:5–18).
In 701 BC, during King Hezekiah’s reign, Assyria again invaded Judah. This time, Judah relied on God’s faithfulness, and as promised, God rescued the nation from the Assyrian army (37:21–36).
Regrettably, God’s people did not remain faithful to him. As a result, God eventually allowed Judah to be overcome by Assyria’s successor, Babylon (605–586 BC). What would Judah’s destruction and exile to Babylon mean in terms of God’s absolute reliability, which Isaiah had proclaimed? Isaiah answered this as well: God would indeed punish Judah’s wickedness. He would also preserve a remnant that one day would return to the holy land. This return would not be due to any faithfulness on their part; it would be an act of God’s grace.
Upon returning from exile (538 BC, see Ezra 1:1–4), the people were again tempted to wickedness, this time by the paganism that had taken root in their homeland during their absence. Isaiah showed that the gracious God who rescued them is also the holy God who demanded their obedience, righteousness, and exclusive devotion.
The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
The book of Isaiah could be called the Bible in miniature. It has more overtones of the NT than any other OT book. Isaiah gives us a complete picture of God as unique and transcendent (beyond our experience). Yet the holy and exalted God reveals himself and desires to be Immanuel (“God is with us,” 7:14). Therefore, the transcendent God is also immanent (nearby). God’s nearness prepares Isaiah’s readers to receive God incarnate (in the flesh), Jesus Christ, who is truly the Immanuel (see Matt 1:23).
Isaiah tackles the foolishness of idolatry head on. He exposed the folly of trying to capture God in any created thing or trying to manipulate God to our own ends. The only way to receive the blessings God wants to pour out upon us is through our surrender and trust. However, the human spirit stubbornly opposes this. We would rather trust anything or anyone other than God, who is beyond our control. Those who stubbornly refuse to submit themselves to the true God and turn instead to false gods become estranged from God and face his judgment.
The prophet tells the story of God’s judgment on his sinful people through exile. However, God graciously returns to his people and declares that he will not cast them away altogether. Instead, he will purify and preserve a remnant that will glorify him among the nations and demonstrate that he alone is the true and living God.
The kingdom of God, centered in a new Zion (new Jerusalem), populated by a new community of the faithful, and ruled by God’s righteous servant, the Messiah, will be built on the power of love rather than on the power of oppression and injustice. Only the righteous can belong to this new community. The same grace that rescues God’s people from the consequences of their sin also produces in them obedience to his will. As a result, they will glorify God and transform the world.
Isaiah’s message is relatively simple. First, Isaiah accused God’s people of sin: rebelling against the one who made them and redeemed them. Second, Isaiah instructed these sinners to reform their ways and act obediently. Third, Isaiah announced God’s judgment on the people because of their sin. Finally, God revealed his future restoration of the people, or at least of the faithful remnant that survived the judgment. As part of the restoration of God’s people, Isaiah foresaw both judgment on the nations (chaps. 13–23) and a future turning of the nations to God (2:1–4). The first part of the book (chaps. 1–39) emphasizes sin, the call to repentance, and judgment; the second part (chaps. 40–66) emphasizes the hope of restoration. Other topics should be noted:
GOD, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL:
From the beginning to the end of the book, God is called the Holy One of Israel. At the time of Isaiah’s call, the seraphim cried out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Armies” (6:3). God is set apart, completely removed from sin, the very epitome of moral perfection. God’s people were to reflect the character of their holy God according to the requirements of the Torah (Lv 11:44–45; 19:2; 20:7), but they had fallen far short. Isaiah was commissioned to remind them of this high standard.
TRUST AND CONFIDENCE:
Isaiah called God’s people to trust God, and when they did not, he condemned them for it. They were to fear God, not other humans. Most often the Israelites betrayed God by trusting a powerful foreign nation or false gods.
GOD VERSUS THE IDOLS:
Because of the tendency of God’s people to trust false gods, Isaiah’s prophetic word often contrasted the true God with the false gods of the nations. God acted in history; idols did not. God could reveal the future; idols could not. God is eternal; idols were man-made and amounted to nothing.
MESSIAH AND SERVANT:
Perhaps more than any other part of Isaiah, the passages describing a future anointed king (Messiah, 9:1–7; 11:1–9) and those describing the servant (42:1–9; 49:1–6; 50:4–6; 52:13–53:12) have attracted the interest of Christian readers of the book. From the time of the New Testament, Christian readers have understood Jesus Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of the expectation of a future king and suffering servant.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLE
It might be argued that without Isaiah, the New Testament could not have been written. There as nowhere else in the Old Testament the message is declared and the stage is set for the Davidic King to bring about a new exodus and establish God’s kingdom on earth by means of the sin-bearing Servant.
STRUCTURE
The book of Isaiah is a combination of both prose and poetry. The prose is found primarily in chaps. 36–39, a section that forms a bridge between the two sections of the book (see “Message and Purpose”). Isaiah’s poetry is rich and varied. He wrote hymns, wisdom poetry, and even poetry that resembles a love song (5:1–7). The richness is seen in Isaiah’s vocabulary. He used over 2,200 different Hebrews words, far more variety than found in any other Old Testament book.
Key Verses (ESV)
Isaiah 6:5: "And I said: 'Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!'"
Isaiah 6:8: "And I heard the voice of the LORD saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'"
Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
Isaiah 9:6: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 14:12–13: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north.'"
Isaiah 53:5–6: "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Key Passages (NLT)
Is 2:2–4
In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to…
Is 42:1–9
“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.…
Is 44:28–45:1
When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’ he will certainly do as I say. He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’; he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’ ” This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him,
Is 53:1–12
Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised…
Structure & Outline 1
The book of Isaiah can be divided into three sections. The first section (Isa 1:1–39:8) includes a list of Judah’s sins and God’s plans for judgment (3:1–26) and describes Isaiah’s commission as a prophet with a vision of Yahweh (Isa 6:1–13). Following this, Isaiah issues judgments against Judah, the Assyrian invaders, Israel, and other nations—specifically for their pride in their own strength, their failure to recognize Yahweh’s hand behind their success (Isa 10), and Israel and Judah’s failure to seek Yahweh for help, instead of trusting in earthly allies (Isa 7–8; 28–31). But this section also foretells hope. Salvation is coming through the Prince of Peace, and the Spirit of Yahweh shall rest upon this “shoot” from the stump of Jesse (see Isa 9:1–7; 11:1–10). The narrative near the end of the first section records Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah, King Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance, and the eventual defeat of Sennacherib (Isa 36:1–38:22; compare 2 Kgs 18–20; 2 Chr 29–32). Isaiah then prophesizes concerning the rise of the kingdom of Babylon and the destruction of Judah (Isa 39:1–8).
The middle section (Isa 40:1–55:13) conveys how the anointed one of God, the Messiah, will come as a Suffering Servant who will die and rise for humanity (see Isa 52:13–53:12). Ultimately, Babylon will receive judgment for its oppression of God’s people, and one day God’s people will celebrate and have peace. As a sign of this hopeful future, God’s people return from exile.
The final section (Isa 56:1–66:24) centers on the themes of salvation and judgment, which include the restoration of God’s people, Yahweh’s judgment of the nations, and the creation of a new heaven and earth where Yahweh will be worshiped by all.
Outline
• The judgment of God’s people and the nations (Isa 1:1–39:8)
• The restoration and salvation of God’s people (Isa 40:1–55:13)
• The future of God’s people (Isa 56:1–66:24)
Outline 2
Consisting of 66 chapters, Isaiah is one of the longest books in the Bible, second only to Psalms in number of chapters. However, it consists of three major parts. The first section focuses on God's judgments against the people of various locations (chapters 1—35).
The second section includes a brief segment consisting of chapters 36—39. In this section, Sennacherib attempts to defeat the city of Jerusalem, yet God rescues the city. Then King Hezekiah become sick and is told he will die. He cries out the Lord, who then agrees to extend his life. In chapter 39, visitors from Babylon arrive in Jerusalem, foreshadowing the future destruction of Jerusalem by this kingdom.
The third section focuses on God's future salvation for His people (Isaiah 40—66). They will be delivered from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48). The Messiah, the suffering servant of chapter 53, will come to redeem His people, resulting in many changes (Isaiah 49—57). Chapters 58—66 then focus on the future glory of God's people, including the destiny of Jerusalem and God's ultimate answer to Israel's prayers.