ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:1–5:30 Introduction: “Ah, Sinful Nation!” The prophet rebukes the people of God in order for them to place themselves under the judgment of God’s word. Isaiah includes promises of miraculous grace beyond the remedial judgments. On 1:2–2:5 as a microcosm of the book’s message, see Introduction: Theme.
Isaiah prophesied “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (1:1).
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c102
| Kings of Judah | Years of Reign |
|---|---|
| Uzziah (Azariah) | 767–740 B.C. |
| Jotham | 750–735 |
| Ahaz | 735–715 |
| Hezekiah | 715–686 |
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:1–31 Judah’s Sins Confronted. Isaiah explains why God’s people Judah are in crisis. They do not comprehend that they have forsaken God, hollowed out their worship, and corrupted their society.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:1 The superscription for the entire book. vision. A message from God (1 Sam. 3:1; Ezek. 7:26), given in symbolic form. Isaiah the son of Amoz. See Introduction: Author and Title. Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. See Introduction: Date, and chart.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:2–9 Isaiah indicts Judah’s mindless revolt against God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:2 heavens … earth. Isaiah calls on the entire cosmos as a faithful witness to God’s word (Deut. 30:19; 31:28; Ps. 50:4). Children … they. These emphatic words accent the contrast between God’s grace and his people’s ingratitude. Thus Isaiah summarizes Israel’s history up to his time. Israel as a whole is God’s “son” (Ex. 4:22–23), and individual Israelites are also “sons” (see esv footnote; Deut. 14:1); this privilege should have led to gratitude, but it did not. rebelled. See Isa. 66:24.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:4 Ah is a cry of pain and indignation. sinful. Isaiah’s complex vocabulary uses a number of evocative Hebrew words for sin (translated here as iniquity and corruptly) that reveal to the people their true character. the Holy One of Israel. As described above (see Introduction: Date), this is Isaiah’s characteristic title for God, occurring 25 times in the book (and rarely anywhere else in the OT); it reflects a central theme in Isaiah’s thought. Perhaps it originated in the seraphic cry, “Holy, holy, holy” (6:3). When Isaiah saw God high and lifted up in infinite holiness, it defined his knowledge of God as the Holy One who is righteous (5:16), incomparable (40:25), redemptive (47:4), and lofty (57:15), and who has given himself to Israel. To despise the Holy One is to scorn, in practical ways, all that God is. they are utterly estranged. Their backwardness is beyond self-remedy.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:5 Why? Not even painful experience makes an impact. Their minds are closed.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:7–8 This imagery merged into reality in the foreign invasions during Isaiah’s lifetime. the daughter of Zion. The city of Jerusalem (37:22).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:9 Only the power of the LORD of hosts has preserved God’s people (1 Kings 19:18). See Rom. 9:29, where Paul quotes this verse to teach God’s gracious purpose to preserve a remnant that is truly his people. There is nothing within their own nature to keep God’s people from the worst of paganism and its appropriate judgment (see Gen. 13:13; 18:16–19:28; 2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 7; Rev. 11:8).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:10–20 These verses highlight the hypocrisy of the people’s worship. Isaiah, like other prophets who comment on sacrificial practices, recognizes that God appointed the system of worship and authorized the central sanctuary. But these ordinances were always intended to foster true piety among God’s people, which would move them to humble purity of heart and energetic promotion of others’ well-being. Isaiah denounces the way his contemporaries have divorced the ordinances from their proper purpose. It seems that they treated their worship as a way of manipulating God; they also mixed in elements from Canaanite religions (v. 29). See note on Amos 4:4–5.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:10–17 God rejects his people’s worship, however lavish, because they use it as a pious evasion of the self-denying demands of helping the weak (cf. James 1:27). Even lifting their hands in prayer avails nothing, for your hands are full of blood (Isa. 1:15; see 59:3).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:17 seek justice, correct oppression. Doing good in God’s sight includes seeking the just functioning of society (note, by contrast, v. 23).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:18–20 let us reason together. Rather than continue in their incomprehension, the people are urged to consider thoughtfully their actual position before God. though your sins are like scarlet … red like crimson. Their hands, red with blood (v. 15), can be cleansed (Ps. 51:7). But they must make a deliberate choice (Isa. 1:19–20).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:21–23 Isaiah chronicles their social abuses.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:21 a whore. Their covenant with God was comparable to a marriage (54:5). To depart from faithfulness to him is a more shocking sin than the people realize.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:24–28 the Lord … the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel. In contrast to the worthless leaders of v. 23, Israel’s God is a formidable Judge. Startlingly, he calls his own people his enemies! But the judgment here is not the end of the story; its purpose is to smelt away the dross, i.e., to remove the unbelieving members of the people (called rebels and sinners, those who forsake the LORD). Afterward, what remains will be a chastened people of God, those … who repent (i.e., who embrace their covenant privileges from the heart). redeemed. This word (Hb. padah) and its synonym (ga’al; see note on 41:14) generally convey the idea of rescue and protection, either for the whole people (1:27; 35:10; cf. 50:2; 51:11), or for a particular person (cf. 29:22). In some places either word carries the idea of exchanging a substitute or ransom (e.g., Ex. 13:13), but that is not relevant here. The prophet looks forward to a cleansed people after the historical judgment of the exile, restored to its mission (Isa. 2:1–5).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:29 the oaks … the gardens. Suggesting pagan, and probably Canaanite, rites of worship (57:5; 65:3; 66:17) mixed into the life of God’s own people.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 1:31 Self-salvation, though it seems to make the people strong for a time, carries with it its own self-destruction. Apart from repentance (v. 27), the people and their syncretistic oaks and gardens (v. 29) will burn, with none to quench them.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:1–4:6 Judah’s Hope, Guilt, Hope. Within the reassuring context of glorious divine promises (2:2–4; 4:2–6), the prophet identifies the sinful human obstacles standing in the way of the promised hope (2:6–4:1).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:1–5 Hope. Isaiah reveals the triumph of God’s purpose for his people, when the nations will hurry to learn his ways as the only way. The fulfillment of this prophecy is foreseeable in the progress of Christian missions (see Luke 24:46–48).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:1 This superscription marks the beginning of a new section. After the introductory, confrontational ch. 1, this section begins and ends with hope (2:2–4; 4:2–6), also taking into account the sinful human obstacles standing in the way of that hope (2:6–4:1). This vision expands the hope of 1:25–28.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:2–4 Nearly the same wording appears in Mic. 4:1–3. It is possible that one borrowed from the other, or both used a common source; in any event the two were contemporaries and shared the same expectation for God’s purpose.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:2 The latter days is an expression for the future beyond the horizon (e.g., Num. 24:14; Deut. 4:30; Dan. 2:28), which sometimes refers specifically to the time of the Messiah (Hos. 3:5). It is not immediately clear here whether Isaiah is so specific, but the way Isa. 11:4 echoes 2:4 shows that the oracle speaks of the messianic era. NT authors use the various Greek translations of the expression (generally rendered “in the last days”) in the belief that, since Jesus inaugurated his messianic kingship by his resurrection, the latter days have arrived in a decisive way, while at the same time the last days await their complete realization and final fulfillment at the end of the age (Acts 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Pet. 3:3; and probably 1 Pet. 1:20; 1 John 2:18). Isaiah’s future orientation in this section is also marked by his sevenfold use of “in that day” (Isa. 2:11, 17, 20; 3:7, 18; 4:1, 2) and “the LORD of hosts has a day” (2:12), including both the near and distant future. To the prophetic eye, the crises of the present are to be measured by the ultimate crisis of judgment and salvation toward which God is moving history (see Joel 2:28–3:21; Zeph. 1:7–2:3). the mountain of the house of the LORD. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem, though unimpressive from the lofty gaze of human religion, was God’s choice (Ps. 68:15–16) and the true hope of the world (Ps. 48:1–2). the highest of the mountains. The gods of antiquity supposedly lived on mountains. The exaltation of the Lord’s temple as the peak of world religion will be attractive to the nations. “Highest” here probably means “most exalted in honor,” not actually physically highest. all the nations shall flow to it. By a miraculous magnetism, a river of humanity will flow uphill to worship the one true God (see John 12:32).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:3 out of Zion. Out of Zion alone; the Gentiles will abandon all other religions for the true God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:4 nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Tiny Judah has been threatened by war for most of its existence. Now Isaiah predicts that, far from bringing oppression, the triumph of biblical faith will bring a peace the world has never known, when all nations shall beat their swords into plowshares. The description of the Messiah’s reign in 11:1–10 echoes many of these themes; and 11:4 takes up the words judge and decide disputes, attributing the activity to the Messiah, in order to show that God will exercise this rule through his Messiah. Some Christian interpreters take this to describe the effect on the nations as their citizens and leaders submit to the rule of Christ; others understand this to point forward to an earthly reign of Christ in the millennium (see note on Rev. 20:1–6); still others see it as a prediction of Christ’s reign in the new heavens and new earth. In any case, people of all ages have taken these words to express their longings for freedom from war, when the nations seek to follow the “ways” of “the God of Jacob” (Isa. 2:3) and when no mere human authority but the Lord Jesus himself shall judge between the nations.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:5 Isaiah calls the people of God to live now in the light of the promised future. His exhortation applies the nations’ future rallying cry in v. 3 to the people of God in the present. Judah is part of God’s unfolding story, starting with Abraham’s call, and the individuals within Judah must embrace their role in that story by faithfully keeping the covenant.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:6–4:1 Guilt. In tragic contrast with the glory of the latter days (2:1–5; 4:2–6), God rejects Judah in Isaiah’s time for their greed, idolatries, pride, and oppression (see Matt. 5:13).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:6–22 Isaiah surveys the immensity of the present barriers to that happy future, but he is impressed by the Lord alone (vv. 10–11, 17, 19, 21).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:6–8 For. The urgency of v. 5 is explained. full … filled … no end. Rather than the world coming to Zion to learn God’s ways (vv. 2–4), the people of God in Isaiah’s day are influenced by the ways of the world—to the point of saturation.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:9 do not forgive them! Isaiah has given up on his generation. The mystery of forgiveness—for sin cannot be ignored—is revealed in ch. 53.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:10, 19, 21 from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, boasted in terms of “the terror-inspiring splendor of my lordship” in his writings. Isaiah counters all human bravado with the prophetic vision of God as the only one who is truly terrifying: when he rises to terrify the earth (vv. 19, 21). The Lord is the Creator of all mankind, and therefore has an interest in all mankind (not just Israel).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:11 the LORD alone will be exalted. Isaiah sees “the haughty looks/haughtiness of man” as central to what is wrong with the world and the exclusive exaltation of the Lord as the only remedy (cf. v. 17).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:12–16 against all … against every. Ten times Isaiah asserts God’s settled opposition to all human pride.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:17 the LORD alone will be exalted. See note on v. 11.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:20–21 their idols of silver and their idols of gold … to the moles and to the bats (i.e., into the ruins and caves in which they live). The precious but fraudulent ideals of the present world will be seen for the contemptible things they are and acted upon accordingly. True conversion does not quibble over the loss (cf. Phil. 3:8).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 2:22 Stop regarding man. Matching the exhortation in v. 5, Isaiah urges a realistic assessment of the weakness of human power and pride.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:1–4:6 The false and sinful glories of men and women, which are—and deserve to be—vulnerable, are replaced by the glory of the Lord, “a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain” (4:6; cf. Ex. 13:21).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:1–15 Bracketed by “the Lord GOD of hosts” (vv. 1, 15), this section announces God’s intention to deprive Jerusalem and Judah of human leadership in their time of crisis.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:1 For. The prophet explains why man is not to be regarded (2:22). taking away. See “take away” in 3:18. God takes away whatever keeps his people from him, but only in order that they might enjoy his glory (4:2–6). The words support and supply sound alike in Hebrew, and the combination suggests severe deprivation, i.e., all support of bread, and all support of water.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:2–5 God judges his people by removing the leaders who were considered indispensable and replacing them with irresponsible boys and infants.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:6 You have a cloak. The mere appearance of qualified leadership is seized upon by the leaderless people.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:7 I will not be a healer, i.e., “I cannot fix your problems.” Exposing human inadequacy discredits self-confidence.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:8 For … because. The explanation for the nation’s social collapse lies in their hostility toward God. defying his glorious presence. They obstinately disregard God’s presence in their midst (Ex. 40:38; 1 Kings 8:10–11), though his nearness is the hope they ought to cherish (Isa. 4:5). On “glory” as the Lord’s special presence, see note on 6:3.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:10–11 The righteous may suffer and the wicked may prosper, but only in the short run.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:12–15 My people … his people. The Lord demands an accounting from all who oppress his people, whether native-born or Gentile.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:16–17 Because … therefore. The arrogant self-display of Jerusalem’s women will be judged by humiliating exposure.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:18–23 This inventory of extravagant female wardrobes matches the list of hoped-for male leaders in vv. 2–3. The Lord will take away both.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:24 Instead of. Five times Isaiah asserts that God will replace the women’s self-indulgence with the tragedies of exile and abuse.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 3:25–4:1 Isaiah summarizes by predicting the defeat of the men (3:25), the emptying of Jerusalem (personified as an abandoned woman; 3:26), and the plight of the women begging for a man’s protection (4:1; see 3:6).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 4:2–6 Hope. Further developing the bright hope of 2:2–4, Isaiah reveals the worthy leadership and enduring beauty that God intends to provide for his people.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 4:2–3 survivors … he who is left … and remains … recorded for life. The remnant preserved by God (see 1:9).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 4:2 The branch of the LORD is the Messiah (see Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Zech. 3:8; 6:12; and, using different words, Isa. 11:1). He springs from the Lord, and his rule spreads over the world. His beginnings are unimpressive (53:2), but his triumph will be beautiful and glorious. The fruit of the land may also refer to the Messiah, with an emphasis on his human roots.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 4:3–4 holy … when the Lord shall have washed away the filth … and cleansed the bloodstains. A permanent remedy will have been applied to God’s people, so that never again would such language as “take away” (3:1, 18) be necessary.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 4:5 Then the LORD will create. More than reversing the deprivation of 3:1–4:1. a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. Recalling Israel’s early days, God’s presence will be wonderfully manifest, this time not in wilderness wanderings but over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies (cf. Ex. 13:21–22; 40:34–38; Num. 9:15–23). over all the glory there will be a canopy. Perhaps, as in Joel 2:16, a wedding canopy; cf. Isa. 54:4–8; Rev. 21:9–11, 22–27. On the “glory,” see note on Isa. 6:3.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 4:6 God’s people will be forever protected from all distress.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:1–30 Judah’s Sins Condemned. Isaiah’s introductory diagnosis of Judah’s spiritual decline (chs. 1–5) now concludes with an unsparing assertion of his generation’s apostasy and its consequences. The chapter is divided into the song of the vineyard (5:1–7) and the “wild grapes” that the vineyard produced (vv. 8–30).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:1 Let me sing for my beloved my love song. To Isaiah, God is both the Holy One and his beloved. Vineyard is explained in v. 7 as a reference to Israel and Judah (cf. Jer. 12:10 and possibly Matt. 21:33; see also Ex. 15:17, where God plants them; and for Israel as a vine, Ps. 80:8–16; Jer. 2:21; Hos. 10:1; John 15:1).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:2 God made every provision for his people to be a blessing to the world, as he had promised (cf. Gen. 12:1–3). wild grapes. Another possible translation is “stinking” or “sour” grapes, conveying the bad taste of wild grapes in contrast to the sweetness of the cultivated kind.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:4 What more … ? leaves no room for excuses.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:5–6 These verses use imagery to describe foreign invasion and national destruction.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:7 God’s high expectations of his people were fair. he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry! As the esv footnotes on “bloodshed” and “outcry” explain, Isaiah uses wordplay here; he aims to show that sin does not simply fail to reach a standard; it distorts good into evil.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:8–30 This section translates the metaphorical “wild grapes” of vv. 2 and 4 into literal realities. Six “woes” lament the bitter fruits of Israel’s character (vv. 8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22), and four “therefores” anticipate the harvest of inescapable consequences (vv. 13, 14, 24, 25).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:8–10 Leviticus 25 taught Israel to return purchased lands in the Year of Jubilee. “The land is mine,” God said (Lev. 25:23), and he parceled it out to families as their permanent inheritance from him (Num. 26:55; 33:54; 1 Kings 21:1–3). Restoring property to the original owner ensured a fresh start for whomever had fallen on hard times. Therefore, those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room do business without regard for God’s instructions for his land (see note on Amos 3:15). By accumulating more and more land, the powerful are driving the weaker members off the land that God allotted to them, and all for greed. But God sees to it that these landowners who force others out do not receive the profits they expect (cf. Isa. 5:10).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:11–12 wine inflames them. The ungodly in Judah are marked by a visceral refusal to think.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:13–14 The drunkenness of vv. 11–12 is answered here with thirst. The greed of vv. 8–10 is answered with the appetite of Sheol swallowing up the dead (see Ps. 88:3–6; 141:7; Prov. 9:18; Isa. 14:15; 38:18).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:16 What sets Judah’s God apart is his exalted moral character. He is not merely a provider who is useful to humans; he is holy in himself, and he proves it by enforcing his moral order.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:17 This suggests the devastation of Jerusalem, as sheep graze and scavengers eat where the mighty once strolled.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:18–23 Isaiah issues four laments over the cynicism of God’s people. Those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood (v. 18) eagerly pull sin their way, denying its heavy cost and daring God to punish them (v. 19). Cf. 2 Pet. 3:3–4.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:20 those who call evil good and good evil. Evildoers can be so blinded in their moral judgment that their evaluations of good and evil are the exact opposite of God’s true perspective (cf. Matt. 12:24; John 8:44; 2 Thess. 2:11).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:24–30 Two more outcomes, each marked by therefore, doom Isaiah’s generation.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:24 they have rejected … and have despised. God delighted in his people (“his pleasant planting,” v. 7), but they have rejected and despised him (cf. 53:3).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:26 Nations, including Assyria, are summoned by the sovereign God with a mere whistle. Quickly, speedily they come, to serve his purpose by humbling the arrogant taunt of v. 19.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:27–30 With frightening realism Isaiah describes the approach of invading military forces—a far cry from the nations approaching Zion to learn the ways of God and cease from war (2:2–4).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 5:30 darkness and distress … light is darkened. Having rejected the light of the Lord that was offered to them (2:5), Judah and Jerusalem find that the light they chose turns to darkness. Because they have refused God’s grace (5:4), his wrath engulfs them. The rest of the book reveals that God’s purpose of grace is still greater than his disciplinary wrath.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:1–12:6 God Redefines the Future of His People: “Your Guilt Is Taken Away.” God’s grace will preserve a remnant of his people to enjoy forever his messianic kingdom and to fulfill the purpose for which he called them. That grace spreads from Isaiah (6:1–13) to the southern kingdom of Judah (7:1–9:7) to the northern kingdom of Israel (9:8–11:16), bringing God’s people to the “wells of salvation” (12:1–6).
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c103
| Uzziah’s death; Isaiah’s call | ch. 6 | 740 B.C. |
| Days of Ahaz | ch. 7 | c. 735 |
| Assyrian invasion | chs. 36–38 | 701 |
| Sennacherib’s death | 37:38 | 681 |
| Babylonians will destroy Jerusalem | 39:6–8 | 586 |
| Israel will return from Babylonian exile | chs. 40–48 | 538 |
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:1–13 Grace—through Judgment—for Isaiah. God’s grace leads Isaiah from “Woe is me!” (v. 5) to “Here I am!” (v. 8). This vision seems to recount Isaiah’s commission as a prophet. His book conveys the lasting impression of this vision of God in his infinite holiness.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:1 In the year. Around 740 B.C. King Uzziah died, marking the end of a lengthy era of national prosperity (see 2 Chronicles 26). Uzziah had contracted leprosy for flouting God’s holiness, and his son Jotham had been his co-regent for about 10 years (2 Chron. 26:16–21). I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne. The undying King holds court above. The words high and lifted up appear elsewhere in Isaiah (Isa. 52:13; 57:15) and seem to be part of his distinctive style (see Introduction: Date). John 12:38–41 brings two of these together, implying that John saw the servant of Isa. 52:13–53:12 as not only messianic, but divine. The temple in Jerusalem modeled the temple in heaven (cf. Heb. 9:24; Rev. 4:1–4).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:2 the seraphim. Fiery angelic beings (the Hb. word serapim means “flames”). Six wings suggest remarkable powers. The references to face and feet, with their capacity for speech in vv. 3 and 7, and “his hand” in v. 6, imply composite creatures, such as are represented in ancient Near Eastern art. he covered. Even a perfect, superhuman creature humbles himself before the all-holy God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:3 Holy, holy, holy. The threefold repetition intensifies the superlative (cf. Rev. 4:8). Holiness implies absolute moral purity and separateness above the creation (see note on Isa. 1:4). his glory. This is a technical term for God’s manifest presence with his covenant people. It was seen in the cloud in the wilderness (Ex. 16:7, 10); it moved in to “fill” the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34–35) and then the temple (1 Kings 8:11), where the worshipers could “see” it (Ex. 29:43; Ps. 26:8; 63:2). Several passages look forward to the day when the Lord’s glory would fill the earth, i.e., the whole world will become a sanctuary (Num. 14:21; Ps. 72:19; Hab. 2:14; cf. Isa. 11:9); and the esv footnote suggests that the seraphic cry shares this anticipation. Other texts in Isaiah also look forward to the revealing of the Lord’s glory to the world (11:10; 35:2; 40:5; 58:8; 59:19; 60:1–2; 66:18). John 1:14 asserts that this glory was present in Jesus.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:4–5 The revelation of the Holy One is disturbing (see Ex. 19:16–18). Woe is me! For the first time in the book, Isaiah speaks, and his word is a prophetic woe against himself. He confesses his unclean (i.e., not permitted in God’s presence) lips, unlike the seraphic choir, whose worship is pure. I dwell in the midst. Isaiah’s generation is unfit for God, and Isaiah himself is no better. my eyes have seen the King. The holiness of the King is such that the very sight of him seems as though it would be fatal to a sinner (cf. Gen. 32:30; Ex. 33:20; Isa. 33:14).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:6–7 this has touched your lips. The remedy of grace is personally applied. God’s holiness and glory now redemptively enter Isaiah’s experience. atoned for. Through the sacrifice on the altar, according to the Levitical ordinances (e.g., Lev. 1:4). Through his seraph (the singular form of seraphim, plural; see note on Isa. 6:2), God declares the remedy for Isaiah’s sin to be sufficient and instantly effective. Now Isaiah is qualified to proclaim the only hope of the world—the overruling grace of God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:8 Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? See 1 Kings 22:19–20; Jer. 23:18, 22. Here I am! Send me. Isaiah’s experience of grace has dealt with his problem, confessed in Isa. 6:5. “Us” is like “us” in Gen. 1:26 (“let us make man”): God could be addressing himself (in a way compatible with the Christian doctrine of the Trinity), or he could be addressing his heavenly court (less likely, since only God is doing the sending here). See notes on Gen. 1:26; 1:27.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:9–10 God decrees that the prophet’s ministry will have a hardening effect on his own generation, whose character was laid bare in chs. 1–5. The NT quotes this text to explain why some reject the good news of the gospel (cf. Matt. 13:14–15 par.; John 12:39–40; Acts 28:25–27). The openness of faith is a gift of grace, but the unresponsive hearer finds that the message only hardens him to God’s gracious purposes (cf. Isa. 29:9–10; 42:18–25; 65:1–7; Luke 2:34; John 9:39; Acts 7:54; Rom. 11:7–10, 25; 2 Cor. 2:15–16; 1 Pet. 2:8).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 6:11–13 God’s discipline will leave only a remnant of his people—the holy seed—like a single stump left after a forest has been burned over. The remaining believers are set apart for God by the same grace that saved Isaiah. They are the heirs of God’s promises to Abraham, and thus the only hope for the whole world (see 10:20–23; 11:1–10).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:1–9:7 Grace—through Judgment—for Judah. Though King Ahaz brings Assyrian oppression upon his nation, God promises a miraculous child who will rule forever from the throne of David. In the face of human failure, the “zeal of the LORD of hosts” alone will accomplish this (9:7).
c. 740–732 B.C.
As the Assyrian Empire expanded westward, Syria and Israel sought to compel Judah and the other nearby states to form an anti-Assyrian alliance. Judah refused, leading Syria, Israel, and perhaps Edom and Philistia to attack Judah (2 Kings 15:29–37; 2 Chron. 28:1–19). Isaiah assured Ahaz that he needed only trust in God, who would call upon Assyria to deal with Syria and Israel.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:1 In the days of Ahaz is c. 735 B.C., when Ahaz has just begun his reign. Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel. Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel (“Ephraim,” v. 2) join forces against Assyria with the intention of forcing the southern kingdom of Judah into their alliance, perhaps trying to take advantage of Ahaz’s inexperience (see map). Isaiah informs the reader that Ahaz has nothing to fear (v. 4).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:2 the house of David. In God’s covenant with David his forefather, Ahaz has clear warrant for confidence in God’s protective care (cf. 2 Sam. 7:8–17; Ps. 89:3–4, 19–34). the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook. The weakness of national character is revealed.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:3 Shear-jashub means “a remnant shall return” and suggests both judgment (God’s people will be reduced to a remnant) and grace (that remnant will return; cf. 10:20–22). See 8:18 for the symbolic significance of Isaiah’s family.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:4 Defiance in the face of evil is called for by the faithfulness of God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:6 the son of Tabeel. The puppet ruler meant to replace Ahaz, son of David. The promises of God were given only to the royal line of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12–16), and Tabeel is apparently not from this line.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:7–9 Human threats are to be dismissed and divine promises firmly trusted, for the Lord GOD vetoes human intentions. within sixty-five years. The northern kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 B.C. By around 670 B.C. the ethnic identity of the former kingdom would have been decisively transformed, due to the importation of foreign settlers (cf. 2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:1–2, 10). If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. The southern kingdom still has an opportunity to hold fast to God, but their faith must be firm. The wordplay on firmness (“not firm … not be firm”) connects unbelief with instability. Unbelief in God destabilizes everything for Ahaz, not just his religious life.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:10–17 The basic issue in ch. 7 is that Ahaz and the Lord (speaking through Isaiah) have completely different views concerning the threat from the coalition of Syria and Ephraim. Though Ahaz is the heir of David’s throne, he has put his firm faith (v. 9) in the king of Assyria and he has given gold from the temple to the Assyrians, to induce them to attack Syria (2 Kings 16:1–9). Thus Ahaz placed his hope for salvation in human power rather than in the Lord. But Isaiah calls for Ahaz and all of Jerusalem to put their firm faith in a far more reliable ally: “the Lord himself” (Isa. 7:14). Thus the Lord invites Ahaz to request a sign to strengthen his faith (v. 11), but Ahaz hypocritically refuses to do so (v. 12; cf. Deut. 6:16). Isaiah then addresses the “house of David,” accusing the royal house of wearying God, but Isaiah also offers them (“you” plural) a sign from the Lord himself (Isa. 7:14). This sign is the famous announcement of a son born to a virgin, whose name will be Immanuel (see notes following). This child’s life is to be the sign that confirms the truth of the divine word, which the LORD will bring upon you (“you” singular; i.e., Ahaz) and upon your people and upon your father’s house (i.e., the house of David; cf. v. 13). Christian interpretation of this passage requires doing justice to the meaning of Isaiah’s words both (1) as they were first addressed to Ahaz, and then (2) as these same prophetic words are used later by Matthew with respect to the birth of Jesus the Messiah (Matt. 1:21–23).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:11 The Lord’s invitation to Ahaz sets out the possibility of a sign as deep as Sheol or high as heaven, clearly inviting Ahaz to think beyond natural signs, indicating that the sign involves something more than a merely normal birth. See note on vv. 10–17.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:13 The transition from addressing Ahaz alone to addressing the whole house of David provides a parallel with the previous oracle, which likewise concerned both the royal family and the one current occupant of the throne (vv. 2–3). The failure shared by the whole house of David calls for a new, future hope—the sign of v. 14.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:14 the Lord himself. Failure of the human king to respond to the invitation (v. 12) results in the divine King again taking the initiative (cf. v. 17). Similarly, two such signs would be offered to Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son and successor (see 37:30; 38:7).
Although some claim that the word translated virgin (Hb. ‘almah) refers generally to a “young woman,” it actually refers specifically to a “maiden”—that is, to a young woman who is unmarried and sexually chaste, and thus has virginity as one of her characteristics (see Gen. 24:16, 43; Ex. 2:8, “girl”). Thus when the Septuagint translators, 200 years before the birth of Christ, rendered ‘almah here with Greek parthenos (a specific term for “virgin”) they rightly perceived the meaning of the Hebrew term; and when Matthew applied this prophecy to the virgin birth of Christ (see Matt. 1:23), it was in accord with this well-established understanding of parthenos (“virgin”) as used in the Septuagint and in other Greek writers.
Isaiah prophesies further that it is “the virgin” who shall call his name Immanuel. Bestowing a child’s name often falls to the mother in the OT (e.g., the naming of the patriarchs in Gen. 29:31–30:24; but cf. 35:18; also Judg. 13:24; 1 Sam. 1:20), although other women (cf. Ruth 4:17) or even the father (Gen. 16:15; Judg. 8:31) could be involved in the naming. The name itself, Immanuel, “God is with us,” is the message of the sign. Such is its importance that Matthew translates it for his readers (Matt. 1:23). Immanuel is used as a form of address in Isa. 8:8 (“your land, O Immanuel”), and as a sentence in 8:10 (“for God is with us”). To say that God is “with” someone or a people means that God is guiding and helping them to fulfill their calling (Gen. 21:22; Ex. 3:12; Deut. 2:7; Josh. 1:5; Ps. 46:7, 11; Isa. 41:10). As such, it would provide a pointed message either to the fearful Ahaz or to the failing royal house.
Christian interpretation follows Matthew in applying this verse to the birth of Jesus. However, some aspects of Isaiah’s prophecy also relate to the significance of the sign for Isaiah’s own day. This being the case, a number of questions are raised: To whose family does the virgin belong, and how should her marital status be understood? What is the precise significance of the child’s name? Is it a personal name, or should it be understood as a title? Most importantly, does the fulfillment of this sign belong to Isaiah’s own day, or does it rather point (even in his day) to a much more distant and complete fulfillment? Christians have typically answered these questions in one of two ways.
Some hold that the sign has a single fulfillment—that is, the sign points originally and solely to the birth of Jesus as the “ultimate” Messiah. Those who hold this view emphasize the understanding of ‘almah only as “virgin,” thus precluding any “near term” fulfillment before the birth of Jesus; this view understands “Immanuel” as a title (as in 8:8) rather than a personal name. It is also noted that the variation in reference to a “son” (Hb. ben) in 7:14, as compared to a “boy” (Hb. na‘ar) in v. 16, further distinguishes between the child of miraculous birth and a more generic reference to a male child unrelated to the divine promise. This has the effect of separating the reference to Isaiah’s day (vv. 16–17) from the fulfillment of the announced miraculous son to be born at a future time (v. 14). According to this interpretation, then, the prediction of the virgin birth in v. 14 is a straightforward prediction of an event cast well into the future, and Matthew’s application of this prophecy to Jesus (Matt. 1:20–23) provides the divinely inspired testimony to there being a single fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. By this interpretation, the sign is directed to the “house of David,” to affirm God’s intention of preserving David’s dynasty (in keeping with the promises of 2 Sam. 7:12–16), in order to bring Israel’s mission to its glorious fulfillment (Isa. 9:6–7; 11:1–10). God will use any means to do this, even miraculous ones: this is a rebuke to the faithless and secular outlook of Ahaz.
Those who see in this sign a more immediate application to Ahaz and his times usually argue that the prophecy has a double fulfillment—that is, both an immediate fulfillment in Isaiah’s day and a long-term fulfillment in the birth of the Messiah. Those who hold this view argue that it is natural for the name “Immanuel” to be understood in terms of double fulfillment, since two other “sons” perform similar symbolic roles in the context (cf. 7:3; 8:3–4). They argue further that the prophet’s own interpretation of the sign in 7:16–17 applies it directly to Ahaz’s own day. It should be observed that this understanding of the text in no way diminishes Matthew’s affirmation of the supernatural conception and virgin birth of Jesus (cf. also Luke 1:34–35). Even if the prophecy does include an immediate application to the time of Ahaz, however, the prophecy cannot have been fulfilled completely by the birth of someone like Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isa. 8:1, 3) or by Hezekiah, as some have suggested, since 9:6 prophesies the birth of a son whose name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”—a statement that could apply only to the Davidic Messiah. On this understanding, then, the prophecy of 7:14 foretells the birth of Immanuel, which was fulfilled partially in Isaiah’s time but fully and finally in the person of Jesus Christ.
Faithful interpreters can be found on either side of this debate. One should not, therefore, lose sight of those truths on which all agree: the prophet speaks authoritatively for God; Ahaz and his house stand under judgment; the prophetic sign directly meets the failures of Ahaz’s day; fulfillment of the prophecy comes about through direct divine intervention in human history; and the sign finds its final fulfillment in the virgin birth of Jesus the Messiah, who is literally “God with us.”
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:15–17 These verses indicate that the Syro-Ephraimite threat will soon pass; it will not last longer than the time it takes for the boy (possibly in the sense of “any boy”) to reach an age when he can refuse the evil and choose the good. In fact, Syria did fall to Assyria in 732 B.C. and Israel fell in 722. But the agent of deliverance—the king of Assyria—was a worse disaster for Judah. Ahaz forsook “the King, the LORD of hosts” (6:5) for a dreaded earthly king. He foolishly hired the military support of Assyria (2 Kings 16:5–9), for in his spiritual blindness he could not discern between his true ally and his true enemy. Ahaz’s unbelief doomed the Davidic dynasty to loss of sovereignty under foreign domination. Now God must restore the throne of David and save the world.
c. 733 B.C.
Suffering attacks on all sides due to his refusal to join an alliance against Assyria, King Ahaz of Judah called upon Tiglath-pileser III (also called Pul) of Assyria for help. The Assyrians captured Syria and all of Galilee and Gilead from Israel (2 Kings 15:29). As Isaiah had foretold (Isa. 7:17), however, Ahaz’s petition came at a price, for he was required to pay a large tribute to Assyria and make Judah a vassal kingdom of the empire.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:18–25 Isaiah sets forth the devastating national consequences of foreign invasion, marked fourfold by the phrase, in that day (vv. 18, 20, 21, 23), referring back to “such days” in v. 17.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:18–19 At the Lord’s command, the Promised Land is infested with swarms of enemy troops.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:20 In a culture of honor and shame, forced shaving was a mark of humiliation (cf. 2 Sam. 10:4–5). Isaiah foresees his nation scraped down to bare essentials, to their disgrace, by the very razor they hired to save them from humiliation. But the sovereign Lord fulfills his purpose.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 7:21 The population of God’s people is so diminished that it takes only a few animals to produce more than enough food for the remnant.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:1–22 Isaiah reflects on the events of ch. 7, shifting from the third person (“And the LORD said to Isaiah,” 7:3) to the first person (“Then the LORD said to me,” 8:1).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:1–2 Through Isaiah’s son, God provides an openly attested witness to his promise of deliverance from the Syro-Ephraimite coalition. Maher-shalal-hash-baz. See esv footnote, the relevance of which is explained in v. 4. The striking similarities between 7:14–17 and 8:1–4 suggest that, in addition to the Lord’s promise of ultimate deliverance in ch. 7, he provides a rapidly approaching, short-term assurance in ch. 8, encouraging confidence in his long-term faithfulness.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:2 Uriah worked closely with King Ahaz (cf. 2 Kings 16:10–16), while Zechariah was probably Ahaz’s father-in-law (cf. 2 Kings 18:2; 2 Chron. 29:1).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:3 Isaiah’s wife, the prophetess, bears the “sign-child,” Maher-shalal-hash-baz (cf. v. 18).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:5–8 Judah celebrates their escape from Syria and Israel as their own achievement, despite the witness of Maher-shalal-hash-baz, only to find that their ally, Assyria, is really their oppressor.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:6–7 The waters of Shiloah that flow gently is probably referring to the water system that preceded Hezekiah’s construction of the conduit that brought water into the pool of Siloam (cf. 22:9; 2 Kings 20:20; Luke 13:4; John 9:7), used here as an image of God’s faithful care, available to his people. Rezin and the son of Remaliah. See Isa. 7:1. the waters of the (Euphrates) River. In contrast to 8:6, v. 7 describes a swollen “river” of Assyrian military power flowing over Syria and Ephraim and flooding south into Judah, who will survive only by standing on tiptoe to keep her head above the tide (chs. 36–37). The way of faith in God seems inadequate to Judah, but the worldly alternative she prefers nearly drowns her in human oppression.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:8 your land, O Immanuel. Immanuel’s land (cf. 7:14) will be almost completely overrun (even to the neck) by the Assyrians (chs. 36–37).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:9–10 In view of Immanuel’s future triumph, Isaiah announces that the enemies of God who gather against his people will be shattered (cf. Gen. 3:15). At all times, in all conditions, even prior to the first coming of Christ, God is with us (Hb. “Immanuel”; see note on Isa. 7:14).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:11–15 God deeply impressed upon Isaiah a surprising message. The holy God, who is the sanctuary for frightened human beings, is also the snare for those who do not fear him. Judah and Jerusalem wring their hands over surface-level crises (7:2, 6, 16), with little awareness of the grandeur of God. By disregarding God, they find him to be an obstacle they cannot evade. First Peter 3:15 uses language from Isa. 8:13 to identify Isaiah’s the LORD of hosts (v. 13) with Jesus Christ.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 8:16–22 The difference between the remnant (vv. 16–18) and the hardened nation (vv. 19–22) becomes clear. God marks his own as loyal disciples who preserve the testimony of his Word (v. 16). Isaiah speaks for them with the voice of patient trust in God during hard times (v. 17). He offers himself and his children as a prophetic presence in their nation, bearing witness to the enduring significance of Zion (v. 18; cf. Heb. 2:13). The prophet urges his followers not to be drawn into occult gibberish when their faithful God speaks clearly in his Word (Isa. 8:19–20). Enshrouded in spiritual darkness and sent into exile, unbelieving Judah rages at God (vv. 21–22).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:1–7 The spiritual gloom of 8:22 is dispelled forever by the light of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:1 Her who was in anguish refers to Israel as the people of God under his discipline. In the former time. Isaiah’s vision projects his thought out of the tragic present as if it were already past. Brought into contempt, i.e., humiliated with national defeat. the land of Zebulun. The northern regions of the Promised Land—first to come under attack by foreign invaders who approached by means of the Fertile Crescent (2 Kings 15:29)—are the first to see a glorious new era. Galilee of the nations. The Messiah launched his worldwide mission from Galilee (Matt. 4:12–16). in the latter time he has made glorious. A past-tense verb, because the prophetic eye sees the future in a vision. The people of God finally play the glorious role prophesied in Isa. 2:3 through the triumph of their Messiah.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:2 The people who walked in darkness. Such people as those who refused the appeal of 2:5 (cf. also 5:30; 8:22; John 3:19–20). on them has light shone. Not subjective wishful thinking but an objective, surprising joy breaking upon sinners through the grace of Christ (cf. Isa. 42:6; 49:6; John 1:5; 2 Cor. 4:6).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:3 You have multiplied the nation. No longer are the faithful a small remnant (cf. 26:15; 49:20–21; 54:1–5; 66:7–14). the harvest … the spoil. The joys of both peaceful abundance and military victory, i.e., fullness of joy (cf. 29:19; 35:10; 61:7).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:4–7 Isaiah explains the overflowing joy of v. 3, introduced by a threefold For.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:4 Like a freedom fighter, God breaks all human oppression as on the day of Midian. Cf. Judges 6–7, where Gideon achieves an improbable victory over Midian by the power of God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:5 every boot … will be burned as fuel for the fire. See Ps. 46:9; Isa. 2:4.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:6 to us. A gift of divine grace to sinners. a child … a son. This is the invincible figure striding across the world stage, taking gracious command, according to vv. 4–5 (cf. Ps. 2:7–9; Luke 1:32). Isaiah presents the events as if it were the time of the child’s arrival, with an expectation of what he will achieve (Isa. 9:7). Wonderful Counselor. A “counselor” is one who is able to make wise plans (cf. 11:2). He is a ruler whose wisdom is beyond merely human capabilities, unlike intelligent but foolish Ahaz (cf. 28:29). Mighty God. A title of the Lord himself (10:20–21; Deut. 10:17; Neh. 9:32; Jer. 32:18). Everlasting Father. A “father” here is a benevolent protector (cf. Isa. 22:21; Job 29:16), which is the task of the ideal king and is also the way God himself cares for his people (cf. Isa. 63:16; 64:8; Ps. 103:13). (That is, this is not using the Trinitarian title “Father” for the Messiah; rather, it is portraying him as a king.) Prince of Peace. He is the ruler whose reign will bring about peace because the nations will rely on his just decisions in their disputes (cf. Isa. 2:4; 11:6–9; 42:4; 49:7; 52:15). This kind of king contrasts with even the best of the Davidic line that Judah has experienced so far, because these titles show that this king will be divine. Thus this cannot refer to, say, Hezekiah (whose father Ahaz was king at the time), who for all his piety was nevertheless flawed (cf. 39:5–8) and only human.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:7 God called Abraham to be the channel of blessing to the whole world (Gen. 12:1–3), and this was the purpose of Israel’s life in their land (Ex. 19:5–6). Isaiah focuses the messianic hope on an heir of David who would extend his rule from Israel to include all the Gentiles, and thus finally to bring to them the blessing of knowing the true God (Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:8–16). Of the increase … no end. The empire of grace will forever expand, and every moment will be better than the last. the throne of David. Cf. Luke 1:32. with justice and with righteousness. Unlike apostate Ahaz (cf. Jer. 33:15–16). zeal. The final victory is a miracle, accomplished with a passionate intensity of which only the LORD of hosts is capable (cf. Isa. 42:13; 59:15–19; 63:15).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:8–11:16 Grace—through Judgment—for Israel. God reveals his gracious intentions toward Israel, the northern kingdom. Though his wrath works against them in the Assyrian invasion, God promises to punish Assyria for its arrogance and give his purified people a home in the messianic kingdom.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:8–10:4 The section is marked by four assertions of God’s unrelenting anger (9:12, 17, 21; 10:4).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:8–12 Pride is the source of all the nation’s disasters.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:8–9 Jacob … Israel … Ephraim … Samaria. The northern kingdom rebelled against the throne of David and against the worship of the Lord (cf. 1 Kings 12:16–33).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:10 Isaiah quotes the people’s superficial response to national calamities. In their self-confident blindness to God, their need of repentance does not occur to them.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:11 adversaries of Rezin. The Assyrians.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:12 his anger. Not an impersonal process of cause and effect but God’s own hand at work against evil. His love is intrinsic to his nature (1 John 4:16), but his anger can be provoked (Deut. 4:25). Far from arbitrary, as Isaiah shows, God’s anger is principled, and therefore the more to be feared (Deut. 29:22–28; cf. Ex. 34:6–7; Isa. 13:9; 42:24–25; 48:9; 63:3–6; 66:15–16; Nah. 1:2–3; Rom. 2:5, 8). stretched out still. Human pride cannot wear God down and force him to compromise.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:13–17 Impenitent leaders degrade the nation.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:14 in one day. Judgment comes suddenly, perhaps referring to 722 B.C., when the northern kingdom fell.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:17 their fatherless and widows. The moral decline is so pervasive that not even the weak are spared.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 9:18–21 Self-seeking becomes self-destruction.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:1–4 Corrupt wealth buys helplessness.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:3 ruin that will come from afar. The Assyrian invasion.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:4 fall among the slain. In his writings, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III boasted of stacking the corpses of his defeated enemies and heaping up piles of their skulls (cf. Nah. 3:3). To give up in the face of such an enemy is profound despair.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:5–15 God rules over the unwitting, arrogant Assyrians (cf. 14:24–27; Prov. 16:4).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:6 a godless nation. Apostate Israel (9:17).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:7 But he does not so intend. God uses human evil for his own just purpose, but he does not need humans to intend their cooperation. Events unfold through human intentions but also, more deeply, through the divine intention (cf. Luke 22:22; Acts 2:22–23; 4:27–28).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:8–9 Are not my commanders all kings? The Assyrian is confident his army can prevail. Is not Calno like Carchemish? In each pair of cities listed, the first is geographically nearer to God’s people than the second. The speaker is saying that, since he has conquered the latter, more distant of each pair of cities, surely he can conquer the former as well. His logic is clear, but blindly arrogant.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:10–11 The Assyrian sees no end to his potential, for he cannot see the God of Jerusalem. Cf. the similar boasting by a later Assyrian, 36:13–20; 37:8–13.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:12 Assyrian evil is used by God—When the Lord has finished all his work—but is still held accountable by God, down to the very thoughts of the Assyrian king’s heart and the look in his eyes. God will punish Assyria, which fell in 612 B.C.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:13–14 These verses further explain “the arrogant heart” (v. 12) of Assyria.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:15 axe … saw … rod … staff. Assyria is a mere tool in the hand of God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:16–34 God moves history to preserve his remnant people. Isaiah marks this section with the Lord GOD of hosts (vv. 16, 23, 24, 33).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:16–19 The mighty Assyrian army is reduced to near nothing.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:19 the trees of his forest. The soldiers of the Assyrian army.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:20–23 The remnant of Israel returns to God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:20 him who struck them. At one level, the blow to Israel was human. At a deeper level, it was divine (9:13).
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:21 A remnant will return. See note on 7:3.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:22 See Gen. 22:17; 32:12. Paul quotes this verse, using the Septuagint (Rom. 9:27–28), to illustrate that the remnant idea comes from the OT. Destruction … overflowing with righteousness. God’s acts of judgment are entirely just and fair.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:24–26 Fearful Zion is made confident in God’s promises.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:26 as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb … as he did in Egypt. See Ex. 14:15–31 and Judg. 7:19–25. Israel was victorious only by the power of God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:27–34 Proud Assyrian aggression is humbled by God.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:27 the yoke will be broken because of the fat. Rather than being subdued under the yoke of Assyria, Israel will break the yoke by the fatness of its neck, just like a healthy ox.
ISAIAH—NOTE ON 10:28–32 Isaiah envisions the terrifying approach of the Assyrian army from one village to another toward Jerusalem (see map below). But the invader is stopped at the last moment and can only shake his fist at the holy city. the daughter of Zion. See note on 1:7–8.
Isaiah prophesied that although Assyria would pose a great threat to God’s people, God would stop them from fully carrying out their destruction. Isaiah 10:28–34 may recount how the prophet envisioned the Assyrian army advancing closer and closer to Jerusalem until they are finally stopped at Nob, just outside the city.
