A Commentary on the Book of Isaiah By Pastor Galen L. Doughty Southside Christian Church September 2018 INTRODUCTION: This commentary is based upon my personal devotional notes and reflections on the Book of Isaiah. It is intended to help you better understand some of the historical background of the book and the theological issues in Isaiah’s prophecy. It is not a technical commentary designed for academic projects so I do not use footnotes or include a bibliography. This material is intended for use by members and friends of Southside Christian Church to help you in a verse by verse study of Isaiah. I try as much as possible to link what Isaiah says with other parts of the Bible especially the New Testament so readers can see the connections in Scripture. In the commentary there are occasional references to the original Hebrew words Isaiah used in a particular passage. Those Hebrew words are always written in italics and are transliterated into English from the Hebrew. I go chapter by chapter in the commentary and sometimes individual verses are commented upon, sometimes it is several sentences and sometimes a whole paragraph. This commentary is based on the New International Version and all Scripture quotations are taken from that version of the Bible. Books of the Bible, Scripture references and quotes are also italicized. DATE AND AUTHORSHIP: There is no disagreement among scholars that Isaiah needs to be split into two sections. The first from chapters 1-39 is set during Isaiah’s lifetime in the days of Kings Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah and the destruction of the north Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrian Empire. The second section, chapters 40-66, speaks to the Jewish exiles in Babylon and those who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonians destroyed the city. Its setting is after 586, the destruction of Jerusalem, and right before or soon after the decree of Cyrus the Great of Persia allowing the Jews to return home and rebuild their temple in 538. Some more liberal scholars postulate a third section of Isaiah but their arguments are not convincing. The controversy over Isaiah is about authorship. Almost all liberal scholars and even many evangelical ones believe that the two sections of Isaiah were written by two different prophets. Chapters 1-39 were written by Isaiah Ben Amoz of Jerusalem who began his prophetic career “the year that King Uzziah died” or 740 BC. Chapters 40-66 were written by an unknown prophet during the exile of the Jews in Babylon. The two sections of the book were then combined into the one prophecy of Isaiah we have today by some later editor. The more traditional view, the view to which I subscribe and which I take in this commentary, is that the whole prophecy of Isaiah was written by Isaiah Ben Amoz. See the commentary notes for Isaiah 1:1 for a more detailed defense of the traditional position. Since the second half of Isaiah speaks to the exiles and their situation it is only logical to assume that the final form of the prophecy was completed by one of his disciples in the time of the exiles probably before the dedication of the second temple in 515 or a little later. KEY HISTORICAL DATES IN THE TIMELINE OF ISAIAH 1-39: 2 Assyria is weak and there is a revival of prosperity under Uzziah of Judah & Jeroboam II of Israel, 783-746 The first of the great writing prophet’s begin their ministries and critiques: Amos and Hosea in the north and Micah and Isaiah in the south, 750-700 The storm gathers: Tiglath-Pileser III becomes king of Assyria and leads an Assyrian resurgence and expands his empire. He invades northern Israel and annexes Galilee in 738, Isaiah 9. Israel pays tribute to Assyria and there is continual betrayal, assassination and war under Kings Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah and Hoshea, 745-724. Shalmaneser V of Assyria campaigns against Israel and Samaria; Samaria finally falls under Sargon II, 721, 2 Kings 15-17. The northern kingdom of Israel ceases to exist as a nation; the 10 northern tribes are deported by the Assyrians to northeastern Turkey or Armenia. Some refugees flee south to Judah, 722-721. Hezekiah son of Ahaz reigns in Judah and leads a revival of the worship of God in Judah, 715-686. Hezekiah rebels against Assyria and King Sennacharib invades Judah laying waste to Judah’s fortified cities and laying siege to Jerusalem 700-701, 2 Kings 18. God sends a plague among the Assyrian army and Sennacherib is forced to return to Assyria, 701. Sennacherib is assassinated by two of his sons in Nineveh and Esarhaddon takes the throne of Assyria, 680. Judah is an Assyrian vassal under Manasseh son of Hezekiah who becomes the most evil idolatrous king in Judah’s history, 686-642, 2 Kings 21. Esarhaddon and Asshurbanapal invade Egypt, and sack Thebes, 663 Nabopolassar rebels against Assyria and founds the Neo-Babylonian Empire, 626. Cyaxares king of the Medes invades Assyria in 625. The fall of Nineveh under Nabopolassar of Babylon, 612, Nahum 3:18-19. KEY HISTORICAL DATES IN THE TIMELINE OF ISAIAH 40-66: King Jehoiachim of Judah dies and is replaced by his son Jehoiachin; he reigns three months, 598. Nebuchadnezzar captures Jerusalem after a siege and deports Jehoiachin to Babylon along with his mother, and many of the leading citizens of Jerusalem, including a young priest named Ezekiel; he puts Jehoiachin in prison upon arrival in Babylon, 597. Nebuchadnezzar installs King Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah, son of Josiah as King of Judah and changes his name to Zedekiah, 597. Zedekiah rebels against Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians invade Judah and lay siege to Jerusalem, January 588, Jeremiah 52 & II Kings 25. The Babylonians breach the walls of Jerusalem, July 18, 586; Zedekiah flees the city in the night and heads toward Jericho where he is captured and taken to Riblah in Syria, Nebuchadnezzar’s headquarters. There his sons are killed before him, his eyes put out and he is taken to Babylon in chains where he dies, July 586. Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, comes to Jerusalem with orders to burn the city to the ground. This he does, taking all the sacred objects of the temple to 3 Babylon as booty. He burns the temple and tears down Jerusalem’s walls. He also deports many of the elders and leading officials of the city who are left alive, executing some at Riblah, Nebuchadnezzar’s headquarters, August 586. Evil-Merodach, King of Babylon, frees Jehoiachin from prison and gives him a place at the king’s table, 561, II Kings 25. Babylon falls to Cyrus the Great of Persia, October 539. Cyrus decrees that the Jews of Babylon are free to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of the Lord, 538, Ezra 1. Work on the second temple begins in 536. The foundations are laid but very soon opposition grows from the surrounding peoples especially the Samaritans. Work is halted, Ezra 4-5. Beginning in 520, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah encourage the exiles to finish the work on the Lord’s temple. The second temple is completed and dedicated, March 12, 516, 70 years after it was destroyed, Ezra 6. KINGS OF ISRAEL & THEIR REIGNS DURING ISAIAH’S LIFETIME, ISAIAH 1-39: Jeroboam II (786-746) Zechariah (746-745) Shallum (745) Menahem (745-738) Pekahiah (738-737) Pekah (737-732) Hoshea (732-724) Fall of Samaria (721) KINGS OF JUDAH & THEIR REIGNS DURING ISAIAH’S LIFETIME, ISAIAH 1-39: Uzziah (783-742) Jotham (742-735) Ahaz (735-715) Hezekiah (715-686) Manasseh (686-642) OUTLINE OF ISAIAH: As stated above, Isaiah can be divided into two parts: the first set in Isaiah’s own lifetime from 742-686, and the second set in the time of the Babylonian exile and immediately after, 586- 515. The first part of the book is often called The Book of Judgment and the second half, The Book of Consolation or Comfort. The outline below is based on the outline in the NIV Study Bible. Part I: The Book of Judgment (chapters 1-39) I. Prophecies of Judgment & Promise (chapters 1-6) A. Introduction: Charges against Judah for breaking God’s covenant (1:1-31) B. The Future Glory and Discipline of Judah and Jerusalem (chapters 2-4) 1. Jerusalem’s future blessings (2:1-5) 2. The Lord’s discipline of Judah (2:6-4:1) 3. The restoration of Zion (4:2-6) 4 C. Judah and Jerusalem’s Judgment and Exile (5:1-30) D. Isaiah’s Call as a Prophet of God (6:1-13) II. Prophecies Concerning the Threat against Judah by Aram (Syria) and Israel (chapters 7-12) A. Ahaz Warned not to Fear and the Sign of Immanuel (7:1-25) B. Isaiah’s Son (8:1-22) C. David’s Son, the Messiah (9:1-7) D. Judgment against Israel (9:8-10:4) E. God’s Judgment against Assyria (10:5-34) F. The Establishment of the Messiah and his Kingdom (11:1-16) G. Songs of Praise for Deliverance (12:1-6) III. Judgment against Various Nations (chapters 13-23) A. Against Babylon as Part of Assyria (13:1-14:3) B. Against the King of Babylon (Satan?) (14:4-23) C. Against Assyria (14:24-27) D. Against the Philistines (14:28-32) E. Against Moab (15:1-16:14) F. Against Damascus (17:1-14) G. Against Cush (18:1-7) H. Against Egypt (19:1-25) I.