Isaiah and Jeremiah both had long prophetic careers and each have supporters claiming that they are the greatest of the Old Testament Prophets. Jewish tradition said that Isaiah met his death by being sawn in two during the reign of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son. According to the article Isaiah, Martyrdom of in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary several early Christian writers were familiar with this tradition and believed Hebrews 11:37 referred to Isaiah’s death in this way. Additional Jewish tradition claimed that Isaiah was the cousin of the King Uzziah, see the article on Isaiah in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.[1]
There are two Bible Project Videos covering Isaiah. The video on chapters one to thirty-nine may be accessed here and the video on chapters 40-66 can be found here. For background information be sure to read an introduction article to Isaiah in the Holman Concise Bible Commentary or a good Study Bible.
One of Isaiah’s favorite descriptions of God is ‘The Holy One of Israel.’ He uses the phrase 25 times in the book. The phrase is found only six times in the rest of the Bible. It is an important concept in Isaiah’s theology. Gary Smith in his commentary quoting J. J. M. Roberts, “if there is any one concept central to the whole book of Isaiah, it is the vision of Yahweh as the Holy One of Israel….Isaiah saw the splendor of the “Holy One” when he was recommissioned to serve God in a new way in 6:1–13, and this changed his life and transformed his thinking about God.”[2]
We know far less about Isaiah’s personal life than that of Jeremiah. We are told that he was married to a prophetess in 8:3. There is no record of any prophesies given by his wife and it may be that she is called a prophetess because of her marriage to Isaiah. Isaiah also had two sons whose names were portents. In 8:18 he writes “Here I am with the children the Lord has given me to be signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Armies who dwells on Mount Zion.”[3] The first name is mentioned in 7:3 and is Shear-Jashub which means ‘A Remnant Will Return.’ This implies that an exile will occur. The next son mentioned in 8:3 is Maher-shalal-hash-baz whose name means something like “Speed the Spoil; Hasten the Plunder.”[4] The background for these chapters in Isaiah can be found in 2 Kings 16. Assyria was a major power and Israel and Syria had joined forces and wanted Judah to ally with them against Assyria, but Judah refused. The Syrian king Rezin and the Israelite king Pekah then decided to attack Judah, remove its king and install a puppet king that would join them against Assyria. This resulted in what is called ‘the Syro-Ephraimite (Israelite) War and lasted from about 734-732 BC with Judah suffering serious losses, see 2 Chron. 28. King Ahaz requested help from Assyria and did not follow the advice of Isaiah. After Ahaz’s death his son Hezekiah became king. Hezekiah changed course and stopped a lot of the idol worship in the land and had the Temple cleansed. Hezekiah also sought Isaiah’s advice.
As a prophet Isaiah was not only a forthteller but was also a foreteller. He prophesied about many nations in chapters 13-23. His most famous prophecy was the promise of a virgin conceiving and giving birth to a son whose name would be Immanuel (7:14). He told about a child that would be born named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace (9:6). In chapter 53 he talked about a Servant that would be punished for our iniquities. In chapter 40 he told of one coming to ‘prepare the way of the Lord,’ the servant of chapter 53. These prophesies have earned Isaiah the title of the ‘Evangelical Prophet.’
[1] Brand, Chad, Charles Draper, Archie England, Steve Bond, E. Ray Clendenen, Trent C. Butler, and Bill Latta, eds. 2003. In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Smith, Gary V. 2021. Isaiah 1–39, 78. Edited by E. Ray Clendenen and Brandon D. Smith. Christian Standard Commentary. Holman Reference.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. 2020. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Easley, Kendell. 2003. Holman Illustrated Guide to Biblical History: With Photos from the Archives of the Biblical Illustrator. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference.
