Isaiah

The prince of Hebrew prophets, Isaiah son of Amoz ministered in Jerusalem during the tumultuous reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, spanning approximately sixty years from 740 to 680 BC. His ministry witnessed the northern kingdom's fall to Assyria and Judah's miraculous deliverance from Sennacherib's siege. Called to prophesy in the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah received his commission through a dramatic theophany—a vision of the Lord seated upon His throne, high and lifted up, surrounded by seraphim crying 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.' Confronted with divine holiness, he cried 'Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,' until a seraph touched his mouth with a live coal from the altar, purging his iniquity. His prophecies masterfully alternate between pronouncements of judgment upon Judah, Israel, and surrounding nations, and glorious promises of Messianic redemption that have earned him the title 'Evangelical Prophet.' The book's fifty-three chapters of suffering servant prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ's passion, while his predictions of virgin birth, Emmanuel's coming, and the government upon Messiah's shoulder demonstrate inspired precision. Isaiah's literary grandeur and theological depth make his work the most frequently quoted prophetic book in the New Testament.Jewish tradition holds that Isaiah was sawn asunder during Manasseh's persecution, an event possibly referenced in Hebrews 11:37. The book's structure divides naturally into chapters 1-39 (judgment) and 40-66 (consolation), paralleling the Old and New Testament division. His prophecies span from his contemporary era to the eschaton, encompassing Assyrian invasion, Babylonian captivity, Cyrus's decree, Christ's advent, and millennial glory. The Dead Sea Scrolls' complete Isaiah manuscript validates the text's remarkable preservation across millennia.