Isaiah 9

Isaiah 9 is the ninth chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets.

Isaiah 9
← chapter 8 chapter 10 →
The Great Isaiah Scroll, the best preserved of the biblical scrolls found at Qumran from the second century BC, contains all the verses in this chapter.
Book	Book of Isaiah
Hebrew Bible part	Nevi'im
Order in the Hebrew part	5
Category	Latter Prophets
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	23

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 21 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).[1]

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (3rd century BC or later):[2]

• 1QIsa^a: complete
• 4QIsa^b (4Q56): extant: verses 10‑11
• 4QIsa^c (4Q57): extant: verses 3‑12
• 4QIsa^e (4Q59): extant: verses 17‑20

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century).[3]

Parashot

The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex.[4] Isaiah 9 is a part of the Prophecies about Judah and Israel (Isaiah 1-12). {P}: open parashah; {S}: closed parashah.

[{S} 8:19-23] 9:1-6 {P} 9:7-12 {S} 9:13-20 {S}

Verse 1

Land of Zebulon and Naphtali overlaid on the land of Galilee

Land of Zebulun/Zebulon (left) and Naphtali (right) in Israel/Palestine according to its ancient divisions & tribes. Published by George Philip and Sons 1852.

Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,

As when at first He lightly esteemed

The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

And afterward more heavily oppressed her,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,

In Galilee of the Gentiles.^{[Isaiah 9:1]}

• Cross reference: Matthew 4:13-15

The Gospel of Matthew chapter 4 cites this and the next verse as a fulfillment of Messianic Prophecies of Jesus. In the Greek "by way of the sea" (or "toward the sea") refers to a specific route, and Jones feels it should perhaps be more accurately read as "on the road to the sea."[5] In Isaiah this verse is in the section describing the Assyrian invasion of northern Israel, so "toward the sea, beyond the Jordan" refers to the geography from the view point of the Assyrian invaders. To them the region of Zebulun and Naphtali would be across the Jordan River on the way to the Mediterranean.[6]

Verse 2

The people who walked in darkness

Have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,

Upon them a light has shined.^{[Isaiah 9:2]}

Cross reference: Matthew 4:16

Verse 6

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful,

Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.^{[Isaiah 9:6]}

• "Wonderful Counselor": Isaiah 5:19; Isaiah 25:1.[7]
• "Mighty God": Isaiah 10:21.[7]
• "Everlasting Father": The New Oxford Annotated Bible interprets it "God as the eternal creator" Isaiah 40:28.[7]
• "Prince of Peace": According to the New Oxford Annotated Bible, it is "a messianic title in Judaism and early Christianity".[7]

Christian interpretation

In Christian interpretation, based partly on the proximity of a quote of Isaiah 9:2 found in Matthew 4, [8] the name is taken as referring to Jesus and Messianic prophecy. The full verse "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." is quoted in the libretto of Handel's Messiah.

Verse 7

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.^{[Isaiah 9:7]}

Cross reference: Jeremiah 23:5

Verse 12

For all this His anger is not turned away,

But His hand is stretched out still.^{[Isaiah 9:12]}

This refrain first appeared again in Isaiah 5:25 and appears again in 9:17, 9:21 and 10:4.

Verse 14

Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail,

branch and rush, in one day.^{[Isaiah 9:14]}

Cross reference: Isaiah 19:15

Verse 15

The elder and honorable, he is the head;

The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.^{[Isaiah 9:15]}

Verse 16

For the leaders of this people cause them to err,

And those who are led by them are destroyed.^{[Isaiah 9:16]}

See also

• Galilee
• Jewish messianism
• Messianic prophecies of Jesus
• Related Bible parts: Isaiah 7, Isaiah 8, Isaiah 19, Jeremiah 23, Matthew 4

Notes and references

1. Würthwein 1995, pp. 35-37.
2. Ulrich 2010, p. 347-349.
3. Würthwein 1995, pp. 73-74.
4. As implemented in the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 edition of the Hebrew Bible in English.
5. Jones 1965.
6. Keener 1999, p. 147.
7. Coogan et al. 2007, p. 990-992.
8. France 2007, p. 142.

Bibliography

• Coogan, Michael David; Brettler, Marc Zvi; Newsom, Carol Ann; Perkins, Pheme (2007). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-528880-3.
• France, R.T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-2501-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Jones, Alexander (1965). The Gospel According to St. Matthew. London: Geoffrey Chapman.
• Keener, Craig S. (1999). A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3821-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ulrich, Eugene, ed. (2010). The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. Brill.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995). The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

Jewish

• Isaiah 9:Original Hebrew with Parallel English

Christian

• Isaiah 9 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate