A guide to Isaiah

Who wrote Isaiah, and when?

Isaiah son of Amoz. Isaiah prophesied about 740–680 BC; the later chapters look ahead to the exile and return.

Isaiah son of Amoz was a prophet in Jerusalem, active from about 740 to 680 BC, across the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He seems to have had access to the royal court, and Jewish tradition says he was put to death under King Manasseh. The book bears his name throughout, and Christians and Jews have traditionally read all 66 chapters as his work. Many scholars think chapters 40 to 66, which speak to exiles in Babylon over a century later, were written or completed by later prophets in Isaiah's tradition. Others hold that Isaiah himself looked ahead by the Spirit. Either way, the book reads as one message from one God, and the New Testament quotes every part of it under Isaiah's name.

Who was Isaiah written to?

Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, and the exiles who would later need comfort.

Isaiah first spoke to Judah and its capital Jerusalem, the southern kingdom, in a frightening century. Assyria, the superpower of the day, swallowed the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and then marched on Judah. Kings such as Ahaz looked for safety in treaties with foreign powers rather than in God. The people kept up temple worship while tolerating idolatry, injustice and the exploitation of the poor. Later chapters address a different audience: Jews in exile in Babylon, generations on, who felt forgotten and wondered whether God's promises had failed. The book therefore speaks both to people who feel secure and need warning, and to people who feel crushed and need comfort.

What was happening at the time?

Isaiah served in Jerusalem while Assyria was crushing the northern kingdom and threatening Judah. He confronted kings who trusted alliances over God, saw the city delivered from Sennacherib, and warned that Babylon would one day carry Judah away. Chapters 40 onward speak comfort to those exiles and unveil the suffering Servant whom the New Testament identifies with Jesus.

Why was Isaiah written?

To call Judah to trust the Holy One rather than nations, and to reveal salvation through the Servant for Israel and the world.

Isaiah wants Judah to trust the Holy One of Israel instead of armies and alliances, and to see that God's holiness means both judgment and rescue. The first half exposes sin and warns that Assyria and later Babylon will be God's instruments of discipline. The second half comforts the exiles, insists that the LORD alone is God and the idols are nothing, and introduces the Servant who suffers for the sins of others (see chapter 53). It ends with a new heavens and a new earth. In the wider story of the Bible, Isaiah is the bridge between the promises made to David and the gospel: the New Testament quotes it constantly and sees Jesus as the Servant and the King it foretold.

How to read Isaiah today

Isaiah is long, so do not try to swallow it in one go. Start with chapters 1, 6, 9 and 11 for the prophet's call and the promised King, then read chapters 40 to 55 slowly; they are among the most loved pages in the Old Testament. Watch for the title the Holy One of Israel, and for the pattern of judgment followed by hope. Notice how often the prophet speaks about the nations, not only Israel. Do not force every oracle into a single timeline; prophets often layer near and far events together. As you read, pray for the trust Isaiah asked of Ahaz and Hezekiah: that you would rest in God rather than in the things that make you feel safe.

The key verse in Isaiah

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Passages worth knowing in Isaiah

• Isaiah 6

  Isaiah’s call

  Holy, holy, holy; here am I, send me.

• Isaiah 7:14

  Immanuel

  A virgin shall conceive; quoted at the birth of Jesus.

• Isaiah 9:6-7

  Unto us a Child is born

  Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace.

• Isaiah 40

  Comfort my people

  Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength.

• Isaiah 53

  The suffering Servant

  He was wounded for our transgressions.

• Isaiah 55

  Come, everyone who thirsts

  My word shall not return void.

• Isaiah 65:17-25

  New heavens and a new earth

  The end of the story.

The main themes of Isaiah

• The holiness of God
• Judgment and hope
• Trust, not alliances
• The Messiah and the Servant
• Salvation for the nations
• New creation

An outline of Isaiah