Why study the Book of Isaiah? The book of Isaiah is likely the most beloved prophetical book in the OT and for many in the entire Bible. Isaiah’s book contains some of the greatest prophetical proclamations ever written. It includes many of the great doctrines of the Scriptures such as the sovereignty, holiness, justice and other attributes of God. It reveals many prophetic details about God’s Son, who is portrayed as the great suffering Servant who bore on Himself the sins of the world. Isaiah prophesized about the Son’s miraculous birth, His first and second advents; of the Son being a covenant and bringing salvation to the ends of the earth and His future coming kingdom. Isaiah also revealed the future restoration of Jerusalem and Gods gathering His people from all nations to live in a peace and prosperity and the coming new heavens and new earth.
One of the prominent features of this book is the revelation that God’s grace and mercy and salvation follow messages of judgment. God spoke often of the judgments that were to come to His covenant people and to the nations that opposed Him. In many instances these somber and serious discourses are capped with messages of cheerful and hopeful promises of a future that includes the presence of God among them. One of the defining depictions of God’s judgment on the nations is the destruction of the Assyrian army that had surrounded Jerusalem while Hezekiah was king.
The book contains magnificent and glorious names or titles for God including the most often, “Lord Almighty” occurring 60 times in the NIV. The great name “the Holy One of Israel” occurs 25 times, “the Holy One,” occurs four times and singular occurrence of “the Holy One of Jacob.” The Holiness of God is highlighted most gloriously in Isaiah 6, where the seraphs proclaimed, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory.” 6:3.
The title “Sovereign LORD” occurs 18 times. Compound names for God are also revealed, such as “I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” 43:3. Also, “I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.” 43:15, and “This is what the LORD says- Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty.” 44:6. God is also often called “Redeemer,” and “Savior,” highlighting the central message of the book. Titles for the Son of God include the great fourfold proclamation of 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Other great names for the Son are “Branch,” “Servant” and “mighty to save.” The central message of the book is also revealed in the name of the prophet. The name Isaiah has the meaning of “the LORD saves,” which is similar to the meaning of the name of Jesus, “He will save His people from their sins,” Matthew 1:21.
One of the most significant sections of Isaiah’s prophecies are the depictions of the Son of God as the Servant. In four separate revelations, Isaiah declared God’s will for His Son, called His Servant, who would serve Him and accomplish His purposes for the salvation of all who would believe in His Son. These sections are often referred to as the “Servant Songs.” They begin with the magnificent call of God to all who read these words, “Behold my Servant.” 42:1.
Isaiah 42:1-9: The Servant will bring justice to the nations.
Isaiah 49:1-13: The Servant’s mission will succeed.
Isaiah 50:4-11: The Servant will be obedient to the LORD.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12: The Servant will bear the sins of the world.
In these Servant Sections, a great revelation about the Servant is repeated. (1) “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.” 42:6. (2) “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” 49:6. (3) “I will keep you and make you to be a covenant for the people.” 49:8.
The Servant’s mission was to restore the tribes of Jacob, to gather the remnant (those God has kept), to be a light to the Gentiles, to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth, and to be a covenant for the people. In the fourth Servant Song, it is revealed that the Servant was to accomplish this by having the iniquities of all people laid upon Him so that all those who believed in Him would be “healed,” (saved from their sins).
A simple Outline of Isaiah
1-35 God Judges
36-39 God Rescues
40-66 God Comforts
1-35 God Judges
1-6 Introduction and Call of the Prophet
7-12 Threats to Judah and Book of Immanuel
13-23 Judgment Against the Nations
24-27 Apocalyptic Judgment on the Earth
28-33 Six Woes of Judgment
34-35 God Avenges and Restores His People
36-39 God Rescues
36-37 Judgment on Assyria
38-39 Faith and Folly of Hezekiah
40-66 God Comforts
40-48 God Comforts and Delivers His People
49-57 The Suffering Servant and God’s People Restored
58-66 Final Judgment and Future Promises
Verses to Memorize from Isaiah
There are so many wonderful verses and chapters that should be known by memory. But this all-to-brief summary will highlight just a few of the most significant verses. All verses below are from the NIV Version unless stated otherwise.
2:2-5 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
6:3 Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty. The whole earth is full of His glory.
7:14 Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign. The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to son and will call Him Immanuel.
8:18 Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.
9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
11:1-3a 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
12:2-3 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
24:14-16a 14 They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty. 15 Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. 16 From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.”
25:9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you
28:5 In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.
28:16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
28:29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.
35:10 /51:11 And those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
40:3-5 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
40:31 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. (ESV)
42:6 I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.
43:7 Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made
44:6 This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
45:8 You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it.
46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
48:11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.
49:6 It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
52:10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
53:3-6 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
55:9-11 9 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the Sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
59:1-2 1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
60:1-3 1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
61:1-3 1The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
61:10 I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
65:17-19 Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.
Resources for studying Isaiah
See the article on how to study the Bible for suggestions on the method of Bible study and recommended resources to obtain. Suggested commentaries and studies are listed below for a more extensive study. Some are available on-line in a pdf format.
One Hour – One Book
Scroll down to video on the Book of Isaiah.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSrCJNW5eUWQMyVw_2VqW_w
Commentaries
Buksbazen, Victor, The Prophet Isaiah: A Commentary. The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry Inc. 2008.
Constable, Thomas, Notes on Isaiah, latest edition. Online at Plano Bible Chapel.
Grogan, Geoffrey W. Isaiah, in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol.6, Zondervan, 1986.
Martin, Alfred, and John Martin. Isaiah: The Glory of the Messiah, Moody Press., 1983.
Motyer, J. Alec. The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. IVP Academic, 1993.
Smith, Gary V. Isaiah 1-39, The New American Commentary, Vol. 15a, B&H Publishing Group, 2007. Isaiah 40-66, The New American Commentary, Vol. 15b, B&H Publishing Group, 2009
Studies
Chisholm, Jr. Robert B. Isaiah, in Handbook of the Prophets. Baker Academic, 2002.
Chisholm Jr. Robert B. A Theology of Isaiah, in A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament. Roy B. Zuck, Editor. Moody Publishers, 1991.
Feinberg, Charles L. The Virgin Birth and Isaiah 7:14. MSJ 22/1 (Spring 2011) 11-17
Hassler, Mark A. Isaiah 14 And Habakkuk 2: Two Taunt Songs Against the Same Tyrant? MSJ 26/2 (Fall 2015) 221–29
Lindsey, F. Duane, The Servant Songs, Moody Press, 1985.
Mayhue, Richard L. For What Did Christ Atone in Isa 53:4-5? TMSJ 6/2 (Fall 1995) 121-41
Rydelnik, Michael. An Example from the Prophets, Interpreting Isaiah 7:14 as a Messianic Prophecy. Chapter 10, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? NAC Studies in Bible & Theology, B&H Academic, 2010.
Rydelnik, Michael, Blum, Edwin, General Editors. The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy: Studies and Expositions of the Messiah in the Old Testament, Moody Publishers, 2019.-Price, J. Randall, Isaiah 2:2-4/Micah 4:1-5. The Restoration of Israel in the Messianic Age. Pages 785-802. -Price, J. Randall, Isaiah 4:2. The Branch of the Lord in the Messianic Age. Pages 803-814. -Rydelnik, Michael, Isaiah 7:1-16. The Virgin Birth in Prophecy. Pages 815-830. -Hindson, Edward E. Isaiah 9:1-7. The Deity of the Messiah. Pages 831-843. -Hindson, Edward E. Isaiah 11:1-16. The Reign of the Righteous Messianic King. Pages 845-858. -Zuber, Kevin D. Isaiah 16:5. The Context of the Promise. Pages 859-864. -Vlach, Michael J. Isaiah 24:21-23. The Victory and Rule of the Messianic King. Pages 865-871. -Price, J. Randall. Isaiah 28:16. The Messianic Cornerstone. Pages 873-883. -Gabizon, Michael. Isaiah 30:19-26. The Messianic Teacher King. Pages 885-895. -Rydelnik, Eva. Isaiah 32:1-8; 33:17-24. The Righteous and Majestic King. Pages 897-905. -Coakley, James F. Isaiah 35:1-10. The Messianic Era. Pages 907-919. -Johnson, Elliot E. The Message of the Servant Songs. Pages 921-929. -Chisholm Jr. Robert B. Isaiah 42:1-9. The Commission of the Servant of the Lord. Pages 931-941. -Chisholm Jr. Robert B. Isaiah 49:1-13. The Ministry of the Servant of the Lord. Pages 943-951 -Johnson, Elliot E. Isaiah 50:4-11. The Mission of the Servant in a Darkened World. Pages 953-960. -Brown, Michael L. Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The Substitution of the Servant of the Lord. Pages 961-974. -Chisholm Jr. Robert B. Isaiah 55:3-5. The Fulfillment of the Davidic Promise. Pages 975-981. -Hindson, Edward E. Isaiah 61:1-6. The Spirit-Anointed Messiah and His Promise of Restoration. Pages 983-996. -Stallard, Mike. Isaiah 63:1-6. The Messianic Warrior Judge. Pages 997-1009.
Smith, Gary, V. An Introduction to the Hebrew Prophets: The Prophets as Preachers. Broadman and Holman, 1994.
Smith, Gary V. The Destruction of Babylon In Isaiah 46–47. JETS 58/3 (2015) 527–44.
Vlach, Michael J. The Kingdom in Isaiah. In He Will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God. Lampion Press. 2017.
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