Isaiah 9

Isaiah 9 belongs to chapters 7–12 of Isaiah, a section commonly called the "Book of Immanuel." Chapter 9 continues the scene of darkness and anguish depicted at the end of chapter 8 and promises light and the birth of a child; in its second half it turns to pronouncements of judgment against Northern Israel. In the Hebrew Bible, verse 1 of this chapter is numbered 8:23, so from verse 2 onward the Hebrew verse numbers are one lower than in English versions.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 A great light shines on the despised land of Zebulun and Naphtali, that is, "Galilee of the nations."
• Verses 3–5 The people rejoice as at harvest time. God breaks the yoke and the rod of the oppressor "as in the day of Midian," and the warrior's armor and garments rolled in blood are consumed by fire.
• Verses 6–7 A child is born, and the government (the work of ruling the nation) rests upon his shoulder. He is called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. He sits on the throne of David and establishes the kingdom forever with judgment and with justice, and the zeal of the LORD of hosts accomplishes this.
• Verses 8–12 The inhabitants of Ephraim and Samaria speak in pride, saying, "The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones." The LORD then raises up the adversaries of Rezin, and Aram and the Philistines devour Israel.
• Verses 13–17 Because the people do not turn back, the LORD cuts off head and tail in one day. The head is the elders and the honorable; the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.
• Verses 18–21 Wickedness spreads like fire, and no one spares his brother. Manasseh and Ephraim devour each other, and together they turn against Judah.

Verses 12, 17, and 21 all end with the refrain "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still."

Key Verses

Verses 1–7 are treated separately in the article Isaiah 9:1–7.

• Isaiah 9:2 "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light": Matthew 4:15–16 quotes verses 1–2 in describing the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Galilee.
• Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born": the verse most widely read as a Christmas text.
• Isaiah 9:7 "upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it": connected with the Davidic covenant, the promise given to the dynasty of David.

People and Places

• Naphtali: the territory of an Israelite tribe located, along with Zebulun, in the region of Galilee.
• The day of Midian: understood as a reference to Gideon's defeat of Midian (Judges 7).
• Ephraim: the leading tribe of Northern Israel, here standing for the northern kingdom as a whole.
• Rezin: the king of Aram. In chapter 7 he joins Northern Israel in threatening Judah.
• Manasseh: a tribe descended from Joseph and the brother tribe of Ephraim.

Interpretive Considerations

• Christian tradition regards verses 6–7 as a messianic prophecy and reads them as fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Among Jewish interpretations, one well-known view identifies the child as Hezekiah, king of Judah. Some scholars read the passage as a song celebrating a king's accession.
• The Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version separate the titles in verse 6 with commas, yielding five titles. Other translations, such as the New Korean Standard Version, combine the first two as "Wonderful Counselor," yielding four.
• This chapter is often read together with the Immanuel prophecy of chapter 7 and the messianic prophecy of chapter 11.
• The refrain that runs from verse 8 onward continues through 10:4, so this portion is read as a single unit with the opening of chapter 10.

In the Korean Church

• Verses 6–7 are frequently used as sermon texts in Advent and Christmas services.
• Christmas cantatas often include the chorus "For unto us a child is born" from Handel's Messiah, which sets this verse to music.