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The Prophets · Old Testament

Isaiah 9

Isaiah 9: a great light, a child born, and a hand stretched out still

General context

The dimness will not be as it was when the land of Zebulun and Naphtali was afflicted, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The speaker addresses God: the nation is multiplied and joys as at harvest, because the yoke and the rod of the oppressor are broken as in the day of Midian, and where a warrior's battle brings noise and bloodied garments, this comes with burning and fuel of fire. A child is born, a son given, with the government on his shoulder and a name called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace; his government and peace on the throne of David will have no end, and the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it. The Lord then sends a word into Jacob that falls on Israel. Ephraim and Samaria boast that fallen bricks will be replaced with hewn stone and cut sycomores with cedars, so the Lord sets Rezin's adversaries against him and Syrians and Philistines devour Israel. Because the people do not turn to him that smites them, the Lord cuts off head and tail in one day, the honourable ancient and the lying prophet, since leaders cause the people to err. He has no joy in their young men and no mercy on fatherless and widows, for every mouth speaks folly. Wickedness burns like fire in the thickets, the land is darkened, no man spares his brother, each eats the flesh of his own arm, and Manasseh and Ephraim, against each other, join against Judah. Three times the refrain says his anger is not turned away and his hand is stretched out still.

Cited passages: Isaiah 9:1, Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 9:3, Isaiah 9:4, Isaiah 9:5, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 9:7, Isaiah 9:8, Isaiah 9:9, Isaiah 9:10, Isaiah 9:11, Isaiah 9:12, Isaiah 9:13, Isaiah 9:14, Isaiah 9:15, Isaiah 9:16, Isaiah 9:17, Isaiah 9:18, Isaiah 9:19, Isaiah 9:20, Isaiah 9:21

Isaiah 9 (KJV)

1Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

2The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

3Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

4For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

5For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

6For 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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

8The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

9And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,

10The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

11Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;

12The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

13For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

14Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

15The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

16For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

17Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

18For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

19Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

20And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:

21Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

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Historical context

The chapter names places and parties but no king or date. Zebulun, Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond Jordan and Galilee of the nations locate the earlier affliction, and the text does not say who afflicted them. The child of the sixth verse is not named beyond the titles his name shall be called; the chapter gives no parents, no birth and no reign, and links him only to the throne of David. This record does not identify him with any later figure. Matthew later quotes the opening verses: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light. From the eighth verse the addressee shifts to Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that is the northern kingdom, and Rezin appears again as the Syrian king known from chapter seven, now with adversaries set against him. Judah is named only at the end as the target of Manasseh and Ephraim together. The first-person address in verses three and four is spoken to God, thou hast, while the refrain is in the narrating voice. The day of Midian is referred to without retelling. The refrain his hand is stretched out still occurs at verses twelve, seventeen and twenty-one and continues into chapter ten, and it first appeared at the end of chapter five.

Cited passages: Isaiah 9:1, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 9:7, Matthew 4:15, Matthew 4:16, Isaiah 9:9, Isaiah 9:11, Isaiah 7:1, Isaiah 9:21, Isaiah 9:3, Isaiah 9:4, Isaiah 9:12, Isaiah 9:17, Isaiah 10:4, Isaiah 5:25

Literary context

The chapter breaks in two at the eighth verse. The first part answers the darkness that closed chapter eight: dimness gives way to a great light, and the mood is harvest joy and divided spoil. Three For clauses stack the reasons, the yoke broken, the burning in place of battle, and then the child born, so the birth is the last and largest ground of the joy. The five titles are given as one name, and the verse on the throne of David ends with the Lord's zeal rather than the child's action. The second part reverses the light. A word lighted upon Israel, and the boast of Ephraim, bricks to hewn stones, sycomores to cedars, is met with enemies before and behind. Fire that was fuel for joy in the fifth verse becomes wickedness burning the thickets and the people as fuel in the nineteenth. The refrain, his hand is stretched out still, closes three stanzas here and one more in chapter ten, each stanza beginning with a fresh charge, and each Therefore introduces the Lord's answer. Head and tail, branch and rush, right hand and left hand, Manasseh and Ephraim: the poem pairs opposites and shows both consumed. The Prince of Peace and the brother no man spares stand in the same chapter.

Cited passages: Isaiah 8:22, Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 9:3, Isaiah 9:4, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 9:7, Isaiah 9:8, Isaiah 9:10, Isaiah 9:5, Isaiah 9:19, Isaiah 9:17, Isaiah 9:14, Isaiah 9:20

Key moments

  1. Light in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1). The afflicted land of Zebulun and Naphtali will not stay in dimness.
  2. A great light seen (Isaiah 9:2). People walking in darkness see light shine on them.
  3. The yoke broken (Isaiah 9:4). The oppressor's rod is broken as in the day of Midian.
  4. Unto us a child is born (Isaiah 9:6). A son is given whose name is called Wonderful, Counsellor, and the government rests on his shoulder.
  5. Bricks to hewn stones (Isaiah 9:10). Ephraim and Samaria boast they will rebuild stronger than before.
  6. Head and tail cut off (Isaiah 9:14). The Lord removes Israel's leaders and lying prophets in one day.
  7. His hand stretched out still (Isaiah 9:21). Manasseh and Ephraim turn against Judah and the refrain closes the chapter.

For reflection

The chapter says the people joy before thee as at harvest, and eight verses later that no man shall spare his brother. Which people is each half describing, according to the names the text gives?

People in this chapter

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