Ãâó 1: http://archive.catholic.com/thisrock/1992/9210otg.asp
Ãâó 2: https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/isaiah
O l d T e s t a m e n t G u i d e
Isaiah
By Antonio Fuentes
Isaiah (Yesa yahu = Yahweh is salvation) is one of the most
outstanding and most important of the prophets. He was born around the year 700
B.C. and lived in Jerusalem. There is a good basis for thinking that he belonged
to a distinguished priestly and perhaps noble family, judging from his education
and culture and from his contacts with the court and nobility of the kingdom of
Judah. He was married, with two children.
In the year 740, on the death of King Uzziah, he received his calling as a
prophet in a vision in the Temple of Jerusalem as he himself describes:
"I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train
filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. . . . And one called to another
and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his
glory.' . . . And I said: 'Woe to me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean
lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have
seen the King, the Lord of hosts!' Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having
in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he
touched my mouth, and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is
taken away, and your sin forgiven.' And I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send
me'" (Is. 6:1-8).
[Isaiah] was charged with proclaiming the downfall of Israel and of Judah in
punishment for the unfaithfulness of the people and their failure to repent. In
the second part of his book he goes on to announce the consecration of Israel
which he describes in a prophetic vision of enormous importance.
The prophecies contained in the first part of the book refer to the period in
which Isaiah himself lived. In the year 738 the political horizon of the Near
East was overshadowed by the growing threat of the military strength of Assyria,
which was ruled at the time by Tiglath- Pileser III (724727). The northern
kingdom (Israel) had fallen to the Assyrians in 721, and Judah, in the south,
had become a vassal of Assyria and was about to succumb politically and
spiritually in the reign of Ahaz.
At this point the prophecy of the Emmanuel is recorded (Is. 7ff), the first
announcement in this book of the coming of the Messiah, which will guarantee the
continuity of the Davidic dynasty in line with the promise announced by Nathan
(cf. 2 Sam. 7ff).
On the death of Ahaz, King Hezekiah fostered a religious revival in Judah,
albeit a rather external and superficial one which did not deeply affect the
lifestyle of his subjects. Influenced by the aristocratic party, Hezekiah sought
an alliance with Egypt against Syria and soon had to pay the price of his
overlord's revenge; but just when everything seemed lost and exactly in the way
that Isaiah had foretold, Yahweh's miraculous intervention in favor of his
people destroyed the army of the arrogant Sennacherib.
In the second part of the book (chap.40-55) the scene changes. In his prophetic
vision Isaiah now sees Babylon, almost two centuries in the future, at a point
when the exiled Jews are in need of consolation. The king, Cyrus the Great
(555-528 B.C.), governor of Anzan, proclaimed himself king of Persia and Media
around the year 549. His campaigns led him into Lydia, whose capital Sardis he
took in 546, hence the panic referred to in Isaiah 41:5; he continued northward
and eastward, conquering as he went, and reaching Babylon in 539.
ÀÌ Ã¥ÀÇ µÎ ¹ø° ºÎºÐ(Á¦40-55Àå)¿¡¼ ÀÌ Àå¸éÀÌ ¹Ù²ò´Ï´Ù. ÀÌ»ç¾ß´Â, ÀÚ½ÅÀÇ ¿¹¾ðÀû ½Ã¾ß·Î, ÀÌÁ¦, À¯¹è¸¦ ´çÇÑ À¯´ÙÀεéÀÌ À§·Î(consolation)ÀÇ ÇÊ¿ä¿¡ ÀÖ´Â ¶§ÀÎ ÇÑ ½ÃÁ¡¿¡ ÀÖ´Â, °ÅÀÇ µÎ ¼¼±â ¹Ì·¡¿¡ ÀÖ´Â, ¹Ùºô·Ð(Babylon)À» º¾´Ï´Ù. ¾ÈÀÜ(Anzan)ÀÇ ÅëÄ¡ÀÚÀÎ
Å°·ç½º ´ë¿Õ(Cyrus the Great, ±â¿øÀü 555-528³â)Àº ±â¿øÀü 549³â°æ¿¡ ÀÚ±â ÀÚ½ÅÀ» Æ丣½Ã¾Æ(Persia)¿Í ¸Þµð¾Æ(Media)ÀÇ ÀÓ±ÝÀ¸·Î ¼±Æ÷ÇÏ¿´½À´Ï´Ù. ±×ÀÇ ±º»ç ÇൿµéÀº ±×¸¦, ±â¿øÀü 546³â¿¡ ±× ¼öµµÀÎ »ç¸£µð½º(Sardis)¸¦ ±×°¡ Â÷ÁöÇÏ¿´´ø, ±× °á°ú ±× °øÆ÷°¡ ÀÌ»ç¾ß¼ 41,5¿¡ ¾ð±ÞµÇ°í ÀÖ´Â, ¸®µð¾Æ(Lidia)·Î ³» º¸³ÂÀ¸¸ç, ±×¸®°í, ±×°¡ ³ª¾Æ°¨¿¡ µû¶ó Á¤º¹Çϸé¼, ±×´Â ºÏÂÊÀ¸·Î ¹× µ¿ÂÊÀ¸·Î °è¼Ó ³ª¾Æ°¬À¸¸ç, ±×¸®ÇÏ¿© ±â¿øÀü 539³â¿¡ ¹Ùºô·Ð¿¡±îÁö µµ´ÞÇÏ¿´½À´Ï´Ù.
The following year Cyrus issued a proclamation authorizing Jews in exile to
return to Palestine; he restored to them the sacred vessels which Nebuchadnezzar
had taken and permitted them to rebuild the Temple.
µÚµû¸£´Â ÇØ¿¡ Å°·ç½º´Â À¯¹è »óÅ¿¡ ÀÖ´Â À¯´ÙÀεéÀÌ ÆÈ·¹½ºÆ¼³ª(Palestine)·Î µÇµ¹¾Æ°¡´Â °ÍÀ» Çã¶ôÇÏ´Â ÇÑ °³ÀÇ Ä¢·ÉÀ» ³»·ÈÀ¸¸ç, ±×¸®°í ±×´Â [¹Ùºô·ÐÀÇ ÀÓ±ÝÀ̾ú´ø] ³×ºÎÄ«µå³×ÀÚ¸£(Nebuchadnezzar)°¡ °ú°Å¿¡ ÀÌ¹Ì Å»ÃëÇÏ¿´´ø ¼º½º·¯¿î ±×¸©(the sacred vessels)µéÀ» ±×µé¿¡°Ô µÇµ¹·ÁÁÖ¾úÀ¸¸ç ±×¸®°í ±×µéÀÌ [¿¹·ç»ì·½] ¼ºÀü(Temple)À» Àç°ÇÇÏ´Â °ÍÀ» Çã¶ôÇÏ¿´½À´Ï´Ù(2¿ª´ë
36,22-23).
The third part (chap. 56-66) looks at the return of the Jews just at the point
when they are taking steps to reform their lifestyle in keeping with the
Covenant even though they are very exposed to foreign and idolatrous influences.
By this stage the Jews apparently have an altar, although they have not yet
begun to rebuild the Temple or the city walls.
¼¼ ¹ø° ºÎºÐ (56-66Àå)Àº, ºñ·Ï À¯´ÙÀεéÀÌ ÀÌÁúÀûÀÎ ±×¸®°í ¿ì»ó ¼þ¹èÀÇ ¿µÇâµé¿¡ ¸÷½Ã ³ëÃâµÇ°í ÀÖ±â´Â Çϳª, ¿¾ °è¾à°ú ÀÏÄ¡ÇÏ°Ô ÀڽŵéÀÇ »ýÈ° ¾ç½ÄÀ» °³ÇõÇϱâ À§ÇÏ¿© ±×µéÀÌ Á¶Ä¡µéÀ» ÃëÇÏ°í ÀÖ´Â ¹Ù·Î ±× ½ÃÁ¡¿¡¼, À¯´ÙÀεéÀÇ ±ÍȯÀ» ¹Ù¶óº¾´Ï´Ù. ¹Ù·Î ÀÌ ±¹¸é(stage)¿¡ À̸£¸é À¯´ÙÀεéÀº ¿Ü°ü»óÀ¸·Î´Â, ºñ·Ï ±×µéÀÌ [¿¹·ç»ì·½] ¼ºÀü ȤÀº ÀÌ µµ¼ºÀÇ ¼ºº®µéÀ» Àç°ÇÇÏ´Â °ÍÀ» ¾ÆÁ÷ ½ÃÀÛÇÏÁö ¸øÇÏ¿´À½¿¡µµ ºÒ±¸ÇÏ°í, ÇÑ °³ÀÇ Á¦´Ü(an altar)À» °¡Áö°í ÀÖ½À´Ï´Ù.
A book like this is not the kind of thing written all at one go: Different parts
were written at different times over the fifty odd years of Isaiah's prophetic
ministry.
ÀÌ°Í°ú °°Àº ÇÑ ±ÇÀÇ Ã¥Àº ´Ü¼û¿¡ ¸ðµç °ÍÀÌ
Àú¼úµÇ´Â ÀÏÀÇ Á¾·ù°¡ ¾Æ´Ï¸ç, ¼·Î ´Ù¸¥ ºÎºÐµéÀº ÀÌ»ç¾ßÀÇ
¿¹¾ðÁ÷¹« ¿À½Ê ¼ö³âµé¿¡ °ÉÃÄ ¼·Î ´Ù¸¥ ½Ã±âµé¿¡
Àú¼úµÇ¾ú½À´Ï´Ù.
When were those different parts brought together to make the book as we now know
it? Is it possible to say that Isaiah was the human author of the entire book?
¾ðÁ¦ ÀÌµé ¼·Î ´Ù¸¥ ºÎºÐµéÀÌ Áö±Ý ¿ì¸®°¡
±×°ÍÀ» ¾Ë°í ÀÖ´Â °Í°ú °°Àº Ã¥À» ¸¸µé±â À§ÇÏ¿©
ÇÕÃÄÁ³´ÂÁö¿ä? ÀÌ»ç¾ß°¡ Àüü Ã¥ÀÇ Àΰ£ ÀúÀÚ¿´´Ù°í ¸»ÇÏ´Â
°ÍÀÌ °¡´ÉÇմϱî?
As far as the first question is concerned, three documents testify to the book
having its present form between the third and second centuries B.C. These are
the complete (Hebrew) text of Isaiah discovered in Qumran in 1947 (which
scholars say goes back as early as the second century B.C.), which is endorsed
by the Greek translations of the Septuagint and the praise of Isaiah made in the
book of Sirach (48:24-25), referring to Isaiah 40:1; 51:3,12-19; 66:10-13.
ù ¹ø° Áú¹®ÀÌ °ü·ÃµÈ ÇÑ, ¼¼ °³ÀÇ ¹®ÇåµéÀÌ ÀÌ Ã¥ÀÌ ±â¿øÀü 3¼¼±â¿Í 2¼¼±â »çÀÌ¿¡ ±× ÇöÀçÀÇ Çü½ÄÀ» °¡Áö°Ô µÇ¾úÀ½À» Áõ¸íÇÕ´Ï´Ù. À̵éÀº, Ä¥½ÊÀεéÀÇ ±×¸®½º¾î ¹ø¿ªº»µé¿¡ ÀÇÇÏ¿©, ±×¸®°í, ÀÌ»ç¾ß¼ 40,1; 51,3.12-19; 66,10-13À» ¾ð±ÞÇÏ´Â, Áýȸ¼ (48,24-25)¿¡ ¸¶·ÃµÇ¾î ÀÖ´Â ÀÌ»ç¾ß¿¡ ´ëÇÑ ÄªÂù¿¡ ÀÇÇÏ¿© µÞ¹ÞħµÇ´Â, 1947³â¿¡ Äñ¶õ(Qumran)¿¡¼ ¹ß°ßµÈ ÀÌ»ç¾ß¼ÀÇ ¿ÏÀüÇÑ (È÷ºê¸®¾î) º»¹®À» ¸»ÇÕ´Ï´Ù.(*1)
-----
(*1) ¹ø¿ªÀÚ ÁÖ:
ÀÌ¿¡ ´ëÇÑ µ¿¿µ»ó Áõ¾ðÀº ´ÙÀ½ÀÇ ±ÛÀÇ Âü°í ÀÚ·á 2,
(28:53 - 30:29 ¿ä¾à)¿¡ ÀÖÀ¸´Ï Çʵ¶Ç϶ó:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/860.htm
<----- Çʵ¶ ±Ç°í
(¹ßÃé ½ÃÀÛ)
(28:53 - 30:29 ¿ä¾à) ÀÚÀ¯ÁÖÀÇÀÚµéÀÌ
ÀÌ»ç¾ß¼ÀÇ ÀúÀÚ¸¦ ÀÌ»ç¾ßÀÎ Á¦1ÀÌ»ç¾ß¿Í ¹Ùºô·Ð À¯¹è
ÀÌÈÄÀÇ Á¦2ÀÌ»ç¾ß·Î ³ª´©´Âµ¥, ÇöÀçÀÇ ÀÌ»ç¾ß¼¿Í 95%°¡
µ¿ÀÏÇÑ °ÍÀ¸·Î ¹àÇôÁø ¹ß°ßµÈ »çÇØ ¹®¼µé ¼Ó¿¡ ÀÖ´ø,
¿¹¼ö´Ôº¸´Ù 300³â ÀÌÀüÀÇ, ±×¸®°í ¹Ùºô·Ð À¯¹è ÀÌÀüÀÇ
ÀÌ»ç¾ß¼ÀÇ º¹»çº»ÀÎ, ÀÌ»ç¾ß¼´Â, ¿äÁîÀ½ÀÇ
½ÅÇпøµé¿¡¼ °¡¸£Ä¡°í ÀÖµíÀÌ µÎ °³ÀÇ µÎ·ç¸¶¸®°¡ ¾Æ´Ñ,
¹Ùºô·Ð À¯¹è ÀÌÀü¿¡ »ç¿ëÇÏ¿´´ø ¹®ÀÚÀÎ °í´ë
È÷ºê¸®¾î·Î ±â·ÏµÈ,
25ÇÇÆ® ±æÀÌÀÇ, ÇÑ °³ÀÇ µÎ·ç¸¶¸®·Î ¹ß°ßµÇ¾ú´Ù°í ÇÔ. ±×¸®°í
¹Ù·Î ÀÌ ÀÌ»ç¾ß¼ÀÇ ¿©¹éµé¿¡ ¸Þ½Ã¾Æ¿¡ ´ëÇÑ ±¸Àýµé¿¡
ºÓÀº Á¡µé·Î Ç¥½Ã°¡ µÇ¾î Àֱ⿡, ¿¹¼ö´Ô ¿À½Ã±â 300³â Àü¿¡
ÀÌ¹Ì ²Þ¶õ °øµ¿Ã¼ ±¸¼º¿øµéÀÌ ¸Þ½Ã¾ÆÀÇ °³³äÀ» ¾Ë°í
ÀÖ¾ú´Ù°í ÇÔ.
(ÀÌ»ó, ¹ßÃé ³¡)
-----
As far as authorship is concerned, Jewish-Christian tradition has always
recognized Isaiah as the human author of this entire book. However, some modern
critics attribute chapters 40-66 to a prophet whose name is unknown and who
lived in Babylon after the time of the exile, about a century and a half after
Isaiah; but this theory is based on historical and sociological arguments - on
the fact that the book refers to events occurring after Isaiah's lifetime, which
in effect means questioning his prophetic abilities; and besides how could a
prophet of this stature pass unnoticed in his own time?
ÀúÀÛ±ÇÀÌ °ü·ÃµÈ ÇÑ, [1¼¼±âÀÇ Ãʱ⠱³È¸ ½ÃÀý¿¡] À¯´ÙÀÎ-±×¸®½ºµµÀεéÀÇ ÀüÅë(Jewish-Christian tradition)Àº ¹Ù·Î ÀÌ Àüü Ã¥ÀÇ Àΰ£ ÀúÀڷμ ÀÌ»ç¾ß(Isaiah)¸¦ Ç×»ó ÀÎÁ¤ÇØ ¿Ô½À´Ï´Ù.(*2) ±×·¯³ª, ÀϺΠÇö´ë ºñÆÇ°¡µéÀº 40-46ÀåµéÀ» ±× À̸§ÀÌ ¾Ë·ÁÁöÁö ¾ÊÀº ±×¸®°í, ÀÌ»ç¾ßº¸´Ù ¾à ÇÑ ¼¼±â ¹Ý ÀÌÈÄÀÎ, À¯¹è ÀÌÈÄÀÇ ½Ã±â¿¡ ¹Ùºô·Ð(Babylon)¿¡¼ »ì¾Ò´ø, ¾î¶² ¿¹¾ðÀÚÀÇ °ÍÀ̶ó°í »ý°¢Çϳª, ±×·¯³ª ÀÌ·¯ÇÑ ÀÌ·ÐÀº ¿ª»çÀû ¹× »çȸÇÐÀû ÁÖÀåµé¿¡, Áï, ÀÌ Ã¥ÀÌ ÀÌ»ç¾ßÀÇ »ý¾Ö(lifetime) ÈÄ¿¡ ¹ß»ýÇÏ´Â »ç°Çµé¿¡ ´ëÇÏ¿© ¾ð±ÞÇÑ´Ù´Â »ç½Ç¿¡ ±Ù°ÅÇÏ°í Àִµ¥, ÀÌ°ÍÀº °á°úÀûÀ¸·Î ±×ÀÇ ¿¹¾ðÀڷμÀÇ ´É·ÂµéÀ», °Ô´Ù°¡ ¹Ù·Î ÀÌ·¯ÇÑ ¼öÁØÀÇ ÇÑ °³ÀÇ ¿¹¾ðÀÌ ÀڽŠ°íÀ¯ÀÇ ½Ã´ë¿¡ ¾î¶»°Ô °£°úµÉ ¼ö ÀÖ¾ú°Ú´ÂÁö? Çϸé¼, ÀǽÉÇÔÀ» ÀǹÌÇÕ´Ï´Ù.
-----
(*2) ¡®À¯´ÙÀÎ-±×¸®½ºµµÀε顯À̶õ, ¡®À̹æÀÎ-±×¸®½ºµµÀε顯°ú ´ëºñµÇ´Â ¿ë¾î·Î¼ 1¼¼±âÀÇ Ãʱ⠱³È¸ ½ÃÀý¿¡ À¯´ÙÀεé·Î ±¸¼ºµÈ ±×¸®½ºµµÀεéÀ» ¸»ÇÑ´Ù. ´ÙÀ½ÀÇ ÁÖ¼Ò¿¡ Á¢¼ÓÇϸé, ÀÌ¿¡ ´ëÇÑ ´õ ÀÚ¼¼ÇÑ ³»¿ëÀ» ÀÐÀ» ¼ö ÀÖ´Ù:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/ce_Jewish-Christians_in_1st_century.htm
-----
The Pontifical Biblical Commission, in a reply of 28 June 1908 to a query on
this subject, said that the arguments of the critics referred to were not strong
enough to sustain the theory of there being a number of authors. However, some
difficulties remain unresolved: for example, the fact that Cyrus is mentioned by
name two centuries before he lived (this may be a matter of a later addition).
±³È²Ã» ¼º°æ À§¿øȸ´Â, ¹Ù·Î ÀÌ·¯ÇÑ
ÁÖÁ¦¿¡ ´ëÇÑ 1908³â
6¿ù 28ÀÏÀÚ ´äº¯¿¡¼, ¾ð±ÞµÇ°í ÀÖ´Â
ºñÆÇÀÚµéÀÇ ÁÖÀåµéÀº ¸î ¸íÀÇ ÀúÀÚµéÀÌ ÀÖ´Ù´Â ÀÌ·Ð(theory)À»
¶°¹ÞÄ¥(sustain) ¸¸Å °·ÂÇÏÁö ¸øÇÏ´Ù°í ¸»ÇÏ¿´½À´Ï´Ù.
±×·¯³ª, ´ÙÀ½°ú °°Àº ÀϺΠ¾î·Á¿òµéÀº ÇØ°áµÇÁö ¸øÇÏ°í ³²¾Æ
ÀÖ½À´Ï´Ù: ¿¹¸¦ µé¾î, Å°·ç½º(Cyrus)°¡, ±×°¡ »ì¾Ò±â µÎ ¼¼±âµé
Àü¿¡, À̸§¿¡ ÀÇÇÏ¿© ¸»ÇØÁö°í ÀÖ´Ù´Â »ç½Ç(ÀÌ°ÍÀº ÇÑ °³ÀÇ,
ÀÌÈÄÀÇ, Ãß°¡ÀÇ °ÇÀÏ ¼öµµ ÀÖ½À´Ï´Ù).
After the Psalms, Isaiah is the Old Testament book most quoted in the New
Testament: 22 quotations and 13 references (six to the first part part of the
book and seven to the second) and all referring to Isaiah by name. There are 66
chapters in all, and these are usually divided up in three sections.
1. The Book of the Judgments of God (chap. 1-37). This consists of oracular
statements about Judah and Jerusalem (1-12), not in any apparent chronological
order; within this part falls the "Book of Emmanuel" (chap. 7-12).
Then come oracles against the nations (chap. 13-23), a series of apocalyptic
prophecies; followed by the eschatological oracles (chap. 24-27), called the The
Book of the Revelation of Israel, and the inauguration of the Kingdom of God,
with the Six Woes (chap. 28- 33), and a series of warnings to those who oppose
God's plans.
Finally there is the destruction of God's enemies (chap. 34-35) and a
description of Sennacherib's invasion, his defeat, and the edict expelling the
Jews.
2. The second part, called The Book of the Consolation of Israel (chap. 40-55),
consists of oracles on liberation from Babylon (chap. 40-48) and others on
messianic liberation (49-55). Of particular importance are the four poems of the
Servant of Yahweh (42:1-7, 49:1-9, 50:4-11,52:13-53:12).
3. The third part (56-66) contains a series of prophecies which extend the Book
of Consolation, although they also include a series of instructions to the
returned exiles: This is the point at which they have to rebuild the Temple and
restore its liturgy, all of this prefiguring the New Jerusalem, God's final
calling of all the nations. The book closes with a hymn of thanksgiving for
God's mercy, accepted readily by believers and rejected by unbelievers.
Chosen by God to be the spiritual guide of his people, Isaiah, like other
prophets, receives as his main mission that of trying to get people to keep the
Covenant made at Sinai, where they had committed themselves to adore Yahweh as
the only true God and to keep his law.
Given Israel's proneness to unfaithfulness, Isaiah's assignment was by no means
an easy one. But God continues to watch over his people, as he tells Isaiah when
he gives him his vocation as a prophet. The vision Isaiah receives in the Temple
will exercise a profound influence on his ministry.
Isaiah has an acute perception of the transcendence of God and a parallel sense
of his own insignificance and unworthiness. Compared with the Holy One of
Israel, as Isaiah likes to call God, man is stained by sin and unworthy to look
upon God's infinite majesty.
The image of the Seraphim (described in chapter six when he gives the account of
his vocation) who purifies his lips with a burning coal is meant to indicate on
the one hand the infinite mercy of God, who comes to man's aid out of pure love
offering him the hand of friendship, but it also expresses fallen man's absolute
need for hope of salvation: Only through God's grace can man regain lost
happiness. As the image of the burning coal shows, man's salvation is
conditional on his recognizing his sins and shortcomings in all humility; only
if he does this does the grace of forgiveness become effective.
It is interesting to note Isaiah's insistence that repentance is not merely an
external, purely cultic or ritual exercise. He asks for more than that - purity
of soul, sincerity of heart, strict fidelity to God's law;
without this even the greatest sacrifices count for nothing.
Isaiah is a man of faith. All his forcefulness comes from his complete and
unconditional faith in Yahweh. He asks the people to have the same kind of
faith: They need it, because their relationship with God is tired and
superficial. Isaiah tries to convert people by example, and he warns them to
listen to what he says because he is speaking God's word, which never lies - and
not to listen to human arguments, even if they come from powerful people,
because salvation can come from God alone.
Isaiah knows that this time the testing which Israel will undergo because of its
infidelity will be long and difficult. Soon they will be uprooted and sent to
Babylon, with all the pain and anguish it involves, but they must not lose
faith, they must keep hoping for deliverance. He prophesies that a
"remnant" will survive and from it the Messiah will emerge to be
universal King and Lord: the announcement of Emmanuel (Is 7:14).
This prophecy of Emmanuel is one of the most important prophecies in Isaiah and
in the entire Old Testament. The sign which the prophet announces is first the
imminent birth of a son to Ahaz, the future King Hezekiah; this guarantees the
continuity of the Davidic dynasty which has held the key to Israel's hope ever
since the prophecy of Nathan.
But because of the solemnity of the prophecy and the symbolism of the name
(Emmanuel = God-withus) obviously here is something which goes beyond being a
purely historical reference: It is a prediction of the birth of the future
messianic king, Jesus Christ, the pinnacle of the Davidic dynasty and of
Israel's hope.
The text expressly says that the Emmanuel will be born of a virgin; in this
unique kind of birth the Church sees a prophetic reference to Mary's perpetual
virginity, which was later to be the subject of a solemn definition. The
Anointed (= the Christ) who will be born of the virgin is the "Wonderful
counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Is. 9:6).
These names applied to the child mean that the Anointed will possess to an
eminent degree the outstanding virtues of those who went before him - the wisdom
of Solomon ("Wonderful counselor"), the fortitude and valor of David
("mighty God"), the humility of Moses and all the virtues of the
patriarchs, because he is "everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." But
additionally the Messiah is the "Servant of Yahweh" (Is. 49) who gives
his life to atone for the sins of men.
The final teaching in the second part of Isaiah is a dramatic account of how the
very people whom the Servant of Yahweh comes to save are those who will rise up
against him and heap opprobrium upon him:
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we
esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him
stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our' iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed" (Is.
53:3-5).
It is impossible to argue against this prophecy referring to our Lord Jesus
Christ. Even the most skeptical of exegetes is deeply moved by this passage,
which forms the climax of Isaiah's prophecies about the Servant of Yahweh and
which is very reminiscent of Psalm 22.
Paul says that this is "a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God
decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age
understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory" (1 Cor. 2:7-8).
Antonio Fuentes teaches Scripture at the University of Navarre in Spain. This continuing series is excerpted with permission from his Guide to the Bible, which is available from This Rock postpaid for $14.95. (California residents add $1.00 sales tax.)