For the Canonical order and place of the Prophets, see Appdx-1, and p. 1207 For the Chronological order of the Prophets, see Appdx-77. For the Inter-relation of the Prophetic Books, see Appdx-78. For the Formula of Prophetic utterance, see Appdx-82. For the References to the Pentateuch by the Prophets, see Appdx-92. For the Inter-relation of the Minor (or Shorter) Prophets, see p. 1206.
The Structure, above, declares the unity of the book. and effectually disposes of the alleged dual authorship and the hypothetical division of the book by modern critics into two parts:the "former" part being chs. 1-39, the "latter" part chs. 40-66. The "Voice ", in Ch. Isa_40:1-11, is necessitated in order to complete the "Correspondence" with Isa
6:1-13; and, if an hypothesis is admitted on the one side, then it must be admitted on the other; and it is hypothetically incredible that this dual reference to the "voice " could have been the outcome of a dual authorship. For other evidences, see Appdx-79, 80, and 82.
The DATE of the book is given as in the days of "Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah". In Ch. Isa_6:1, the prophecy there is given as being "in the year that king Uzziah died".According to Appdx-50, p . 59 (cp. Appdx-77), Uzziah died in 649 B.C.
Historically, Isaiah disappears from view after delivering the great prophecy of the Babylonian Servitude (2Ki_20:16-18 and Isa_39:1-8) . This was in the year 603 B, c., after Hezekiah''s illness at the close of the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in Hezekiah''s fourteenth year (cp. Appdx-60, p. 60).
We have thus two fixed dates, and between them a period of forty-six years, during which, undoubtedly, "the Word of Jehovah came " through Isaiah, and "God spake" by him.
Though this period was covered and overlapped by the Prophet''s life, it was not the whole of the period covered by the "vision", which goes far beyond the prediction of the Babylonish Captivity. Hezekiah lived for fifteen years after his illness, dying therefore in 588 B. C. Manasseh, his son, born in the third of the fifteen added years, succeeded in the same year (588 B.C.).
How soon after his accession the Manassean persecution began we are not told; but it is highly improbable that a boy of twelve years would immediately commence the horrible things of which we are told in 2 Kings 21 and 2Ch 33.
The unutterable "religious" practices that lie behind the descriptive words in these chapters point clearly to some four or five years later, when Manasseh would be sixteen or seventeen.
According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah perished in the Manassean persecution; when, it is said, he took refuge inside a hollow mulberry tree, which Manasseh ordered to be sawn through. This may be referred to in Heb_11:37. If we take the fifth year of Manasseh (584 B.C.) as the date of Isaiah''s death (violent or natural, we have no means of determining), then, from the "year that king Uzziah died" (Isa_6:1, which forcibly suggests the terminus a quo of the whole book) to this point, we have sixty-five years from the commencement of the " visions" till the supposed date of his death (649-584 B. C. - 65). See Appdx-77.
If Isaiah was about the same age as Samuel, Jeremiah, and Daniel were, at the beginning of their ministries, viz. 16-18, then we may conclude that the length of his life was some 81-83 years.
There is no evidence that "the Word of the LORD came" to Isaiah after the reign of Hezekiah ended in 588 B.C., therefore the whole period covered by "the vision " of Isaiah is sixty-one years (649-588 = 61). From that year onward till the thirteenth year of Josiah in 518 B.C., there were seventy years during which God did not speak " by the prophets " (588-518 = 70).
The chart of the Prophets (see Appdx-77) shows that ISAIAH was contemporary with HOSEA from 649-611 B.C. = 38 years; with MICAH from 632-611 B.C. = 21 "; and with NAHUM in the year 603 B. C. = 1 year.
TITLE. Book = Scroll. For its place in the Heb. Canon, see Appdx-1 . For its relation to the other prophets, see Appdx-78.
Isaiah = the salvation of Jehovah. For the occurrences of his name in N.T., see Appdx-79 . I. For quotations in the N.T., see Appdx-80. For the unity of the book as a whole, see the Structure on p. 930, and Appdx-79 .
Isa_1:2 - Isa_5:30. EXHORTATIONS:REPREHENSORY AND PROPHETIC.
Isa_1:2-31. The Word of Jehovah. "Hear ye!" Zion the vineyard.
Isa_2:1-5. Zion''s future glory.
Isa_2:6-22. The sin of Judah (men). Judgment pronounced.
Isa_3:1-15. The political ruin of Judah.
Isa_3:16 - Isa_4:1. The sin of Judah (women). Judgment pronounced.
Isa_4:2-6. Zion''s future glory.
Isa_5:1-30. The Song of Jehovah. "Judge ye!" Zion the vineyard.
Isa_1:2-31. THE WORD OF JEHOVAH. "HEAR YE!" ZION THE VINEYARD.
Isa_1:21-31. .. EXPOSTULATION.
Isa_1:21. The City.
Isa_1:22. Metals. (Fig.)
Isa_1:23. Officers. (Lit.)
24. Judgment on the enemies of Jehovah.
Isa_1:25. Metals. (Fig.)
Isa_1:26 -. Officers. (Lit.)
- Isa_1:26-27. The City.
Isa_1:28-31. Judgment on the wicked among Jehovah''s People.
Isa_2:6-22. ..... THE SIN OF JUDAH:(MEN). JUDGMENT PRONOUNCED.
Isa_2:6-9. The sin of Judah. Idols made.
Isa_2:10. Threatening.
Isa_2:11 -. Abasement of man
- Isa_2:11-16. Exaltation of Jehovah. Day of
Isa_2:17 -. Abasement of man. the Lord.
- Isa_2:17. Exaltation of Jehovah.
Isa_2:18. The sin of Judah. Idols abolished.
Isa_2:19-21. Threatening.
Isa_3:1-15. . THE POLICTCAL RUIN OF JUDAH.
Isa_3:1-3. Judgment. Prophesied.
Isa_3:4-7. Oppression.
Isa_3:8-9. The ruin of Jerusalem. and Judah.
Isa_3:10-11. Judgment, Threatened.
Isa_3:12 -. Oppression.
- Isa_3:12. The ruin of the People.
Isa_3:13-14. Judgment. Assured.
Isa_3:15. Oppression.
Isa_3:16 - Isa_4:1. . THE SIN OF JUDAH:(WOMEN). JUDGMENT PRONOUNCED.
As coming to fulfill the Law which was in His heart (Psa_40:6-8.).
Isa_52:13-15. GENESIS. The Divine counsels
concerning Messiah, summarizing ch. 53 as a whole. The counsel, "Let Us make"(Gen_1:26), answering to the counsel here, Let Us redeem.
Isa_53:1-3. EXODUS.
Messiah taking His place with the nation.
Isa_53:4-6. LEVITICUS.
Messiah''s relation to Jehovah. His personal work of atonement, the basis of the whole. Jehovah''s dealings with Him in the Sanctuary .
Isa_53:7-10 -. NUMBERS.
Messiah''s relation to the earth:finding a grave in it.
Isa_53:10-12 DEUTERONOMY.
The outcome, fulfilling the Divine counsels according to the Word. The first member (GENESIS), is shown to be a summary or epitome of the whole by the following arrangement:
Isa_52:13. Messiah''s presentation.
Isa_52:14. His sufferings.
Isa_52:15. His reward.
Isa_53:1-3. Messiah''s reception.
Isa_53:4-10 -. His sufferings.
Isa_53:10-12. His reward.
Isa_54:1 - Isa_56:8. .. THE CALL TO "SING", "COME", &c.
Isa_54:1-2. Exhortation. "Sing."
Isa_54:3. Reason. Fruitfulness.
Isa_54:4. Exhortation. "Fear not."
Isa_54:5-10. Reason. Jehovah''s faithfulness.
Isa_54:11 -. Exhortation. Be comforted.
Isa_54:11-17. Reason. Jehovah''s goodness.
Isa_55:1-3. Exhortation. "Come."
Isa_55:4-5. Reason. Messiah given.
Isa_55:6-7. Exhortation. "Seek."
Isa_55:8-13. Reason. Jehovah''s gifts.
Isa_56:1 -. Exhortation. "Keep justice."
Isa_56:1-2. Reason. Jehovah''s blessing.
Isa_56:3. Exhortation. Encouragement.
Isa_56:4-8. Reason. Jehovah''s gathering.
Isa_54:5-10. .. REASON. JEHOVAH''S FAITHFULNESS.
Isa_54:5-7. The Covenant [Marriage] Breach.
Isa_54:8 -. Wrath overflowing.
-Isa_54:8. Everlasting kindness.
Isa_54:9 -. The waters of Noah. Comparison.
-Isa_54:9-. The waters of Noah. Reason.
-Isa_54:9. Wrath restrained.
Isa_54:10 -. Everlasting kindness.
-Isa_54:10. The Covenant. Breach removed.
Isa_56:9 - Isa_58:14. THE CALL TO ISRAEL''S ENEMIES.
Isa_56:9. Call to devour.
Isa_56:10 - Isa_57:21. Contrasted characters.
Isa_58:1. Call to cry aloud.
Isa_58:2-14. Contrasted conduct.
Isa_56:10 - Isa_57:21. .. CONTRASTED CHARACTERS.
Isa_56:10-12. The wicked.
Isa_57:1. The righteous.
Isa_57:2. Peace.
Isa_57:3-13 -. The wicked.
Isa_57:13-18. The righteous.
Isa_57:19-21. Peace.
Isa_57:3-13 -. THE WICKED.
Isa_57:3-4. Inquiry.
Isa_57:5-10. Crimination.
Isa_57:11. Inquiry.
Isa_57:12-13. Threatening.
Isa_58:2-14. CONTRASTED CONDUCT.
Isa_58:2-7. Condition. Legal observances.
Isa_58:8-9 -. Recompense. Illumination.
-Isa_58:9-10-. Condition. Charity.
-Isa_58:10-12. Recompense. Illumination.
Isa_58:13. Condition. Legal observance Sabbath.
Isa_58:14. Recompense. Ascendancy.
Isa_59:1-21. SIN THE CAUSE OF THE BREACH.
Isa_59:1. Salvation. Jehovah''s power.
Isa_59:2-8. Israel. Crimination.
Isa_59:9-15. Israel. Confession.
Isa_59:16-21. Salvation. Jehovah''s work.
Isa_59:9-15. CONFESSION.
Isa_59:9. Justice. Departed.
Isa_59:10-11 -. Condition. Comparisons.
-Isa_59:11. Justice. Looked for in vain.
Isa_59:12-13. Reason.
Isa_59:14 -. Justice. Turned away backward.
-Isa_59:14-15-. Reason.
Isa_59:15-21. SALVATION. JEHOVAH''S WORK.
=Isa_59:15-16 -. Evil seen by Jehovah.
-Isa_59:16-18. Evil removed by Jehovah.
Isa_59:19 -. The blessed result.
-Isa_59:19-. Evil inflected by the enemy.
-Isa_59:19-20. Evil removed by Jehovah.
Isa_59:21. The blessed result.
Isa_60:1-22. ZION:RECONCILIATION, RESTORATION, AND ENLARGEMENT.