THE PROPHECY OF

ISAIAH

An Introduction & Commentary

J. Alec Motyer

InterVarsity Press

DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS 60515

To Beryl, with love

Published in the United States of America by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, with permission from Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, Leicester, England.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515.

InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Fellowship®, a student movement active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707–7895.

Copyright J. A. Motyer, 1993

Electronic Edition, Copyright 1996 by J. A. Motyer

Italicized Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the British edition of the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society, and published in Great Britain by Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. Distributed in North America by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

ISBN 0–8308–1424–8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Motyer, J. A.

The prophecy of Isaiah: an introduction and commentary/J. A.

Motyer.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0–8308–1424–8

1. Bible O.T. Isaiah—Commentaries. I. Title.

BS1515.3.M67 1993

224’.107—dc20 93–17815

CIP

17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98 97 96 95 94

Contents

Author’s preface

Select bibliography

Introduction

1. The Isaianic literature

2. Isaiah as author

3. The book of Isaiah

4. The text of Isaiah

The book of the King (Isaiah 1–37)

A. The preface. Judah: diagnosis and prognosis (1:1–5:30)

1. The title (1:1)

2. Sin and experience (1:2–31)

a. The national situation (1:2–9)

b. The religious situation (1:10–20)

c. The social situation (1:21–26)

d. Explanation: tensions between threat and hope resolved (1:27–31)

3. Sin and election (2:1–4:6)

a. Superscription (2:1)

b. The ideal Jerusalem (2:2–4)

c. The actual Jerusalem (2:5–4:1)

d. The new Jerusalem (4:2–6)

4. Sin and grace (5:1–30)

a. The vineyard: a total work, a total loss (5:1–7)

b. The ‘stink-fruit’: the crop produced, the harvest to come (5:8–30)

B. The triumph of grace (6:1–12:6)

1. The prologue: reconciliation and commission (6:1–13)

a. Isaiah’s call (6:1–8)

b. The future revealed in principle (6:9–13)

2. The King and his people (7:1–11:16)

a. The word to Judah (7:1–9:7〈6〉)

b. The word to Israel (9:8〈7〉–11:16)

3. The epilogue: individual and community, salvation, joy and proclamation (12:1–6)

C. The universal kingdom (13:1–27:13)

1. The first cycle of oracles. The reality of the Lord’s promises (13:1–20:6)

a....