Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries

Volume 20

General Editor: Donald J. Wiseman

Isaiah

An Introduction and Commentary

J. Alec Motyer

Inter-Varsity Press, England

Norton Street

Nottingham NG7 3HR, England

Website: www.ivpbooks.com

Email: ivp@ivpbooks.com

InterVarsity Press, USA

PO Box 1400

Downers Grove, Illinois 60515-1426, USA

Website: www.ivpress.com

Email: mail@ivpress.com

© Alec Motyer 1999

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Inter-Varisty Press.

Inter-Varsity Press, England, is closely linked with the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, a student movement connecting Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout Great Britain, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. Website: www.uccf.org.uk.

InterVarsity Press®, USA, is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA® <www.intervarsity.org> and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. All rights reserved. “NIV” is a registered trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790. Distributed in North America by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

First published 1999

Reprinted in this format 2009

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

UK ISBN: 978-1-84474-334-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Motyer, J. Alec.

Isaiah: an introduction and commentary / J. Alec Motyer.

p. cm.—(Tyndale Old Testament commentaries; v. 20)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8308-4220-9 (pbk.: alk. paper)

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

BS1515.3.M66 1999

224/.107—dc22

99021941

US ISBN: 978-0-8308-4220-9

To

Ronald Inchley

Frank Entwistle

Donald Wiseman

G. T. Manley (in memoriam)

and to Derek Kidner

With affection, respect and gratitude

CONTENTS

General preface

Author’s preface

Chief abbreviations

Notes

Further reading

Introduction

Isaiah’s message

(a) Isaiah 1–5

(b) Isaiah 6–12

(c) Isaiah 13–27

(d) Isaiah 28–37

(e) Isaiah 38–55

(f) Isaiah 56–66

Isaiah’s thought

(a) History and faith

(b) Faith waiting

Isaiah’s book

(a) Recovery of unity

(b) Models of growth

(c) Arguments and evaluations

(d) An ‘Isaiah’ scenario

Text

Isaiah and the New Testament

Analysis

Commentary

Additional notes

The term ‘virgin’ in Isaiah 7:14

The ‘intrusive’ narrative at Isaiah 38:21–22

The prediction of Cyrus in 44:28