Isaiah
Chapter 9
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.A light has dawned on those who live in the land of the shadow of death.
You have enlarged the nation; you have increased their joy. They rejoice before you, as people rejoice at harvest time as they rejoice in dividing the spoil.
For the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors, you have broken it as on the day of Midian.
Every warrior’s boot that tramped in war,
For a child is born to us, a son is given us; the royal ornament is laid upon his shoulder, and his name is proclaimed: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
To the increase of his powerful rule in peace, there will be no end. Vast will be his dominion, he will reign on David’s throne and over all his kingdom, to establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forever. The zealous love of the Lord Sabaoth will do this.
The Wrath of the Lord
The Lord has sent a word against Jacob: The sentence fell upon Israel.
The people of Samaria and Ephraim saw it, but they said in pride and arrogance of heart:
“The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with hewn stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but in their place, we will plant cedars.”
Therefore, the Lord raises foes against them and stirs up their adversaries:
from the east, Arameans, from the west, Philistines— with open mouth they devour Israel. Yet for all this, his anger does not subside; his hand is poised to strike.
For the people have not come back to him who has smitten them; they have not sought the Lord Sabaoth.
Therefore, the Lord has cut off from Israel both head and tail, palm branch and reed in a single day.
The elders and prominent men are the head, and the tail is the prophet of lies.
The guides of these people mislead them, and the leaders have lost their way.
The Lord, therefore, does not spare their young men nor have compassion on their orphans and widows. For everyone has become evil and ungodly; every mouth speaks folly. Yet for all this, his anger does not subside; his hand is poised to strike.
Their wickedness has become like a fire, which consumes both thorn and brier; it rages, sets thickets ablaze, and all vanish like smoke.
The Lord Sabaoth’s wrath set the land aflame, and the people were burned like fuel for fire because no one spared another.
Snatching left and right, they still go hungry and remain unfilled: Each one devours his neighbor’s flesh.
Manasseh devours Ephraim, Ephraim devours Manasseh; and against Judah, together they march. Yet for all this, his anger does not subside; his hand is poised to strike.
Commentaries
Messianic Prophecy.
This is a poem celebrating the enthronement of the king. Isaiah portrays history as if it were a ceremony in the Temple: a child is born (a theophany or manifestation of God) to overcome darkness. The darkness of the people suffering the destruction of the Northern Kingdom (Zebulun and Naphtali) is illuminated by the birth of the child who will reign forever on David’s throne. The title “Galilee of the Gentiles” (23b) signifies the loss of the northern tribes. The symbolic names for the king reflect the daily enthronement rituals in Egypt. These titles highlight the roles the king will assume during his reign. Like many other prophecies, this one may refer to a specific event close to Isaiah’s time—which remains unknown—but its primary fulfillment occurs in messianic times; Jesus of Nazareth grew up and started his ministry in those lands (cf. Mt 4:15-17) that were despised by pious Jews (cf. Jn 1:46).
The Wrath of the Lord.
This poem contains three sayings or messages; at the end of each, a kind of refrain is repeated (11b, 16b, 21). All three are directed at the Northern Kingdom, which, despite the blow it received from the Assyrians, plans to rebuild itself without considering the Lord, an act seen as Prideful. In this situation, the Lord will not remember them, not even those closest to God’s heart, the orphans and widows. “His hand is still outstretched” is a way of denouncing stubbornness and rebellion. All efforts to purify Samaria have failed; therefore, its destruction is announced (19).