Isaiah Through the Centuries

John F. A. Sawyer is Honorary Professor of Theology and Religion at Durham University and Honorary Fellow in the School of Divinity at Edinburgh University. In addition to The Fifth Gospel: Isaiah in the History of Christianity (1996), his more recent publications include A Concise Dictionary of the Bible and its Reception (2011) and, with musician Siobhán Dowling Long, The Bible in Music: A Dictionary of Songs, Works and More (2015).

• Series Editors’ Preface xvAcknowledgements xviiList of Illustrations xixIntroduction 1The Reception of Isaiah 2Reception Exegesis 5Isaiah 1 9The Title (Isa 1:1) 9The Ox and the Ass Have More Sense (Isa 1:2–9) 10Blood on Your Hands (Isa 1:10–20) 14The Faithful City (Isa 1:21–31) 16Isaiah 2 19A Second Title (Isa 2:1) 19Swords into Ploughshares (Isa 2:2–5) 20Haughtiness Shall Be Humbled (Isa 2:6–22) 24Isaiah 3 27Anarchy in Jerusalem (Isa 3:1–15) 28The Daughters of Zion are Haughty (Isa 3:16–26; 4:1) 29Isaiah 4 31The Pride and Glory of the Survivors (Isa 4:2–6) 32Isaiah 5 35The Fate of God’s Vineyard (Isa 5:1–7) 35Woe to Those Who Are Wise in Their Own Eyes! (Isa 5:8–30) 38Isaiah 6 41Holy, Holy, Holy (Isa 6:1–3) 42Here Am I: Send Me! (Isa 6:4–8) 48Go and Say to this People, ‘Hear, But Do Not Understand’ (Isa 6:9–13) 50Isaiah 7 52Faith and Reason (Isa 7:1–9) 53The Immanuel Prophecy (Isa 7:10–17) 54The King of Assyria (Isa 7:18–25) 58Isaiah 8 59The Waters of Shiloah (Isa 8:1–10) 60The Strong Hand of the Lord (Isa 8:11–22) 61Isaiah 9 65Galilee of the Nations (Isa 9:1) 65For Unto Us a Child Is Born (Isa 9:2–7) 66Wickedness Burns Like a Fire (Isa 9:8–21) 71Isaiah 10 73Woe to Those in Power! (Isa 10:1–4) 74Woe to Assyria! (Isa 10:5–19) 74Be Not Afraid of Assyria, My People (Isa 10:20–34) 75Isaiah 11 78The Noble Stem of Jesse (Isa 11:1–5) 79The Peaceable Kingdom (Isa 11:6–9) 84The Messianic Age (Isa 11:10–16) 87Isaiah 12 91With Joy Shall You Draw Water from the Wells of Salvation (Isa 12:1–6) 91Isaiah 13 94Howl, For the Day of the Lord Is at Hand! (Isa 13:1–22) 95Isaiah 14 99The Lord Will Again Choose Israel (Isa 14:1–3) 99How Art Thou Fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer! (Isa 14:4–23) 100Prophecies against the Assyrians and the Philistines (Isa 14:24–32) 103Isaiah 15 105My Heart Cries Out for Moab (Isa 15:1–14) 105Isaiah 16 107Hide the Fugitives, Do Not Betray the Refugees (Isa 16:1–14) 107Isaiah 17 110An Oracle Concerning Syria and Ephraim (Isa 17:1–3) 110The Glory of Jacob Will Be Brought Low (Isa 17:4–14) 111Isaiah 18 113A Prophecy Concerning Ethiopia (Isa 18:1–7) 113Isaiah 19 117An Oracle Concerning Egypt (Isa 19:1–15) 117Blessed Be Egypt, My People! (Isa 19:16–25) 119Isaiah 20 123Put Not Your Trust in Egypt and Ethiopia (Isa 20:1–6) 123Isaiah 21 126Babylon is Fallen! (Isa 21:1–10) 126Watchman, What of the Night? (Isa 21:11–17) 129Isaiah 22 133Let Me Weep Bitter Tears (Isa 22:1–14) 133The Key of David (Isa 22:15–25) 137Isaiah 23 139Howl Ye Ships of Tarshish! (Isa 23:1–18) 139Isaiah 24 143The End of the World (Isa 24:1–13) 144The Last Judgement (Isa 24:14–23) 145Isaiah 25 149The Eschatological Banquet 149Isaiah 26 153The Resurrection of the Dead (Isa 26:1–21) 153Isaiah 27 159Leviathan (Isa 27:1) 160The Lord’s Vineyard (Isa 27:2–11) 160The Sound of the Shofar (Isa 27:12–13) 162Isaiah 28 164Woe to the Drunken Priests and Prophets! (Isa 28:1–13) 165A Covenant with Death (Isa 28:14–29) 167Isaiah 29 171Ariel, the City of David (Isa 29:1–8) 171Having Eyes They See Not (Isa 29:9–16) 173Jacob Shall No More Be Ashamed (Isa 29:17–24) 175Isaiah 30 177Woe to the Rebellious Children! (Isa 30:1–17) 177Blessed Are All Those Who Wait for Him (Isa 30:18–26) 180The Burning Anger of the Lord (Isa 30:27–33) 182Isaiah 31 185Woe to Those Who Rely on Horses and Chariots! (Isa 31:1–9) 185Isaiah 32 188A Kingdom of Righteousness and Peace (Isa 32:1–20) 188Isaiah 33 193The Destroyer (Isa 33:1–12) 194A Place of Broad Waters and Streams (Isa 33:13–24) 195Isaiah 34 199The Day of Vengeance (Isa 34:1–17) 199Isaiah 35 205The Day of Redemption (Isa 35:1–10) 205Isaiah 36 209The Assyrian Invasion of Judah (Isa 36:1–22) 209Isaiah 37 213The Salvation of Jerusalem (Isa 37:1–38) 213Isaiah 38 218The Recovery of King Hezekiah from Illness (Isa 38:1–22) 218Isaiah 39 223Envoys from Babylon (Isa 39:1–8) 223Isaiah 40 226‘Comfort My People,’ Says Your God (Isa 40:1–11) 227Creator of Heaven and Earth (Isa 40:12–31) 232Isaiah 41 237The Lord of History (Isa 41:1–7) 237Fear Not, Israel, My Servant (Isa 41:8–20) 239The Impotence of False Gods (Isa 41:21–29) 241Isaiah 42 243Behold My Servant (Isa 42:1–13) 243God as Mother (Isa 42:14–25) 247Isaiah 43 251I Am Your Saviour (Isa 43:1–13) 251A New Exodus (Isa 43:14–28) 254Isaiah 44 257I Am Alpha and Omega: Besides Me There Is No God (Isa 44:1–8) 257The Folly of Idol Worship (Isa 44:9–20) 259Jerusalem Shall Be Rebuilt (Isa 44:21–28) 260Isaiah 45 262Cyrus the Lord’s Anointed (Isa 45:1–8) 262Will You Criticize the Creator? (Isa 45:9–13) 266God Is With You Only and There Is No Other (Isa 45:14–25) 267Isaiah 46 271The False Gods of Babylon (Isa 46:1–13) 271Isaiah 47 274The Fall of Babylon (Isa 47:1–15) 274Isaiah 48 277A Rebel from Birth (Isa 48:1–11) 277Go Forth from Babylon (Isa 48:12–22) 279Isaiah 49 283A Light to the Nations (Isa 49:1–6) 284A Day of Salvation (Isa 49:7–13) 286Doubting Zion (Isa 49:14–26) 289Isaiah 50 293I Hid Not My Face from Shame and Spitting (Isa 50:1–11) 293Isaiah 51 297Look to the Rock from Which You Were Hewn (Isa 51:1–9) 297Arm of the Lord, Awake (Isa 51:10–23) 299Isaiah 52 303The Lord Has Comforted His People (Isa 52:1–12) 303The Suffering Servant (Isa 52:13–53:12) 308Isaiah 53 312The Suffering Servant (cont’d) (Isa 53:1–12) 312Isaiah 54 322Zion and Her Children (Isa 54:1–17) 322Isaiah 55 329Come to Me, All You Who Thirst (Isa 55:1–13) 329Isaiah 56 335A House of Prayer for All Nations (Isa 56:1–8) 335Corruption in High Places (Isa 56:9–57:13) 339Isaiah 57 340Corruption in High Places (cont’d) (Isa 57:1–13) 340Peace, Peace to the Far and to the Near (Isa 57:14–21) 343Isaiah 58 348Is Not This the Fast That I Choose? (Isa 58:1–14) 348Isaiah 59 355Estrangement from God (Isa 59:1–21) 355Isaiah 60 361Arise, Shine for Your Light Is Come (Isa 60:1–14) 361Your Sun Shall Set No More (Isa 60:15–22) 367Isaiah 61 369Good News for the Poor (Isa 61:1–11) 369Isaiah 62 374For Zion’s Sake I Will Not Keep Silent (Isa 62:1–12) 374Isaiah 63 379The Grapes of Wrath (Isa 63:1–6) 379Our Father in Heaven (Isa 63:7–19) 383Isaiah 64 388O Lord, You Have Hidden Your Face from Us (Isa 64:1–12) 388Isaiah 65 392The Sheep and the Goats on Judgement Day (Isa 65:1–16) 392A New Creation (Isa 65:17–25) 397Isaiah 66 401Sacrifices Acceptable to the Lord (Isa 66:1–6) 401Mother Zion and Her Children (Isa 66:7–16) 404A New Heaven and a New Earth (Isa 66:17–24) 408Glossary 412Brief Biographies 415Abbreviations 426Bibliography 430Commentaries 431General Bibliography 433Websites 447Index of Biblical and Other Ancient References 448General Index 476