Isaiah 9

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 734 BC – 722 BC · Divided kingdom · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

21 verses · 556 words · ~3 min read · ~4 min listen

Unto Us a Child Is Born

Matthew 4:12–17; Mark 1:14–15; Luke 4:14–15

¹Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

²The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death,

a light has dawned.

³You have enlarged the nation

and increased its joy.

The people rejoice before You

as they rejoice at harvest time,

as men rejoice in dividing the plunder.

⁴For as in the day of Midian

You have shattered the yoke of their burden,

the bar across their shoulders,

and the rod of their oppressor.

⁵For every trampling boot of battle

and every garment rolled in blood

will be burned as fuel for the fire.

⁶For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given,

and the government will be upon His shoulders.

And He will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷Of the increase of His government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on the throne of David

and over his kingdom,

to establish and sustain it

with justice and righteousness

from that time and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.

Judgment against Israelʼs Pride

⁸The Lord has sent a message against Jacob,

and it has fallen upon Israel.

⁹All the people will know it—

Ephraim and the dwellers of Samaria.

With pride and arrogance of heart

they will say:

¹⁰“The bricks have fallen,

but we will rebuild with finished stone;

the sycamores have been felled,

but we will replace them with cedars.”

¹¹The Lord has raised up the foes of Rezin against him

and joined his enemies together.

¹²Aram from the east and Philistia from the west

have devoured Israel with open mouths.

Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;

His hand is still upraised.

Judgment against Israelʼs Hypocrisy

¹³But the people did not return to Him who struck them;

they did not seek the Lord of Hosts.

¹⁴So the Lord will cut off Israelʼs head and tail,

both palm branch and reed in a single day.

¹⁵The head is the elder and honorable man,

and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.

¹⁶For those who guide this people mislead them,

and those they mislead are swallowed up.

¹⁷Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men;

He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows.

For every one of them is godless and wicked,

and every mouth speaks folly.

Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;

His hand is still upraised.

Judgment against Israelʼs Unrepentance

¹⁸For wickedness burns like a fire

that consumes the thorns and briers

and kindles the forest thickets,

which roll upward in billows of smoke.

¹⁹By the wrath of the Lord of Hosts

the land is scorched,

and the people are fuel for the fire.

No man even spares his brother.

²⁰They carve out what is on the right,

but they are still hungry;

they eat what is on the left,

but they are still not satisfied.

Each one devours the flesh of his own offspring.

²¹Manasseh devours Ephraim,

and Ephraim Manasseh;

together they turn against Judah.

Despite all this, His anger is not turned away;

His hand is still upraised.

Footnotes (4)

a v2 Cited in Matthew 4:15–16
b v9 That is, the northern kingdom of Israel
c v12 That is, Syria
d v20 Literally of his own arm

Study notes on this chapter · 2

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

Light dawns in Galilee

Isaiah promises that the northern regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, first to be humbled, will see a great light. Matthew says Jesus' ministry in Galilee fulfilled this.

When: Spoken c. 732 BC; applied by Matthew to Jesus' Galilean ministry, c. AD 28–30.

Original passageIsaiah 9:1–2

Where the New Testament applies itMatthew 4:12–16

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentWidely held reading

A child is born, a son is given

A royal birth oracle naming the child 'Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace' and promising an endless throne on David's seat. Christians widely read this as pointing to Christ; Luke's birth announcement echoes its language about David's throne.

When: Spoken c. 732–700 BC.

Original passageIsaiah 9:6–7

Echoed inLuke 1:32–33

Ways people read this (2)

Christian reading: a Messianic promise fulfilled in Jesus.
Many Jewish readers understand it as about King Hezekiah, with the titles as throne names.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

See all prophecy & fulfillment notes →

Isaiah 9

Unto Us a Child Is Bornⓘ

Judgment against Israelʼs Prideⓘ

Judgment against Israelʼs Hypocrisyⓘ

Judgment against Israelʼs Unrepentanceⓘ

Study notes on this chapter · 2

Light dawns in Galilee

A child is born, a son is given

Unto Us a Child Is Born

Judgment against Israelʼs Pride

Judgment against Israelʼs Hypocrisy

Judgment against Israelʼs Unrepentance