The God-Man in Isaiah 9:6-7
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His Shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
“For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David’s throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.” (The Dead Sea Scrolls, 125 BC; Biblical Dead Sea Scrolls)
Those who reject/oppose that Jesus Christ is Almighty God, and consider His Deity as an invention of the Christian Church, it is generally believed, that this passage in Isaiah, refers to the Old Testament King, Hezekiah, who lived during the time of the Prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah was an adult man at the time of this Prophecy, so why would Isaiah speak of his birth, and not just the man Hezekiah?
There is no doubt, that Hezekiah was one of the great Kings in the Old Testament, and please the Lord in much that he did. However, it is also clear from the Old Testament accounts, that he also failed the Lord. In 2 Kings 18:13-16, we read of Hezekiah giving into the demands of the wicked king of Assyria, and giving him the gold from the Temple of the Lord, to appease him. In 2 Kings chapter 2, we read of Isaiah becoming very sick, near death, and the Lord sent Isaiah to tell him to “get your house in order or you will die and not live” (verse 1). Towards the end of his life, Hezekiah became “proud, Hezekiah didn’t respond according to the benefit that had come to him. So there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 32:24-26). He also rather foolishly showed off to the envoys from Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, “his whole treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil—and his armoury, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them”. God sent Isaiah to rebuke Hezekiah for what he had done, and tell him that everything that he had shown these envoys, would be carried away to Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-13, 16-18). Neither was Hezekiah a King of “peace”, as he fought many battles during his lifetime. Neither was Hezekiah’s kingdom an eternal one. The evidence is very clear, that this passage cannot refer to any human king.
In fact, the older Jewish Rabbis, understood this passage to refer to The Messiah. In the 1st/2nd century AD, Rabbi Yose HaGelili, said of this passage:
“Thus rabbi Jose, of Galilee, says, ‘The name of the Messiah is שׁלום shâlôm, as is said in Isa 9:6, “Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.” ‘Ben Sira (fol. 40, of the Amsterdam Edition, 1679) numbers among the eight names of the Messiah those also taken from this passage, Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. The later Jews, however, have rejected this interpretation, because the Messiah is here described as God” (Albert Barnes Commentary)
About the same time we have the Jewish Targum of Jonathan Ben Uziel the disciple of Hillel (110 BC-10AD; Bab. Meg. 32):
“The prophet saith to the house of David, A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and he has taken the law upon himself to keep it, and his name has been called from of old (from eternity, Pauli ed), Wonderful counsellor, Mighty God, He who lives for ever, the Anointed one (or, Messiah), in whose days peace shall increase upon us. Great shall be the splendour of them that observe the law, and of them that preserve peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to build it in judgement and in righteousness from henceforth and for ever: by the Memra of the Lord of hosts shall this be wrought” (Targum Jonathan Ben Uziel. J F Stenning; The Targum of Isaiah, p 32. Oxford 1953 ed, also, Rev. C. W. H. Pauli; Targum Jonathan Ben Uziel: The Chaldee Paraphrase on The Prophet Isaiah; pp.30, 31)
Some have tried to weaken this Prophecy as referring to The Messiah, by arguing that the verbs used in the Hebrew, are in the “past tense”. It is clear that both these Jewish works, that date to the first century AD, and older, understood the passage to refer to The Messiah. Ther is also more ancient Jewish evidence that this passage is Messianic, Rabbi Mordecai's Drash: Isaiah 9:6 A Prophecy of Messiah
As for The “past tense”, in Hebrew grammar, it is often used for what is yet to take place, which is agreed by Jewish and Christian Hebrew grammarians. Page Not Found - 404 Hebrew Tenses It really does not matter to the passage, whether it is “is called”, “was called”, or “will be called”, because this does not change the fact, that it cannot refer to any human being. The DSS 1QIsa(a), which is about 100 BC, reads “is called” (so the LXX, present, kaleitai); whereas the,4QIsa(c), is, “will be called”. The second century AD Hebrew manuscripts, which were the basis for the Greek translations, we have Aquila, “ekalesen”, which is the aorist, “called”; and Symmachus, “kelthesetai”, the future, “will be called”. Either corrections or corruptions.
There is no doubt, that the passage refers to The Messiah, Who is The Lord Jesus Christ.
The Prophecy of the Birth of this Child, Who is a Son, speaks of One Who is not only to be Born “human”, but Who is also fully God. This is clear from the Names/Titles that this Son has.
He is called, “Wonderful” (pe·le), which is the Name that “The Messenger of Yahweh”, gives Manoah in Judges chapter 13, “And the Messenger of Yahweh said to him, “Why do you ask my Name, seeing it is Wonderful (p̄e·li)?” (ver. 18). It is clear that this was not a created being, as Manoah clearly reconsigned Him to be God, “And Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” (ver. 22). Malachi 3:1 is clear, that the Coming of Yahweh/Jesus Christ, is “ū·mal·’aḵ hab·bə·rîṯ (and even The Messenger of the Covenant)”, Who is Himself, “hā·’ā·ḏō·wn (the Lord)”.
This Son is also called “Counsellor” (yō·w·‘êṣ). In 1 John 2:1, Jesus Christ is called, “Paraklēton”, which is often translated by “Advocate”. The Theological Dictionary Of The New Testament, informs us, “of the Rabbis, in their religious vocabulary... became a common loan word in the sense of “advocate,” related in meaning to “counsel,” “defender””
Next this Son is the “Mighty God (’êl Gibbôr)”. Some have tried to reduce the meaning of the Hebrew here, to “mighty-hero”, so as to remove the Deity of the Son. However, it is clear from other places in the Old Testament, where we find “’êl Gibbôr”, like Isaiah 10:21, and Jeremiah 32:18, these same translations that have “mighty God”. Why the difference, when used for The Messiah, Jesus Christ? The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) of Isaiah, reads, “’êlGibbôr”, without any space in the words, so that it is a name, “MightyGod”. This was changed by the Masoretes (MT) Jewish scholars, to read, “’êl Gibbôr”. We find the same in Isaiah 7:14, which is another Prophecy of the Son, Who is to be Born from The Virgin, fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus Christ. In this verse in Isaiah, the MT reads “‘im·mā·nū ’êl”, but the DSS, “‘im·mā·nū’êl”, as a Name, “Godwithus”. In the New Testament, Paul says of Jesus Christ, that He is “tou megalou theou (The Great God)” (Titus 2:13). The Greek, “mégas”, can also mean, “mighty”, which is what Isaiah 9:6 says.
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His Shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
“For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David’s throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.” (The Dead Sea Scrolls, 125 BC; Biblical Dead Sea Scrolls)
Those who reject/oppose that Jesus Christ is Almighty God, and consider His Deity as an invention of the Christian Church, it is generally believed, that this passage in Isaiah, refers to the Old Testament King, Hezekiah, who lived during the time of the Prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah was an adult man at the time of this Prophecy, so why would Isaiah speak of his birth, and not just the man Hezekiah?
There is no doubt, that Hezekiah was one of the great Kings in the Old Testament, and please the Lord in much that he did. However, it is also clear from the Old Testament accounts, that he also failed the Lord. In 2 Kings 18:13-16, we read of Hezekiah giving into the demands of the wicked king of Assyria, and giving him the gold from the Temple of the Lord, to appease him. In 2 Kings chapter 2, we read of Isaiah becoming very sick, near death, and the Lord sent Isaiah to tell him to “get your house in order or you will die and not live” (verse 1). Towards the end of his life, Hezekiah became “proud, Hezekiah didn’t respond according to the benefit that had come to him. So there was wrath on him, Judah, and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 32:24-26). He also rather foolishly showed off to the envoys from Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, “his whole treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil—and his armoury, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them”. God sent Isaiah to rebuke Hezekiah for what he had done, and tell him that everything that he had shown these envoys, would be carried away to Babylon (2 Kings 20:12-13, 16-18). Neither was Hezekiah a King of “peace”, as he fought many battles during his lifetime. Neither was Hezekiah’s kingdom an eternal one. The evidence is very clear, that this passage cannot refer to any human king.
In fact, the older Jewish Rabbis, understood this passage to refer to The Messiah. In the 1st/2nd century AD, Rabbi Yose HaGelili, said of this passage:
“Thus rabbi Jose, of Galilee, says, ‘The name of the Messiah is שׁלום shâlôm, as is said in Isa 9:6, “Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.” ‘Ben Sira (fol. 40, of the Amsterdam Edition, 1679) numbers among the eight names of the Messiah those also taken from this passage, Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. The later Jews, however, have rejected this interpretation, because the Messiah is here described as God” (Albert Barnes Commentary)
About the same time we have the Jewish Targum of Jonathan Ben Uziel the disciple of Hillel (110 BC-10AD; Bab. Meg. 32):
“The prophet saith to the house of David, A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and he has taken the law upon himself to keep it, and his name has been called from of old (from eternity, Pauli ed), Wonderful counsellor, Mighty God, He who lives for ever, the Anointed one (or, Messiah), in whose days peace shall increase upon us. Great shall be the splendour of them that observe the law, and of them that preserve peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to build it in judgement and in righteousness from henceforth and for ever: by the Memra of the Lord of hosts shall this be wrought” (Targum Jonathan Ben Uziel. J F Stenning; The Targum of Isaiah, p 32. Oxford 1953 ed, also, Rev. C. W. H. Pauli; Targum Jonathan Ben Uziel: The Chaldee Paraphrase on The Prophet Isaiah; pp.30, 31)
Some have tried to weaken this Prophecy as referring to The Messiah, by arguing that the verbs used in the Hebrew, are in the “past tense”. It is clear that both these Jewish works, that date to the first century AD, and older, understood the passage to refer to The Messiah. Ther is also more ancient Jewish evidence that this passage is Messianic, Rabbi Mordecai's Drash: Isaiah 9:6 A Prophecy of Messiah
As for The “past tense”, in Hebrew grammar, it is often used for what is yet to take place, which is agreed by Jewish and Christian Hebrew grammarians. Page Not Found - 404 Hebrew Tenses It really does not matter to the passage, whether it is “is called”, “was called”, or “will be called”, because this does not change the fact, that it cannot refer to any human being. The DSS 1QIsa(a), which is about 100 BC, reads “is called” (so the LXX, present, kaleitai); whereas the,4QIsa(c), is, “will be called”. The second century AD Hebrew manuscripts, which were the basis for the Greek translations, we have Aquila, “ekalesen”, which is the aorist, “called”; and Symmachus, “kelthesetai”, the future, “will be called”. Either corrections or corruptions.
There is no doubt, that the passage refers to The Messiah, Who is The Lord Jesus Christ.
The Prophecy of the Birth of this Child, Who is a Son, speaks of One Who is not only to be Born “human”, but Who is also fully God. This is clear from the Names/Titles that this Son has.
He is called, “Wonderful” (pe·le), which is the Name that “The Messenger of Yahweh”, gives Manoah in Judges chapter 13, “And the Messenger of Yahweh said to him, “Why do you ask my Name, seeing it is Wonderful (p̄e·li)?” (ver. 18). It is clear that this was not a created being, as Manoah clearly reconsigned Him to be God, “And Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” (ver. 22). Malachi 3:1 is clear, that the Coming of Yahweh/Jesus Christ, is “ū·mal·’aḵ hab·bə·rîṯ (and even The Messenger of the Covenant)”, Who is Himself, “hā·’ā·ḏō·wn (the Lord)”.
This Son is also called “Counsellor” (yō·w·‘êṣ). In 1 John 2:1, Jesus Christ is called, “Paraklēton”, which is often translated by “Advocate”. The Theological Dictionary Of The New Testament, informs us, “of the Rabbis, in their religious vocabulary... became a common loan word in the sense of “advocate,” related in meaning to “counsel,” “defender””
Next this Son is the “Mighty God (’êl Gibbôr)”. Some have tried to reduce the meaning of the Hebrew here, to “mighty-hero”, so as to remove the Deity of the Son. However, it is clear from other places in the Old Testament, where we find “’êl Gibbôr”, like Isaiah 10:21, and Jeremiah 32:18, these same translations that have “mighty God”. Why the difference, when used for The Messiah, Jesus Christ? The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) of Isaiah, reads, “’êlGibbôr”, without any space in the words, so that it is a name, “MightyGod”. This was changed by the Masoretes (MT) Jewish scholars, to read, “’êl Gibbôr”. We find the same in Isaiah 7:14, which is another Prophecy of the Son, Who is to be Born from The Virgin, fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus Christ. In this verse in Isaiah, the MT reads “‘im·mā·nū ’êl”, but the DSS, “‘im·mā·nū’êl”, as a Name, “Godwithus”. In the New Testament, Paul says of Jesus Christ, that He is “tou megalou theou (The Great God)” (Titus 2:13). The Greek, “mégas”, can also mean, “mighty”, which is what Isaiah 9:6 says.
