Dictionaries :: Isaiah

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Isaiah:

(Heb. Yesh'yahu, i.e., "the salvation of Jehovah"). (1.) The son of Amoz (Isa 1:1; 2:1), who was apparently a man of humble rank. His wife was called "the prophetess" (8:3), either because she was endowed with the prophetic gift, like Deborah (Jdg 4:4) and Huldah (2Ki 22:14-20), or simply because she was the wife of "the prophet" (Isa 38:1). He had two sons, who bore symbolical names.

He exercised the functions of his office during the reigns of Uzziah (or Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (1:1). Uzziah reigned fifty-two years (B.C. 810-759), and Isaiah must have begun his career a few years before Uzziah's death, probably B.C. 762. He lived till the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, and in all likelihood outlived that monarch (who died B.C. 698), and may have been contemporary for some years with Manasseh. Thus Isaiah may have prophesied for the long period of at least sixty-four years.

His first call to the prophetical office is not recorded. A second call came to him "in the year that King Uzziah died" (Isa 6:1). He exercised his ministry in a spirit of uncompromising firmness and boldness in regard to all that bore on the interests of religion. He conceals nothing and keeps nothing back from fear of man. He was also noted for his spirituality and for his deep-toned reverence toward "the holy One of Israel."

In early youth Isaiah must have been moved by the invasion of Israel by the Assyrian monarch Pul (q.v.), 2Ki 15:19; and again, twenty years later, when he had already entered on his office, by the invasion of Tiglath-pileser and his career of conquest. Ahaz, king of Judah, at this crisis refused to co-operate with the kings of Israel and Syria in opposition to the Assyrians, and was on that account attacked and defeated by Rezin of Damascus and Pekah of Samaria (2Ki 16:5; 2Ch 28:5,6). Ahaz, thus humbled, sided with Assyria, and sought the aid of Tiglath-pileser against Israel and Syria. The consequence was that Rezin and Pekah were conquered and many of the people carried captive to Assyria (2Ki 15:29; 16:9; 1Ch 5:26). Soon after this Shalmaneser determined wholly to subdue the kingdom of Israel. Samaria was taken and destroyed (B.C. 722). So long as Ahaz reigned, the kingdom of Judah was unmolested by the Assyrian power; but on his accession to the throne, Hezekiah (B.C. 726), who "rebelled against the king of Assyria" (2Ki 18:7), in which he was encouraged by Isaiah, who exhorted the people to place all their dependence on Jehovah (Isa 10:24; 37:6), entered into an alliance with the king of Egypt (Isa 30:2-4). This led the king of Assyria to threaten the king of Judah, and at length to invade the land. Sennacherib (B.C. 701) led a powerful army into Palestine. Hezekiah was reduced to despair, and submitted to the Assyrians (2Ki 18:14-16). But after a brief interval war broke out again, and again Sennacherib (q.v.) led an army into Palestine, one detachment of which threatened Jerusalem (Isa 36:2-22; 37:8). Isaiah on that occasion encouraged Hezekiah to resist the Assyrians (37:1-7), whereupon Sennacherib sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah, which he "spread before the Lord" (37:14). The judgement of God now fell on the Assyrian host. "Like Xerxes in Greece, Sennacherib never recovered from the shock of the disaster in Judah. He made no more expeditions against either Southern Palestine or Egypt." The remaining years of Hezekiah's reign were peaceful (2Ch 32:23,27-29). Isaiah probably lived to its close, and possibly into the reign of Manasseh, but the time and manner of his death are unknown. There is a tradition that he suffered martyrdom in the heathen reaction in the time of Manasseh (q.v.).

(2.) One of the heads of the singers in the time of David (1Ch 25:3,15, "Jeshaiah").

(3.) A Levite (1Ch 26:25). (4.) Ezr 8:7. (5.) Neh 11:7.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Isaiah:

the salvation of the Lord

Nave's Topical Bible

Isaiah: Name Of

Called also Esaias

Isaiah: Son of Amos

Isa 1:1

Isaiah: Prophesies

In the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah,

Isa 1:1; 6:1; 7:1, 3; 14:27; 20:1; 36:1; 38:1; 39:1;

at the time of the invasion by Tartan, of Assyria,

Isa 20:1.

Isaiah: Symbolically Wears Sackcloth, and Walks Barefoot

As a sign to Israel,

Isa 20:2, 3.

Isaiah: Comforts and Encourages Hezekiah and the People

During the siege of Jerusalem by Rab-Shakeh,

2Ki 18; 19; Isa 37:6, 7.

Isaiah: Comforts Hezekiah in His Affliction

2Ki 20:1-11; Isa 38

Isaiah: Performs the Miracle of the Returning Shadow

To confirm Hezekiah's faith,

2Ki 20:8-11.

Isaiah: Reproves Hezekiah's Folly

In exhibiting his resources to the commissioners from Babylon,

2Ki 20:12-19; Isa 39.

Isaiah: Is the Chronicler

Of the times of Uzziah and Hezekiah,

2Ch 26:22; 32:32.

Isaiah: Prophecies, Reproofs, and Exhortations Of

Foretells punishment of the Jews for idolatry, and reproves self-confidence and distrust of God,

Isa 2:6-20.

Foretells the destruction of the Jews,

Isa 3.

Promises to the remnant restoration of divine favour,

Isa 4:2-6; 6.

Delineates the ingratitude of the Jews in the parable of the vineyard, and reproves it,

Isa 5:1-10.

Denounces existing corruptions,

Isa 5:8-30.

Foretells the failure of the plot of the Israelites and Syrians against Judah,

Isa 7:1-16.

Denounces calamities against Israel and Judah,

Isa 7:16-25; 9:2-6.

Foretells prosperity under Hezekiah, and the manifestation of the Messiah,

Isa 9:1-7.

Denounces vengeance upon the enemies of Israel,

Isa 9:8-12.

Denounces the wickedness of Israel, and foretells the judgments of God,

Isa 9:13-21.

Denounces judgments against false prophets,

Isa 10:1-4.

Foretells the destruction of Sennacherib's armies,

Isa 10:5-34.

The restoration of Israel and the triumph of the Messiah's kingdom,

Isa 11.

The burden of Babylon,

Isa 13; 14:1-28.

Denunciation against the Philistines,

Isa 14:9-32.

Burden of Moab,

Isa 15; 16.

Burden of Damascus,

Isa 17.

An obscure prophecy, supposed by some authorities to be directed against the Assyrians, by others against the Egyptians, and by others against the Ethiopians,

Isa 18.

The burden of Egypt,

Isa 19; 20.

Denunciations against Babylon,

Isa 21:1-10.

Prophecy concerning Seir,

Isa 21:11, 12;

Arabia,

Isa 21:13-17;

concerning the conquest of Jerusalem, the captivity of Shebna, and the promotion of Eliakim,

Isa 22:1-22;

the overthrow of Tyre,

Isa 23;

the judgments upon the land, but that a remnant of the Jews would be saved,

Isa 25; 26; 27.

Reproves Ephraim for his wickedness, and fortells the destruction by Shalmaneser,

Isa 28:1-5.

Declares the glory of God upon the remnant who are saved,

Isa 28:5, 6.

Exposes the corruptions in Jerusalem and exhorts to repentance,

Isa 28:7-29.

Foretells the invasion of Sennacherib, the distress of the Jews, and the destruction of the Assyrian army,

Isa 29:1-8.

Denounces the hypocrisy of the Jews,

Isa 29:9-17.

Promises a reformation,

Isa 29:18-24.

Reproves the people for their confidence in Egypt, and their contempt of God,

Isa 30:1-17; 31:1-6.

Declares the goodness and longsuffering of God toward them,

Isa 30:18-26; 32; 33; 34; 35.

Reproves the Jews for their spiritual blindness and infidelity,

Isa 42:18-25.

Promises ultimate restoration of the Jews,

Isa 43:1-13.

Foretells the ultimate destruction of Babylon,

Isa 43:14-17; 47.

Exhorts the people to repent,

Isa 43:22-28.

Comforts the Jewish community with promises, exposes the folly of idolatry, and their future deliverance from captivity by Cyrus,

Isa 44; 45:1-5; 48:20.

Fortells the conversion of the Gentiles and the triumph of the gospel,

Isa 45:5-25.

Denounces the evils of idolatry,

Isa 46.

Reproves the Jews for their idolatries and other wickedness,

Isa 48.

Exhorts to sanctification,

Isa 56:1-8.

Foretells calamities to Judah,

Isa 59:9-12; with Isa 57; 58; 59.

Foreshadows the person and the kingdom of the Messiah,

Isa 32; 33; 34; 35; 42; 45; 49; 50; 51; 52; 53; 54; 55; 56; 59:15-21; 60; 61; 62; 63; 64; 65; 66.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Isaiah:

the prophet, son of Amoz. The Hebrew name signifies Salvation of Jahu (a shortened form of Jehovah.) He prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (Isaiah 1:1) covering probably 758 to 698 B.C. He was married and had two sons. Rabbinical tradition says that Isaiah, when 90 years old, was sawn asunder in the trunk of a carob tree by order of Manasseh, to which it is supposed that reference is made in Hebrews 11:37.