Isaiah 1:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

NIV: The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

NASB: The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

CSB: The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.

NLT: These are the visions that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He saw these visions during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.

KJV: The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

NKJV: The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Isaiah was sent to Israel as a "prophet" of God in the most specific sense of that word. God chose Isaiah and used Him as a messenger. God showed Isaiah what He wanted Israel to hear, and Isaiah wrote it down and delivered it to the people. Isaiah's words reveal God's thoughts and feelings, as well as many predictions about what would happen to Israel and the nations of the world in the future. Isiah's book also points to God's plan to redeem the world through a coming Savior.

Isaiah was the son of a man named Amoz, who is otherwise unknown in the Bible. Isaiah's name means "Yahweh is salvation." God called Isaiah to prophecy to the people of Judah. Judah was the name for the southern kingdom, made up of two tribes of Israel: Judah and Benjamin. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah.

Isaiah's career as a prophet spanned as many as six decades, beginning at the end of the kingship of Uzziah (Isaiah 6:1), around 740 BC. This continued through the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah until at least 681 BC, when he recorded the death of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:37–38).

A few modern Bible scholars believe the book of Isaiah was compiled from the work of at least three authors over different periods in Israel's history. Most researchers make a strong case that the entire book is the work of just one man. Jesus and the New Testament authors also point to only one man named Isaiah when quoting from verses throughout the book.

Isaiah describes the sixty-six chapters of his book as a vision. This means, in part, they are a revelation from Yahweh. More than that, though, Isaiah describes himself as seeing the word revealed to him (Isaiah 2:1). Prophets were often called "seers" during the Old Testament period.

After identifying himself as the son of Amoz, Isaiah begins his vision from the Lord with the introduction of God's lawsuit against the people of Israel. His children are living in rebellion against Him. They are saturated in sin and have forsaken the Lord. Their spiritual sickness will lead to their destruction, though a few will be saved. Their offerings are meaningless because of their sinful lifestyles. If they repent now, they will be redeemed. If not, they will be destroyed. The Lord will restore justice to once righteous Jerusalem. All who do not repent will be consumed.

Isaiah 1 begins Isaiah's massive book of prophecy with the Lord presenting a lawsuit against His people Israel in Judah for breach of covenant. They live in rebellion against Him and are saturated in sin. They refuse to treat their spiritual illness and will be decimated by their enemies. Their offerings are meaningless. They must stop doing evil and start doing what is good. The Lord will burn off the corrupt from Jerusalem and return it to a place of justice and righteousness. Those who refuse to repent will be broken and destroyed.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).