Isaiah and the Prophetess

Introduction

The common theme throughout the book of Isaiah is that the Lord is almighty. He is in control and He is worthy of trust. In chapters 7 and 8 of Isaiah we see one of the most misunderstood and well-known stories in the book. The setting of this story takes place during the split of Israel into the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. There was already a great deal of stress between the two kingdoms, however this tension was intensified by the powerful nation of Assyria who threatened many of the surrounding smaller nations. This impending threat caused the king of Israel, Pekah, and the king of Syria, Rezin, to form an alliance so that they might able to defend against the Assyrians. Both Syria and Israel were pressuring Judah to join their coalition so they might benefit from Judah’s power and resources. However king Ahaz was not in favor of the alliance, for he wanted to keep his alliance with Assyria healthy. Consequently, Israel and Syria conspired against Judah, planning on besieging the city. We are told in Isaiah 7:6 that their desire was to replace King Ahaz with a man who would support them in their stance against the Assyrians. This man was to be “the Son of Tabeel”. Which means, “good for nothing”. This could mean that they just simply wanted to replace Ahaz with someone who would just be their pawn and would do what they say. On the other hand, according to some scholars, “Tabeel” is the name of an actual person or of a town in northeastern Palestine. Ahaz determined himself to never be replaced by that good for nothing. So he prepared the city to be besieged by Israel and Syria. The story really starts to take shape when the Prophet Isaiah is sent to Ahaz and he meets him at the end of the aqueduct of ...

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...He would protect this promise through the birth of a child from a virgin. Maher-shalal-hash-baz was the sign that God was faithful to keep Israel, and Jesus is the promise that God will be with us, even to the end of the age.

Works Cited

Young, Edward J. The Book of Isaiah, the English Text, with Introduction, Exposition, and Notes. 5th ed.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976

Scullion, John J. “An Approach to the Understanding of Isaiah 7: 10-17.” Journal of Biblical Literature 87, no. 3 (Sep 1968): page nr.

Wolf, Herbert M. “A Solution to the Immanuel Prophecy in Isaiah 722: 14-8.” Journal of Biblical Literature91, no. 4 (Dec 1972): 449-56.

Gordon, Cyrus H. “'almah in Isaiah 7: 14.” Journal of Bible and Religion 21, no. 2 (Apr 1953): 106.

Friedrich, Gerhard. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Stuttgart, Germany: W. Kohlahammer Werlag, 1967.