Isaiah

Isaiah 6:1–13 tells of the call of Isaiah to a long and difficult prophetic ministry (740–685 bc). Isaiah, whose name means “Yahweh saves,” prophesied to the Southern Kingdom of Judah through the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham (both godly kings), Ahaz (one of Judah’s worst kings), and Hezekiah (a king committed to reforms) over some fifty-five years (Isaiah 1:1). He was a contemporary of the prophets Hosea, Amos, and Micah. Assyria was the superpower at this time, threatening to invade Israel and Judah. According to tradition, Isaiah was related to Uzziah, explaining his easy access to the royal courts (7:3; 38:1; 39:3), and he suffered martyrdom when he was sawn in two by King Manasseh (possibly referred to in Hebrews 11:37). Besides this book of prophecies, Isaiah also wrote the biographies of King Uzziah and King Hezekiah (see 2 Chronicles 26:22; 32:32). Both books are no longer in existence.

K. T. Sim