The Prophet and His Day: Isaiah 1-39 - Free Bible Commentary

and protection. They are two sides of one covenant! Remember the purpose of judgment wasthe restoration of intimate fellowship, like the Garden of Eden before the Fall, before theimage and likeness of God were damaged!WORD AND PHRASE STUDYNASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:1-31The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw duringthe reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.2Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth;For the LORD speaks,"Sons I have reared and brought up,But they have revolted against Me.3An ox knows its owner,And a donkey its master's manger,But Israel does not know,My people do not understand."1:1 “vision” This term (BDB 302) is used in the sense of a “revelatory message” (cf. 29:7; Mic. 3:6).The terms “visions” and “dreams” are parallel in 29:7 (cf. Dan. 7:1). Usually dreams occur at night andvisions both day and night. It appears to describe an altered state of consciousness whereby God,through metaphors, idioms, and physical objects, communicates special revelation. These truths aredivine, not human. Isaiah probably structured the messages, but the content was from God! It is hard todescribe the mechanisms of inspiration, but the results are a divine, authoritative message.Here, in this context of an opening verse, the term is used as a title for Isaiah’s messages (cf. 2:1;13:1; Amos 1:1; Micah 1:1; Hab. 1:1).} “Isaiah” The name (BDB 447) means “YHWH saves” or “salvation is of YHWH” (there is no VERB).When “iah” appears on the end of a Hebrew name, it implies royalty and also stands for the covenantname of God, YHWH (cf. Exod. 3:14).SPECIAL TOPIC: THE NAMES FOR DEITYA. El (BDB 42, KB 48)1. The original meaning of the generic ancient term for deity is uncertain, though manyscholars believe it comes from the Akkadian root, “to be strong” or “to be powerful” (cf.Gen. 17:1; Num. 23:19; Deut. 7:21; Ps. 50:1).2. In the Canaanite pantheon the high god is El (Ras Shamra texts)3. In the Bible El is not usually compounded with other terms. These combinationsbecame a way to characterize God.a. El-Elyon (“God Most High,” BDB 42 & 751 II), Gen. 14:18-22; Deut. 32:8; Isa.14:14b. El-Roi (“God who sees” or “God who reveals Himself,” BDB 42 & 909), Gen.16:1312