🕊️WEB · Isaiah 9:6
What does Isaiah 9:6 mean?
"For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
— Isaiah 9:6 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
You have multiplied the nation. You have increased their joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the plunder.
For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as in the day of Midian.
For all the armor of the armed man in the noisy battle, and the garments rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David’s throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from that time on, even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this.
The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it falls on Israel.
All the people will know, including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart,
Explanation
Isaiah 9:6 announces the birth of a child who will become a ruler with extraordinary qualities. In plain language, the verse says that a son will be born who takes on governmental authority, and this child is given a remarkable string of titles: Wonderful Counselor (or "Wonderful, Counselor" depending on translation punctuation), Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Each title points to a different facet of who this ruler is and what he will accomplish — wisdom in counsel, strength in power, permanence in fatherly care, and the establishment of peace.
The book of Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah, who ministered in the southern kingdom of Judah during the eighth century BC, a time of political turmoil when Judah faced threats from surrounding nations, including the Assyrian Empire. Chapters 7-9 address King Ahaz and the people of Judah during a crisis when Judah was being pressured by an alliance of Syria and Israel (the northern kingdom) and was tempted to seek help from Assyria rather than trust God. Isaiah's message throughout this section contrasts human failure and political anxiety with a promise of a coming deliverer. The immediate context in Isaiah 9:1-7 speaks of a great light dawning on a people walking in darkness, and verse 6 explains the source of that light: a child whose birth signals hope, an increase in joy, and the end of oppression, as described in the surrounding verses about breaking the yoke of the oppressor.
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