Isaiah (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series)

John Goldingay

• Publisher: Baker Books
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN:
  9781441238375
• Topic: Theology & Religion

The book of Isaiah depicts for its readers what happens when Isaiah volunteers to become Yahweh's gofer--when he acts and speaks on Yahweh's behalf with Yahweh's authority. In this careful and insightful commentary on Isaiah, Goldingay unfolds the voices and messages of those prophetic actions and experiences. While doing this he points out that three attributes of Yahweh come into distinctive focus in Isaiah: Yahweh's majesty and authority, Yahweh's passion in anger and compassion, and Yahweh's insight and capacity to formulate a plan and put it into effect. Goldingay also examines the way Isaiah thinks about the people of God and the relationship between the vision of who they could be, the reality of who they were, the calamity of that contrast, and ultimately the promise Yahweh offers to them.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• §1 Introduction: Jerusalem Judged and Restored (Isa.1:1–2:1)
• §2 The Last Days and the Day of Yahweh for Jerusalem (Isa.2:2–4:6)
• §3 Judgment Missed and Demonstrated (Isa. 5:1–30)
• §4 Isaiah’s Commission: To Stop People Hearing (Isa. 6:1–13)
• §5 Coping with the Pressure from Syria and Ephraim (Isa.7:1–8:10)
• §6 Isaiah’s Significance, and the Fall of Darkness (Isa.8:11–9:7)
• §7 Yahweh’s Unsated Anger with Israel (Isa. 9:8–10:4)
• §8 The Felling of Assyria and the Growth of a Branch (Isa.10:5–11:16)
• §9 A Song to Sing on the Day of Salvation (Isa. 12:1–6)
• §10 Introduction to Chapters 13–23
• §11 Poems about Northern Powers (Isa. 13:1–14:27)
• §12 Poems about Judah’s Neighbors and about Jerusalem Itself (Isa. 14:28–17:14)
• §13 Poems about the Southern Powers (Isa. 18:1–20:6)
• §14 Poems about Northern Powers and about Jerusalem Itself (Isa. 21:1–23:18)
• §15 Devastation and Renewal for the Whole Land (Isa. 24:1–27:13)
• §16 Introduction to Chapters 28–33
• §17 Oh You Drunken Leaders (Isa. 28:1–29)
• §18 Oh You City of David (Isa. 29:1–24)
• §19 Oh You Obstinate Nation (Isa. 30:1–33)
• §20 Oh You People Who Rely on Egypt (Isa. 31:1–32:20)
• §21 Oh You Destroyer Who Has Not Been Destroyed (Isa. 33:1–24)
• §22 Streams Turned into Desolation, Desert into Pools (Isa. 34:1–35:10)
• §23 Hezekiah’s Great Political Crisis Confronts Him (Isa. 36:1–37:7)
• §24 Hezekiah Responds to His Great Political Crisis (Isa. 37:8–38)
• §25 A More Equivocal Response to Two Further Challenges (Isa. 38:1–39:8)
• §26 The Gifts of Comfort and Energy (Isa. 40:1–31)
• §27 Fear Not, Servant Israel (Isa. 41:1–20)
• §28 Servant and Covenant (Isa. 41:21–42:17)
• §29 The Restoration of a Blind and Deaf Servant, I (Isa. 42:18–43:21)
• §30 The Restoration of a Blind and Deaf Servant, II (Isa. 43:22–44:23)
• §31 Cyrus, Yahweh’s Anointed Shepherd (Isa. 44:24–45:25)
• §32 The Fall of the Gods and Their City (Isa. 46:1–47:15)
• §33 Now Is the Time for Response (Isa. 48:1–22)
• §34 To Restore the People and the Land (Isa. 49:1–50:3)
• §35 Four Wake-up Calls and a Departure Call (Isa. 50:4–52:12)
• §36 A New Revelation of Yahweh’s Arm (Isa. 52:13–53:12)
• §37 An Invitation to Sing (Isa. 54:1–55:13)
• §38 Back in Palestine: Yahweh’s Vision for an Open Community (Isa. 56:1–8)
• §39 Critique of the Community (Isa. 56:9–59:8)
• §40 The Prayer That Needs to Be Prayed (Isa. 59:9–15a)
• §41 A Vision of Yahweh Acting in Wrath, I (Isa. 59:15b–20)
• §42 Promises of Glory (Isa. 59:21–60:22)
• §43 Five Responses to Yahweh’s Promises (Isa. 61:1–62:12)
• §44 A Vision of Yahweh Acting in Wrath, II (Isa. 63:1–6)
• §45 Where Are Your Zeal and Your Might? (Isa. 63:7–64:12)
• §46 Yahweh’s Closing Critique and Vision (Isa. 65:1–66:17)
• §47 A Final Vision for the Nations (Isa. 66:18–24)
• For Further Reading
• Subject Index
• Scripture Index
• Notes
• Back Cover