Old Testament book

Isaiah

Isaiah is the towering prophet of the Old Testament, so full of the gospel it is called “the fifth gospel.” It proclaims the thrice-holy God who judges sin and the only Savior, who redeems His people through the coming Servant-King: unveiling the Messiah more fully than any other prophet.

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Book
23 of 66
Testament
Old Testament
Section
Major Prophets
Chapters
66
Author
Isaiah son of Amoz
Written
Approximately 740-680 BC

Purpose & theme

Isaiah is the towering prophet of the Old Testament, so full of the gospel that it has been called “the fifth gospel.” Ministering to the kingdom of Judah in the eighth century BC, as the Assyrian empire threatened to swallow the nations, Isaiah proclaims two great and interwoven truths: the LORD is the thrice-holy God, majestic and utterly pure, who must judge sin; and the LORD is the only Savior, who will redeem a people for Himself through His coming Servant-King. The prophet’s own name, “the LORD saves,” captures the message, and his book moves from searching judgment on Judah, Israel, and the nations, through the folly of trusting armies and idols instead of God, to the promise of a purified remnant and a glorious salvation.

At the heart of Isaiah stands the Messiah, unveiled more fully here than anywhere else in the Old Testament. He is the virgin’s son, Immanuel, “God with us” (7:14); the child born who is “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6); the Spirit-anointed shoot from the stump of Jesse (11:1); the gentle Servant who brings justice to the nations; and, most astonishingly, the Suffering Servant who is “pierced for our transgressions” and bears the sin of many (53:5). The book climaxes in the promise of new heavens and a new earth. Isaiah thus sweeps from the holiness of God and the ruin of sin to the comfort of redemption and the hope of a renewed creation, and it points, more clearly than any other prophet, to Jesus Christ.

Chapter guide

All 66 chapters. Open any one for the full study.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66

Study sections

OverviewRead the book’s purpose, its two halves, and its unveiling of the Messiah.Chapter summariesBrowse a one-line summary for every chapter in Isaiah.Key peopleMeet the prophet, the kings, and the promised Servant-King.ThemesExplore the theological themes that shape the book.Word studiesDig into the key Hebrew words that carry the book’s meaning.Key versesRead the seven verses that capture the heart of Isaiah.Maps & timelinesSee the geography of Isaiah and the dated timeline of events.Study notesReview key concepts, application, and questions for reflection.Related passagesTrace the connections from Isaiah across the whole Bible.

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