Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Commentaries: Isaiah

"Writing a commentary on the book of Isaiah in the middle of a paradigm shift in biblical studies, and in the study of the prophetic books in particular, is no easy task. The book of Isaiah has been the object of more scholarly interest over the past two or three decades than during the preceding century. At the same time, much of the received wisdom on the formation of the book has been called into question, including such matters as the date of its several components, the standard tripartite division, the role (if any) to be assigned to the prophet Isaiah himself, and the passages dealing with the anonymous Servant of the Lord. A great deal of effort has been, and continues to be, expended in exploring new approaches to the book, both within the conventional critical methodologies and beyond them. This commentary by Joseph Blenkinsopp on the first thirty-nine chapters of the book, the first of a three-volume commentary on Isaiah, is written from a critical perspective in the belief that only in this way can these texts be given the opportunity to say what they have to say—and also in the conviction that what they have to say still retains its transforming power for those willing to listen attentively today. The result is a commentary of unequaled brilliance and insight that will stand as the definitive study of one of the Hebrew Bible’s most compelling and elusive books." - Yale University Press

"Scholars have traditionally isolated three distinct sections of what is known as the Book of Isaiah, and in Isaiah 40-55, distinguished biblical scholar Joseph Blenkinsopp provides a new translation and critical commentary on the section usually referred to as Second or Deutero Isaiah. The second volume in a three-volume commentary, it easily maintains the high standards of academic excellence established by Isaiah1-39. Second Isaiah was written in the sixth century b.c.e., in the years just before the fall of the mighty Babylonian Empire, by an anonymous prophet whom history has erroneously identified with the real Isaiah (born ca. 765 b.c.e.). Scholars know Second Isaiah was written by someone other than Isaiah because the contexts of these prophecies are so very different. When Second Isaiah was written, the prophet believed that Israel's time of suffering was drawing to a close. There was, he insisted, a new age upon them, a time of hope, peace, and renewed national prosperity. The main thrust of the prophet's argument was intended to rally the spirits of a people devastated by war and conquest. One of the most famous examples of this optimistic tone is the well-known and beloved Song of the Suffering Servant, which is found in Chapters 52-53, and about which Blenkinsopp has some challenging new ideas." - Yale University Press

"The concluding section of the book of Isaiah, sometimes referred to as Third or Trito Isaiah, had a profound impact on the Christian movement in its formative phase, including such central issues as the identity of the founder, the profile of the disciple, and the Gentile mission. In this thorough and informative commentary, Joseph Blenkinsopp shows that while these chapters maintain continuity with Second Isaiah, they must be considered in the light of a new set of circumstances. The texts present a community beset by severe problems, attempting to cope with disappointed expectations and trying to maintain its faith in the reality, power, and benevolence of the God of traditional religion. Blenkinsopp discusses in detail the issues that divide the community, from concerns about the efficacy of religious practices (prayer, fasting, Sabbath observance, and sacrifice) to questions about who may claim the name of Israelite and under what conditions, to what kind of relations should be maintained with outsiders. In examining each of these topics, Blenkinsopp shows that they provide evidence of an emerging Judaism seeking its own identity and self-definition and testify to the existence of a prophetic discipleship inspired by the person and teaching of the charismatic servant whose fate is described in the previous section of Isaiah." - Yale University Press

"The last chapters of the book of Isaiah offer a vision of new hope at the dawn of the postexilic period. The dense and complex imagery of light, espousal, and victory gives expression to the joyful reality of a return to Jerusalem and to the as-yet-unrealized dreams of rebuilding and repopulating what has been laid to waste. Trito-Isaiah's proclamation of God's salvation or victory appears both as a brilliant light and a terrible darkness in these chapters. For while Yahweh's triumph means rejoicing for his righteous servants, it portends unspeakable horror for those who rebel against him. Far from a remotely related appendix tacked on to the prophetic text, Niskanen examines Isaiah 56–66 within the broader context of the entire book of Isaiah, revealing the stylistic and thematic connections between these and earlier chapters and the significance of the poetical structures and imagery employed in Isaiah 56–66." - Liturgical Press

"Deutero-Isaiah's work, which comprises Isaiah chapters 40–55, has exerted its influence on testimonies of faith in both Jewish and Christian tradition down to the present day. Baltzer's magnificent commentary places the document in the new context after the Exile. The experience of catastrophe, the need to grapple with new problems, and hope for a peaceful future are linked in Deutero-Isaiah's composition. The work aims to establish accord between adherents of the Jacob/Israel tradition on the one hand and those committed to the Zion/Jerusalem tradition on the other — the background being the tensions between the exiles and the people who had remained on the land. Along with masterful presentation of the book's themes, Baltzer also develops a creative hypothesis about the work's genre, identifying it as a "liturgical drama" in six acts, which makes it possible to understand the text's function in worship and its significance as a literary text of supreme artistry"

"The eighth-century BCE Isaiah of Jerusalem, the so-called First Isaiah, is one of the most important theological voices in the Bible. J. J. M. Roberts takes a classical historical-critical approach to his interpretation of this material, making good use of his broad comparative knowledge of ancient Near Eastern historical and religious sources. In light of Isaiah’s very long prophetic ministry of at least thirty-eight years, and perhaps as long as fifty-three years, Roberts also suggests Isaiah often reedited older oracles from early in his ministry to address new, though somewhat analogous situations, albeit with different players, later in his ministry, without erasing telltale signs of the material’s earlier origin. In many cases, this suggestion provides a better explanation for glaring inconsistencies in an apparently connected text than the common fragmentation of the text that attributes such inconsistencies to later editors who either misunderstood or intentionally altered Isaiah’s message for their own purposes." - Fortress Press

"Williamson's commentary is a magisterial reference work. The overall redaction-critical approach to the Book of Isaiah as a whole and in its parts provides an interpretative framework in which thousands of detailed comments are offered. Notable is the full account that is taken of the linguistic information now available from the Dead Sea Scrolls for the transmission of the text of Isaiah. The exegesis engages principally with western scholarship of the last several generations but there are also multiple references to earlier Jewish and Christian engagements with the book. For serious readers of Isaiah this commentary is indispensable." -
George Brooke

"This eagerly anticipated volume is the second installment in H.G.M. Williamson's International Critical Commentary on first Isaiah. For over one hundred years International Critical Commentaries have had a special place among works on the Bible. They bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testaments. Williamson continues in this tradition, adding to his already published volume on Isaiah 1-5. Covering the next seven chapters of Isaiah Williamson incorporates a range of secondary scholarly material with examination of all the key textual and critical issues surrounding the text." - T&T Clark

This is volume 1 of a 2 volume set on Isaiah 40-55. Volume 2 can be found HERE

"One of the latest additions to the eminent International Critical Commentary series is this joint production of J. Goldingay and D. Payne. In the preface (pp.ix-x), the authors lay out briefly the long history of the ICC's delay in publishing a complete commentary on the book of Isaiah, and describe the process with which they worked: Payne is primarily responsible for the textual and philological notes, while Goldingay produced the bulk of the explicitly exegetical work and the lengthy introduction... The two authors have succeeded, independently in their respective tasks and jointly through their interaction, in producing a detailed and ultimately quite judicious commentary on the sixteen chapters of the book of Isaiah normally taken to be a literary unit within this corpus... In form and content these two volumes are a fitting addition to the ICC, and - along with H.G.M. Williamson's recently appeared volume on chapters 1-27 - are sure to provide a solid foundation for planned volumes on the remaining chapters." — Jeremy M. Hutton

"Whoever wishes to read the text of Isaiah 56-66 with its philological, text-critical and literary problems in mind, in the manner of close reading and thereby precisely read and understand it will find this commentary to be a depository of information of first class quality. Zeitschridt fur die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, Vol 126, Book 3 This substantial commentary is the latest installment from John Goldingay's prolific pen ... this commentary [is] a valuable resource for the interpretation of Isaiah 56-66. Publication in the ICC series ensures that this commentary will be a standard reference work for years to come." -- Jacob Stromberg

This is volume 1 of a 2 volume work. Volume 2 can be found HERE.

" The first of John N. Oswalt's two-part study of the book of Isaiah for the NICOT series, this commentary on chapters 1û39 combines theological acumen, literary sensitivity, philological expertise, and historical knowledge to present a faithful and accurate reading of one of the Old Testament's most important books. In the introduction to this work, Oswalt considers Isaiah's background, unity of composition, date and authorship, canonicity, Hebrew text, theology, and problems of interpretation, and he offers a select bibliography for further research. Oswalt also provides substantial discussions of several issues crucial to the book of Isaiah. He notes, for example, that scholars often divide Isaiah into three divisions, with chapters 1–39 addressing Isaiah's contemporaries in the eighth century B.C., chapters 40–55 presupposing the exile of the sixth century, and chapters 56–66 presupposing the eventual return from exile. While taking this scholarship into account Oswalt defends the unity of the prophetic book and argues convincingly that the whole book can be attributed to the Isaiah of the eighth century. The commentary proper, based on Oswalt's own translation of the Hebrew text, provides pastors, scholars, and students with a lucid interpretation of the book of Isaiah in its ancient context as well as an exposition of its message for today." - Eerdmans

"The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context.To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections:Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context.Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible.Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved.This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written." - Zondervan

"In this important addition to the Old Testament Library, now available in a new casebound edition, renowned scholar Brevard Childs writes on the Old Testament's most important theological book. He furnishes a fresh translation from the Hebrew and discusses questions of text, philology, historical background, and literary architecture, and then proceeds with a critically informed, theological interpretation of the text." - WJK Press

This is volume 1 of a 3 volume work. Volume 2 can be found HERE; Volume 3 can be found HERE

This continuous commentary on the first twelve chapters of Isaiah is workmanlike but readable. It is intelligible to the general reader, informative and not overloaded with foot- notes on obscure controversial matters of interest only to the expert (who would in any case find them more satisfactorily discussed in specialist monographs). A feature of this series, translated from Das Alte Testament Deutsch , is the refusal to clog the beginning with an introduction ; this has advantages, but one does miss some statements of position, and especially discussion of such important points as the authorship of the book as a whole.” – Henry Wansbrough

"The prophet Isaiah's influence extended from his long career in Jerusalem in the late 8th century bce through Judah's exilic and Second Temple periods. Through the ages in both Judaism and Christianity, Isaiah's words have funded subsequent theological writings, liturgies, lectionaries, hymns, poetry, and art. Among early Christian writings, Isaiah was seen as “evangelist rather than prophet,” foretelling Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection—a view that continues to prevail today, though scholars have long argued that Isaiah addressed his own time and not, in the first instance, the distant future." - Smyth & Helwys

"The book of Isaiah is perhaps the most compelling of all Old Testament prophecy. No other prophet rivals Isaiah's brilliance of style, powerful imagery and clear vision of the messianic hope.Isaiah's prophetic ministry begins with his temple vision and calling: "I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send?'" Through a series of oracles Isaiah calls Israel and the nations to turn to the Lord, for judgment is coming. He announces that redemption is found in the Davidic Servant alone. Finally, in the "day of vengeance and the year of redemption" the Anointed Conqueror will punish rebellious peoples, comfort the contrite and reestablish the glory of Zion.J. Alec Motyer, author of the unparalleled one-volume commentary The Prophecy of Isaiah, now provides the long-awaited final volume in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary Series. Unlike many Isaiah commentators who divide the book between chapters 1-39 and 40-66, Motyer instead identifies three messianic portraits: the King (Isaiah 1-37), the Servant (Isaiah 38-55), and the Anointed Conqueror (Isaiah 56-66). This volume provides Motyer's lucid exposition on these three portraits, examining Isaiah with insightful and probing passage-by-passage commentary.All who study the text of Isaiah will find here expert scholarship and solid footing for unraveling difficult issues of exegesis and interpretation." - InterVarsity Press

Each volume in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series breaks down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. They present a careful section-by-section exposition of the biblical books with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. Notes at the close of each chapter provide additional textual and technical comments for those who want to dig deeper. A bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes are also included. Pastors, students, and Bible teachers will find in this series a commitment to accessibility without sacrificing serious scholarship. Often quoted in the New Testament and known for its beautiful descriptions of God and his Servant, Isaiah is a favorite among Old Testament books. With clarity and insight, Goldingay guides the reader through this magnificent book, drawing out its themes of God's holiness and majesty, the nature of God's people, and true biblical spirituality.

This is volume 1 of a 2 volume work. Volume 2 (40-66) can be found HERE

"In this volume, Walter Brueggemann writes on Isaiah 1-39, which many scholars believe had a single author, Isaiah, of the eighth century BCE, who wrote in the context of the Assyrian empire between 742 and 701." - WJK Press