Exegetical Exercise

1. Investigate the details of the text. Slow down, focus, and be patient. Read it like a love letter or survival instruction manual. Try to become aware of as many details as possible. Make observations and ask questions. What do you see? What doesn’t make sense? What begs for more study? Read through your text three times slowly, and write out 3-5 general observations and questions from the text as a whole. Then go back through slowly and write 2-4 additional observations and questions about each unit of thought. (Some of the OT texts are quite a bit longer than others and the NT texts you studied. You can break up the text in whatever manner seems most helpful; think generally in terms of 25-30 total observations and/or questions on specific aspects of your passage.) Remember that you need not solve problems at this point; you are merely trying to become aware of and attentive to what is actually there in the words of the passage. HEREis a list of some things you might look for in a text. Also consider consulting a few different English translations and making note of any potentially meaning-impacting differences. (I recommend including the NASB alongside others, e.g., NIV, ESV, CSB, NKJV. The NLT is good too, though it is less literal; paraphrases like the Message are great, but less helpful for this exercise because they are not trying to capture the words themselves.)

General observations and questions on the text as a whole:

Where was Isaiah at when he had this vision?

What year did King Uzziah die in?

It seems like God doesn’t want the people to repent and be healed.

Verses 9-10 are quoted by Jesus in the Gospels (Matthew for sure)

Observations for Isaiah 6:1–4 “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.”

What is the story behind King Uzziah and what is his relationship to Isaiah? (Go read it in King/Chronicles)

What is the significance of the robe train in the ancient world?

What are seraphim?

What is the purpose of the six wings that cover their bodies?

Two wings cover their feet - reminds me of Moses having to uncover his feet at the burning bush. Significance of feet in the presence of God?

The Lord is described as high and lifted up, and yet the seraphim are still “above him”.

The chant of the Serephim seems similar to something said in Revelation (compare them).

“House” is translated “temple” in some translations. Probably should dig deeper into that word.

NASB says the temple was “filling with smoke” compared to NIV, ESV which said the house “was filled with smoke”

This whole scene seems very similar to the description of the Holy of Holies (Ark of the Covenant in the middle, room full of smoke, two Seraphim above the Ark on either side)

Observations for Isaiah 6:5–7 “And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.””

What is a “woe”?

What is the significance of unclean lips? How does this connect to the wider discussion of “unclean” in the OT and Bible?

Isaiah sees the King, the Lord of hosts (God) and doesn’t die, even though he knows he is unclean.

An angel flying to Isaiah reminds me of an angel flying to John somewhere in Revelation.

Most translations say “burning” coal, but the KJV has “living” coal.

The coal required the angel to use tongs, but it doesn’t seem to burn Isaiah’s lips. That’s weird.

Coal is known for its absorbing properties. If an animal (or human) ingests poison, it is recommended to eat charcoal to help absorb it out. Could that be behind the usage of a coal here?

The coal touched the specific part that Isaiah acknowledged was sinful (his lips)

What does “atoned” mean?

Does the coal absorbing sins (or taking them away) tell us anything about the cross?

Observations for Isaiah 6:8–13 “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.”

The angels spoke previously (and the temple shook). Now the Lord himself speaks (no such note made of any physical changes).

This calling echoes the calling of Samuel it seems like.

Isaiah goes from terrified because of his sin, to eager to be sent after having his sins forgiven

“Go, and say to this people”, the go command is similar to what Jesus says to start the Great Commission

NASB/ESV say “keep on hearing” but NIV says “be ever hearing” KJV “Hear (and see) indeed” NRSV “Keep listening/keep looking” NLT “Listen carefully/watch closely”

ESV says “make the heart of the people dull” NLT says “harden the hearts” NASB says “Render the hearts of this people insensitive” and KJV says “Make the heart of this people fat”

It doesn’t seem like the Lord wants people to repent. Is this like a “hardening of Pharoah’s heart” situation?

What is the frame of reference for time in this passage? Isaiah asks “how long” and God responds with “until [basically everything is destroyed]”. But is there a specific time frame implied here?

What is the “holy seed”? Is it connected with the “seed” of Abraham that would bless the nations? Or the “seed” of Eve that would defeat the serpent?

Stump illustration implies the chopping down of a tree. Somewhere else (maybe in Isaiah?) it is said that out of the “stump of Jesse” will spring a root.

KJV translates “shall be the substance thereof” instead of “stump”.

1. Explore the historical background of the text. What is going on in the world of the text that may illuminate its meaning and significance today?\

(a) First, study the general historical background of the book – Who is the author? Who are the readers? What are the circumstances in which it was written? On this last question, think about when it was written, what was happening at the time, and (in some cases such as Paul’s letters) what was the state of the relationship between author and readers? Read at least two scholarly sources that provide general background for the book. The most helpful places to find such information are Old Testament Introductions and the Introductory section of larger commentaries on your book. (Start HEREand HERE, and search “Old Testament Introduction” on Perlego for more resources.) Be sure to write out answers to all the above questions; when certain things are unknown or disputed (such as author or date), come to a reasoned conclusion and offer not only your conclusion but your reasons as well. Don’t get lost in controversial questions about authorship and dating; such things are a black hole in OT studies and most of the debates aren’t worth much time for most Bible readers. For our purposes I just want you conversant with the scholarly conversation so that you have an informed opinion.

Author: Modern critical scholars argue that Isaiah 1-39 may perhaps have been written by Isaiah the prophet, but Isaiah 40-55 and 56-66 were written later by different authors (for a total of 3 authors for the entire book).

The evidence goes back and forth for a single author vs multiple authors. For the purposes of this study (Isaiah 6) I think it is reasonable to assume that Isaiah the Prophet was the author, and I see no real reason to think the entire book wasn’t also written by a single author despite the differences in the three sections.

Isaiah apparently lived in Jerusalem, was likely married, and may have even worked in the temple (which explains why he was in the temple when he had the vision in chapter 6). His prophetic ministry seems to have stretched from Uzziah in 740s to at least 701 (when Sennacherib invaded), spanning several kings.

Main Source for above:

Paul L. Redditt, Introduction to the Prophets (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 55-57, 66.

Readers:

The supposed “three sections” can give the impression that different portions of Isaiah were written to different readers. Assuming that the book is a composite whole, Isaiah’s readers, or audience seem to be primarily Israelites living in and around Jerusalem.

Circumstances:

The whole book takes place across the reigns of three main kings: Uzziah, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The Assyrian Empire (and later Babylonian) is lurking in the background of most of the book. Isaiah 6 in particular takes place just after the death of King Uzziah and the beginning of King Ahaz’s reign. Israelite society as a whole seems to have been in a prosperous place due to Uzziah’s early success, but there was still great sins taking place like idol worship, social oppression, and disrepect of God by rejecting his covenant laws (all mentioned in the first 5 chapters of Isaiah). The transition between Uzziah and Ahaz also saw the increase in power of the Assyrian Empire looming over Israel and the Near East.

Main Source for above:

Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1–39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007), 27-28.

(b) What kind of writing is this and what genre guidelines must we keep in mind as we read? You don’t need to do a deep dive into genre, but think and look into this a bit (using your class handouts as a guide) and write 2-3 things you know we need to keep in mind when reading this kind of biblical literature.

A big picture description of Isaiah’s genre is “Old Testament Prophecy” (using the categories we learned in class). But scholars have noted that the book itself contains a wide variety of genres, with one scholar claiming there are 97 total genres! Getting even more granular, Isaiah 6 in particular can be described as a “call vision” or “commission account” (with parallels to Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel).

Things to keep in mind when reading Biblical Prophecy (especially in Isaiah 6):

From Class Notes

Recognize the difference between foretelling and forth-telling.

Purpose of prophecy was calling people to repentance for breaking the covenant.

Pay special attention to historical context

From Redditt, Introduction to the Prophets - notes on “Prophecy in Ancient Near East” (Page 1)

Israelite prophecy emphasized monotheism

They insisted that God demands moral behavior.

(c) Then study specific historical background items – Research (and discern points of relevance from) any specific people, places, events, customs, assumptions, etc., that might illuminate this text. Find two internal historical background items (people, places, events, customs, taboos, social roles, cultural assumptions, etc.) that might illuminate this text. Look this up in at least two scholarly sources (Bible dictionary, encyclopedia, etc.). Type up what you learned about that thing and how it helped shed light on the meaning of your text. Remember the dictionaries listed on page 5 of this RESEARCH BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Item #1: The Temple and Holy of Holies

The temple was about 87 feet long and about 28 feet wide and about 42 feet tall (LBD, Internal dimensions) and a total ground plan of 165 feet 84.5 feet (Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary). Knowing these dimensions gives perspective to what it means for when Isaiah says the train (or edge!) of the Lord’s robe “filled the temple”. Isaiah is trying to demonstrate the majesty of God that he is seeing, and the size of the train of His robe helps get that across.

To add to this, inside the temple was the Holy of Holies which contained the Ark of the Covenant (and the Mercy Seat), it was also surrounded by two giant gold-plated Seraphim on either side, with their wings touching. This parallels what Isaiah sees, only instead of a box and a couple of statues, he’s seeing the actual true God, surrounded by real Seraphim. The filling of smoke also mirrors what the High Priest did when he entered the Holy of Holies.

Sources:

Lacy K. Crocker, “Temple, Solomon’s,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

Carol Meyers, “Temple, Jerusalem”, Freedman, David Noel, Gary A. Herion, David F. Graf, John David Pleins, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Item #2: King Uzziah

Uzziah was relatively successful king who supposedly reigned for 52 years. His reign is only mentioned in passing in Kings but greatly expanded upon by the Chronicler. Among his many successes were expanding Judah into Philistine territory, building and agriculture projects, proliferation of new war machines, reorganizing and refitting the military. The early years of his reign were praised as doing “what was right in the eyes of Yahweh”.

Despite this, his final years were marred with controversy. He tolerated the “high places” where the people worshipped other gods. Eventually he let pride consume him and he tried to burn incense in the temple and fight the priests. This led to an outbreak of leprosy, making him unclean and incapable of ruling during the last ten years or so of his life. There was also a devastating earthquake that happened at some point during his reign.

Sources:

J. Kenneth Kuntz, “Uzziah (Person),” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 778.

James L. Crenshaw, “Uzziah,” ed. Mark Allan Powell, The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated) (New York: HarperCollins, 2011), 1083. ________

Relevance: This background helps shed light on Isaiah 6, which takes place after the death of Uzziah. Being known as the “unclean” king, plus idolatry at the high places which also makes the people “unclean” in a way, could be behind Isaiah saying “I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.”

The relative success of the kingdom during this time could also have led the people to become lazy in their following the law. Life was good, sin was rampant. This could be behind the Lord saying to “Make the heart of this people dull” (or fat, as the KJV says it!) implying a level of gluttony.

The earthquake could also have been looming large. It was obviously a big enough deal for Amos and Zechariah to mention it. If this earthquake was at all seen as a sign of judgement, it would have been a precursor to what Isaiah was now being tasked with telling a stubborn people.

1. Examine the literary context of the text. Discern how the different sections within your text work together to communicate a coherent message. Discern also how the surrounding verses and paragraphs make sense of your text. How does it fit into the discourse or book as a whole? Divide the text into sections, summarize each section, and trace the author’s flow of thought. You need not read the whole book in which your text is found, though if you have time I recommend it. Generally, skim the book and do your best to summarize its main message in a sentence or two. Then do a more detailed contextual analysis of at least the 2-3 sections (events, paragraphs, Psalms, whatever makes most sense) before your text, your text, and the 2-3 sections after. (If you’re studying Psalm 121, do brief summaries on all of Psalms 120-134.) Be extra detailed when analyzing the flow of thought within your actual passage. After you finish your summaries, make a few brief observations on how the context helps illuminate (clarify or enhance) the message of your text. See this Contextual Analysis of 1 Corinthians as an example of the kind of work you’re doing.

Brief Summary of your Book as a Whole:

The entire book of Isaiah is a series of prophetic messages against Jerusalem, Israel as a whole, and the surrounding nations of Israel especially in chapters 1-39. The back half of the book (40-66) continues this theme, but with a shifting focus on the exile in Babylon. Intermingled with the book’s passages of judgement and doom are prophetic words of hope, the Lord’s Messiah, and the ultimate restoration of God’s people.

Section-by-Section Summaries:

Before Passage

Isaiah 1-4:1: Various judgments on Jerusalem, Judah, and Israel. An emphasis is placed on their arrogance and pride. Falls in line with the time period (the kingdom was in a period of success)

Isaiah 4:2-6: A gap in the judgments to emphasize the “Branch of the Lord” as a sign of hope and redemption for the people. Their “filth” will be washed away.

Isaiah 5:1-30: A brief allegory of the relationship between the Lord and Israel which transitions to a series of woes and judgments on the people because of their disobedience.

Passage

Isaiah 6:1-4: A vision of the glory of God in the temple, surrounded by praising angels and smoke.

Isaiah 6:5-6: A confession of sin on behalf of the prophet and his people, followed by the atonement and forgiveness of that sin.

Isaiah 6:7-13: The Lord commissions Isaiah to go to the people. He is to keep repeating the same message of repentance to them over and over even though they will ignore and reject him. Eventually there will only be a remnant left (symbolized by a seed and stump).

After Passage

Isaiah 7-12: A back forth series of prophetic messages of hope and judgment. Hope (The Sign of Emmanuel, Chapter 7), Judgement (The coming and using of Assyria, Chapter 8), Hope (The Child prophecy of 9:1-7), Judgment (Anger towards the people, judgment on Assyria, 9:8-10:19), Hope (The remnant, branch of Jesse, songs of praise, 10:20-12:6)

Isaiah 13-24: A series of judgments against the nations that surround Jerusalem and Israel with a culmination (chapter 24) of a complete judgment and destruction of the entire earth.

Isaiah 25-27: Messages of praise, hope, and deliverance of Israel from her enemies and her restoration.

Isaiah 28-31: Judgments against the two kingdoms of Israel (the Northern Kingdom labeled as Ephraim, the Southern Kingdom labeled as David’s City). The Southern Kingdom and Jerusalem is particularly chastised for their disobedience and reliance on Egypt.

Isaiah 32-35: A return to the pattern of oracles of hope/judgment/hope/judgment. Hope (a king of righteousness), judgment (on fools, women, and destroyers), hope (for those who walk in righteousness), judgement (against the nations), hope (for the redeemed and needy, blind, lame, mute).

Isaiah 36-39: A narrative of Jerusalem’s deliverance from Sennachrib, and Hezekiah’s role, illness, healing, and ultimate failure to protect the people from Babylon because of pride.

**Reflections on the author’s flow of thought / connections to elsewhere in the book**

The Lord’s commands Isaiah to “Go to the people”. This is immediately followed by Isaiah going to the new king Ahaz. The best place to start with a people is their leaders.

The recurring oracles and prophetic messages of judgment to the people, and even the nations around them from 7-39, are in line with what the Lord tells Isaiah in chapter 6:9-10. They kept hearing the same warnings over and over, but they did not listen and repent.

The messages spoken in Chapters 1-5 before Isaiah was commissioned show that the people had already been warned before the events of Chapter 6. That explains how the Lord could say, “Keep on hearing” and “keep on seeing”. (There is criticism that chapters 1-5 chronologically took placed after Chapter 6)

6:11-13 produce a theme of a remnant, and specifically a “stump” that will come from the “holy seed”. This imagery is seen prior to chapter 6 with the Branch of the Lord in chapter 4, and the Branch/Shoot from the Stump of Jesse in Chapter 11.

In between all of the judgments and warnings of chapters 7-39 are “seeds” of hope - relatively smaller sections dispersed throughout that reminds the people of their future restoration and Savior.

Within the passage, there is this general flow: Seeing God > recognition of sin > confession of sin > forgiveness of sin > eagerness to serve > commission to go > call for repentance > rejection and punishment > final note of hope

This is a solid blueprint for becoming a servant of God

Analyze the text’s grammatical features. How do the words work together to communicate a coherent message? Identify and analyze all actions (subjects, verbs, objects, pronouns, etc.), modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, metaphors, etc.), and connectors(prepositions, conjunctions, etc.). Study and explain the significance of at least 8-10 grammatical insights. Building on the basic description above, some things you might do include the following: (a) using blueletterbible.org or stepbible.org, analyze the morphology of a particular word – verbs are often especially helpful; (b) closely tend to modifiers as mentioned above, taking time to think through and articulate how such words contribute real texture and specificity to textual meaning; (c) identify connecting words as explained and demonstrated on pages 24-25 of your Bib Herm Intensive Notes F24 packet; (d) identify images, metaphors, similes, or other figures of speech, and reflect on how such features illuminate textual meaning. You may also (e) do a “structural diagram” of your text (not something we discussed in detail, but see page 26 of your packet and feel free to watch this tutorial I created for a different course). N.B. this exercise is purely optional, and I would not recommend it for narrative texts. NOTE for OT Texts: often these specifically grammatical insights are more helpful for reading letters and less so for narrative or poetic texts. Still tend to the grammar, but feel free to emphasize features of the text more at home in these genres, i.e., characterization, dialogue, and plot features (irony, surprise, etc.) in narrative; images, metaphors, and various kinds of couplets (two phrases presenting one thought together) in Hebrew poetry.

“In the year that King Uzziah died...” this is a key historical marker. It clearly places the following events in a very specific time. It also helps us place this in the context of the “history books” of Kings and Chronicles.

“I saw the Lord...” Seeing the Lord is a dangerous thing (in fact other Scriptures argue that no one has truly seen God!). Isaiah himself connects this significance with realizing how sinful he (vs 5).

“Holy, holy, holy” - saying the word three times emphasizes the holiness of the Lord of hosts.

The entire description of the Lord that Isaiah sees emphasizes His majesty.

“at the voice of him who called” - this wasn’t just some random earthquake. The Temple shook because of the angel’s song.

The first dialogue in this passage is between Isaiah and the Seraphim. After Isaiah’s unclean lips and sins are atoned for, he then is able to have a dialogue directly with God.

“And I heard the voice of the Lord...” First Isaiah saw the Lord, now he hears the Lord. Isaiah does exactly what the people refuse to do (as the Lord declares in vs 10)

The Hebrew word for “Go” (vs 9) is imperative. The Lord wants Isaiah to “say” something to the people. But the key part of this phrase is to go!

Vs 10 has a specific structure (chiastic?). Hearts > ears > eyes > eyes > ears > hearts. This structure places an emphasis on the people’s total inability to understand the message that Isaiah is telling them. (Source: TOTC Isaiah pg 83)

Vs 11-12 have typical Hebrew poetry structure where the second line repeats the content of the first line using different words to emphasize the point.

i.e. “cities…without inhabitant” is followed by “houses without people” which is followed by “the Lord removes people far away”

i.e. “the land is a desolate waste” is followed by “forsake places are many in the midst of the land”

Vs 13 uses the illustration of a tree that is cut again and again until only a stump remains. The stump is the only thing that reminds someone (see word study below) a tree use to be there. This is a good illustration for what God is wanting to describe: there will only be a small “seed” and less than “a tenth” of the people to remind anyone who use to live there.

1. Dig deeper into some of the individual (Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek) words in the text. Determine what they can mean (range of meaning) and discern what the author intends to communicate by using this word in this particular context. (Tools: Concordances; Word Study Books) Choose ONE word in your text to study closely. Remember that you are not studying the English word, but rather the Hebrew word underlying it. NOTE: Hebrew script reads from right to left, so you must get yourself in a different visual mindset when engaging the words themselves. For each of your word studies, provide the following:

a. Using either blueletterbible.org, stepbible.org, or a Hebrew-English paper concordance, do some concordance work to get a sense of how this word is used across the Old Testament. For examples of what to look for, see the “concordance analysis” portion of the sample word study HERE(note this link has a few other resources in case you find them helpful). Note that you need not copy the form of this word study as it is an assignment for a different course; just notice the kinds of things it shows to look for.

b. Instead of BDAG, we’re going to use the Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) Lexicon provided on blueletterbible.org as well as the “meaning” list on stepbible.org. For BDB, type out the definitions and glosses as you did with BDAG, and add anything helpful from the list on stepbible. Bonus points for finding your word in William Holladay’s A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. (In addition to “bonus points” this really is one of the best resources around; I just don’t want you spending too much of your time on this step this time through

c. Look up your word in TDOT. Unfortunately blueletterbible.org does not provide a shortcut for this resource. If you need help finding your word in TDOT, email our Academic Assistant Ty Paige at [e-mail] tell him your Hebrew word, and he will find the volume and page numbers for you within 48 hours (or by Monday if you email him on Friday). Take notes on anything you learn about the background of this word or the different meanings it had across time and in different places. Remember that you are still trying to discover the word’s range of meaning; see the “lexical analysis” portion of the sample word study linked above for examples of what to look for.

d. Finally, try your best to identify and articulate what the words seems to mean in this context. This may be pretty simple if the word almost always means the same thing, but be sure to listen closely for any nuances as the author uses it here. (Think of it as paying super close attention to a friend who is choosing his or her words very carefully.)

Word #:מַצֶּ֫בֶת (Stump)

- Concordance Work:

Only used 4 times in the entire OT, twice here and twice in 2 Samuel 18:18.

The ESV translates this word as “pillar” in 2 Samuel 18:18. It’s what Absolom set up for himself in the King’s Valley so that he would be remembered since he didn’t have any children.

The root word means “to place oneself; to be positioned, stand; to remain standing; to oppose”

Various forms of this word occur a total of 138 times in the OT, mostly in it’s root form. The second most popular form (morphology?) is translated as “memorial stone”.

- BDB Definitions:

Pillar

Stump

Personal memorial, monument

Set up stone

— CHALOT Definitions

Standing-stone

“stone of Absalom”/memorial to self

“Bare trunk” (after burning of branches) or “new growth”

- Notes from TDOT:

The original root word referred to literal stone objects that held a variety of purposes. They could have pictures and inscriptions, or be blank. They could be used for religious, political, cultic, or a wide variety of purposes.

The TDOT notes that the form of this word found in Isaiah 6:13 actually probably has little to do with the original root word. It also notes that there are several other similar word constructions, but it does not draw a connection between them.

- What meaning this word conveys in this context:

This word conveys the meaning of a type of memorial. In the context of Isaiah 6 it is translated as “stump” to keep with the tree metaphor that the Lord uses. A stump is of course a “memorial” of the tree that use to be there. This is significant since the Lord says that the “holy seed” is the stump. Whatever this holy seed is, it will be “memorial” of what use to be. When considering that Absolom set up a “pillar” (same word) and named it after himself, the same concept could be applied to the Holy Seed, as a memorial, represents the whole of Israel.

The Holy Seed as the stump can clearly be applied to Jesus who is the True Israel. He, and His Church, are the true remnant.

Explore other biblical texts that parallel this one in some way. Read this passage in light of Scripture as a whole. What else does the Bible say about the things this text addresses? How do the various teachings fit together? What light do other passages shed on the meaning of this one? (Tools: Cross-Reference Bible/notes; Concordance; http://www.openbible.info/labs/cross-references; Topical Bible) Identify and analyze 8-10 parallel passages. If there are any quotations or allusions in your text, be sure to include those. Beyond that, use the resources available to you and seek parallels that help illuminate the meaning of your text. Ask the questions noted above in black print, and be sure to lean into any parallels that sit in some tension with your text. See HEREand HEREfor some examples of how you might analyze relevant parallels (though ignore the first page of the second one as this is from a different specific assignment). N.B. If you’re going to get lost following trails in any step, this is maybe the most rewarding one! NOTE for OT: Be sure to include some New Testament texts.

John 12:39–41 “Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.”

The “him” John is referring to here is Jesus. He explicitly says that Isaiah “saw his glory and spoke of him” after quoting Isaiah 6:10. John clearly believes that the Lord whom Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6 is Jesus!!

Revelation 4:8 “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!””

The living creatures (angels?) that John sees have the same number of wings as the Seraphim in Isaiah 6. They also shout a similar refrain. The shows a consistency between the Biblical writers in their experience of the Lord on his throne.

1 Kings 8:10–11 “And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”

Revelation 15:8 “and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.”

Both 1 Kings & Revelation, along with this passage (and even Exodus 18), show that smoke or clouds are always involved when the Lord is present. It is associated with his glory and majesty.

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Just like when the Lord commanded Isaiah to go, the Lord Jesus also commanded Isaiah to “Go” and speak to the people.

Matthew 13:14 “Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.””

This is just one of many New Testament passages to quote Isaiah 6:9-10. Almost all of them describe Isaiah’s prophecy as being fulfilled by most of the Jewish people not listening to Jesus and believing in him, just as the people did not listen to Isaiah about the Lord.

Jeremiah 5:21 ““Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.”

Jeremiah wrote after Isaiah, and perhaps he was using the same words as Isaiah for emphasis.

Psalm 79:5 “How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?” Psalm 89:46 “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?”

“How long” is a common refrain in the OT (it’s also said by the martyred saints in Revelation). All of it’s usages seem to to be a direct question to God regarding the length of a difficult time (persecution, or His wrath).

Job 14:7 ““For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.”

It’s not surprising that the Lord uses the illustration of a cut down tree in Isaiah. As Job demonstrates, as long as a “stump” remains, the tree always has a potential to grow back.

Isaiah 52:15 “so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.”

Isaiah later uses a similar phrase as 6:10, but this time with a twist. Whereas the Israelites would not see and listen, the (pagan) kings of the earth will see and understand - and who will they see and understand? The suffering servant! This is exactly how the Gospel has transpired.

Consult what scholars have said about this text by researching commentaries (as well as journal articles, chapters, books, etc.). How do their insights confirm, enhance, or correct your own? What new insights do they have that you didn’t even see? Listen humbly but critically! Consult at least three commentaries, only one of which can fit into the “devotional” category. Also consult at least one journal article (see HEREfor help finding such articles through EBSCO). Remember what I said above: You will go through steps 1-7 on your own, then step 8 (consulting scholarly research) will take a slightly different format: for insights gleaned from others that pertain to a specific aspect of study, you will put those notes in that earlier section. Everything else you learn from scholarly research will be under the heading for step 8. Hopefully this is sufficiently clear. When including notes in previous sections, be sure to include the author and page number both for my awareness and your own record-keeping for future citations.

Notes from scholarly research that don’t fit into previous categories:

This chapter is pervasive with the theme of death. The dead king, the prophet afraid of death (for sin), the dead animal on the altar (speculation), and the dead tree. And yet, death isn’t the last word as the prophet is spared of death through atonement, and the stump of the tree remains.

Seraph means “burning ones” and only appears in the OT here. This adds to quite the sight - the Lord surrounded by two fiery figures!

Acts 28:26-27 place the words of Isaiah 6:9-10 as being spoken by the Holy Spirit. Combine with John’s association of Jesus with this passage, we get a fuller Trinitarian understanding of this passage (and in hindsight explains also why God refers to himself as ‘us’ - this isn’t just plural of consultation)

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 79, 82.

The coals could have come from the altar of burnt sacrifice, altar of incense, or from under the heavenly throne of God (like the ones Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 10:2)

The atonement of sin means that God’s wrath was satisfied and the sin that motivated were removed, making renewed fellowship with God possible. Isaiah’s experience is a blueprint for how any sinner can come to God for forgiveness.

Isaiah volunteered for his mission without knowing what God has planned for him, where he was to go, the content of the message, or difficult of the task. He didn’t make excuses like Moses or Jeremiah.

Smith, Gary V. Isaiah 1–39. Edited by E. Ray Clendenen. The New American Commentary. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007.

By asking “How long, O Lord?” we see that Isaiah also had human emotions. He was willing to give this painful message, but he also cared about his fellow people and hoped to know how long the painful judgment would last.

The metaphor of a cut down tree regrowing from it’s stump can be applied in any age to the Church which can appear dead from numerous afflictions and yet her energy is concealed and will eventually bear fruit. “That energy lies hidden in the word of the Lord, by which alone the Church is sustained.”

The “holy seed” isn’t just Christ, but rather all of the godly whom Christ collected to himself, the Church.

Calvin, John, and William Pringle. Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Isaiah 6 is the central theme of a larger Chiastic structure that can be found in Isaiah 2-12.

The whole section can be described as “The Book of Emmanuel”

Isaiah sees the Lord, King Yahweh, in the aftermath of the death of the earthly king. Whatever political turmoil Uzziah’s death may have caused, the King of Heaven is very much alive.

Bartelt, Andrew H. “The Centrality of Isaiah 6 (-8) within Isaiah 2-12.” Concordia Journal 47, no. 1 (October 1, 2021): 29–47. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=33h&AN=451512&site=ehost-live.