“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah 9:6
Copyright 2021 by H.D. Shively
The Messiah in Isaiah 9:6
In another vain attempt to discredit messianic prophecies, the declaration in Isaiah 9:6, is attributed to the birth of Hezekiah. This assumption is made because of the unconventional use of the letter “m” in the Hebrew description. Even though the verse was initially viewed by the Jews as messianic, because the “m” is not placed where it is supposed to be, it was eventually concluded that it could not be about the messiah, so the passage had to be talking about Hezekiah.
However, the anomaly in the Hebrew is there for a purpose. It is designed to draw our attention to the wording in the prophecy that designates the unique unity of God with a man, the “Prince.”
In Isaiah’s prophecy we see very clearly the reference that can only be used in conjunction with God; “The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father.” Applying these terms to a mere man such as Hezekiah would constitute blasphemy. In the same verse the person being described is also referred to as a prince, a title never used for God, but is used for the Messiah (Ezekiel 46:2).
The anomaly in the Hebrew is a reflection of this fact, and is a linguistic recognition of the anomaly that is contained in the verse, which is describing a combination of God and man. This matches the New Testament’s recognition of the union of God with the Messiah.-
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Cor. 5:19)
…the Father is in Me and I am in Him …(John 10:38).
The error of associating Isaiah 9:6 with Hezekiah, also arose because the context of the passage is ignored. The first verse of chapter nine records that the person being described in verse 6, arises out of Galilee. Hezekiah arose out of Judea. It is a characteristic of the Hebrew scribes to take verses out of context like this, and as we have been shown, this practice can result in serious error.
The following verse seven is also not coordinated with its previous companion. –
“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7).
It is obvious from the historical record that Hezekiah’s reign did not last “forever,” and ended with his death. It is the Messiah who is promised to reign on the throne of David “forever.” (Ezekiel 37:25). Only a man who is also described as God could do what Jesus did; die, and be resurrected with an eternal body that could reign forever. Therefore the only one who could possibly match the description in Isaiah 6:9, is Jesus, the Messiah, the Man that God was in, The Mighty God and The Prince of Peace.