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2 Commentary
The book of Isaiah in Greek does not differ in structure from its Hebrew version. It contains the same sections in the same order: the visions against nations (chapters 1-23), first against Judah and Jerusalem (1-12), then against surrounding nations (13-23), with two intervening narrative sections (6-9 and 20); the apocalypse (24-25); the warnings against military alliance with Egypt (26-35), the narratives about Isaiah and Hezekiah (36-39), the Oracles of Comfort (40-55), and the final section promoting ritual purity (56-66).
Isaiah is presented primarily in the form characteristic of Hebrew poetry. Only a few chapters (6-9; 20; 36-39) are presented with a narrative framework. Hebrew poetry is characterized by parallelism, and the Greek translation retains this formal feature. The poetry most commonly conveys messages from Lord God Sabaoth, the Holy One of Israel. The messages are directed to the people of Judah, even if they are addressed to the nations surrounding Judah.
The message varies from section to section, of course, but some uniting themes carry through from beginning to end. The themes include monotheism, trust, reversal, justice and righteousness, pride, judgement, and restoration.
Isaiah has some of the most beautiful poetry of the ancient world, and this beauty was apparent even in Greek translation. Codex Vaticanus has marginal notes to point out particularly beautiful passages of Isaiah.
Isaiah is one of the three most influential books in Early Judaism. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament both quote from and allude to the Psalms, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah more than any other literature. This is the book that shaped Jesus’ self-understanding (Luke 4) and preaching (the upside-down kingdom), and helped Christians make sense of Jesus’ significance, including his role as the suffering servant (49; 53), as righteous judge (11) and his special origins (born of a virgin Isa 7:14; divinity 7; 9). It shaped the self-understanding of the early church as a light to the Gentiles (2; 8) who they thought were replacing the Jews as God’s people because of Jewish rejection of Jesus (6). The book of Revelation drew heavily on the imagery provided by Isaiah, and Isaiah even shaped later ideas about the devil as Lucifer (14).
Chapters 1-23 are united by their form and message. They are prophecies primarily of judgement, in the form of visions. Chapters 1-5 are visions directed against Judah and Jerusalem. Chapters 6-9 continue that geographic interest, but are in the form of narratives about the prophet Isaiah. Chapters 10-12 return to the form of poetic oracles, again in the form of woes.
Greek Isaiah opens with an introduction, identifying the genre, the prophet, the topic, and the time. What is not clear is how much of Isaiah this title is intended to cover.
1 The genre is ὅρασις, “vision,” which is also the normal tr