Old Testament · Major Prophet

Isaiah

Judgment and salvation from the Holy One of Israel.

Author: Isaiah
Audience: Judah
Date: c. 740–680 BC
Chapters: 66

Purpose

To call Judah to holiness and to proclaim the coming Servant.

Key Themes

Holiness
Servant
Comfort
Salvation

Key Verses

“Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.”

Wesleyan–Holiness Reflection

Isaiah 6 is the paradigm Wesley used for the soul's encounter with the thrice-holy God.

Chapter Insight

Jump into any chapter for cross-references and a Wesleyan reflection.

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Watch & Learn — Seedbed

Seedbed is the Wesleyan–Holiness teaching ministry of Asbury Theological Seminary.

Cross-References in Isaiah

Romans 11:26quotation'The Deliverer will come from Zion.'
Who
Isaiah of Jerusalem
To
Judah confronted with its sins
Where
Jerusalem, 8th century BC
When
God's promise to come as Redeemer when no human intercessor was found
Why:Paul anchors his hope of Israel's future salvation in this prophetic word.
Context:Romans 11's mystery — 'all Israel will be saved' — rests on God's irrevocable covenant promises already announced in Isaiah.
Read Romans 11:26 →
Matthew 1:23fulfillment'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.'
Who
Isaiah
To
King Ahaz of Judah
Where
Jerusalem, c. 735 BC, under threat from Syria and Israel
When
A sign offered to faithless Ahaz — a son named Immanuel
Why:Matthew sees the prophecy's deepest fulfillment in Jesus, the true 'God with us.'
Context:Many scholars read a double horizon: an immediate child in Isaiah's day and the final, virgin-born Messiah. Matthew makes the second fulfillment explicit.
Read Matthew 1:23 →
John 1:23quotation'A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.'
Who
Isaiah (or the 'Second Isaiah' tradition)
To
Exiles in Babylon longing for return
Where
Babylonian exile, 6th century BC
When
A herald announces God's own coming to deliver his people
Why:John the Baptist identifies himself as this herald — preparing Israel for the arrival of the Lord himself in Jesus.
Context:Isaiah 40 begins the 'Book of Comfort.' That Jesus is the 'Lord' to be prepared for is one of John's earliest claims of divinity.
Read John 1:23 →
Acts 8:32quotation'He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.'
Who
Isaiah (Servant Song)
To
Exilic / post-exilic Israel
Where
Babylonian exile
When
The fourth Suffering Servant Song — vicarious atonement portrayed
Why:Philip uses the Ethiopian eunuch's reading of Isaiah 53 as the doorway to preach Jesus.
Context:Isaiah 53 is the OT chapter most explicitly fulfilled at the cross. The eunuch's baptism takes the gospel toward Africa.
Read Acts 8:32 →
Revelation 4:8allusion'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.'
Who
Seraphim around God's throne
To
Isaiah, who sees the vision
Where
The temple in Jerusalem, the year King Uzziah died
When
Isaiah's commissioning vision of divine holiness
Why:John's heavenly worship scene shows the same Trisagion still sung — the eternal liturgy of heaven.
Context:The threefold 'holy' is the highest superlative in Hebrew. Revelation tells us this song never stops.
Read Revelation 4:8 →
1 Peter 2:22quotation'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.'
Who
Isaiah (Servant Song)
To
Exilic Israel
Where
Babylonian exile
When
Description of the innocent, suffering Servant
Why:Peter shows Christ's sinless suffering as both atonement and example for persecuted believers.
Context:Peter, who once denied Jesus, now points to the sinless Sufferer as the model of patient endurance.
Read 1 Peter 2:22 →

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