References (13)
And he sent Eljakim, who was in charge of the palace (literally: 'was over the house') [had the highest position in the royal house in Jerusalem], and the scribe Shebna and the elders among the priests, clothed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz [Hebr. – not the same person as the prophet Amos from Tekoa ()].
Then Isaiah, the son of Amoz, sent word to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of Israel: As you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria, I have heard you.
In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death. And Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him and said, "Thus says the Lord (Yahweh): Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live."
What else there is to say about Uzziah, about his early days as well as his last, has been written down by the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.
Meanwhile, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven.
The rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his power, and how he found favor in the sight of God, are they not written in the book of the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?
The vision of Isaiah (Hebr. Yeshayahu), son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem (in those days, in those times) when
Uzziah [Hebr. Uzziyah; also called Azariah; 10th king of the Southern Kingdom, ca. 791-739 BC – a good king, but died a leper, see ], Jotham [11th king of the Southern Kingdom, ca. 759-742 BC – a good king, see ], Ahaz [12th ruler of the Southern Kingdom, ca. 735-715 BC – did evil, see ; ; ] and Hezekiah [Hebr. Chizkijaho; 13th king of the Southern Kingdom, ca. 715-686 BC – a good king and reformer, see ; ; ] were kings of Judah.
[Isaiah's father was named Amoz. His name is similar to that of the prophet Amos of Tekoa (who lived earlier in the mid-700s BC) and wrote the Book of Amos, see . Isaiah received his calling in 740 BC (, ) and his 50 years of service spanned the reigns of four kings until 686 BC. According to tradition, he was sawed in half as a martyr by Manasseh (Hezekiah's son), see ; .]
The word that Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
[Here begins the second major section of the book of Isaiah with prophetic words against the nations. Chapters 13-27 have a sevenfold symmetry. The opening words against Babylon (chapters 13-14) are echoed in the final section on the fall of Judah's enemy (chapters 24-27). The fall of Babylon is described in chapter 21.
A The fall of Babylon and the restoration of Judah (chapters 13-14)
B Judah's neighbor Moab (chapters 15-16)
C Egypt and Ethiopia (chapters 17-20)
D Center – The fall of Babylon (chapter 21)
C´ Jerusalem and Egypt (chapter 22)
B´ Judah's neighbor Tyre (chap. 23)
A´ The fall of the city (Babylon) and the restoration of Judah (chaps. 24-27)]
Message (prophecy, this burden) concerning Babylon, which was revealed to Isaiah, son of Amoz.
[The Hebrew word massa is a common term in prophetic literature that introduces a message from God, see ; ; . The word comes from a verb meaning "to carry," which suggests that the message is also demanding and, to some extent, burdensome. It appears 15 times in Isaiah. Exactly how Isaiah "sees" this message is not stated; it may have been a vision, a dream, or an insight based on some event. It begins with the prelude to a great war:]
at that time the Lord (Yahweh) spoke through Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saying, "Go and take the sackcloth from your hips and take the shoes from your feet." He did so and walked around naked and barefoot.
And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace (literally: 'over the house') [in Jerusalem], and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.
Then Isaiah, the son of Amoz, sent word to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of Israel, because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib, king of Assyria,
At this time [around 700 BC], Hezekiah became terminally ill. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came to him and said, "Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not recover."
[Hezekiah had no son to inherit the throne, so he needed to look after his house and appoint a successor. The political situation was also very unstable because the Assyrian army was threatening to invade the country.]
