Isaiah 9:6 - Exposition

Unto us a child is born (comp. Isaiah 7:14-16 , where the promise of "a child," "a son," is first made—a child who was, like this Child, to be "God with us"). The government shall be upon his shoulder. The word translated "government" ( misrah ) occurs only hero and in Isaiah 9:7 . It is probably to be connected with sat , "prince," and Israel. Government was regarded as a burden, to be born on the back or shoulders, and was sometimes symbolized by a key laid upon the shoulder ( Isaiah 22:22 ). Vizier means "burdened." The Latin writers often speak of the civil power as borne on the shoulders of magistrates (Cic; 'Orat. pro Flacc,' § 95; Plin; 'Paneg.,' § 10). As God, our Lord governed all things from the beginning; as man, he set up a "kingdom" which he still governs—upon the earth. His name shall be called. It is perhaps not very important whether we view what follows as one name or several. Isaiah does not really mean that the "Child" should bear as a name, or names, any of the expressions, but only that they should be truly applicable to him. Wonderful, Counselor . It has been proposed to unite these two expressions and translate, "Wondrous Counselor" (compare "wonderful in counsel," Isaiah 28:29 ). But Dr. Kay is probably right in saying that, if this had been the meaning, it would have been expressed differently. Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Delitzsch, and Vance Smith agree with Dr. Kay in taking the words separately. Wonderful . The Messiah would be "wonderful" in his nature as God-Man; in his teaching, which "astonished" those who heard it ( Matthew 7:28 ); in his doings ( Isaiah 25:1 ); in the circumstances of his birth and death; in his resurrection, and in his ascension. "Wonder" would be the first sentiment which his manifestation would provoke, and hence this descriptive epithet is placed first. As the Word, as Wisdom itself, as he who says, "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am Understanding" ( Proverbs 8:14 ), he is well named "Counselor." None will ever seek his counsel in vain, much less repent of following it. The mighty God ; rather, perhaps, Mighty God ; but the difference is not great, since El , God, contains within itself the notion of singularity, which is given to ordinary nouns by the article. The term El , God, had been previously applied to the Messiah only in Psalms 45:6 . It denotes in Isaiah always (as Mr. Cheyne observes) "divinity in an absolute sense; it is never used hyperbolically or metaphorically." The Everlasting Father ; rather, Everlasting or Eternal Father . But here, again, there is a singularity in the idea, which makes the omission of the article unimportant; for how could there be more than one Everlasting Father, one Creator, Preserver, Protector of mankind who was absolutely eternal? If the term "Father," applied to our Lord, grates on our ears, we must remember that the distinction of Persons in the Godhead had not yet been revealed. The Prince of Peace ; literally, Prince of Peace . A "Prince of Peace" had been long shadowed forth, as in Melchizedek, "King of Salem," i.e. "of Peace;" and again in Solomon, "the peaceful one;" and Isaiah himself had already prophesied the peacefulness of the Messiah's kingdom ( Isaiah 2:4 ). Compare the song of the angels at our Lord's birth ( Luke 2:14 ). If the peacefulness has not vet very clearly shown itself, the reason would seem to be that our Lord's kingdom has yet to come into the hearts of most men.