View source for Isaiah

{{short description|Israelite prophet}}
{{about|the prophet|the book bearing the prophet's name|Book of Isaiah|other uses|Isaiah (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect-multi|3|Isaias|Esaias|Yeshayahu|the given name|Isaiah (given name)|the 2020 hurricane|Hurricane Isaias}}{{Redirects here|Saint Isaiah|other saints|Saint Isaiah (disambiguation)}}{{Infobox saint
|name= Isaiah
|birth_date=8th century BC
|death_date=7th century BC
|feast_day=May 9<ref>St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral, [http://www.stjohnsbyzantinecathedral.com/cathedral/catechesis-on-icons/left-wall/holy-prophet-isaiah Holy Prophet Isaiah] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627230138/http://stjohnsbyzantinecathedral.com/cathedral/catechesis-on-icons/left-wall/holy-prophet-isaiah |date=2017-06-27 }}</ref><br/>Thursday after the [[Feast of the Transfiguration]] ([[Armenian Apostolic Church]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qahana.am/en/holidays|title=Holidays &#124; Qahana.am|access-date=2021-07-14|archive-date=2022-02-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201201847/https://www.qahana.am/en/holidays|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|venerated_in=[[Judaism]]<br />[[Christianity]]<br />[[Islam]]<ref name="ReferenceA">''Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism'', B. M. Wheeler, Appendix II</ref><br />[[Baháʼí Faith]]<ref name="Dann J. May">{{Cite thesis  | last =  May  | first = Dann J  | title = The Baháʼí Principle of Religious Unity and the Challenge of Radical Pluralism   |date=December 1993  | pages = 102  | publisher = University of North Texas, Denton, Texas  | url = http://iii.library.unt.edu/record=b1785599~S12| contribution = Web Published   | contribution-url = http://bahai-library.com/may_principle_religious_unity}}</ref> <br />[[Rastafari]]
|image=Legendre - La Prophétie d'Isaïe.JPG
|imagesize= 
|caption=''The Prophecy of Isaiah'' by {{ill|Louis-Félix Legendre|fr}}, 1835
|death_place=
|birth_place= 
|titles=Prophet
|beatified_date=
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date=
|canonized_place=
|patronage=
|major_works = [[Book of Isaiah]]
|major_shrine=
|suppressed_date=
|issues=
|prayer=
|prayer_attrib=
|attributes =  
}}

'''Isaiah''' ({{IPAc-en|uk|aɪ|ˈ|z|aɪ|.|ə}} or {{IPAc-en|us|aɪ|ˈ|z|eɪ|.|ə}};<ref>{{cite book|title= Longman pronunciation dictionary |first= John C. |last= Wells |publisher= Longman |location= Harlow, England |year= 1990 |isbn= 978-0-582-05383-0 |page= 378 |entry= Isaiah}}</ref><ref>Rippin, A., "S̲h̲aʿyā", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W. P. Heinrichs.</ref> {{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|יְשַׁעְיָהוּ}}}}, ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "[[Yahweh]] is salvation";<ref>''New Bible Dictionary'', Second Edition, Tyndale Press, Wheaton, IL, 1987.</ref> also known as '''Isaias'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Isaias |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08179b.htm |access-date=2022-12-27 |website= www.newadvent.org}}</ref> or '''Esaias'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Luke 4:17-21 - King James Version |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%204%3A17-21&version=KJV |access-date=2023-04-29 |website= Bible Gateway |language= en}}</ref> from {{langx|el|Ἠσαΐας}}) was the 8th-century BC Israelite [[Biblical prophet| prophet]] after whom the [[Book of Isaiah]] is named.<ref>''The Scofield Study Bible III, NKJV'', Oxford University Press</ref><ref>De Jong, Matthijs J., ''Isaiah Among The Ancient Near Eastern Prophets: A Comparative Study of the Earliest Stages of the Isaiah Tradition and the Neo-Assyrian Prophecies'', BRILL, 2007, [https://books.google.com/books?id=fFoWA4cLOisC&pg=PA17 pp. 13–17]
</ref>

The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet",<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'', {{bibleverse||Isaiah|38:1|HE}}</ref> but the exact relationship between the Book of Isaiah and the actual prophet Isaiah is complicated. The traditional view is that all 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah were written by one man, Isaiah, possibly in two periods between 740 BC and {{circa}} 686 BC, separated by approximately 15 years.

Another widely held view suggests that parts of the [[Proto-Isaiah | first half of the book]] (chapters 1–39) originated with the historical prophet, interspersed with prose commentaries written in the time of King [[Josiah]] 100 years later, and that the [[Deutero-Isaiah | remainder of the book]] dates from immediately before and immediately after the end of the 6th-century BC [[Babylonian captivity |exile in Babylon]] (almost two centuries after the time of the historical prophet), and that perhaps these later chapters represent the work of an ongoing school of prophets who prophesied in accordance with his prophecies.{{efn|See the article "[[Book of Isaiah]]" for an extended overview of theories of its composition.}}

==Biography==
[[File:Isaiah.jpg|thumb|left|[[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian]] [[icon]] of the Prophet Isaiah, 18th century ([[iconostasis]] of [[Transfiguration of Jesus|Transfiguration]] Church, [[Kizhi]] monastery, [[Karelia]], [[Russia]])]]
The first verse of the Book of Isaiah states that Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of [[Uzziah]] (or Azariah), [[Jotham]], [[Ahaz]], and [[Hezekiah]], the kings of [[kingdom of Judah|Judah]].<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Isaiah|1:1|HE}}</ref> Uzziah's reign was 52 years in the middle of the 8th century BC, and Isaiah must have begun his ministry a few years before Uzziah's death, probably in the [[740s BC]]. He may have been contemporary for some years with [[Manasseh of Judah|Manasseh]]. Thus, Isaiah may have prophesied for as long as 64 years.<ref name="Easton1897">{{EBD|title=Isaiah|inline=yes}}</ref>

According to some modern interpretations, Isaiah's wife was called "the prophetess",<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'', {{bibleverse|Isaiah|8:3|HE}}</ref> either because she was endowed with the prophetic gift, like [[Deborah]]<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|Judges|4:4|HE}}</ref> and [[Huldah]],<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|2|Kings|22:14–20|HE}}</ref> or simply because she was the "wife of the prophet".<ref name="Easton1897"/><ref>Coogan, Michael D. ''A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament'', Oxford University Press, 2009, p.273.</ref> They had two sons, naming the elder [[List of minor Hebrew Bible figures, L–Z#Shearjashub|Shear-Jashub]], meaning "A remnant shall return",<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|Isaiah|7:3|HE}}</ref> and the younger [[Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz]], meaning, "Quickly to spoils, plunder speedily."<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|Isaiah|8:3|HE}}</ref>

[[File:Isaiahwindow.jpg|thumb|Isaiah receives his vision of the {{LORD}}'s house. A [[stained glass]] window at [[St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church]] in Charleston, South Carolina.]]
Soon after this, [[Shalmaneser V]] determined to subdue the northern Kingdom of Israel, taking over and destroying [[Samaria]] and beginning the [[Assyrian captivity]]. So long as Ahaz reigned, the kingdom of Judah was untouched by the Assyrian power. But when Hezekiah gained the throne, he was encouraged to rebel "against the king of Assyria",<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|2|Kings|18:7|HE}}</ref> and entered into an alliance with the king of [[Egypt]].<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Isaiah|30:2–4|HE}}</ref> The king of Assyria threatened the king of Judah, and at length invaded the land. [[Sennacherib's campaign in the Levant]] brought his powerful army into Judah. Hezekiah was reduced to despair, and submitted to the Assyrians.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|2|Kings|18:14–16|HE}}</ref> But after a brief interval, war broke out again. Again Sennacherib led an army into Judah, one detachment of which threatened Jerusalem.<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Isaiah|36:2–22|HE}}; {{bibleverse-nb||Isaiah|37:8|HE}}</ref> Isaiah on that occasion encouraged Hezekiah to resist the Assyrians,<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse-nb||Isaiah|37:1–7|HE}}</ref> whereupon Sennacherib sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah, which he "spread before [[Yahweh|the {{LORD}}]]".<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Isaiah|37:14|HE}}</ref><ref name="Easton1897"/>

{{blockquote|Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: "Thus said GOD, the God of Israel, to whom you have prayed, concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria—  
this is the word that GOD has spoken concerning him:
Fair Maiden Zion despises you,
She mocks at you;
Fair Jerusalem shakes
Her head at you. 
Whom have you blasphemed and reviled?
Against whom made loud your voice
And haughtily raised your eyes?
Against the Holy One of Israel!<ref>{{cite web |title=Isaiah 37:21-23 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.37.21-23?lang=en |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>}}

According to the account in [[2 Kings]] 19 (and its derivative account in [[2 Chronicles]] 32) an angel of God fell on the Assyrian army and 185,000 of its men were killed in one night. "Like [[Xerxes I|Xerxes]] in Greece, Sennacherib never recovered from the shock of the disaster in Judah. He made no more expeditions against either Judea or Egypt."<ref name="Easton1897"/><ref>[[Archibald Henry Sayce|Sayce, Archibald Henry]], ''The Ancient Empires of the East''. Macmillan, 1884, p. 134.</ref>

The remaining years of Hezekiah's reign were peaceful. Isaiah probably lived to its close, and possibly into the reign of [[Manasseh of Judah|Manasseh]]. The time and manner of his death are not specified in either the [[Bible]] or other primary sources.<ref name="Easton1897"/> The [[Talmud]] says that he suffered martyrdom by being [[death by sawing|sawn in two]] under the orders of Manasseh.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yevamot 49b:8 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Yevamot.49b.8?lang=en |website=www.sefaria.org|quote= Isaiah said to himself: I know him, i.e., Manasseh, that he will not accept whatever explanation that I will say to him to resolve my prophecies with the words of the Torah. And even if I say it to him, I will make him into an intentional transgressor since he will kill me anyway. Therefore, in order to escape, he uttered a divine name and was swallowed within a cedar tree. Manasseh's servants brought the cedar tree and sawed through it in order to kill him. When the saw reached to where his mouth was, Isaiah died. He died specifically at this point due to that which he said: "In the midst of a people of unclean lips, I dwell" (Isaiah 6:5). He was punished for referring to the Jewish people in a derogatory manner.
}}</ref>

The book of Isaiah, along with the book of Jeremiah, is distinctive in the Hebrew bible for its direct portrayal of the "wrath of the {{LORD}}" as presented, for example, in Isaiah 9:19 stating "Through the wrath of [[Tetragrammaton|the {{LORD}}]] [[Tzevaot|of hosts]] is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire."<ref>Isaiah 9:19.</ref>

==In Christianity==
[[File:E-codices sbs-0008 012r Jesaia.TIF|thumb|120px|Representation of the Prophet Isaiah illustrating a 14th-century prose translation of the Gospels]]

The [[Ascension of Isaiah]], a [[Pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphical]] Christian text dated to sometime between the end of the 1st century and the beginning of the 3rd, gives a detailed story of Isaiah confronting an evil false prophet and ending with Isaiah being [[martyr]]ed – none of which is attested in the original Biblical account.

[[Gregory of Nyssa]] (c. 335–395) believed that the Prophet Isaiah "knew more perfectly than all others the mystery of the religion of the Gospel". [[Jerome]] (c. 342–420) also lauds the Prophet Isaiah, saying "He was more of an Evangelist than a Prophet, because he described all of the Mysteries of the Church of Christ so vividly that you would assume he was not prophesying about the future, but rather was composing a history of past events."<ref>''The Lives of the Holy Prophets'', Holy Apostles Convent, {{ISBN|0-944359-12-4}}, page 101.</ref> Of specific note are the [[Servant songs|songs of the Suffering Servant]], which Christians say are a direct prophetic revelation of the nature, purpose, and detail of the death of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Isaiah is quoted many times by New Testament writers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplybible.com/f591.htm|title=Isaiah in the New Testament - Quotations Chart - In Isaiah Order|first=Ron|last=Graham}}</ref> The [[Gospel of John]] says that Isaiah "saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him."<ref>''Bible'', {{bibleref||John|12:41|NIV}}</ref>

The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] celebrates [[Saint]] Isaiah the Prophet with [[Saint Christopher]] on [[May 9]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://oca.org/saints/lives/2018/05/09/101331-prophet-isaiah| title = Prophet Isaiah in the Eastern Orthodox Church | website = Orthodox Church of America | language = en | archive-url = https://archive.today/20181010145853/https://oca.org/saints/lives/2018/05/09/101331-prophet-isaiah | archive-date = October 10, 2018 | url-status = live}}</ref> Isaiah is also listed on the page of saints for May 9 in the [[Roman martyrology]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncregister.com/blog/st-isaiah-the-prophet-pray-for-us|title = St. Isaiah the Prophet, Pray for Us| date=9 May 2018 }}</ref>

The [[Book of Mormon]] quotes Jesus Christ as stating that "great are the words of Isaiah", and that all things prophesied by Isaiah have been and will be fulfilled.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/23.1-3?lang=eng|title=3 Nephi 23:1-3}}</ref> The Book of Mormon and [[Doctrine and Covenants]] also quote Isaiah more than any other prophet from the Old Testament.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/isaiah?lang=eng|title=churchofjesuschrist.org - Isaiah}}</ref> Additionally, members of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] consider the founding of the church by [[Joseph Smith]] in the 19th century to be a fulfillment of [[Isaiah 11]], the translation of the Book of Mormon to be a fulfillment of [[Isaiah 29]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Isaiah#Isaiah:_Commentaries_on_Isaiah|title=Encyclopedia of Mormonism, "Isaiah"|access-date=2017-11-29|archive-date=2022-02-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221191432/https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Isaiah#Isaiah:_Commentaries_on_Isaiah|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the building of Latter-day Saint temples as a fulfillment of [[Isaiah 2:2]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/youth/topic/temples?lang=eng|title=churchofjesuschrist.org - Temples}}</ref>

==In Islam==
[[File:Chester_Beatty_T_414_fol_56v_Ishaya_defeats_Sennacherib.jpg|thumb|Illustration of a 1585-1590 Ottoman manuscript depicting the victorious Islamic prophet Ishaya kneeling in prayer as he defeats [[Sennacherib]].]]
Isaiah ({{langx|ar|إِشَعْيَاء|''Ishaʿyāʾ''}}) is not mentioned by name in the [[Quran]] or the [[Hadith]], but appears frequently as a [[prophets and messengers in Islam|prophet in Muslim sources]] such as the [[qisas al-Anbiya|qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ]] and various [[tafsir]]s.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Islam''</ref> [[Al-Tabari]] (310/923) provides the typical accounts for Islamic traditions regarding Isaiah.<ref name="Jane Dammen McAuliffe p. 562-563">Jane Dammen McAuliffe ''Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān'' Volume 2 Georgetown University, Washington DC p. 562-563</ref> He is listed among the prophets in the book of [[salawat]] [[Dalail al-Khayrat]]. He is further mentioned and accepted as a prophet by other Islamic scholars such as [[ibn Kathir]], [[Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi]] and [[al-Kisa'i]] and also modern scholars such as [[Muhammad Asad]] and [[Abdullah Yusuf Ali]].<ref>''[[The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary]]'', Note. '''2173''' to '''17:4''': "The Book is the revelation given to the Children of Israel. Here it seems to refer to the burning words of Prophets like Isaiah. For example, see Isaiah, chap, 24. or Isaiah 5:20–30, or Isaiah 3:16–26."</ref>

According to Muslim scholars, Isaiah prophesied the coming of [[Jesus in Islam|Jesus]] and [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]], although the claim is disputed by other religious scholars.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Islam'', ''Shaya'', Online Web.</ref> Isaiah's narrative in Islamic literature can be divided into three sections. The first establishes Isaiah as a prophet of Judea during the reign of [[Hezekiah]]; the second relates Isaiah's actions during the [[Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC)|siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC]] by Sennacherib; and the third warns the nation of coming doom.<ref>Tabari, ''History of the Prophets and Kings'', i, 638–45</ref><ref name="Jane Dammen McAuliffe p. 562-563"/> Paralleling the Hebrew Bible,<ref>Isaiah 38.</ref> Islamic tradition states that Hezekiah was king in [[Jerusalem]] during Isaiah's time. Hezekiah heard and obeyed Isaiah's advice, but could not quell the turbulence in Israel.<ref name="autogenerated1">''Stories of the Prophets'', Ibn Kathir, ''Isaiah bin Amoz''</ref> This tradition maintains that Hezekiah was a righteous man and that the turbulence worsened after him. After the death of the king, Isaiah told the people not to forsake God, and warned Israel to cease from its persistent sin and disobedience. Muslim tradition maintains that the unrighteous of Judea in their anger sought to kill Isaiah.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

In a death that resembles that attributed to Isaiah in ''[[Lives of the Prophets]]'', Muslim exegesis recounts that Isaiah was martyred by Israelites by being sawn asunder.<ref name="autogenerated1"/><ref>{{cite book |first=Ermete |last=Pierotti |author-link=Ermete Pierotti |title=Jerusalem explored: being a description of the ancient and modern city, with numerous illustrations consisting of views, ground plans, and sections |translator=T.G. Bonney |translator-link=Thomas George Bonney |publisher=Bell and Daldy |location=London|year=1864 |volume=1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012261307/page/186/mode/2up 187]–188 |oclc=1472902357 |url=https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012261307/page/n3/mode/2up }}</ref>

In the courts of [[al-Ma'mun]], the seventh [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid caliph]], [[Ali al-Ridha]], the great-grandson of Muhammad and prominent scholar of his era, was questioned by the  [[Exilarch]] to prove through the [[Torah]] that both Jesus and Muhammad were prophets. Among his several proofs, al-Ridha references the [[Book of Isaiah]], stating "Sha'ya (Isaiah), the Prophet, said in the Torah concerning what you and your companions say 'I have seen two riders to whom (He) illuminated earth. One of them was on a donkey and the other was on a camel. Who is the rider of the donkey, and who is the rider of the camel?'" The Exilarch was unable to answer with certainty. Al-Ridha goes on to state that "As for the rider of the donkey, he is 'Isa (Jesus); and as for the rider of the camel, he is Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family. Do you deny that this (statement) is in the Torah?" The Rabbi responds "No, I do not deny it."<ref>{{Cite book|title=The life of Imam 'Ali Bin Musa al-Ridha|last=al-Qurashi|first=Baqir Shareef|publisher=Ansariyan Publications|year=2001|isbn=978-9644383298|location=Qum|pages=121}}</ref>

==In rabbinic literature==
[[File:Antonio Balestra - Prophet Isaiah.jpg|thumb|Painting of Isaiah by [[Antonio Balestra]]]]
Allusions in [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[rabbinic literature]] to Isaiah contain various expansions, elaborations and inferences that go beyond what is presented in the text of the Bible.

===Origin and calling===
According to the ancient rabbis, Isaiah was a descendant of [[Judah (Biblical figure)|Judah]] and [[Tamar (Genesis)|Tamar]],<ref>[[Sotah]] 10b</ref> and his father [[Amoz]] was the brother of [[Amaziah of Judah|King Amaziah]].<ref>[[Talmud]] tractate [[Megillah (Talmud)|Megillah]] 15a</ref>

While Isaiah, says the [[Midrash]], was walking up and down in his study he heard [[Names of God in Judaism|God]] saying "Whom shall I send?" Then Isaiah said "Here am I; send me!" Thereupon God said to him," My children are troublesome and sensitive; if you are ready to be insulted and even beaten by them, you may accept My message; if not, you would better renounce it".<ref>[[Leviticus Rabbah]] 10</ref> Isaiah accepted the mission, and was the most forbearing, as well as the most patriotic, among the prophets, always defending Israel and imploring forgiveness for its sins. When Isaiah said "I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips",<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Isaiah|6:5|HE}}</ref> he was rebuked by God for speaking in such terms of His people.<ref>[[Shir haShirim Rabbah]] 1:6</ref>

Further accounts state that Isaiah was actually the maternal grandfather of [[Manasseh of Judah|King Manasseh]],<ref>{{cite web |year=1906 |title="Hezekiah". ''Jewish Encyclopedia'' |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7668-hezekiah |website=www.jewishencyclopedia.com}}</ref> which would make [[Hephzibah|Queen Consort Hephzibah]] from [[2 Kings 21]]:1 his daughter and [[Hezekiah|King Hezekiah]] his son-in-law. Hephzibah's name (lit. 'my delight (is) in her') was used as a symbolic name for [[Zion]] following its restoration to the favor of [[Yahweh]] in [[Isaiah 62#Verse 4|Isaiah 62]].<ref>BibleGateway.com, All the Women of the Bible, [http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Hephzibah Hephzibah]. Accessed 2014-04-01.</ref>

===His death===
It is related in the [[Talmud]] that Rabbi [[Simeon ben Azzai]] found in Jerusalem an account wherein it was written that [[Manasseh of Judah|King Manasseh]] killed Isaiah. King Manasseh said to Isaiah "Moses, your master, said 'No man may see God and live';<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Exodus|33:20|HE}}</ref> but you have said 'I saw the Lord seated upon his throne'";<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Isaiah|6:1|HE}}</ref> and went on to point out other contradictions—as between Deuteronomy<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|4:7|HE}}</ref> and Isaiah 40;<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Isaiah|40:6|HE}}</ref> between Exodus 33<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse||Exodus|33:23|HE}}</ref> and 2 Kings<ref>''Hebrew-English Bible'' {{bibleverse|2|Kings|20:6|HE}}</ref> Isaiah thought: "I know that he will not accept my explanations; why should I increase his guilt?" He then uttered the [[tetragrammaton]], a cedar-tree opened, and Isaiah disappeared within it. King Manasseh ordered the cedar to be sawn asunder, and when the saw reached his mouth Isaiah died; thus was he punished for having said "I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips".<ref>[[Yeb.|Yevamot]] 49b</ref>

A somewhat different version of this legend is given in the [[Jerusalem Talmud]].<ref>Yerushalmi, [[Sanhedrin (tractate)|Sanhedrin]] 10</ref> According to that version Isaiah, fearing King Manasseh, hid himself in a cedar-tree, but his presence was betrayed by the [[zizith|fringes of his garment]], and King Manasseh caused the tree to be sawn in half. A passage of the [[Targum]] to Isaiah quoted by Jolowicz<ref>"''Die Himmelfahrt und Vision des Prophets Jesajas''," p. 8</ref> states that when Isaiah fled from his pursuers and took refuge in the tree, and the tree was sawn in half, the prophet's blood spurted forth. The legend of Isaiah's martyrdom spread to the Arabs<ref>"Ta'rikh," ed. De Goeje, i. 644</ref> and to the Christians as, for example, [[Athanasius]] the [[bishop of Alexandria]] ({{circa}} 318) wrote, "Isaiah was sawn asunder".<ref>{{cite book |author=Athanasius |title=On the Incarnation |year=2018 |publisher=GLH Publishing |isbn=978-1-948648-24-0 |page=59}}</ref>

==Archaeology==
In February 2018, archaeologist [[Eilat Mazar]] announced that she and her team had discovered a small seal impression which reads "[belonging] to Isaiah nvy" (could be reconstructed and read as "[belonging] to Isaiah the prophet") during the [[Ophel]] excavations, just south of the [[Temple Mount]] in [[Jerusalem]].<ref>Mazar, Eilat. [https://members.bib-arch.org/biblical-archaeology-review/44/2/7 Is This the "Prophet Isaiah’s Signature?"] ''Biblical Archaeology Review'' 44:2, March/April May/June 2018.</ref> The tiny [[Bulla (seal)|bulla]] was found "only 10 feet away" from where an intact bulla bearing the inscription "[belonging] to King Hezekiah of Judah" was discovered in 2015 by the same team.<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-find-of-biblical-proportions-proof-of-prophet-isaiah-believed-unearthed/ In find of biblical proportions, seal of Prophet Isaiah said found in Jerusalem]. By Amanda Borschel-Dan. The Times of Israel. 22 February 2018. Quote: "Chanced upon near a seal identified with King Hezekiah, a tiny clay piece may be the first-ever proof of the prophet, though a missing letter leaves room for doubt."</ref> Although the name "Isaiah" in the [[Paleo-Hebrew alphabet]] is unmistakable, the damage on the bottom left part of the seal causes difficulties in confirming the word "prophet" or a name "Navi", casting some doubts whether this seal really belongs to the prophet Isaiah.<ref>[https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/prophet-isaiah-signature-jerusalem/ "Isaiah’s Signature Uncovered in Jerusalem: Evidence of the prophet Isaiah?"] By Megan Sauter. Bible History Daily. Biblical Archeology Society. 22 Feb 2018. Quote by Mazar: "Because the bulla has been slightly damaged at end of the word ''nvy'', it is not known if it originally ended with the Hebrew letter ''aleph'', which would have resulted in the Hebrew word for "prophet" and would have definitively identified the seal as the signature of the prophet Isaiah. The absence of this final letter, however, requires that we leave open the possibility that it could just be the name Navi. The name of Isaiah, however, is clear."</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{JewishEncyclopedia|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8235-isaiah|title=Isaiah}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Lynch|first=Matthew J.|title=First Isaiah and the Disappearance of the Gods|year=2021|publisher=The Pennsylvania State University Press}}
*{{cite book|last=Baltzer|first=Klaus|title=Deutero-Isaiah: A Commentary on Isaiah 40–55|year=2001|publisher=Fortress Press|location=Minneapolis}}
* Buck, Christopher (1990). ''[https://www.academia.edu/41485175/The_Anatomy_of_Figuration_Maimonides_Exegesis_of_Natural_Convulsions_in_Apocalyptic_Texts_Guide_II.29_ The Anatomy of Figuration: Maimonides’ Exegesis of Natural Convulsions in Apocalyptic Texts (Guide II.29)]''. University of Calgary.
*{{cite book|last=Childs|first=Brevard S.|title=Isaiah: a commentary|year=2001|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|location=Louisville, Kentucky|isbn=978-0-664-22143-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Church|first=Brooke Peters|title=The Private Lives of the Prophets and the Times in Which They Lived|year=1953|publisher=Rinehart|location=New York}}
*{{cite book|last=Cohon|first=Beryl D.|title=The Prophets: Their Personalities and Teachings|year=1939|publisher=Scribner|location=New York}}
*{{cite book|last=Herbert|first=Arthur Sumner|title=The book of the prophet Isaiah: Commentary|url=https://archive.org/details/197300comm_0|url-access=registration|year=1975|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-521-08624-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Herbert|first=Arthur Sumner|title=The book of the Prophet Isaiah, chapters 40–66|year=1975|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-521-20721-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Kraeling|first=Emil G.|title=The Prophets|year=1969|publisher=Rand McNally|location=Chicago}}
*{{cite book|last=Miscall|first=Peter D.|title=Isaiah|year=1993|publisher=JSOT Press|location=Sheffield, England|isbn=978-1-85075-435-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Quinn-Miscall|first=Peter D.|title=Reading Isaiah: poetry and vision|year=2001|publisher=Westminster Press|location=Louisville|isbn=978-0-664-22369-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=J. B.|title=Four Prophets, Amos, Hosea, First Isaiah, Micha: A Modern Translation from the Hebrew|year=1963|publisher=Macmillan|location=New York}}
*{{cite book|last=Sawyer|first=John F. A.|title=The fifth gospel: Isaiah in the history of Christianity|year=1996|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-521-44007-3}}
*{{cite book|last=Scott|first=R. B. Y.|title=The Relevance of the Prophets|year=1968|publisher=London|location=Macmillan}}
*{{cite book|last=Smith|first=J. M. Powis|title=The Prophets and Their Times|year=1941|publisher=University of Chicago|location=Chicago}}

==External links==
* {{wikiquote-inline|Isaiah}}
* {{wikisource-inline|Isaiah}}
* {{commons category-inline|Isaiah (Biblical figure)}}
{{Book of Isaiah}}
{{Prophets of the Tanakh}}
{{Muslim saints}}
{{Catholic saints}}
{{Authority control}}

<!-- Don't need head category [[:Category:Prophets in Judaism]] or [[Category:Isaiah| ]]
[[Category:Prophets in Christianity]], both hold sub-cat [[:Category:Prophets of the Hebrew Bible]], which is in the template {{Prophets of the Tanakh}} -->
[[Category:7th-century BC births]]
[[Category:7th-century BCE Jews]]
[[Category:7th-century BC writers]]
[[Category:8th-century BC births]]
[[Category:8th-century BCE Hebrew people]]
[[Category:8th-century BC writers]]
[[Category:Angelic visionaries]]
[[Category:Christian saints from the Old Testament]]
[[Category:Davidic line]]