Isaiah 9 explained

The last of three reasons for joy is a child: a staff lay on a shoulder (9:4), and the government will be on his shoulders (9:6), in Hebrew the same word. And the refrain says his anger is not turned away (9:12) because the people have not turned (9:13): in Hebrew one verb, shuv.

Chapter 8 ends in the dark. "They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry" (Isaiah 8:21), and they will "look to the earth and see distress, darkness, and the gloom of anguish. They will be driven into thick darkness" (Isaiah 8:22). The next verse turns: "But there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish" (9:1) (tap gloom). The Hebrew Bible numbers this verse as the last of chapter 8. Then comes this: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The light has shined on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death" (9:2) (tap light, shadow of death). The light comes to named lands: "In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations" (9:1). In Hebrew brought into contempt and made it glorious are two verbs that Brown-Driver-Briggs gives as "be slight, swift, trifling" and "be heavy, weighty, burdensome, honoured" (tap brought into contempt, glorious). The verse doesn't say what the former time was. Matthew gives these words when Jesus comes to live in Capernaum, and says they were fulfilled (see the thread to Jesus).

In 9:4 a staff lay on a shoulder, and it was broken: "For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken" (9:4). Two verses later, "For a child is born to us. A son is given to us; and the government will be on his shoulders" (9:6). In Hebrew his shoulder is the same word both times (tap shoulder).

Isaiah 9:4 · Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:1→leads toMatthew 4:14-16

Isaiah says, "In the former time, he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time he has made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations" (Isaiah 9:1), and "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2). Matthew tells that "when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee" (Matthew 4:12). He came and lived in Capernaum, "in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali" (Matthew 4:13), and Matthew writes, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness saw a great light; to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned.”" (Matthew 4:14-16). Matthew names Isaiah and says his words were fulfilled when Jesus came to live there, and goes on, "From that time, Jesus began to preach" (Matthew 4:17). The WEB words Isaiah and Matthew differently in places: walked and sat, nations and Gentiles.

אוֹרorsay OR

Brown-Driver-Briggs: "light". Strong's: "illumination or (concrete) luminary". "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The light has shined on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death" (9:2): the verse has or twice. It is the word of "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). Isaiah has it 27 times. Chapter 5 ended with it: "The light is darkened in its clouds" (Isaiah 5:30).

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (9:2). When has light come to you in a dark time, and what did it look like?