Verse
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace – Isaiah 9:6
Meaning of Isaiah 9:6
The meaning of the verse, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” is a description of Jesus in His divine power. The verse is a prophetic symbolization of Jesus by Isaiah, who spoke or wrote the words centuries before Jesus was born. The verse is meant to describe how Jesus will come into this world and all the characters or facets He will have. The prophet says that Jesus will be born as a child, an event that took place approximately 600 years after the prophecy. He also says that the government will rest on His shoulders. This prophecy, as per the modern Biblical scholars, has not come true as it is said to apply in the millennium. The words wonderful, counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace are used to describe Jesus’ many qualities, roles, and character.
Interpretations of Isaiah 9:6
Interpretation #1 Jesus was meant to be the true king of Israel
The first interpretation of the verse, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder” is that Jesus was meant to be the true king of Israel. The reader believes that although preachers don’t talk about it, a few people, including the apostles during the time of Jesus, believed that He was sent to rule over Israel and replace King Herod. Believing this prophecy, King Herod also decrees to kill a young male child under two years. Additionally, after the crucifixion, many people were also killed and persecuted due to this belief. Hence, the verse talks about Jesus having been sent to the Earth in human form so that He could dethrone King Herod and bring relief and justice to Israel by becoming their king.
Interpretation #2 The verse is description of God in heaven
The meaning of the verse, “and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” is that the verse is a description of God in heaven. As The Father in heaven is all-powerful and above Jesus, the reader believes that the title The everlasting Father and The Prince of Peace are descriptions of God, The Father. This is because God is repeatedly referred to as The Father or Heavenly Father in the Bible, and Jesus is referred to as the Son of God. Hence, the reader believes that Prophet Isaiah was referring to God’s title names in this verse.
Interpretation #3 The Prophet was describing Jewish Messiah
The next interpretation of the verse, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” is that Isaiah the Prophet was describing the Jewish Messiah. The reader believes that since the book of Isaiah was written 600-700 years before Jesus was born and is a part of the Old Testament, it may likely not apply to Jesus but the Jewish Messiah. Additionally, the orthodox Jews do not consider Jesus as the Messiah and refute any messianic prophecies regarding Him from the Old Testament. Hence, Jews are also waiting for their Messiah’s arrival.
Interpretation #4 The son of God was meant to bring peace
In this interpretation, the reader believes that God was meant to bring peace. A few Jewish communities and Christians believe that Jesus, the son of God, came into the world to bring peace. This includes physical, mental, and spiritual peace. Jesus knew that the world was in dire need of peace and hence came down to the Earth to bring the same. The reader also understands that sins had increased in the world, and there was a tremendous amount of sadness, depression, hatred, and anger, which needed some intervention. Hence, Jesus came to remove all that and spread love and peace.
Interpretation #5 The verse is about Jesus’ heavenly kingdom
The final interpretation of the verse, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” is that the verse describes the Heavenly kingdom of Jesus, unlike the belief of the earthly realm during His time on earth. The reader believes that Jesus is a counselor spiritually, is an everlasting father to the lost and lonely, brings spiritual and mental peace, and is The Mighty God who saves and protects His children. Hence, the reader understands that the verse is a prophecy about Jesus in the spiritual sense.
Historical background of Isaiah 9:6
The Book of Isaiah is among the first of the last Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the first of the main Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. It has always been believed that the 8th-century BCE prophet Isaiah wrote the book, but there is wide-ranging evidence that much of it was written during the Babylonian captivity and later. The ninth chapter talks about Jesus’s birth in a prophetic way and also about God’s anger against Israel for their sins and wickedness. The sixth verse, in particular, symbolizes Jesus, His birth, and His many roles.
Literary Devices of Isaiah 9:6
Isaiah 60:22 consists of some noteworthy literary devices. Here are some examples.
Repetition – The phrase from Isaiah 9:6 ‘unto us’ is repeated to emphasize the point that Jesus was born for the Jewish people despite their rejection of the prophecy.
Theme – The major themes of Isaiah 9:6 are hope, prophecy, and mystery. The minor themes include celebration, heaven, and faith.
Syndeton – The verse Isaiah 9:6 shows the deliberate use of conjunction in a sentence. For example, the repetition of ‘and’ in ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace’
Consonance – The verse Isaiah 9:6 has rich use of consonant sounds in repetition. However, some are not in quick successions. For example, the sound of /s/ and the sound of /n/ in ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government’; the sound of /n/, the sound of /l/, the sound of /r/ in ‘: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor’; the sound of /t/, the sound of /r/ and the sound of /s/ in ‘The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace’.
Alliteration – The verse is a repeated consonant sound at the beginning of the word as well. For example, the sound of /g, the sound of /sh/, the sound of /h/, the sound of /th/, and the sound of /p/ in ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace’.
Assonance – The verse uses vowel sounds in repetitions. Some are in quick succession. For example, the sound of /uh/, the sound of /i/ in ‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given’; the sound of /aa/ in ‘The everlasting Father’.
