Who is the prophetess in Isaiah 8:3?
The text only says that Isaiah went in to the prophetess and she conceived and bore a son. The most common view is that she was his wife. Her name is not given.
Isaiah · chapter 8 of 66
Isaiah 8: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Isaiah 8?
Isaiah 8 tells of the birth of the prophet's son, named Maher-shalal-hash-baz, whose name announces that Assyria will soon plunder Damascus and Samaria. The people who despise the gently flowing waters of Shiloah will be flooded by Assyria, but God is with Judah. The Lord tells Isaiah not to fear what the people fear and to seek his teaching rather than mediums.
This chapter continues the Syro-Ephraimite crisis of chapter 7. While King Ahaz trusts Assyria, Isaiah receives new orders from the Lord: to record his message, give his son a prophetic name and warn the people that the political solution will bring a flood upon Judah. It ends with an invitation to trust God's word in the midst of darkness.
Isaiah 8 summary
The Lord tells Isaiah to take a large tablet and write on it in common script Maher-shalal-hash-baz, meaning swift is the plunder, speedy is the spoil. Two faithful witnesses, the priest Uriah and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah, attest the writing. Isaiah goes in to the prophetess and she bears a son, to whom the Lord says to give that name. Before the boy knows how to say father and mother, the king of Assyria will carry off the wealth of Damascus and Samaria.
Because this people has despised the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, the Lord will bring up on them the waters of the Euphrates, mighty and many: the king of Assyria and all his glory. He will sweep on and reach Judah's neck, but the name Immanuel recalls that God is with them. The nations will rage, but they will be broken, for God is with us.
The Lord warns Isaiah not to walk in the way of this people, nor to call conspiracy what they call conspiracy, nor to fear what they fear. To those who treat the Lord of hosts as holy, he will be a sanctuary; to both houses of Israel he will be a stone of stumbling, a trap and a snare. Isaiah seals the testimony among his disciples and waits for the Lord, and notes that he and his children are signs in Israel. He says people should consult the law and the testimony, not mediums and necromancers, for those who do not will see no dawn. They will pass through the land distressed and hungry, cursing their king and their God, and will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-4: The son Maher-shalal-hash-baz, a sign of the swift fall of Damascus and Samaria.
- vv. 5-8: The waters of Shiloah rejected and Assyria's flood up to Judah's neck.
- vv. 9-10: The nations will fail, for God is with us.
- vv. 11-15: Do not fear what the people fear; the Lord is a sanctuary and a stone of stumbling.
- vv. 16-18: Isaiah seals the testimony and waits on the Lord, with his children as signs.
- vv. 19-22: Consult the teaching and the testimony, not mediums; distress and darkness for those who do not.
Key verses in Isaiah 8
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Isaiah 8:3-4
Isaiah's son receives the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Before the boy can speak, Assyria will carry off the wealth of Damascus and Samaria, that is, of Syria and Israel, the enemies Ahaz feared so much.
Isaiah 8:10
The peoples may devise plans, but they will fail, for God is with us. It is a declaration of faith that answers the name Immanuel from the previous chapter.
Isaiah 8:13-14
The Lord of hosts is to be honored as holy and feared, and he will be a sanctuary for those who trust him and a stone of stumbling for the two houses of Israel. Paul and Peter quote this passage to speak of Christ as the stone some accept and others reject (Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8).
Isaiah 8:20
The prophet commands people to go to the teaching and the testimony, not to mediums and necromancers. Whoever speaks without that word has no light. Scripture is the guide for dark times.
Main themes
- A prophetic name
- Assyria as a flood
- God with us
- Fearing the Lord, not men
- God's word versus divination
People and places
- Isaiah
- The prophetess
- Maher-shalal-hash-baz
- Uriah and Zechariah (witnesses)
- Rezin and the son of Remaliah
- The king of Assyria
- The Lord
Isaiah 8 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. What does the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz mean?
Answer: Swift is the plunder, speedy is the spoil. — Isaiah 8:1-3
2. What will happen before the boy knows how to say father and mother?
Answer: The king of Assyria will carry off the wealth of Damascus and Samaria. — Isaiah 8:4
3. Which waters did the people despise?
Answer: The waters of Shiloah, which flow gently. — Isaiah 8:6
4. What will the Lord bring on the people instead of those waters?
Answer: The mighty and many waters of the River, that is, the king of Assyria and all his glory. — Isaiah 8:7
5. What will the Lord be for those who treat him as holy?
Answer: A sanctuary, while to the two houses of Israel he will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. — Isaiah 8:13-14
6. Whom does Isaiah tell people to consult instead of mediums and necromancers?
Answer: The teaching and the testimony, that is, God's word. — Isaiah 8:19-20
Application for today
Isaiah 8 shows the contrast between the people's fear and the trust the Lord asks for. When everyone around us panics over the economy, politics or threats, the believer can answer with reverence for the Lord rather than general alarm. In a small group, we can ask what frightens us and what Scripture teaches about it.
The chapter also warns against looking for answers in spiritual sources outside the Bible. In darkness and uncertainty, God has given us his word as a lamp. Turning to it first keeps us from walking without light.
Isaiah 8 ends with a picture of distress for those who reject God's word. Chapter 9 opens with a great light for that same dark region and announces the birth of a son who will reign on David's throne.
Frequently asked questions about Isaiah 8
What does the stone of stumbling in Isaiah 8:14 mean?
That the Lord, holy and present, can be a refuge for the one who trusts and an obstacle for the one who rejects him. The New Testament applies the image to Christ in Romans 9:33 and 1 Peter 2:8: whoever believes in him will not be put to shame, but whoever rejects him stumbles.
Why does Isaiah say he and his children are signs?
The names of Isaiah (the Lord saves), Shear-jashub (a remnant will return) and Maher-shalal-hash-baz communicated messages from God to Israel. Hebrews 2:13 quotes the words of verse 18 and applies them to Christ and those God gave him.