[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
This is an overview of the book of Isaiah in the Bible. The original publication date for this book is 1956. Bible verses are quoted mostly from the King James or New King James version of the Bible.
I found the sections on the history of the authorship debates about Isaiah to be very interesting. That was information I had not heard before. The book also highlights some of the contextual pieces that we might lose in translation such as Isaiah’s humor and sarcasm or some of the structure of the writing.
There’s an emphasis on the Messianic prophecies and connections to New Testament passages. There’s also a lot of focus on God’s love and lamentation in the midst of judgement. Another theme that is explored is the need to depend on God.
Review
I was excited to review this book because I just finished a detailed study of Isaiah, and I loved it. This was a little more big picture than I was expecting. Therefore it felt like a backwards step instead of digging deeper for me. This would have been more useful before I started my study. At this point I would have preferred something like a William Barclay commentary instead.
This particular book covered more about the history of the book of Isaiah as a part of accepted Scripture than I expected. I found the information new and interesting, but as a “Bible Study” (which this is not – it’s a commentary), I would have been frustrated with this. I feel there are other commentaries that could be useful in studying a book of Scripture. In this case I think this would be best used as an introduction for people about to dig into a study through a class or small group. Some of the language – at least in my review copy which has not gone through final edits – felt dated to me, too, which was disappointing.
If you haven’t read all of Isaiah before, or if you are looking for an overview or introduction, consider giving this a try as long as you are comfortable with a King James translation. If you prefer a more contemporary translation or a more in depth study, you might consider looking at other resources.