Isaiah 9:6 is often quoted in Christmas cards that get sent out during this season. It is curious of how many people actually stop to put much thought into what the verse actually means.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Isaiah 9:6)<\/p>\n
The Hebrew literally reads, \u201cFor a child is born to us, a son is given to us[.]\u201d<\/p>\n
\u05db\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9-\u05d9\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05d3 \u05d9\u05bb\u05dc\u05b7\u05bc\u05d3-\u05dc\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc, \u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05df \u05e0\u05b4\u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05df-\u05dc\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc<\/p>\n
This is significant because in Hebrew a sentence normally begins with the verb, so by placing the noun first is to add an emphasis on this \u201cchild\/son\u201d being \u201cborn\/given.\u201d Isaiah is stressing the point that a child is being born with the government on His shoulders. Children are not usually born with such authority. In anticipation of this prophecy being fulfilled, the wise men searched for a child born as the king (Matthew 2:2). Earlier in Isaiah, children ruling is part of a curse (Isaiah 3:4-5), but now it is to increase peace.<\/p>\n
This child is understood from a previous prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14). The New Testament understands this child born as fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:23; 4:12-17; cf. Isaiah 9:1-2).<\/p>\n
\u201cA child born\u201d expresses a natural course of birth. \u201cA Son given\u201d indicates the child of a divine origin (Matthew 1:18; Acts 4:27, 30). The Son of God was prophesied to be Messiah of Israel and the ruler over all nations (Psalm 2:2, 10-12).<\/p>\n
\u201cTo us,\u201d that is, to Israel first and foremost (Luke 2:11, 14), but also to the whole world (Luke 2:32).<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment on His shoulders:\u201d The expression \u201con his shoulders\u201d is synonymous with having the government committed into his hands (see Isaiah 22:21-22). This \u201cson\u201d who is to rule is contrasted to oppressors (Isaiah 9:4). This king is identified as God Himself (see Zechariah 14:9).<\/p>\n
\u201cWonderful\u201d in Hebrew \u05e4\u05b6\u05bc\u05dc\u05b6\u05d0 pele\u2019. <\/em>This is the same name of the Christophany in Judges 13:8 where His name is \u201csecret\u201d (cf. Psalm 139:6; Revelation 19:12, 13, 16).<\/p>\n \u201cCounselor\u201d in Hebrew \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b5\u05e5 y\u014d\u2018ts\u0113ts. <\/em>This word is also applied to the Messiah in Isaiah 11:2, and is used as a synonym for \u201cking\u201d in Micah 4:9 (also notice the conceptual parallelism in the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 16:7, 10).<\/p>\n A particular grammatical rule noted by Gesenius1)<\/sup><\/a>Gesenius\u2019 Hebrew Grammar<\/em>, \u00a7<\/strong> 93.k<\/span><\/span>