The Mystery of Ephraim

A Study of Isaiah 9; but a more indepth Study of verses 6 to 7 in particular. Rabbinic Jews say this Child is Hezekiah “a wonderful counselor” but Christians say he is the Son of God, the Messiah. For the record, King Hezekiah foolishly show Merodach-baladan, the Babylonian king’s envoys to Hezekiah, of all his treasures and his armory, and Isaiah rebuked him for such foolishness, II Kings 20, Isaiah 39.

The presentation here is the most accurate view. Alternate views, which offer little sense, mixed with some blasphemous views, could be found in Jews for Judiasm.

Isaiah 9

¹ Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first He lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more grievously afflicted her by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

² The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

³ Thou hast multiplied the nation and not increased the joy; they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

⁴ For Thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

⁵ For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood, but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

⁶ 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, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. — for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, the eternal Word being made flesh for us, not only in our stead, but for our benefit, for the eternal salvation of all believers; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, the absolute and unlimited power, the divine authority in its fullest sense, rests upon Him, He is, from His birth, in complete possession of the eternal power and Godhead;

— a Question for Rabbinic Judiasm: if a Rod shall spring forth out of the stem of Jesse (Isaiah 11), and a Branch shall grow out of his roots; why would he not start with a Child?

— and His name shall be called Wonderful, not only His birth, but His entire essence being a miracle, Counselor, for He not only knows the right and proper counsel in every difficulty of body and soul, He also carries out His plans for the benefit of men, the Mighty God, for the Messiah, true man as He is, is at the same time above all, God blessed forever, altogether identical with Yehovah;

— the Everlasting Father, this description isn’t in the Septuagint nor in the Targum; so what could we make of this? He who is called the Son of God (John 1:18, 3:16) cannot himself be called everlasting Father. The Son of God has never been described as the Father anywhere else in the Scriptures. Is this not the lying pen of the scribes as described in Jeremiah 8:8? Is this another one of the self-deceptions of rabbinical Judaism to keep themselves blinded (who claim that King Hezekiah fulfilled this prophecy)?

— the Prince of Peace, the true Shiloh, Genesis 49:10, who has restored the right relation between God and man, making peace by abolishing in His flesh the enmity which existed since the fall of man, Ephesians 2:14-15.

— He is also the LORD יְהוָ֑ה” as proven in A Study of Psalm 110 and A Study of Isaiah 11; hence He is the Mighty God as well; it would be blasphemous to attribute such title to Hezekiah;

— the full verse in Targum says, “The prophet said to the house of David, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and He has taken the law upon Himself to keep it. His name is called from eternity, Wonderful, the Mighty God, who liveth to eternity, the Messiah, whose peace shall be great upon us in His days” — yes, this verse confirms the Messiah had been prophesised but nothing about ‘the Everlasting Father’ and he was to be born, the Son and He was from eternity to eternity;

— the Targum is an indispensable source of understanding the Bible. Started by Ezra for those returning Jews from Babylon and for these returnees they could only understand the Sacred Text in Aramaic; hence the Targum is as if Ezra is speaking to them in ancient times and to us today from the verses quoted.

— in the Septuagint “For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called the Messenger of great counsel: for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to him. His government shall be great, and of his peace there is no end: it shall be upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to support it with judgment and with righteousness, from henceforth and for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.”

— Christians identifies the Father speaking of his Son, who was and also is the Messiah, identified as the Word in the Targum; and confirms by John as he wrote of him in his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” John 1:1 (more at the end).

⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and upon His Kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. — of the increase of His government, in extending the boundaries of His spiritual kingdom, and peace there shall be no end, that is, He brings about a condition of eternal peace between God and man,

— upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, for the kingdom of David continued and established in order to establish the foundation for the Kingdom of God with judgement and with justice from henceforth even forever;

— the zeal of the Lord of hosts, the eagerness of His love in seeking the salvation of mankind, will perform this. All this was fulfilled in the Son of God, of whom the angel says: “He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

— and finally, to ascibe such titles and attributes to King Hezekiah are flirting with blasphemy!

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More than One יְהוָ֨ה Yehovah?

Actually, there is only One יְהוָ֨ה Yehovah (and also one God; yet God is in a plural form, Elohim) and many Scriptures testify to this, and this One יְהוָ֨ה or One God principle is found in Exodus 23:

²⁰ Behold, I send an Angel (or messenger) before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

²¹ Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. Exodus 23:20-21

Hence the God (Elohim) in Isaiah 9:6 (or the LORDs mentioned in Psalm 110:5 and Genesis 18-19) were derivative. They were all carrying the message of the original God or יְהוָ֨ה Yehovah, “for my name is in him.”

Yeshua, the Son, testifies He came in His Father’s name: John 5:43: I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not.

~ by Joel Huan on June 11, 2022.

Posted in Isaiah, Jews for Judiasm, Messiah, R Tovia Singer