ISAIAH (I-z5.'yit), one of the greatest of the Hebrew prophets. He was the son of Amos, whom some of the fathers supposed to be the prophet Amos, the names being identical in Greek; in He brew, however, they are different, the prophet being Amos, and Isaiah's father Amots. As in the vision recorded in Isaiah vi, the prophet is represented as being in the court which none but the descendants of Aaron might enter, he was perhaps a priest. He was born probably between 783 and 788 B. c. He married a woman to whom, as to him, prophetic gifts were given (Isa. viii: 3). One of his sons was called Shear-jashub = a remnant returns, or a remnant will return (vii: 3) ; another Maher-shalal hash-baz = hasten to the spoil, quickly carry off the prey. Isaiah exerted great influence at the court of Jerusalem under Ahaz, and yet more under Hezekiah. He was contemporary with Amos, Hosea, Micah, and perhaps with Joel. Besides his prophecies, he wrote also biographies or histories of Uzziah (II Chron. xxvi: 22), and Hezekiah (xxxii: 32). Tradi tion says that he was sawn asunder by order of King Manasseh, his tragic fate, it is supposed, being alluded to in Heb.
xi : 37.
The Prophecies of Isaiah, the first and most important of the prophetic books. It is headed "The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah." If chapter vi is chron ologically the earliest of any, and de scribes his first call to the prophetic office, his utterances would commence in 758, 757, or 756 B. C. If the prophecies are arranged in the order of time, then chapters i-v would belong to an earlier period. Omitting these writings of un certain date, the next utterances are in the reign of Ahaz, none apparently be longing to the 16 years of Jotham's reign. He continued at least till the fourth year of King Hezekiah, 712 B. C., a period of 44 to 46 years. This is the minimum span of his prophecies; the maxitnurn is much greater. Viewed as a poetic composition the book of Isaiah exhibits genius of a very high order.