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Isaiah.

Isaiah of Jerusalem prophesies during the reigns of four Judean kings (Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah) — roughly 740–700 BC. His call vision in the temple ("Whom shall I send? Here am I, send me," Isaiah 6) is one of the great Old Testament theophanies. He prophesies the virgin's son, counsels Hezekiah through the Assyrian crisis, and (especially in chapters 40–66) gives the four Servant Songs that the New Testament reads as prophecies of Christ.

Timeline

• Vision in the temple at the death of Uzziah (Isaiah 6)
• Prophecy of Immanuel (Isaiah 7)
• Confronted Ahaz over alliance with Assyria
• Counselled Hezekiah during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem (Isaiah 36–37)
• The four Servant Songs (Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52:13–53:12)

Key verses

• Isaiah 6:8 →
• Isaiah 7:14 →
• Isaiah 53 →
• Isaiah 61:1-2 →

Why Isaiah matters

Isaiah is the most-quoted prophet in the New Testament. Matthew 1 quotes Isaiah 7:14 ("the virgin shall conceive"); Jesus opens his ministry by reading Isaiah 61. Isaiah 53 — the suffering servant — is the lens through which the Gospels read the cross. Acts 8 records Philip explaining Isaiah 53 to the Ethiopian eunuch as a prophecy of Christ. Without Isaiah, the New Testament's reading of Jesus's death and exaltation loses its scaffolding.

Related tools

• All 29 figuresThe full index
• Bible verse lookupAny reference, ESV
• Trivia categoryProphet