Isaiah – Overview

Lesson I : Introduction

Observations from Isaiah

“The Prophecy of Isaiah is the third longest, complete literary entity in the Bible, being exceeded in length only by Jeremiah and Psalms…. Isaiah is at once familiar and neglected. Chapters like 6, 35, 40, and 53 are among the best-known parts of the OT; and there are briefer, well-known sections in chapters like 7, 9, and 61. There are however vast stretches of the book, especially in chapters 13-34, that are virtually unknown to most Christians…. The NT writers recognized Isaiah’s special importance, quoting from and alluding to it frequently. Many of its verses and phrases have passed into common use in literature. For example, there are seventy quotations from Isaiah in the Penguin Dictionary of Quotations; and Handel used much of Isaiah’s language in the Messiah.” [Grogan, Isaiah]