Isaiah: A Commentary

by Brevard S. Childs

In this important addition to the Old Testament Library, now available in a new casebound edition, renowned scholar Brevard Childs writes on the Old Testament's most important theological book. He furnishes a fresh translation from the Hebrew and discusses questions of text, philology, historical background, and literary architecture, and then proceeds with a critically informed, theological interpretation of the text.

The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.

Genres: Theology, Reference, Biblical Studies, Biblical, Christian

868 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2000

About the author

Brevard Springs Childs was Professor of Old Testament at Yale University from 1958 until 1999 (and Sterling Professor after 1992), and one of the most influential biblical scholars of the 20th century. Childs is particularly noted for pioneering canonical criticism, a way of interpreting the Bible that focuses on the text of the biblical canon itself as a finished product. In fact, Childs disliked the term, believing his work to represent an entirely new departure, replacing the entire historical-critical method. Childs set out his canonical approach in his Biblical Theology in Crisis (1970) and applied it in Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture (1979). This latter book has been described as "one of the most discussed books of the 1980s".

Reviews

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childs’ commentary is an excellent guide to the book of Isaiah and a remarkable work of biblical interpretation. The fragmentation and atomization of Isaiah by modern scholarship is evident in the commentary literature; the book is often divided across multiple volumes, with some volumes even being written by different authors (e.g. the predecessor volumes in the OTL by Kaiser and Westermann).

Childs’ somewhat slender single volume is a deliberate move against these trends, employing all the tools of modern biblical studies while maintaining a sharp focus on the whole. He makes no attempt to be encyclopedic, but he offers enough orientation to the landscape of Isaiah and modern study of Isaiah for his purposes. He notes a variety of interpretive proposals, yet only insofar as they help highlight his own interpretation of Isaiah in its canonical context. Exegetical comments are reserved for issues of interpretive significance, in contrast to larger commentaries, which he sometimes accuses of commenting for the sake of commenting and which often has the effect of obscuring the larger message the text under consideration.

Two highlights for me are Childs’ discussion of intertextuality and its role in the composition of Isaiah and his use of redaction criticism. Against those who view Childs as anti-historical criticism, his discussion of redactional layers throughout Isaiah helpfully demonstrates how the use of diachronic tools constructively contributes to interpreting a book in its canonical context.

This is a helpful guide to Isaiah when taken on its own terms, and an impressive example of a theologically sensitive and exegetically sharp commentary. If you want something comprehensive or encyclopedic, look elsewhere. But if you want something to help sharpen and open up your view of Isaiah as Christian scripture, then you can’t beat Childs.

(Childs’ sequel “The Struggle to Understand Isaiah as Christian Scripture” ought not be neglected, too. It’s a shame they’re not published together).

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume by Brevard Childs replaced three volumes by Otto Kaiser and Claus Westermann in the popular Old Testament Library (OTL) series. It was written in the twilight of his career after his highly-regarded commentary on the Book of Exodus in the same series. Most reviews I’ve seen feel Mr. Childs is the best commentator on Isaiah that we have from the critical camp. After reviewing this book myself, I can see how that came to be believed by many.

In what seems to be a unique approach, Mr. Childs gives an introduction to the Book of Isaiah as a whole, followed by the introduction to Isaiah 1-39. Then he gives an introduction to Isaiah 1-12. That’s followed by commentary on that section and in chapter 16 we have an introduction to Isaiah 13-23. That pattern is continued with separate introductions to Isaiah 24-27, 28-35, 36-39, 40-55, and 56-66 followed by commentary on that section. I’m used to seeing Isaiah chopped in either two or three parts by the critical side, but this was rather unique. Don’t worry, though, following the commentary is still straightforward.

Mr. Childs did not stick to a canonical approach as much as he did in his commentary on Exodus, and gets more into sources and other redactional critical ideas. In his introduction to the whole book, he discusses the approach that he will take. More than in many commentaries I’ve read, I think it’s highly important that you allow him to explain for himself the track he will follow.

In the commentary itself, you will find much of what you might have come to expect with Mr. Childs. There’s still redactional discussions, but real exegetical help and textual insights abound throughout. The commentary is not as long as you might expect for a book the scope of Isaiah, but it still offers the reflections of a season scholar at the end of his career.

We can’t deny that this volume is an important one on the Book of Isaiah today. Though I follow a more conservative path than Mr. Childs does, I still find value in this book and look forward to interacting with him in future studies I do in the Book of Isaiah. It’s worth checking out.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[G. Mark James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brevard Childs is a "conservative critical" scholar who accepts that books in Scripture both circulated originally as portions as well as later redactors would enlarge collections (contra the conservative position that most or all of the books of the OT were written by 1 author, even if over a period of years). However, for understanding a particular book, Childs says it is not helpful to discuss the original forms or history of composition. Rather, a book must be understood in its final form after all of the editors were done.
A one-volume commentary on a thick book of Scripture such as Isaiah is no small task (it took 3 volumes for EJ Young!). Therefore the book cannot go into great detail and Childs splits his time alternating between what critical scholars argue (form, genre, etc.) and explaining what a particular text/chapter means (exposition). It's okay if you want to get a lay of the land regarding OT scholarship on Isaiah. He has some good explanation of passages at times even though he can't go into great detail and often comments on chunks of verses together rather than each individual verse. He is at his best when seeing intertextuality (connections between previous passages and later passages). It is ironic that Childs sees themes and passages connecting First-, Second-, and Third-Isaiah, yet disregards the possibility of it being authored en toto by the prophet Isaiah himself. Overall, this is a must read for those in OT scholarship as Childs' approach is a major contribution to the field. It may be occasionally helpful for the evangelical preacher. It is definitely not for the layman.

[Matt Quintana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a monumental commentary on the book of Isaiah. Like all of his work, Childs's commentary is erudite and exhibits impressive command of the scholarly field. He combines rigorous exegesis with powerful theological reflection, all with an ear towards the history of Isaiah's interpretation and it impact on both past and present communities of faith. Childs's work is concise yet substantive; accessible yet insightful. While "fluent" in critical scholarship and technical discussion, Childs helpfully keeps his primary focus on the canonical form of the book of Isaiah, the authoritative text for confessional faith communities. Even if one were to skip over his discussions of technical matters, there is much to be gleaned from only engaging his expositions.

The commentary could be criticized for being too concise in certain areas, and there are certainly more detailed commentaries on Isaiah available. The beauty of this volume, though, is that it keeps one from getting lost in the "weeds" of all the scholarly debate on Isaiah while still providing an informed and persuasive reading of the text. Overall, I would rank this as the best volume commentary on the entire book of Isaiah available. Whether engaging in exegesis of the Hebrew text or preparing a sermon, I find that consulting Childs is always worth my time. This commentary should be on the shelf of all preachers and teachers of Isaiah, and really, anyone interested in serious study of the book.

[Jack Ham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is obviously written for professional biblical scholars and much of its content is dedicated to the analysis of various historical and modern scholars’ philological, historical-literary, and redaction-critical analysis leading to their specific interpretations of the entire Book of Isaiah.
As a non-professional reader of the Bible, I did find the sections dedicated to exposition to be instructive of the wide variety of possible interpretations of this prophetic work which covers multiple centuries; however, this commentary was intended for a narrow audience of academic biblical scholars and not for the average reader of the Bible seeking more general analysis of the book of Isaiah.

[Cheryl Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the most challenging book I read this year, but also one of the most rewarding. It was a tough read for me, given that I am not an academic nor steeped in the world of the Old Testament scholar. However, the commentary offers a beautiful translation of the book of Isaiah and many deep insights born of Childs' wealth of reading/research of prior Isaiah scholarly commentaries, his own understanding of the Hebrew language, and his unique approach to analyzing the text.

[Whitney Dziurawiec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Childs goes with a canonical approach to his hermeneutics, explaining how each chapter relates to the others. He also specializes in intertextuality and was really helpful to me in understanding the development of theology of certain themes from First Isaiah to Third. A lot of it was heady but it was a good challenge and a unique addition to my personal Isaiah study.

[Aldon Hynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a seminary class on Isaiah. It is a commentary I'll go back to regularly when working on Isaiah texts even thought I have mixed opinions about some of his interpretations.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, canonical commentary on Isaiah. The only weakness is Childs sometimes allows scholarly tone to hold him back from more decisive interpretation.

[Alan Rennê · Rating 4 out of 5]

A despeito de alguns pressupostos do autor, um excelente comentário!

[Aaron Carpenter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am currently using Childs's commentary in my expository sermon series through Isaiah. Though he is a proponent of the higher criticism, I find his particular form of it helpful in at least one regard. He calls it "canonical criticism" and tends to focus not so much on the theoretical forces of Scripture's composition as on the finished product. In other words, the process of Scripture's compilation is not so important as its final composition. This means that in any given Scripture passage, he avoids the path of evaluating the theoretical origins of the particular verses and instead focuses upon their current function, both ancient and modern (i.e. both Jewish and Christian canon).
I would not recommend this work to novices, but for conservative expositors who are grounded in the doctrines of inspiration and inerrancy, Childs offers a unique perspective on the structure and function of Scripture that is a helpful aid in establishing context and purpose.

[Mark Bringman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quite simply the best commentary on Isaiah. It gives you the historical perspective, literary, spiritual. It is a masterpiece. This is the second time I've read through it and I never regret doing so.

[Leviticus Ferris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Commentaries are on going reading projcts