In the Bible book bearing his name, from the opening chapter to the final one, Isaiah regularly speaks for and as God using first person references such as “I,” “me,” and “my,” even speaking words such as, “I am Jaho(h), your God,” while also in the same verse referring to God in the third person, “Jaho(h) of armies is his name” (Isaiah 51:15). Similar is Isaiah 56:6-7, where Isaiah seamlessly goes from using the third-person “his” twice for God to using the first-person “my” five times and “I” once while speaking for and as God without any break or change in speaker.
These and other, similar statements are regularly made by Isaiah without any clear break or change in speaker to indicate he is no longer the one speaking or that he is not the subject of what is said. This speech pattern is not uncommon. It is found all throughout Isaiah and in other Old Testament books and accounts where other humans and angels speak the same way, as well as in the New Testament book of Revelation, as I will show in a separate, similar article.
Here I present commentary on every clear change in speaker in Isaiah and when the speaker uses first-, second-, or third-person references for himself, for others, or collectively for others and for the speaker. I also make clear when and how the identified speaker is talking for himself or for someone else, even if it is while using the first-person “I,” “me,” or “my.” This issue is important not only from a simple interpretative perspective (we all want to know who is talking and how what they are saying should be understood) but, theologically, it gets into issues related to the Trinity and whether individuals who speak for and as God are, in fact, God or if they simply represent him to others as if they are God.
This has implications also for speech patterns involving other biblical prophets and angels who, like Isaiah, regularly speak for and as God while also being clearly distinguished from him as his servants in the immediate and broader context in which they speak. They are not identifying themselves as the God for whom they speak. As I will show, they are speaking for and as God as his appointed servants.
Though this is an extensive study of speech patterns and speakers in Isaiah, it is also intended to be read by everyone. Therefore, the issues have been simplified as much as possible to make it easier to identify key issues and texts to help us all obtain a better understanding of how the book of Isaiah was written, and how it should be read. For the most part, I have kept to English translations while also checking the Hebrew and Greek texts, though for this study frequent reference to the original languages is not necessary. I believe it is the more commonly read translations which are most subject to misinterpreting texts in Isaiah as it relates to speakers and speech patterns. This is usually shown by an English or other translation’s interpretative punctuation which, at times, does not follow from the original Hebrew or Greek texts. See below under 49:1-49:5, for an example of this.
The reason for this apparent difficulty with punctuating certain texts in Isaiah appears to be because he regularly speaks for himself and for God without clearly differentiating his own speech and person from the words and person of God. Isaiah frequently blends his own speech with God’s words in such a way it becomes difficult if not impossible to accurately distinguish them at times. The only way to do so with any confidence is to remember who is presenting all of the speaking in the book (Isaiah), and to recognize his speech patterns and how he presents himself and other speakers, including understanding how he can go from a third-person “he” or “him” for God to a first-person “I,” “me,” and “my” in the same speech, even in the same verse, without being God.
This speech pattern is frequent in Isaiah. Once you see and understand it, you will not likely fall victim to misinterpretations over who is speaking and how what is said relates to the speaker, or to others spoken about in the immediate and broader context of each speech. By using the following narrative transitions and speech patterns summary from Isaiah, the process of determining who is speaking, to whom they speak, and to confirm whether they are speaking for themselves or for others will be much easier. It will help everyone better understand how Isaiah talks, how he writes, and how he speaks for himself and for and as God, even using the first person, all without any confusion over his or God’s identify, and without any compromise to God’s uniqueness and sovereignty.
1:1-3 Verse 1 opens by explaining that this is the “vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw.” Then verse 2 begins with, “Hear, heavens, and hear, earth, for Jaho(h) has spoken,” followed immediately in the same verse (1:2) by Isaiah speaking for and as God using the first-person pronouns “I” (verse 2), “me” (verses 2), and “my” (verse 3).
1:4-10 Isaiah starts speaking from his own person, without any break from speaking for and as God at the end of verse 3, with Isaiah referring to God with the third-person “him” at the end of 1:4. At this start of 1:4 Isaiah directed his words against people, referring to them as “they” (verse 4), “you” and “your” (verses 5, 7), as well as using the collective “we” for him and the people in 1:9. Isaiah continues denouncing the people using the second-person “you” and the collective “our God” in 1:10.
1:11-31 Isaiah immediately begins speaking for and as God using the first-person “me” and “I” in 1:11, “me” and “my” in 1:12, “me” and “I” in 1:13, “I” twice and “me” in 1:14, “I” twice and “my” in 1:15, and “my” in 1:16. Isaiah also speaks for and as God using the first person in 1:24-26, while also referring to the people as “you,” “your,” and “they” (verses 15, 18-20, 22-23, 29-30, 31).
2:1-3:12 Isaiah 2:1 opens with, “The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem,” which is followed in 2:2 with Isaiah narrating his vision all the way through 3:3, during which (other than when Isaiah quotes the people) he refers to God using the third-person “his majesty” in 2:10, in 2:19, and in 2:21. In 2:19 and in 2:21 Isaiah also uses “he” for God with the chapter ending in 2:22. Isaiah appears to continue with the same speech through 3:3 but then in 3:4, without any break or change in speaker, Isaiah immediately begins speaking for and as God with the first person “I,” which he continues to do through 3:7. But then in 3:8, without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “his glorious presence” and continues speaking in this way through 3:11.
Isaiah goes from using the first-person “I” and “my” in verse 7 while speaking for and as God, to using the third-person “his” for God in 3:8 through 3:11, and then back to using the first-person (“my”) toward his people (“my people”). Or it may be that Isaiah is again switching from the third-person “his glorious presence” in 3:8 to the first-person “my” here in 3:12 (“my people”) while speaking for and as God. As we will see repeatedly in this article, “my people” in Isaiah is not always clear. Often it can either be Isaiah speaking from his own person about his own people, or he could be him speaking for and as God while also referring to the people as belong to God.
3:13-4:6 If Isaiah is speaking for and as God in 3:12 as he refers to “my people,” then in 3:13 he switches back again to using the third-person “his” in reference to God without any clear break or change in speaker. Isaiah proceeds either to quote God’s words in the middle of 3:14 or in 3:15, as he goes from using the third-person “his people” for God in 3:14 to using the first-person “my people” in the very next verse (3:15) as Isaiah returns to speaking for and as God! Isaiah opens 3:16 with, “Then Jaho(h) said,” and then proceeds to speak words as God without any further first- or third-person references as or to God (not including references to God by name) through to the end of Chapter 3 in verse 26, as well throughout all of Chapter 4.
5:1- 5:30 Isaiah begins Chapter 5 by singing words from his own first person (“me” in 5:1) about a “vineyard.” He does this through the end of 5:2. Then in 5:3, without any clear break or evident change in speaker from 5:2, Isaiah beings speaking for and as God using the first person, “(“me and my vineyard”), which he does also in 5:4 (“my vineyard” and “I”), in 5:5 (“me” and “my”) and in 5:5-6 with “I.” Then in 5:7, again without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches to the using the third-person “his” and “he” in reference to God. Isaiah continues speaking the same way in 5:8. In 5:9 Isaiah first refers to words God spoke 'in his ears,' after which he proceeds to speak these words through the end of 5:12. There (verse 12) Isaiah again refers to God in the third person using “his hands,” even though he is speaking the words God put ‘in his ears.' Then at the start of 5:13, without any break or change in speaker, Isaiah either again refers to his people as “my people,” or he is continuing to speak God’s words now from the first person and without any clear change from speaking in the third person about God. Isaiah resumes his speech in 5:14 and uses the third-person “himself” for God in 5:16, “his” once and “he” four times in 5:25, “he” in 5:26, with Isaiah continuing the same speech through the end of the chapter in 5:30.
6:1-6:10 In verse 1 Isaiah begins by speaking openly for himself using the first-person “I.” Isaiah then describes a vision he received which showed God in heaven surrounded by spirits, including winged “seraphs” who start speaking to each other in 6:3. Then, either in 6:4 or at the start of 6:5, Isaiah resumes speaking from his own person using “I” and “my” until one of the seraphs speaks to him at the end of 6:7. In 6:8 Isaiah speaks from his own person again with “I,” and then says he hears Jaho(h)’s voice asking, “Who will go for us?” and he answers with the first-person “I” and “me.” Isaiah then narrates what God says to him starting in 6:9 with the words, “Go and tell this people,” which words include 6:10 (quoted in John 12:40) which explain why the people experiencing the fulfillment of Isaiah 52 and 53 in John Chapter 12 “could not see with their eyes” though they ‘beheld God’s servant’s glory exceedingly.’—Isaiah 52:13 (Greek); compare with Isaiah 53:1-2 (Greek), quoted in John 12:38 as the ‘fulfillment’ of the events of John 12.
See here for a complete review of John Chapter 12 together with Isaiah Chapters 6, 52, and 53 and the meaning of “glory” in John 12:41.
6:11-6:13 In 6:11 Isaiah says in the first-person, “Then I said, ‘Jaho(h), how long?’” Isaiah immediately follows this with, “he answered,” referring to God in the third person. Isaiah then records the words God spoke to him through the end of 6:13.
7:1-7:9 Isaiah no longer appears to be speaking God’s words, which ended with Chapter 6. Instead, he narrates about war with Syria in the “days of Ahaz” (7:1), which is followed by “a report to the house of David” and how this made Ahaz and the people in Jerusalem afraid (7:2). At the start of 7:3 we read, “Then Jaho(h) said to Isaiah,” followed by Jaho(h) telling Isaiah to go with his son to speak with Ahaz. In 7:4-7:9 Jaho(h) tells Isaiah what to say to Ahaz.
7:10-7:26 Verse 10 opens with, “Then Jaho(h) continued speaking to Ahaz,” which he does through Isaiah who through 7:11 tells Ahaz to ask for a sign. Ahaz answers God in 7:12 saying he will not put Jaho(h) to the test. Then, though it may appear as if God speaks in reply to Ahaz beginning in 7:13 based on the preceding verses, without any break or change in speaker at the end of 7:13 we find it is Isaiah speaking and using “my God” in reference to Jaho(h). Beginning in 7:14 Isaiah refers to “Jaho(h) himself” who will give a sign, which Isaiah proceeds to do from the remainder of 7:14 through the end of Chapter 7. He first refers to a child born in their time called, “Immanuel.” Initially, this was likely Hezekiah. Prophetically, Christians also believe this to be Jesus, about whom Isaiah speaks through 7:16. There Isaiah tells the people about their hope in the promised child, saying, “before the boy knows to refuse evil and to choose good, the land whose two kings you fear will be abandoned.” Isaiah then continues speaking God’s words about the coming of the Assyrians without any clear break or change in speaker through the end of Chapter 7.
See here for additional information on the text and meaning of “Immanuel,” and about the one who gave him birth, according to Isaiah 7:14.
8:1-8:10 Isaiah opens 8:1 with, “Then Jaho(h) said to me,” clearly distinguishing himself from Jaho(h) here, but which is then followed by Isaiah speaking for and as God from the first-person using “I” in 8:2, after which Isaiah switches back to using the first-person “I” for himself in 8:3 without any clear break or change in speaker evident until the end of 8:3, where Isaiah again writes, “Then Jaho(h) said to me.” Isaiah then repeats Jaho(h)’s words through the end of 8:4. At the start of 8:5 Isaiah again uses, “Jaho(h) spoke to me,” followed by Jaho(h)’s words about the king of Assyria and about how the Assyrians will ‘fill the land of Immanuel,’ to whom Jaho(h)’s words are addressed according to the end of 8:8 (see above under 7:10-7:26 for more on “Immanuel”). Isaiah continues speaking God’s words through the end of 8:9 where he breaks with speaking to Immanuel and/or to the people and either again uses “Immanuel” at the end of 8:10, or he speaks collectively, including himself, with the meaning of “Immanuel” intended not as a name or in reference to a single person, “For God is with us.”
8:11-8:22 At the start of verse 11 Isaiah refers to Jaho(h) whom he says, “spoke to me,” telling “me” (Isaiah) “not to walk in the way of this people.” Isaiah proceeds to record God’s words to him (note the “you” in verse 12) from 8:12 to 8:15, speaking as if he is God yet at the same time using third-person references to God (“he” multiple times). Then without any indication the speaker has changed, and without any clear break in speaking, in 8:16 Isaiah starts speaking for himself and referring to “my disciples,” as well as using the first-person “I” and “me” in 8:17-8:18. Isaiah then continues speaking from his own person through the end of Chapter 8 in verse 22.
9:1-10:4 Without any clear break in speaker from the end of Chapter 8, in 9:1 Isaiah uses third-person references to God as “he.” This is followed in 9:2 to 9:5 by Isaiah speaking from his own person and using second person (“you” and “your”) references to God while speaking to him. Starting in 9:6 Isaiah refers to himself and to the people collectively as “us,” and with third-person references to the “child” born” to them which he continues with through 9:7. Isaiah continues speaking from his own person from 9:8 to 9:21 with the collective first-person “we” in 9:10, third-person “his” and “him” references in 9:12-13 for God, “he” and “his” for God in 9:17, and “his” again at the end of Chapter 9 (verse 21). Isaiah continues speaking from his own person from 10:1 to 10:4, first referring to “my people” in 10:2, but which is then followed by third-person references (“his”) for God in 10:4.
See here for a discussion of the history and meaning of Isaiah 9:6 in the Hebrew and Greek texts.
See here for a discussion of what “mighty G-god” means in Isaiah 9:6 and 10:21, and why the Greek tradition most often translates “mighty god” in 9:6 by “angel,” while in 10:21 this is not done in any Greek text tradition, but by a form of the Greek word theos (“G-god”). This shows these two references were not understood in the same way by ancient Jews. The linked video also shows how angels are considered ‘mighty gods’ in the Bible (again, with “mighty god” of 9:6 identified as an “angel” [angelos] in the most common Greek translations), and how neither Isaiah 9:6 nor angels as “gods” compromise the Mighty God of Isaiah 10:21 as the “one God.”— Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; Galatians 3:20; compare 1 Timothy 2:5.
See here for more information on the meaning of “God is one” versus “one God” in Deuteronomy 6:4, Galatians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 8:6, and 1 Timothy 2:5.
10:5-10:11 Without introduction and without any clear break or change in speaker from Isaiah using the third person about God in the preceding verses, in 10:5 Isaiah begins speaking for and as God with the first-person “my” in 10:5 and “I” verses 10:6 and 10:11. But then in 10:12, without any clear break or change in speaker from the preceding verses where God is speaking in the first-person through Isaiah, Isaiah switches to using the third-person “he” for God. Then in the same verse (10:12), and again without any clear break or change from speaking about God using the third-person, Isaiah starts speaking for and as God using the first-person “I.” The NASB adds, “He will say” in italics indicating these words are not in the Hebrew text but added likely because of the unclear switch Isaiah makes from the third when speaking about God to using the first person and speaking as God!
Isaiah finishes speaking from the first-person as God at the end of 10:12 and immediately in 10:13 he again refers to God using the third person, “For he has said.” But then once again, in the same verse (10:13) Isaiah proceeds to speak for and as God using the first-person “my” and “I,” which he continues doing in 10:14. It appears Isaiah stops speaking directly for and as God in 10:15-10:16 since Isaiah refers to God first by his name and then by using the third-person “his” in 10:16, again, without any clear change or break in speaker until the second part of 10:24.
10:24-12:6 Isaiah begins in 10:24 with, “this is what Lord Jaho(h) of armies says,” which is followed by Isaiah speaking for and as God using the first-person “my people” in 10:24 and “my anger” in 10:25. Without any clear break or change from speaking for and as God with the first-person in 10:24-10:25, Isaiah immediately begins using third-person references to God (“he” and “his”) in 10:26-10:34. Starting in 11:1-11:5 Isaiah refers to God and to the Messiah using the third-person several times, as he does also in 11:9-12, with either Isaiah speaking in verse 11:10 about “my holy mountain” (= his known land of Israel) or we have another instance of him speaking for and as God using the first person but without any clear break or change in speaker.
Isaiah then refers to God in the third person with “he” and “his” in 11:15 and with “his” in 11:16. Isaiah continues speaking through 12:1 in which verse he also introduces and quotes words spoken by the people to God which words continue through the end of 12:2, with Isaiah saying for the people, “He has become my salvation.” Starting in 12:3 and through to the first part of 12:4 Isaiah again introduces what he is about to say on behalf of the people, as if they are addressing God, which he / they do through the end of the chapter in 12:6.
13:1-14:32 Chapter 13 begins with a “pronouncement” which verse 1 says Isaiah “saw.” This is followed by Isaiah speaking for and as God from 13:2 to 13:4 while using the first-person “I” and “my” several times in 13:3, but which is then followed without any clear break or change in speaker by Isaiah using the third-person “his” in 13:5 and “he” in 13:9, which is then followed by several first-person uses of “I” in 13:11-13:13 as Isaiah resumes speaking for and as God. Indeed, in 13:13 Isaiah goes from using the first-person “I” for God (as he does also in 13:11-13:12) by saying, “I will make the heavens tremble,” to using the third person for God in the same verse without any change or break in speaker, saying at the end of verse 13, “In the day of his burning anger”!
Isaiah continues speaking from 13:14 to 13:16, followed in13:17 with Isaiah returning to the first-person “I” as he again speaks for and as God. He continues speaking in this way from 13:17 to 14:21, where he again takes up a pronouncement against Babylon by the people. Then, in 14:22 to 14:26, Isaiah returns to speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” and “my,” only to be followed by third-person references to God (“his”) in 14:27. Narration introduces another “pronouncement” in the year Ahaz died and in which Isaiah once again speaks from the first person as God (“I”) in 14:30, followed by him referring to God using the third-person “his people” in 14:32 without any clear break or change in speaker from the “I” of 14:30.
15:1-16:14 Narration in verse 1 introduces another “pronouncement,” this one against Moab in the year Ahaz died, and in which Isaiah once again speaks from the first-person for and as God using “my” in 15:5 (though this might be Isaiah from his own person) and “I” in 15:9. Isaiah continues speaking through 16:9 where we have two uses of “I” associated with “weeping” or “crying” which, again, may be Isaiah from his own person or him speaking for and as God anthropomorphically. In 16:10 we have a more clear instance of Isaiah speaking for and as God using the first-person, “I have made shouting to cease,” which is followed immediately in 16:11, without any clear break or change in speaker, by two first-person uses of “my” which, again, may be Isaiah or God referring to “my inner-self” (Hebrew: me ‘ay; Greek: he koilia mou) “and my heart” (Hebrew: we-qirbi; Greek: ta entos mou). 16:12 ends without any indication the speaker has changed. 16:13 says, “This is the word Jaho(h) spoke previously about Moab,” which is followed in 16:14 first with, “And now Jaho(h) has spoken, saying,” and then to end the chapter with God’s words about Moab.
17:1-18:7 In verse 1 there is a “pronouncement against Damascus” without a clear indication of the speaker until verse 6, where we are told these are God’s words spoken by Isaiah. This is clear from the continuing speech in 17:13 where Isaiah refers to God in the third person with, “he will rebuke it,” as well as uses the collective “us” for both Isaiah and Israel in 17:14. Isaiah continues speaking for God, referring to himself in the first-person (“to me”) in 18:4, and ending the chapter in 18:7.
19:1-19:27 Verse 1 introduces another “pronouncement,” this one against Egypt, which Isaiah delivers while referring to God using the third-person “his” in 19:1, followed immediately at the start of 19:2 with Isaiah switching to “I” while speaking for and as God in 19:1, 19:2, and 19:3. Isaiah continues speaking for and as God while denouncing Egypt through to 19:15, after which Isaiah refers to God in the third-person (“he”) in 19:16-19:17 and 19:20-19:22. There is no change in speaker until the end of the chapter, when in 19:27 Isaiah speaks for and as God using “my” three times.
20:1-20:6 Verse 1 beings with narration about Ashdod and Assyria through to 20:2, where we are told God begins to speak “through Isaiah … saying,” which words from God to Isaiah are recorded in part in 20:2, followed by a narrative break at the end of 20:2 and at the first part of 20:3, after which in 20:3 Jaho(h) again speaks directly to Isaiah. God even refers to Isaiah in the third person while speaking to him, “Just as my servant Isaiah.” Jaho(h) continues speaking to Isaiah in this way through the end of the chapter in 20:6.
21:1-21:10 Verse 1 begins with a “pronouncement against the wilderness of the sea” as a “hard vision” given to “me,” that is, Isaiah (verse 2), who appears to continue speaking from his own person with “I” and “my” from 21:3-6. In 21:6 he writes, “this is what Jaho(h) says to me.” Isaiah then repeats God’s words in 21:7-21:8, which include sending a “lookout,” followed by the lookout responding to Isaiah in 21:8-21:9 with a message about Babylon’s downfall proclaimed by horsemen. Isaiah then picks up the narration again from his own person in 21:10, using the first-person, “My trampled people” (Legacy Standard Bible; compare NASB, “my downtrodden people”). Isaiah concludes 21:10 with, “What I have heard from Jaho(h) of armies, the God of Israel, I make known to you.”
21:11-22:25 In 21:11 we begin with another “pronouncement,” this one against Edom, which Isaian gives through the end of 21:12, followed by a “pronouncement against Arabia” introduced in 21:13 and completed in 21:14 to 21:15. In 21:16 Isaiah opens with, “this is what Jaho(h) said to me,” followed by God’s words to Isaiah through to the end of the chapter (21:17). This is followed by another pronouncement in 22:1 against “the valley of vision,” with Isaiah appearing to give it from his own person while using the first-person “I” and “my” in 22:4. Isaiah continues speaking from his own person through 22:10, but in 22:11 Isaiah refers to God in the third-person twice as “him,” which is followed in 22:14 with Isaiah saying, “Jaho(h) of armies revealed himself to me.” God does just that in 22:15-16, which is prefaced by, “This is what Jaho(h) of armies says.” Then in 22:17, without any change or break from the preceding verses, Isaiah begins speaking and referring to God in the third person (“he”), followed in 22:19 to the end of the chapter in 22:25 with God again speaking using the first-person “I” and “my” without any break or change in speaker from Isaiah in 22:17.
23:1-24:23 Begins with a new pronouncement against Tyre, followed by Isaiah giving the pronouncement from his own person and referring to God with the third-person “he” in 23:11 and 23:12 as he continues to speak through the end of the chapter in 23:18. Starting in 24:1, Isaiah continues giving the pronouncement against Tyre through 24:16, where he says, “I say, “I am done! I am done! Woe to me.”” This is followed by Isaiah continuing with the pronouncement through the end of the chapter in 24:23 where there is an unclear third-person reference to, “His glory will be before His elders.”
But “His” in the first instance does not attach to “glory” in the Hebrew, indicated also by NASB’s italicization of “His” in “His glory,” but no italics with “His” in “His elders,” which does include a third-person singular in Hebrew, “and before his elders [is / will be] glory” (weneged zeqenayn kabod). The Greek reads, “and before the elders he will be glorified” (kai enōpion tōn presbuterōn doxasthēsetai). The meaning of the text appears to be when God reigns in Jerusalem the elders there will have glory with him (Hebrew), or that God will be glorified before the elders when he reigns (Greek).
25:1-27:13 Isaiah begins by addressing God directly in 25:1: “Jaho(h), you are my God. I exalt you. I praise your name.” Isaiah continues speaking directly to God and referring to him in the third-person “he” in 25:7-8, 25:11-12, and 26:5, as well as using the collective “we” and “our” for him and the people in 25:9. Isaiah continues speaking to God in the same way through the end of the chapter in 25:12. In 26:1 a song is introduced that is to be “sung in the land of Judah,” which song Isaiah presents from his own person and collectively with the people from 26:1 to the end of the chapter in 26:21. 27:1 continues from the prior chapter with Isaiah referring to God in the third-person as the one who punishes and who kills “Leviathan.” This appears to carry into 27:2 with the “day” there sung about being the time when God kills Leviathan, the subject from the start of 27:1. Then in 27:3, without any clear break or change in speaker from the prior verses, God begins speaking from the first-person, saying, “I, Jaho(h).” Isaiah then speaks for and as God for the rest of the chapter in 27:13.
28:1-28:29 It is unclear who is speaking in verse 1, but starting in 28:2 we get third-person references to God (“he”) followed by the same in 28:5 (“his”). This speech pattern continues through 28:12, after which in 28:13 the speaker introduces God speaking directly with the words, “the word of Jaho(h) to them will be.” This is followed by Isaiah speaking for and as God through to 28:20 using the first-person “I” in 28:16 and 28:17, until 28:21 when the speaker switches back to using he third-person “he” and “his” for God without any other indication a change in speaker has occurred. In 28:22 Isaiah says, “I have heard from Lord Jaho(h) of armies,” showing Isaiah is still speaking, which he does through to the end of the chapter in 28:29. Before this, Isaiah uses language in 28:22-23 which is similar in parts to 48:16. Compare:
28:23 (Isaiah speaking):
(22) I have heard from Lord Jaho(h) of armies.
(23) Listen [ha-’azinu] and hear [sim‘u] my voice [qoli].
(23) Pay attention [haqsibu] and hear [sim‘u]
my words [’Imrati].
48:16 (Isaiah speaking):
(16) Lord Jaho(h) has sent Me.
(16) Come near [qir-bu] to me [e-lay].
(16) Hear this [sim‘u zot]. …
29:1-29:24 Immediately in verse 1 Isaiah begins speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” in verses 2-3 without any clear break or change in speaker from the end of Chapter 28. Isaiah continues speaking for and as God through the end of 29:9. Starting in 29:10, Isaiah switches to using third-person references to God (“he”) through 29:12, after which in 29:13 Isaiah says, “Then the Lord said.” This is followed in 29:14 through 29:21 with Isaiah immediately speaking for and as God again using the first-person “me” several times in 29:13 and “I” in 29:14. Then in 29:22 Isaiah says, “this is what Jaho(h) … says concerning the house of Jacob,” which is immediately followed by Isaiah again speaking for and as God through the end of the chapter in 29:24, using the first-person “my” multiple times in verse 23.
30:1-30:33 Chapter 30 opens with, “‘Woe to the rebellious children,’ declares Jaho(h),” which is followed immediately from the second part of 30:1 through 30:5 with Isaiah again speaking for and as God without any indication this has changed from the preceding chapter, using “mine” and “my” after the introduction in 30:1 and “me” in 30:2. Then 30:6 introduces a “pronouncement about the animals of the Negev” that is immediately followed by Isaiah again speaking for and as God while giving the pronouncement from 30:7 through 30:17 using the first-person “I.” Then in 30:18, without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “he” and “him” for God, “he” several times in 30:19, “he” and “himself” in 30:20, “he” in 30:24, “his” and “he” in 30:26, “his” several times in 30:27, “his” in 30:28, “his” twice in 30:30, and “he” in 30:31-32 with Isaiah continuing the same speech through the end of the chapter in 30:33.
31:1-33:24 Verse 1 begins with narration against Egypt by Isaiah, who refers to God using the third-person “he” and his” in 31:2 and “his” in 31:3. Then in 31:4 Isaiah says, “this is what Jaho(h) says to me,” which is followed by Isaiah continuing to speak God’s words which were said to him, and while doing so Isaiah again refers to God using the third-person “he” twice in 31:5 and “him” once in 31:6 before the chapter ends in 31:9. From 32:1 to 32:8 Isaiah continues speaking without any clear break or change in speaker until 32:9, when Isaiah uses the first-person twice while speaking for and as God (“my voice” and “my word”). Isaiah also uses the first person while speaking for and as God in 32:13 and 32:18 (“my people”) before the chapter ends in 32:20, and with Isaiah speaking through the end of 33:1.
Then in 33:2 Isaiah starts speaking of himself and the people collectively using “us” and “our” while speaking directly to God. Isaiah continues speaking through 33:5 where he switches back to using the third-person “he” in reference to God, as he does also in 33:6, after which Isaiah continues with the same speech through the end of 33:9. Starting in 33:10 Isaiah switches back to the first-person while speaking for and as God, saying: “I will arise, says Jaho(h). Now I will be exalted. Now I will be lifted up.” Isaiah continues speaking for and as God in 33:11 using the first-person “my” and “I” and “my” in 33:13. He continues the same speech through the end of 33:21 but in 33:22, without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches back to using the collective “our” and “us” for him and the people while also referring to God using the third-person, “he will save us,” with the chapter ending in 33:24.
34:1-34:17 There is no clear break in speaker from the prior verses, which continues to be Isaiah speaking God’s words, confirmed by the third-person “his” and “he” in 34:2, which continues through the end of 34:4. Then in 34:5, without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah goes from using the third-person references to God in 34:2 to speaking directly for and as God using the first-person “my” and “I” in 34:5 saying, “my sword has drunk its fill in heaven. … upon the people whom I have designated for destruction.” This is followed in 34:11 by Isaiah switching back to using third-person “he” for God, as well as “his mouth” and “his spirit” in 34:16, all while continuing to speak for and as God through the end of the chapter in 34:17.
35:1-35:10 Isaiah continues speaking from the end of the prior chapter, referring to “our God” in 35:2, but then referring to “your God” and to God as “he” in 35:4 without any break or change in speaker through the end of the chapter in 35:10.
36:1-36:3 Narration of events related to Assyria in the 14th year of Hezekiah.
36:4-36:10 Rabshakeh of Assyria speaks words to Hezekiah.
36:11 Eli'akim, Sheb'na, and Jo'ah answer Rabshakeh.
36:12 Rabshakeh answers Eli'akim, Sheb'na, and Jo'ah.
36:13-36:20 Rabshakeh calls out to all the people of Jerusalem.
36:21-37:35 Narration about the people’s reaction and with Eli'akim, Sheb'na, and Jo'ah going to Hezekiah to report Rabshakeh’s words at the end of the chapter in 36:22. At the start of Chapter 37, Hezekiah responds to hearing the report by tearing his clothes and going to the “house of Jaho(h).” In 37:2 Hezekiah sends Eli’akim and Shebna to Isaiah to seek Jaho(h)’s help through Isaiah in 37:3-37:5. This is followed in 37:6 with Isaiah speaking and introducing “what Jaho(h) says,” which is followed by Isaiah speaking for and as God using the first-person “me” in 37:6 and “I” twice in 37:7.
Then in 37:8-37:13 there is narration about Rabshakeh hearing a report about the Ethiopians and sending messengers to Hezekiah. In 37:14-15 Hezekiah reads Rabshakeh’s letters and lays them out before God. In 37:16-37:20 Hezekiah prays to God, which is followed in 37:21-37:35 with Isaiah coming to Hezekiah and speaking for and as God, even saying, “you prayed to me” in 37:21, as well as “me” in 37:28-29, “I myself,” “my” and “I” in 37:25-26, 28-29, 35.
37:36-37:38 Narration through the end of the chapter about the angel of Jaho(h) destroying the Assyrian army and about Sennacherib’s death by his sons after he fled to Nineveh.
38:1-38:22 Narration about Hezekiah being sick and how Isaiah went to him to speak for and as God to tell Hezekiah he would die. Hezekiah then prays to God in verses 2-3, asking him for mercy while weeping. Then in verse 4 we read, “the word of Jaho(h) came to Isaiah, saying,” which is followed in the beginning of 38:5 with God telling Isaiah to tell Hezekiah what God is about to tell Isaiah. Isaiah then repeats what God tells him using the first-person “I” multiple times in 38:5-6, followed by Isaiah referring to God in the third-person (“he”) in 38:7, after which Isaiah immediately switches back to using the first-person “I” as he speaks for and as God in 38:8 without any clear break or change in speaker from 38:7. From 38:9 through 38:20 we read Hezekiah’s letter which he wrote upon his recovery. Isaiah speaks in his own person about preparing a remedy for Hezekiah. Hezekiah asks Isaiah for a sign, but no response is given as the chapter ends.
39:1-39:8 Hezekiah shows Babylonians his treasures. Then Isaiah asks Hezekiah about what he showed them. Hezekiah tells Isaiah what he showed the Babylonians. Starting in 39:5 and ending in 39:7, Isaiah speaks prophetic words from God to Hezekiah about Babylon. In 39:8 Hezekiah verbally acknowledges the prophecy given by Isaiah as “good,” and the chapter ends.
Isaiah 40:1-40:31 Isaiah begins speaking for and as God using the first-person “my” in 40:1 and continues to do so through the end of 40:2. Starting in 40:3, Isaiah quotes “the voice of one calling out” to ‘make the way ready’ for the one whom he collectively refers to as “our God.” Isaiah continues quoting the ‘voice calling out’ from 40:3 through 40:8, where he again uses the collective first-person, “our God.” Then in 40:10 Isaiah refers to God using the third-person “his” and “him, “he” and “his” in 40:11, “his” in 40:12, “his” and “him” in 40:13, “he” and “him” in 40:14, “he” in 40:15, “him” in 40:17-18, and “he” in 40:22-24.
But then in 40:25, without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches from using the third person to using the first-person “me” and “I” while speaking for and as God! Then in 40:26, again without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches back to using the third person “he” and “his” for God, only to be followed in 40:27 by Isaiah quoting Jacob / Israel and using the first-person “my God,” which quotation ends in the same verse. In 40:28 Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “his” for God, then “he” in 40:29, with Isaiah continuing the same speech through the end of the chapter in 40:31.
41:1-41:29 Without any clear break or change in speaker from the preceding chapter, Isaiah speaks for and as God throughout Chapter 41. He uses the first-person “me” in 41:4, “I” in 41:10, “my” and “I” in 41:8-10, “I” in 41:15, “I” and “myself” in 41:17, “I” in 41:18-19, I” and “my” in 41:25, and “I” in 41:27-28. The chapter then ends in 41:29 without any break or change in speaker, which is still Isaiah speaking for and as God.
42:1-42:25 Isaiah continues speaking
for and as God without any clear break from the preceding chapter. Isaiah begins
42:1 by speaking God’s words as follows:
“Behold! My servant whom I uphold. My
chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have
put my spirit on him. He will bring justice to
the nations.”
This is followed in 42:13 by Isaiah again switching back to speaking for and as God, once again without any clear break or change in speaker, using the first-person “I” and “myself” in 42:14, “I” in 42:15-16, “my” in 42:18, and “my” twice in 42:19. Isaiah continues speaking for and as God using the first person until the end of the chapter in 42:25 where he again switches back to using the third-person “he” and “his” for God.
43:1-43:28 Isaiah continues using the third-person “he” for God at the opening of Chapter 43 to introduce God’s words, which Isaiah then proceeds to speak as if he is God while using the first-person “I” and “mine” in second part of 43:1, “I” in 43:2-3, “my” and “I” several times in 43:4-43:7, “my,” “I,” and “me” in 43:10, “I” and “me” in 43:11, “I” and “my” multiple times in 43:12-13, and “I” twice in 43:14-15. Isaiah begins 43:14 with, “This is what Jaho(h)… says,” followed by Isaiah speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” in the second part of 43:14 and 43:15. Then in 43:16 Isaiah again writes, “This is what Jaho(h) says,” but which are now followed by Isaiah continuing to speak for and as God using the first-person “I” in 43:19, “me,” “I,” and “my” in 43:20, “I,” “myself,” and “my” in 43:21, “me” twice in 43:22, “me” and “I in 43:23, “me” several times in 43:24, “I” and “my” in 43:25, “me” in 43:26-27, and “I” twice to end the chapter in 43:28.
44:1-44:28 Isaiah continues speaking for and as God at the start of Chapter 44, using “my” and “I” in 44:1, in 44:2, and in 44:3, “I” and “me” in 44:6, “me” (twice) and “my” in 44:7, and “I,” “my,” and “me” in 44:8. Then in 44:18 Isaiah switches to using a third-person “he” for God without any change or break in speaker. He simply switches from one person to the other while speaking for and as God and for and as himself, or collectively for himself and for the people. Isaiah then switches back to speaking for and as God with the first-person “my” (twice) and “me” in 44:21, “I” and “me” in 44:22, only to be followed in 44:23 by Isaiah switching back to using the third-person “he” and “his” for God, all without any clear break or change in speaker.
This is followed in 44:24 by Isaiah returning to the first-person “I” and “myself” as he once again speaks for and as God without any break or change from 44:23, where Isaiah used the third person for God. Then in 44:26 Isaiah switches back the third-person “his” (twice) for God. The chapter ends in 44:28 with Isaiah switching from the first-person “my” to the third-person “he” in the same verse / speech, all while speaking either as (“my”) or in reference to (“he”) God!
See here for a video discussion of Isaiah 44:8, “Besides me there is no god,” and related texts.
See here for a video discussion of Isaiah 44:24 and the role of “Wisdom” in the creation by God.
45:1-45:25 Just like the last verse of Chapter 44, Isaiah opens by speaking for and as God but he also switches from the third-person “his” to the first-person “I” in referring to or when speaking as God, again, without any clear break or change in speaker from the end of the prior chapter or in the opening verse of Chapter 45. Isaiah speaks for and as God using the first-person “I” in 45:1-3, “my,” “I,” and “me” in 45:4, “I” and “me” in 45:5-6, “I” in 45:7-8, “me” and “my” in 45:11, and “I” and “my” in 45:12-13. Isaiah continues speaking for God, as well as mocking others, from 45:14 to 45:17.
Then Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “he” several times for God in 45:18 as he introduces additional words by God which Isaiah begins quoting in the same verse (45:18). In doing so, Isaiah switches back to using the first-person “I,” “my,” “me,” and “myself” several times from 45:19 to the first part of 45:24. After initially speaking for and as God using the first-person “me” in 45:24, in the rest of the verse Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “him” (twice) for God without any clear break or change in speaker from his prior use of the first-person “me” at the start of 45:24! This is followed by a reference to “Jaho(h) and the chapter ending in 45:25.
46:1-46:13 Isaiah resumes speaking for and as God from 46:1 to 46:13 using the first-person “me” in 46:3, “I” several times in 46:4, “me” several times in 46:5, “I” and “me” in 46:9, “my” and “I” in 46:10-11, “my” in 46:12, and “I” and “my” several times in 46:13 to end the chapter.
47:1-47:15 Isaiah continues speaking without any clear break or change from the end of the preceding chapter, even saying, “I will take vengeance,” in 47:3. But then immediately at the start of 47:4 Isaiah switches back to using the third-person for God (“his name”) without any clear break or change in speaker, after which Isaiah resumes speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” and “my” in 47:6 as Isaiah continues the same speech against Babylon through the end of the chapter in 47:15.
48:1-48:16 Verse 1 opens with, “Hear this, house of Jacob,” followed in 48:2 with a third-person reference to “Jaho(h)” and to “his name,” which is immediately followed in 48:3 with Isaiah switching to the first-person “I” and “my” as he speaks for and as God, which he continues to do in 48:4 with “I,” and with “I” and “my” in 48:5, 48:6, and 48:8. Isaiah continues speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” and “my” in 48:9, “I” in 48:10, and “my” and “I” in 48:11, “me” and “I” in 48:12, and “my” and “I” in 48:13. But then in 48:14 Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “he” and “his,” which is followed immediately in 48:15 by Isaiah switching back to the first-person “I” several times as he speaks for and as God, while also referring to someone in the third-person as “him,” “he,” “his,” and as one “called” and “brought” who will make “his ways successful.”
Then at the start of 48:16 Isaiah says, “Come near to
me. Hear this.” Next Isaiah either continues speaking for and as God or
switches back to speaking from his own person while using the first-person “I.”
Or Isaiah is still speaking for and as God using “I” until the end of 48:16,
where it becomes clear Isaiah has resumed speaking from his own person while
using the first-person “me.” Here is the entire verse translated from the
Hebrew text, which very clear separates the speaker who is using the
first-person “me” and “I” from “Jaho(h)” whom the speaker says, “sent me.” Notice
how the verse also makes a distinction between Jaho(h), “his spirit,” and the
speaker:
“Come near to me. Hear this. Since the
beginning I have not spoken in secret. From the time it occurred I
was there, and now Lord Jaho(h) has sent me and his spirit.”
The references to ‘not speaking in secret from the beginning’ and being present ‘from the time it occurred’ relate directly to what was said earlier in 48:3-6, here translated by the NASB but with my emphasis added to key parts:
48:3: “I declared the
former things long ago,
And they went out of My
mouth, and I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I acted, and they
came to pass.
48:4 “Because I know that
you are obstinate,
And your neck is an
iron tendon
And your forehead bronze,
48:5 Therefore I
declared them to you long ago,
Before they
took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My
idol has done them,
And my carved image and my
cast metal image have commanded them.’
48:6 “You have heard;
look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
The above texts show that the people, including
Isaiah, were spoken to “long ago” and they “heard” what was said. Jaho(h) asks
who among them will proclaim it, the answer to which is given by Isaiah in
48:16. Isaiah is brought forth by Jaho(h) as an Israelite among those addressed
by God in 48:12, “‘Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel whom I called.’” This
is similarly repeated in 48:14, “‘Assemble, all of you, and listen!’”
48:14 continues with God asking the people:
“Who among them has
declared these things? Jaho(h) loves him. He will complete his
desire against Babylon.”
In answer to this 48:15 has God saying:
“I, yes, I have spoken. I have called him. I have
brought him, and he will make his ways successful.”
See here for more information on the meaning of “spirit” in Isaiah 48:16, as well as for additional information on the speakers and speech patterns in Isaiah 40-48.
48:17-48:22 Immediately after saying God sent him with God’s spirit in 48:16, Isaiah begins speaking for and as God just like he has been doing throughout the book to this point, using the first-person “I am Jaho(h) your God” in 48:17 and “my commandments” in 48:18. Then at the end of 48:20 Isaiah breaks from speaking for and as God to speak to the people, “Say, ‘Jaho(h) has redeemed his servant Jacob.’” This is followed in 48:21 with three third-person references to God as “he,” which is then followed in the final verse of the chapter (48:23) where Isaiah resumes speaking for and as God, saying, “‘There is no peace for the wicked,’ says Jaho(h).”
49:1-49:5 Isaiah continues speaking without any clear break or change in speaker from the prior chapter, and he openly identifies himself as the one God “brought” and “called” from birth, who is represented by “Jacob” and “Israel” (connecting it directly with Isaiah 48:12). Here are verses 1-4 according to the NASB with emphasis added:
49:1 Listen to Me, you islands,
And pay attention, you
peoples from afar.
The LORD called Me from the
womb;
From the body of My
mother He named Me.
49:2 He has made My
mouth like a sharp sword,
In the shadow of His hand He
has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me
a sharpened arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
49:3 He said to Me,
“You are My Servant, Israel,
In whom I will show My
glory.”
49:4 But I said, “I have
labored in vain,
I have spent My
strength for nothing and futility;
Nevertheless, the justice due to
Me is with the LORD,
And My reward is with My God.”
Notice the NASB ends the speaker’s words at the end of verse 4. However, there is nothing to indicate a change in speaker has occurred. Indeed, in 49:5 Isaiah merely appears to continue speaking just as he has been doing in 49:1-4 (NASB with emphasis added):
49:5 And
now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to
be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to
Him, so that
Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the
sight of the LORD,
And My God is My strength),”
Clearly, Isaiah continues to speak from his own first-person in 49:4, saying God “formed Me… to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him… that Israel might be gathered to Him… For I am honored in the sight of” Jaho(h)! This all fits with the prior chapter and, especially, with the speaker of 48:16, the one “sent” by Jaho(h) with “his spirit.” Notice also how the NASB again ends 49:5 with a change in speaker indicated by the closing double quotes enclosing a comma. Yet, the very next verse (49:6) does not indicate any break or change in speaker has occurred!
49:6-49:26 At the start of verse 6 Isaiah refers to God using the third-person, “he says,” but then immediately begins speaking for and as God using the first-person “my” and “I” in 49:6 and “I” several times in 49:8. But then in 49:10, without any break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “he” twice for God, which is immediately followed (again without any clear break or change in speaker) by Isaiah switching back to the first-person “I” and “my” (twice) as he again speaks for and as God in 49:11. Then in the same speech Isaiah switches back to the third-person “his” (twice) for God in 49:13. In 49:14 Isaiah quotes “Zion” as saying, “‘Jaho(h) has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.’” But then, in the very next verse (49:15), Isaiah resumes speaking for and as God using the first-person “I,” followed by “I,” “me,” and “my” in 49:16, “I” in 49:18, “I” and “my” in 49:22, “I” and “me” in 49:23, and “I” twice in 49:25-26 to end the chapter.
50:1-50:4 Isaiah continues speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” and “my” in 50:1-2 and “I” in 50:3. But then right after using multiple first-person references for and as God, in 50:4 Isaiah switches to speaking from his own person while using the same first-person “me,” “I,” and “my” for himself that he did while speaking for God in verses 1-3, as well as using the third-person “he” for God in the same verse (50:4): “Lord Jaho(h) has given me [Isaiah] the tongue of taught ones. … He [God] awakens my [Isaiah] ear to listen as a student.”
50:5-51:15 Isaiah continues with the same speech while using the first person for himself and the third person while speaking about God from verse 50:5 through the end of the chapter in 50:11. There, without any change or break in speaker, Isaiah appears to use the first-person “my” while speaking for and as God right after referring to destruction by “fiery arrows,” saying, “This you will have from my hand.” Then in 51:1 Isaiah starts speaking for and as God using the first person “me” (51:1) and “I” (51:2) without any clear break in speaker, followed in 51:3 with Isaiah switching back to using the third-person for God with “he” twice in 51:3. This is followed in 51:4 by Isaiah switching back once again to speak for and as God using the first-person “me,” “my,” and “I,” all without any clear break or change in speaker from 51:3.
Isaiah continues speaking for and as God using the first-person “my” and “me” several times in 51:5, “my” twice in 51:6, “me” and “my” in 51:7, and “my” twice in 51:8. Then immediately in 51:9, without any break or change in speaker, Isaiah addresses the “arm of Jaho(h),” asking it to “awake” and to act as it has done before when it destroyed “Rahab” and “the dragon,” and when it ‘parted the sea for the people’ (51:10). Then in 51:12, again without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah again speaks for and as God by using the first-person “I,” “myself,” and “he” (in reference to himself), “‘I, I Myself, am He who comforts you.’” (NASB). In 51:15 Isaiah also speaks for God, saying, “I am Jaho(h), your God,” but in the same verse he refers to God in the third person, “Jaho(h) of armies is his name”!
51:16-51:23 Verse 16 continues with Isaiah still speaking for and as God, even saying in the first- person, “I have put my words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of my hand.” But then in 51:17 Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “his anger” for God without any clear break or change in speaker 51:16. Isaiah appears to switch back to the first-person “I” for God in 51:19, though it could also be from his own person (“How shall I comfort you?” [NASB]). Then in the second part of 51:22 Isaiah presents what “Lord Jaho(h) God” says, which Isaiah proceeds to speak from 51:22 to the end of the chapter in 51:23, all while speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” and “my” in 51:22 and “I” in 51:23.
52:1-52:15 Isaiah continues speaking for and as God from the prior chapter using the first-person “my” in 52:4, and “my” and “I” several times in 52:5-6. Then in 52:10, without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches back to using the third-person, “his holy arm.” This is followed in 52:13 with Isaiah switching back again to using the first-person “my” without any break or change in speaker, as he resumes speaking for and as God about the Messiah to end the chapter in 52:15.
53:1-53:12 Isaiah opens Chapter 53 by asking, “Who has believed our report?” which is followed by, “and to whom has the arm of Jaho(h) been revealed?” Then 53:2 begins with what appears to be Isaiah speaking about how the Messiah will appear before God, “For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot” (NASB [emphasis added]), which is followed by Isaiah continuing to speak about the future Messiah, even using the collective “our” for him and the people several times in 53:4, “our” and “we” in 53:5, and “us” several times in 53:6. Isaiah continues the same speech through at least 53:8, where there is an ambiguous use of “my people,” which could either be Isaiah speaking from his own person or for and as God. Then from 53:9 through the first part of 53:11 Isaiah resumes speaking about the Messiah and God using the third person. Consider the whole of 53:10 (NASB):
But the LORD desired
To crush Him, causing Him grief;
If He renders Himself as a
guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the
LORD will prosper in His hand.
Now consider the whole of 53:11 (NASB), with my bracketed words added:
As a result of
the anguish of His [= Messiah] soul,
He [= God] will see it
and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the
Righteous One [= Messiah],
My [= God’s] Servant [=
Messiah], will justify the many,
For He [= Messiah] will bear their
wrongdoings.
Notice how easily and without any change in speaker Isaiah moves from “he” for God in the second line to “my” while speaking for and as God to start the fourth line. This is an excellent example of the type of speech pattern found throughout the book of Isaiah. As this article has made clear, Isaiah regularly speaks from his own person as well as for and as God in the same narrative, often in the same verse, without any clear break or change in speaker. Isaiah concludes Chapter 53 in verse 12 by continuing to speak for and as God using the first-person “I,” all while speaking about and referring to the Messiah using the third-person “him” “he,” and “his.”
See here for a complete review of John Chapter 12 together with Isaiah Chapters 6, 52, and 53, and for a discussion of how these texts relate to Jesus’ identity as the Messiah and the future “glory” of the Messiah which Isaiah “saw” in his human life, death, and resurrection.
54:1-55:13 Isaiah begins Chapter 54 speaking for and as God, confirmed by the end of verse 1 with, “says Jaho(h),” which he continues to do through 54:6, also confirmed at the end of verse 6 by, “says Jaho(h).” However, so far Isaiah has not used the first person when speaking for and as God from 54:1-6. This changes in 54:7 with Isaiah continuing to speak for and as God but now while using the first-person “I” in verse 7, “I” and “my” in 54:8, “I” and “me” in 54:9, “my” twice in 54:10, “I” twice in 54:11, “I” once in 54:12, “me” in 54:15, “I” twice in 54:16, and “me” to end the chapter in 54:17. Isaiah continues the same speech while speaking for and as God in 55:1 using the first-person “I” and “me” in 55:2 and “me” and “I” in 55:3-4.
Then in 55:5, without any clear break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches from the first-person while speaking for and as God in the preceding verses, to using the third-person “he” followed again by “he” and “him” in 55:6, and “he” twice along with a collective “our God” in 55:7. Then 55:8 opens with Isaiah again speaking for and as God using the first-person “my” twice, followed by “my” once in 55:9, and “my” twice,” “me” once, and “I” twice in 55:11. The chapter ends in 55:13 without any break or change in speaker.
56:1-56:7 Isaiah opens Chapter 56 with, “This is what Jaho(h) says,” which Isaiah proceeds to speak both for and as God using the first-person “my” twice in 56:1. This is followed by Isaiah speaking for “the foreigner” in 56:3, but then in 56:4 Isaiah resumes speaking for and as God using the first-person “my” twice and “me” once. as well as “I” and “my” twice in 56:5. Then in 56:7 Isaiah first switches to using the third-person “he” (twice) to open the verse. This is followed at the end of 56:7 by Isaiah using the first-person “my” as he switches back to speaking for and as God without any break or change in speaker from the earlier part of the same verse! This speech pattern continues with multiple first-person references in 56:8 as Isaiah again speaks for and as God. Indeed, notice how seamlessly Isaiah goes from using the third-person “his” twice for God in the first part of 56:6 to using the first-person “my” five times and “I” once while speaking for and as God in 56:6-7, per the NASB (emphasis added):
56:6 “Also the
foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
To attend to His
service and to love the name of the LORD,
To be His
servants, every one who keeps the Sabbath so as not to
profane it,
And holds firmly to My
covenant;
56:7 Even those I
will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My
house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and
their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar;
For My house will be
called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
Very clearly, Isaiah here speaks both from his own person about God (“his”), and from his own person as God (“my” and “I”), without any clear break or change in speaker. It is also without any indication that what is said from the first-person “my” and “I” does not apply to the one speaking, even though it does not.
56:8-57:21 Isaiah begins 56:8 with, “Jaho(h)… declares,” followed by Isaiah speaking for and as God starting in verse 8 with the first-person “I,” and continuing the same speech through the end of the chapter in 56:12. The same speech continues with Isaiah speaking for and as God from 57:1, with Isaiah using the first-person “I” at the end of 57:6, “me” in 57:8, “me” three times in 57:11, “I” in 57:12, “me” and “my” in 57:13, “my” in 57:14, “I” in 57:15, “I” three times and “me” once in 57:16, “I” twice and “my” once in 57:17, “I” three times in 57:18, “I” once in 57:19, and then to end the chapter in 57:21. Isaiah continues the same speech in verse 21 from the prior verses, as he speaks for and as God, but he also breaks in verse 21 to speak from his own person and to confirm he has been speaking for and as God by saying, “‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.’”
58:1-59:21 Isaiah continues speaking for and as God to start Chapter 58, using the first-person “my” in 58:1, “me” twice and “my” once in 58:2, and “I” in 58:5-6. But then in 58:9 Isaiah switches to using the third-person “he” for God without any break or change in speaker, followed in 58:13 with Isaiah returning to the first-person “my” while speaking for and as God, again, without any change in speaker to this point in Chapter 58. Isaiah continues speaking for and as God using “I” twice to end the chapter in 58:14. In 59:1 Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “he” for God, followed by “his” in 59:2. Then in 59:9 Isaiah begins using the collective “us” and “we” for him and the people, doing so multiple times in 59:10-13.
Then in 59:15 Isaiah again starts using the third-person “his” for God, followed by “he,” “his,” and “him” in 59:16, “he,” “his,” and “himself” in 59:17, “he” and “his” in 59:18-19. After this, Isaiah switches back to speaking for and as God using the first-person “me” and “my” in 59:21, including, “My Spirit who is upon you,” which appears related to 48:16’s “sent me and his spirit.” In both texts it is Isaiah (48:16) or Isaiah and the people (the “them” of, “My covenant with them,” in 59:21) who go forth with God’s spirit. The same fulfillment is evident in 61:1, which reads, “The spirit of Jaho(h) is upon me, because Jaho(h) anointed me to bring good news to the humble,” which for Isaiah and his people included rebuilding “the ancient ruins” and raising “the former devastations” and repairing “the ruined cities,” the “desolations of many generations” (61:4). Isaiah was chosen or “anointed,” and he and the people were given God’s spirit to accomplish these things.
60:1-60:22 At the start of Chapter 60, Isaiah continues speaking for and as God, initially with a third-person reference in 60:2 (“his glory”), but followed in 60:7 with two uses of “my” and at the start of 60:9 with one use of “me.” But then at the end of the same verse (60:9) Isaiah uses a third-person reference to God as “he” without any break or change from his prior speaking for and as God in the first-person. Isaiah switches back to using the first-person “my” (twice) and “I” (twice) in 60:10 as he resumes speaking directly for and as God without any clear break or change from his use of “he” at the end of the 60:9. This is followed by two more uses of “my” in 60:13, “I” in 60:15-16, “I” three times in 60:17, two uses of “my” and one “I” in 60:21, and by “I, Jaho(h),” in 60:22 as Isaiah closes out the chapter speaking for and as God in the first person.
61:1-61:11 At the start of Chapter 61 we are reminded immediately of Isaiah 48:16 (“sent me and his spirit”) and of 59:21 (“my spirit is upon you”), with Isaiah speaking from his own person about God, saying in verse 1, “The spirit of Jaho(h) is upon me, because Jaho(h) anointed me to bring good news to the humble.” As is explained also under 58:1-59:21, this included rebuilding “the ancient ruins” and raising “the former devastations” and repairing “the ruined cities,” referred to also as the “desolations of many generations” (61:4). See under 48:1-48:16 for more information on God’s spirit being “sent” and being “upon” Isaiah and the people.
Isaiah continues speaking from his own person and referring to God in the third-person using “he” in 61:1, as well as the collective first-person “our God” in 61:2, “he” again in 61:3, and “our God” again in 61:6. But then in 61:8, without any break or change in speaker, Isaiah switches back to speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” three times, including, “I, Jaho(h)”! Then in 61:10 Isaiah switches back to speaking from his own person, initially by using the first-person, “My soul will be joyful in my God,” but then immediately followed by two third-person references to God as “he” in the middle of 61:10. The chapter ends in 61:11 without any change or break in speaker.
62:1-62:12 Isaiah returns to speaking for and as God using the first person twice in 62:1, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet.” Isaiah continues the same speech while using the first-person “I” in 62:6, but which is followed by him switching back to the third-person “his” twice at the start of 62:8, immediately after which he switches back to the first-person “I” again, in the very same verse, and without any clear break or change in speaker. This is followed by Isaiah continuing to speak for and as God with the first-person “my” in 62:9. Then in 69:11 Isaiah switches back to using the third-person “his” and “him” twice each, with his speech and the chapter ending in 62:12.
63:1-63:9 Chapter 63 starts with several questions, the asker of which is revealed by the first-person, “It is I, the One who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save” (NASB), at the end of verse 1. This is confirmed by the “I,” “me,” and multiple uses of “my” in 63:3, the multiple uses of “my” in 63:4, the two uses of “I,” “my,” and “me” in 63:5, as well as the two uses of “I” and “my” in 63:6. But then in 63:7 Isaiah speaks using first-person “I” while referring to God in the third-person with “he” and “his” twice. This is followed at the start of 63:8 with, “For he said,” after which Isaiah speaks for and as God, saying, “‘Certainly, they are my people.’” This is followed in the same verse (at the end of 63:8) by Isaiah switching back to using the third person in reference to God with, “So He became their Savior” (NASB).
Immediately after this in 63:9 Isaiah continues using the third-person “he” and “his” for God, while also differentiating himself and God from “an angel of his presence.” The entire verse reads according to the NASB (emphasis added):
63:9 In all their
distress He was distressed,
And the angel of His
presence saved them;
In His love and in His
mercy He redeemed them,
And He lifted them and carried them
all the days of old.
NASB uses “the angel” here but the Hebrew simply reads, “and an angel” (wu-mal’ach), which is grammatically related to “His presence” (Hebrew: panaw [“face” or “presence”]). The Greek translation is different from the Hebrew in saying it was “not an old man, nor an angel” (ou presbus oude angelos), but “he” (autos, referring to God) who “saved them.” Again, the Hebrew of 63:9 says it was God’s angel whom God used to save them, as we see all throughout the Hebrew Bible. See Exodus 23:20-23 for one example of an angel being appointed to save and to punish God’s people by God’s permission.
See here for a video discussion of Exodus 23:20-23 and the appointment of an angel to speak God’s words and to save and to punish God’s people.
See here for a video about other Old Testament texts where God used angels (plural) for similar purposes as spoken of in Isaiah 63:9 and in Exodus 23:20-23, all while speaking for and as God just like Isaiah, and which is accepted New Testament interpretation according to Acts Chapter 7.
63:10-63:12 Though the Hebrew and Greek versions differ on the meaning of 63:9 (see above), they line up again in 63:10 (NASB) with emphasis added:
63:10 But they rebelled
And grieved His
Holy Spirit;
Therefore He
turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.
Clearly, Isaiah is speaking and using the third-person “his,” “he,” and “himself” for God and referring explicitly to “his Holy Spirit.” This is like the expression in 48:16, “sent me and his spirit.” In both cases, “spirit” refers to God’s own spirit which in the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 quotes Isaiah 40:13 and confirms the same teaching, namely, God’s spirit belongs to him (= “his spirit”), just as our spirit belongs to us (= our spirit), and like our spirit is who we are as people, that is, our unique awareness as a person which, together with our flesh nature (= physical form) comprise our being.
Again, so this point is clear: both Isaiah 40:13 and 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 teach the same thing about God’s spirit. In the latter account, Paul compares God’s spirit with our spirit, showing he is not talking about a nature or type of being as in John 3:6 (“what is born from flesh is flesh, and what is born from spirit is spirit”). Rather, Paul is talking about the “person” of our and God’s being which ‘knows the things within us’ (1 Corinthians 2:11), and which together with our / God’s nature or form (“body,” as in 1 Corinthians 15:35-55) comprise our B-being.—Genesis 2:7; Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; Galatians 3:20; Revelation 1:4.
See here for a complete discussion of the “physical body,” “spiritual body,” “living soul,” and “life-giving spirit” described in 1 Corinthians 15:35-55.
See here for a longer video discussion inclusive of divine-name issues and the similarities and differences between Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, and Galatians 3:20, as well as 1 Timothy 2:5.
See here for a shorter video discussion only about the primary similarities and differences between Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, and Galatians 3:20, as well as 1 Timothy 2:5.
Further on the difference between us and God in the Bible in terms of “spirit,” the issue is twofold: First, God and humans have a “spirit” that is our person inclusive of emotions and thoughts which uniquely define us in comparison with others. This is what the Bible means by “spirit of wisdom” (28:3), “spirit of jealousy” (Numbers 5:14), “spirit of his anger” (Job 4:9), “spirit of judgment” (Isaiah 4:4), “spirit of knowledge” (Isaiah 11:2), and “spirit of justice” (Isaiah 28:6), all of which are a part of “the spirit of man inside him” (Zechariah 12:1), or as the New Testament calls it, “the spirit of your mind.”—Ephesians 4:23.
Second, “spirit” is also a nature or body that is likened to “fire” in the Bible (Deuteronomy 4:24; Psalm 104:4; Hebrews 1:7). In fact, “spirit” is used in direct parallel with “flesh” that is “born” by Jesus in John 3:6, confirming it is also a nature like flesh in this second sense, namely, “That which has been born from the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born from the spirit is spirit.” In terms of our personality or who we are as far as our character and knowledge versus our mode of existence or “body.” For us, our “spirit” in terms of our person is confined to our physical body. But God’s spirit can be ‘sent,’ ‘poured out,’ and otherwise used by him to bring his power and presence among others, and to let them use it, without him having to be fully present. Indeed, God told Moses such a thing is not possible for any human to do and to remain alive.—Exodus 33:18-22; compare John 1:18.
See here for a video discussion about Exodus 33:18-22, John 1:18, and other important biblical texts which teach no man has ever seen God, but only those who represent him like the only-begotten god/Son Jesus and other spirit sons (compare Job 38:7 and John 10:30-37), exactly as we see taught throughout Acts Chapter 7.
See here for a discussion of Acts Chapter 7’s interpretation of Old Testaments which present God speaking but where Acts 7 says it was “an angel” or “angels.”
See here for a brief video which presents an “unanswerable” question for Trinitarians as it relates to this issue of no man ever seeing God (still no answer as of this date of this article).
That is why God ‘gives’ “his spirit” to others,
just like in 42:1 (“I have put my spirit on him”), and in 59:21 (“My
Spirit who / which is upon you”), and 61:1 (“the spirit of Jaho[h] is
upon me, because Jaho[h] anointed me”). In 63:10, ‘Grieving his [=God’s]
holy spirit,’ appears to be no different from what we read about in Acts 5:3-4.
But there it is Peter with the holy spirit and what is done there is due what
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:8, which is in line with everything we have read
from Isaiah about God’s spirit, namely, per the NASB (emphasis added):
Therefore, the one who rejects this is not
rejecting man, but the God who gives His
Holy Spirit to you.
See here for a video discussion about the holy spirit in Acts 5:3-4.
See here for a video discussion about the holy spirit in other New Testament texts.
Now notice how the above interpretation of Isaiah 63:10 and the spirit of God in other Isaiah texts and in the New Testament is confirmed in Isaiah 63:11, which presents Isaiah speaking the following words according to the NASB (emphasis added):
63:11 Then His
people remembered the days of old, of Moses.
Where is He
who brought them up out of the sea with
the shepherds of His flock?
Where is He who put His
Holy Spirit in the midst of them,
Once again Isaiah describes “His Holy Spirit” as something God ‘puts among’ (“in the midst of”) people, very much in the same line of thought as being ‘put on,’ ‘sent with,’ or ‘given to’ people.—Isaiah 42:1; 48:16; 59:21; 61:1; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:8.
63:12-64:12 Isaiah continues using third-person references for God in 63:12 with “his glorious arm” and “himself,” followed in 63:14 with Isaiah first referring to “the spirit of Jaho(h)” and then immediately switching to speaking to God in the second-person to end the chapter in 63:14, saying, “So you led your people in order to make for yourself a glorious name.” Isaiah continues using the second-person “your” multiple times for God in 63:15, and in 63:16 he uses the second-person and the collective first-person “our,” saying, “You are our Father.” Isaiah continues speaking to God using the second-person with “you” through the end of the chapter in 63:19, and on through 64:5, where Isaiah also uses the collective “we” and “our” for him and for the people. Isaiah continues using collective first-person references in 64:6, as well as returning to frequent uses of the second-person “you” and “your” from 64:7 to the end of the chapter in 64:12.
65:1-65:25 Chapter 65 beings with Isaiah speaking for and as God, saying at the start of verse 1 (NASB): “I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.” Isaiah continues speaking in this same manner as God while using the first person in 65:2 with “I” and “my,” in 65:3 with “me” and “my,” in 65:5 with “my,” in 65:6 with “me” and multiple uses of “I,” in 65:7 with “me” and “I,” in 65:8 with “I” and “my,” in 65:9 with “I” and “my” twice, in 65:10 with “my” and “me,” in 65:11 with “my,” in 65:12 with four uses of “I” and one use of “my,” in 65:13 with three uses of “my servants,” in 65:14 with one use of “my,” in 65:15 with “my” twice, in 65:16 with one use of “my,” in 65:17 with “I,” in 65:18 with “I create” twice, and in 65:19 with one use of “I” and one use of “my.” This is followed by two uses of “my” in 65:22, two uses of “I” in 65:24, and, “‘My holy mountain,’ says Jaho(h),’” to end the chapter in 65:25.
66:1-66:24 Isaiah opens the first verse of the final chapter with, “This is what Jaho(h) says,” followed by Isaiah immediately proceeding to speak for and as God in 66:1 with (NASB): “‘“Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?”’” Isaiah continues speaking for and as God in this way, using the first-person “my” twice and “I” once in 66:2, “I” four times and “my” once in 66:4.
Then at the start of 66:5 Isaiah switches to using the third-person “his word” for God without any break or change in speaker from 66:4. This is followed in the same verse (66:5) by Isaiah switching back to using the first-person “my name” as he resumes speaking for and as God without any clear break or change in speaker from the preceding verses. This is followed in 66:6 with Isaiah switching back again to using the third-person “his,” after which Isaiah immediately begins speaking for and as God with “I” twice in 66:9, again, without any clear break or change in speaker. Isaiah continues speaking for and as God using the first-person “I” in 66:12-13.
This is followed in 66:14 by Isaiah again switching back to using the third-person “his” twice and “he” once for God, once again, without any break or change from him as the speaker in the preceding verses, where he spoke in the first person for and as God. Isaiah continues using the third person for God in 66:15 with three uses of “his,” followed by one use of “his” in 66:16. Then in 66:18 Isaiah switches back to speaking for and as God using the first-person “I,” which he does also in 66:19 along with three uses of “my.” In 66:20 Isaiah continues using the first-person with one use of “my,” followed by “I” in 66:21, “I” and “me” in 66:22, and “me” in 66:23-24 to end the chapter and the book.
For more information about the speakers and speech patterns in Isaiah, as well as the meaning of Isaiah 48:16, see the video, “How Speech Patterns in Isaiah Prevent Trinitarian Misinterpretations of Isaiah 48:16” (06/08/2026), in which an earlier version of this article is also reviewed.
[07/06/2026 Update: I corrected "difficult" to "difficulty" in the opening sentence of paragraph 6. I also revised the wording of the paragraph under 5:1- 5:30 so it reads better and is easier to understand.]
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