Jesus was the everlasting father

JESUS WAS THE EVERLASTING FATHER
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Isaiah9:6 6Forto us a child is born, to us a son is
given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called WonderfulCounselor, Mighty
God, EverlastingFather, Princeof Peace.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Fatherhoodof God Revealedin Messiah
R. Tuck
Isaiah9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a sonis given: and the government shall be on
his shoulder: and his name shall be calledWonderful…
The word "Everlasting Father," or"Fatherof Eternity," is applied to
Messiahas the RevealerofGod to men. That the passagecanonly refer to
Messiahis agreedby all devout students. God designedto reveal himself at
last and fully to his creatures through a man's earthly life. God canonly
revealhimself to a creature in the lines of that nature which he has given to
the creature. When God was dealing with man, he set forth the manhood of
his Messiahmost prominently; but when man comes to know his gift, he finds

he has receivedhis God, and learned the name by which he may be called.
Arguing may not always convince of the Deity of Christ. It is rather like trying
to prove to a man that it is the spring-time of the year. Spring is in the
atmosphere - in the balmy breathing of the air, in the quickening power of the
sunshine, in the lengthening days, and in the bursting life of leaf and flower
everywhere around us. So the very atmosphere of Christ is the atmosphere of
God. Everywhere, and in everything, we feel that he is God. Our text is
striking in the contrasts it presents - contrasts which were realized in the
human life of the Messiah. Everywhere in his story we find the blended God
and man. He was the outcastbabe for whom there was no room in the inn,
and yet angels heralded his birth, and Magioffered to him the worship due to
a king. He was a simple child of twelve years old, and yet the temple doctors
were astonishedat his understanding and answers. He submits to John's
baptism of water, and yet the Holy Ghost descends upon him, and the voice of
"mostexceeding peace" gives testimonyto him as the Divine Son. He weeps
the tears of human friendship at the grave of Lazarus, and yet he speaks the
words which call the dead to life. He dies in agony and shame, as only a man
could die; he rises in triumph and glory, as only a God could rise. So in this
prophecy of Isaiah. The "coming One" is a child, but the "keyof government
is upon his shoulder." He is a child, and yet he is "Wonder-Counselor, God-
Mighty-One, Prince of Peace."He is the Son, and yet it can be said of him that
he is the" Everlasting Father." This last assertionseems to be the most
astonishing of them all. "The Sonis the Father." Christ sustained this view:
"He that hath seenme hath seenthe Father." Every man's work is to find the
Father in Christ. No man has truly seenChrist who has not found in him the
Father, and learned from him the fatherhood of God.
I. MAY WE THINK OF GOD AS FATHER? To show himself to man, God
must come into man's sphere, not as a cherub or as an angel, but as a man.
"Verily, he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed
of Abraham." He must also show himself in some particular form of man.
Men are kings, or prophets, or judges, or husbands, or fathers, or sons, or
brothers, and God must make choice of the form that may most worthily
representhim. Some say we must think of God chiefly as a King. But few of us

are stirred at heart by the relations of a king. He is a person to be feared,
obeyed, and served. If he is to be loved it is only with a patriotic, it is not with
a personal, affection. In the pages ofhistory we can scarcelyfind a king whose
characterand careerhelp us to a worthy idea of God. Think of the kings of
Easternnations. Think of so-calledChristian kings. There rise before the
mind scenes ofbarbarity, Blood-guiltiness, tyranny, debauchery, and cruelty
which make us ashamedto set the thought of God and of earthly kings
together. On the other hand, there never has been age or nation in which the
dearestthoughts and tenderestassociationsand most reverent feelings did not
gather round the word "father." Everywhere, evenin benighted heathendom,
fathers have been men's ideals of the pure, the revered, and the good. God
comes nearestto men if he canbe shown to them as the "Everlasting Father."
Love is the supreme glory of fatherhood; but it is only primus inter pares, the
equals of "authority," "justice," "holiness."It would not be fair to say of any
goodearthly father, "He is all love, all indulgence; there is in him no justice,
no reverence, no government." We never want to bolster up the authority of
our earthly father by deluding ourselves into the notion that he is a king; and
we can yield our fullest allegiance to God as our "Everlasting Father." We
need not force ourselves to conceive of him as that mysterious thing, a moral
Governor, for which we can find no human model. What is God to you when
you canfully receive the revelationthat he is the Father? Is there any less
reverence for him? Is your sense of justice, righteousness,law, or authority
weakenedwhen you call him "Father?" LetChrist teachus the true God and
the eternallife. He shows us a weeping prodigal child pressing his face into a
father's bosom, heart beating to heart, the one in all the anguish of penitence,
the other in all the anguish of pitying, fatherly love. The father's arms are
round the restoredboy; and who shall saythat all highestlaw is not
vindicated when that father wipes away the tears, and calls for music and
dancing, the best robe, and the fatted calf? Who ever saw weeping rebels on
kings'bosoms? Who ever saw kings shedding tears over returning subjects?
We must go deeper, far deeper, into the very heart of the truth about God
when we say, "He is our Father."

II. MESSIAH SHOWS GOD TO US AS "EVERLASTING FATHER." The
Epistle to the Hebrews opens with a very striking statement:"God, who at
sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spokenunto us by Son." God had spokenby
creationof a Creator, by prophets of a God, by ambassadorsofa King, and
now by Son of a Father. Messiahis representedas Son, and Son of God, to
enable us to conceive ofGod as Father. The very personof our Lord Jesus
Christ is itself a revelationof the Father. The gospels show us that his
supreme effort was to make men know and think well of the Father. He was a
Jew, and yet his originality is nowhere felt more than in the word which he
uses for God. We find very seldom, almostnever, any of the recognized
Hebrew terms - El, Elohim, Shaddai, or Jah; Jehovahor God; his word is
always "Father." Onevery page we find the term recurring. Illustrate from
the sermonon mount; address on sending the disciples forth for their trial-
mission, etc. Conclude by commending this view of God as the first and
foundation-truth of the Messianic revelation. We need not be anxious to setit
under limitations and restrictions. Christ never fenced it off. He never limited
its applications. He never hesitatedto preach it everywhere. He expectedto
wakena new spirit in men, the child-spirit, by telling them of their Fatherin
heaven. If we simply follow Christ, we shall show men the Father-God
everywhere in Messiah's life and teaching, seeneven in Messiah's deathand
atonement and sacrifice. - R.T.
His Name -- the Everlasting Father
Biblical Illustrator
Isaiah9:6-7

How complex is the Personof our Lord Jesus Christ! Almost in the same
breath the prophet calls Him a "Child," and a "Counsellor," a "Son," and the
"everlasting Father." This is no contradiction, and to us scarcelya paradox,
but it is a mighty marvel. How forcibly this should remind us of the necessity
of carefully studying and rightly understanding the Personof our Lord Jesus
Christ! We must not suppose that we shall understand Him at a glance. A look
will save the soul, but patient meditation alone can fill the mind with the
knowledge ofthe Saviour. The light of the text divides itself into three rays —
Jesus is "everlasting";He is a "Father";He is the "everlasting Father."
I. Jesus Christis EVERLASTING. Of Him we may sing, "Thy throne, O God,
is forever and ever." A theme for greatrejoicing on our part.
1. Jesus always was.
2. So also He is for evermore the same. Jesus is not dead; He ever liveth to
make intercessionfor us.
3. Jesus, ourLord, ever shall be. The connectionof the word "Father" with
the word "everlasting" allowsus very fairly to remark that our Lord is as
everlasting as the Father, since He Himself is called"the everlasting Father";
for whateverantiquity paternity may imply is here ascribedto Christ. It is the
manner of the Easterns to call a man the father of a quality for which he is
remarkable. To this day, among the Arabs, a wise man is called"the father of
wisdom";a very foolish man "the father of folly." The predominant quality in
the man is ascribedto him as though it were his child, and he the father of it.
Now, the Messiahis here called in the Hebrew "the Father of eternity," by
which is meant that He is preeminently the possessorofeternity as an
attribute.

II. We come to the difficult part of the subject, namely, Christ being called
FATHER. In what sense is Jesus a Father? Answer
1. He is federally a Father, representing those who are in Him, as the head of a
tribe represents his descendants. The grand question for us is this, Are we still
under the old covenantof works? If so, we have Adam to our father, and
under that Adam we died. But are we under the covenant of grace? If so, we
have Christ to our Father, and in Christ shall we be made alive. In this sense,
then, Christ is called Father;and inasmuch as the covenantof grace is older
than the covenantof works, Christ is, while Adam is not, "the everlasting
Father";and inasmuch as the covenant of works as far as we are concerned
passes away, being fulfilled in Him, and the covenantof grace never passes
but abideth forever, Christ, as the Head of the new covenant, the federal
representative of the greateconomyof grace, is "the everlasting Father."
2. Christ is a Father in the sense ofa Founder. The Hebrews are in the habit
of calling a man a father of a thing which he invents. Forinstance, in the
fourth chapterof Genesis Jubalis calledthe father of such as handle the harp
and organ;Jabal was the father of such as dwell in tents, and have cattle;not
that these were literally the fathers of such persons, but the inventors of their
occupations. The Lord Jesus Christis, in this sense, the Fatherof a wonderful
system — a greatdoctrinal system; a greatpractical system;a system of
salvation.
3. Now there is a third meaning. The prophet may not so have understood it,
but we so receive it, that Jesus is a Father in the great sense ofa Lifegiver.
That is the main sense of"father" to the common mind. Everything in us calls
Christ "Father." He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. If we love Him, it
is because He first loved us. If we patiently endure, it is by considering "Him
who endured such contradictionof sinners againstHimself." He it is who

waters and sustains all our graces. We may say of Him, "All my fresh springs
are in Thee." The Spirit brings us the water from this wellof Bethlehem, but
Jesus is the well itself.
4. The term implies that Jesus Christ is to be in the future, the patriarch of an
age. So Pope in his famous poem of the Messiahunderstands it, and calls Him,
"the promised. Father of the future age"
5. Christ may be called a Fatherin the loving and tender sense ofa father's
office. God is calledthe Fatherof the fatherless, and Job says of himself, that
he became a father to the poor. Now, albeit that the Spirit of adoption teaches
us to callGod our Father, yet it is not straining truth to say that our Lord
Jesus Christ exercisesto all His people a Father's part. According to the old
Jewishcustomthe elder brother was the father of the family in the absence of
the father; the firstborn took precedence ofall, and took upon him the
father's position; so the Lord Jesus, the firstborn among many brethren,
exercises to us a father's office. Is it not so? Has He not succouredus in all
time of our need as a father succours his child? Has He not supplied us with
more than heavenly bread as a father gives bread unto his children? Does He
not daily protectus, nay, did He not yield up His life that we His little ones
might be preserved? Is He not the head in the household to us on earth,
abiding with us, and has He not said, "I will not leave you orphans; I will
come unto you"? As if His coming was the coming of a Father. If He be a
Father, will we not give Him honour? If He be the head of the household, will
we not give Him obedience?
III. We weighthe words, "EVERLASTING FATHER." Christis called"the
everlasting Father" because He does not Himself, as a Father, die or vacate
His once. He is still the federal Head and Fatherof His people; still the
Founder of Gospeltruth and of the Christian system; not allowing popes to be
His vicars and to take His place. He is still the true Life giver, from whose

wounds and by whose death we are quickened; He reigns even now as the
patriarchal King; He is still the loving family Head; and so, in every sense, He
lives as a Father. But here is a sweetthought. He neither Himself dies, nor
becomes childless. He does not lose His children. He is the Author of an
eternal system.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
Jesus the Everlasting Father
J. H. Evans, M. A.
Isaiah9:6-7
I. CHRIST IS CALLED FATHER.
1. Notin respectto the eternal Three. He is the Son in this point of view.
2. But as one with Him, and the Eternal Spirit, in the unity of the same
Godhead.
3. He is the Fatherof His people. "He shall see His seed" (Isaiah53:10).

4. He is their spiritual life (Galatians 2:20).
II. HE IS CALLED THE EVERLASTING FATHER. He ever lives. He is
Life. He ever loves. His blessings are everlasting.
(J. H. Evans, M. A.)
The Everlasting Father
J. Edmond, D. D.
Isaiah9:6-7
To be the "Fatherof eternity" is to have eternity, and to rule in eternity — to
be the Lord of eternity. That is the meaning of it; and so Christ Jesus, who
hath the government upon His shoulders, hath it on His shoulders forever and
forever. But the eternity spokenof here is not the eternity that is bygone; it is
the ongoing and unending duration that lies before us, and Christ Jesus is
Lord and Ruler of all. No doubt He who canhold the future eternity in His
hand, and who can rule all its affairs, must have been Himself the
Unbeginning and Eternal One; and the Scriptures leave no doubt about that
being the attribute of the Lord Jesus Christ. But that august tribute of being
"from everlasting to everlasting" is not what is strictly before: us here. It is
the duration from the time that Christ became human onwards.

I. Jesus Christis the Father of the eternity that lies before and goes on,
because He Himself lives forever. He is POSSESSOR;He has it (Psalm
102:25-27,and Hebrews 1:10-12). The factthat the Lord Jesus Christ in
humanity is to live forever is a stupendous expectationand belief. Sometimes
it has seemedto me as if it were more wonderful than the mere incarnation.
That this is an important thought appears from two considerations.
1. It is a part of the Divine promise of the Father to the Lord Jesus Christ
(Isaiah 53:10).
2. It is a thing for which Christ Himself prayed as part of His Father's
promise (Psalm 21:4). And so the Lord Jesus Christ thus in human nature
lives forever and ever. But that implies that His work was finished to the
Father's satisfaction;to live forever was a proof that God the Father regarded
Christ's work as finished — this same title, "Fatherof eternity," hath in germ
within it the greatfacts of Christ's resurrectionand ascensionand sessionin
glory. And so when John, in Apocalyptic vision, beheld Him as the Son of
man, he heard Him thus speak:"Fearnot; I am the first and the last, and the
Living one;and I was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, amen; and
have the keys of Hades and of death." Application —
1. To God's people. What a Saviour they have! They need never fearthat they
will be without His care. Theycould not find a world in all the universe where
He is not with them, and they cannotlive on to any age when He shall ceaseto
be their light and King.
2. The same thing brings comfort to every sinner; for is it not written, "He is"
able to save to the uttermost, them that come unto God by Him, seeing He
ever liveth to make intercessionforthe"? Mark, it does not say "seeing He
died" — if that is all that could have been said, it would not have ever availed

for the comfort and salvationof sinners — but seeing that, having died, "He
ever liveth to make intercessionforthem."
II. The Lord Jesus Christ is ORIGINATOR ofthis age that is spokenof. He
made this "forever," and gave it its grand characteristic;and all Gospel
privilege that belongs to time, and all celestialenjoymentthat belongs to
eternity, we owe to Him.
III. Jesus Christ is CONTROLLER in this eternal age;the administration of
its whole affairs is in His hands. The Author of our faith is the Ruler of its
progress, and that not on earth alone, but in heaven. Can you doubt it, that
when the Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, went back to the glory that
He had with the Fatherbefore the world began, went back in human nature,
and appearedamong the saints in heaven — can you doubt that from that
hour heaven was anotherthing even to the glorified, because the Lord that
brought them there by His blood was amongstthem? And so, in the Epistle to
the Hebrews, we read that we are come to the "spirits of just men made
perfect," which means to the Old TestamentChurch, perfected now in
privilege; for at the 13th verse of the eleventh chapterit is expresslysaid,
"These alldied in faith, not having receivedthe promises, but having seen
them afar off." God willed that He should "provide some better thing for us,
that they without us should not be made perfect," — that heavenitself should
not, in privilege and glory, even to the saints that had gone home, be perfect
until Christ Himself had introduced a new age, and gone Himself to heaven.
(J. Edmond, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(6) For unto us a child is born.—The picture of a kingdom of peace couldnot
be complete without the manifestation of a king. In the description of that
king Isaiahis led to use words which cannotfind a complete fulfilment in any
child of man. The loftiness of thought, rising here as to its highestpoint, is
obviously connectedwith the words which told that Jehovahhad spokento
the prophet “with a strong hand.” His condition was one more ecstatic and
therefore more apocalyptic than before, and there flashes on him, as it were,
the thought that the future deliverer of Israelmust bear a name that should
be above every name that men had before honoured. And yet here also there
was a law of continuity, and the form of the prediction was developedfrom
the materials supplied by earlier prophets. In Psalms 110 he had found the
thought of the king-priest after the order of Melchizedek, whomJehovah
addressedas Adonai. In Psalms 2, though it did not foretell an actual
incarnation, the anointed King was addressedby Jehovahas His Son. The
throne of that righteous king was as a throne of God (Psalm45:6). Nor had
the prophet’s personalexperience been less fruitfully suggestive.He had given
his ownchildren mysterious names. That of the earthly Immanuel, as the
prophet brooded over it, might well lead on to the thought of One who should,
in a yet higher sense than as being the pledge of Divine protection, be as “God
with us.” Even the earthly surroundings of the prophet’s life may not have
been without their share of suggestiveness.The kings of Egypt and Assyria
with whom his nation had been brought into contact delighted in long lists of
epithetic names (e.g., “the greatking, the king unrivalled, the protector of the
just, the noble warrior.” Inscription of, Sennacheribin Records of the Past, i.
p. 25), describing their greatnessand their glory. It was natural that the
prophet should see in the king of whom he thought as the future conqueror of
all the world-powers that were founded on might and not on right, One who
should bear a name formed, it might be, after that fashion, but full of a
greatermajesty and glory.
His name shall be called Wonderful.—It is noticeable that that which follows
is given not as many names, but one. Consisting as it does of eight words, of

which the last six obviously fall into three couplets, it is probable that the first
two should also be taken together, and that we have four elements of the
compound name: (1) Wonderful-Counsellor, (2) God-the-Mighty-One, (3)
Father of Eternity, (4) Prince of Peace. Eachelementof the Name has its
specialsignificance. (1)The first embodies the thought of the wisdom of the
future Messiah. Menshould not simply praise it as they praise their fellows,
but should adore and wonder at it as they wonder at the wisdom of God
(Judges 13:18, where the Hebrew for the “secret”ofthe Authorised version is
the same as that for “wonderful;” Exodus 15:11;Psalm 77:11;Psalm78:11;
Isaiah28:29; Isaiah29:14). The name contains the germ afterwards developed
in the picture of the wisdom of the true king in Isaiah 11:2-4. The LXX.
renders the Hebrew as “the angelof greatcounsel,” and in the Vaticantext
the descriptionends there. (2) It is significant that the word for “God” is not
Elohim, which may be used in a lower sense forthose who are representatives
of God, as in Exodus 7:1; Exodus 22:28, 1Samuel28:13, but El, which is never
used by Isaiah, or any other Old Testamentwriter, in any lower sense than
that of absolute Deity, and which, we may note, had been speciallybrought
before the prophet’s thoughts in the name Immanuel. The name appears
againas applied directly to Jehovah in Isaiah10:21; Deuteronomy10:17;
Jeremiah32:18; Nehemiah9:32; Psalm24:8; and the adjective in Isaiah
42:13. (3) In “Fatherof Eternity,” (LXX. Alex. and Vulg., “Fatherof the age
to come “) we have a name which seems atfirst to clashwith the formalised
developments of Christian theology, which teach us, lestwe should “confound
the persons,” notto deal with the names of the Father and the Son as
interchangeable. Those developments, however, were obviouslynot within
Isaiah’s ken, and he uses the name of “Father” because none other expressed
so well the true idea of loving and protecting government (Job 29:16, Isaiah
22:21). And if the kingdom was to be “for ever and ever,” then in some very
real sense he would be, in that attribute of Fatherly government, a sharer in
the eternity of Jehovah. Another rendering of the name, adopted by some
critics, “Father(i.e., Giver) of booty,” has little to recommend it, and is
entirely out of harmony with the majestyof the context. (4) “Prince of Peace.”
The prophet clings, as all prophets before him had done, to the thought that
peace, and not war, belongedto the ideal Kingdom of the Messiah. Thathope
had been embodied by David in the name of Absalom (“ father of peace “) and

Solomon. It had been uttered in the prayer of Psalm 72:3, and by Isaiah’s
contemporary, Micah (Micah 5:5). Earth-powers, like Assyria and Egypt,
might rest in war and conquestas an end, but the true king, though warfare
might be neededto subdue his foes (Psalm45:5), was to be a “Prince of Peace”
(Zechariah 9:9-10). It must be noted as remarkable, looking to the grandeur
of the prophecy, and its apparently direct testimony to the true nature of the
Christ, that it is nowhere cited in the New Testamentas fulfilled in Him; and
this, though Isaiah 9:1 is, as we have seen, quoted by St. Matthew and Isaiah
9:7, finds at leastan allusive reference in Luke 1:32-33.
BensonCommentary
Isaiah9:6. For, &c. — Having spokenof the glorious light, and joy, and
victory of God’s people, the prophet now proceeds to show the foundation and
cause thereof. And, “though he is everywhere most excellent, he is peculiarly
so in this passage, whichcontains an emphatical descriptionof the person and
kingdom of the Son of God; the kingdom of peace;the eternal and universal
kingdom, in which the church should have the highest cause for joy; which
should bring with it an abolition of the whole yoke of sin, and the ceremonial
law, and a destruction of all hostile and adverse powers with respectto the
saints.” Who then can wonder at the joy of the church in so greata light, in so
excellenta Teacher, Mediator, Saviour, and Governor, King, and Lord? Unto
us a child is, or, shall be, born — The prophet, as usual, speaks ofa blessing
which he foresaw with certainty would be bestowed, as if it were conferred
already. That the Messiahis here intended, not only Christian but Jewish
interpreters, in general, of any credit or reputation, agree. Forso the ancient
Hebrew doctors understood the place, and particularly the Chaldee
paraphrast; although the later Jews have laboured, out of oppositionto the
Lord Jesus, to apply it to Hezekiah. Which extravagant notion, as it hath no
foundation at all in this or any other text of Scripture, and therefore may be
rejectedwithout any further reason;so it is fully confuted by the following
titles, which are such as cannot, without blasphemy and nonsense, be ascribed
to Hezekiah, nor indeed to any mere man or mere creature, as we shall see.
The human nature of the Messiahis here first setforth. He shall be the child

born, the Word made flesh, and that for us; not only for us Jews, but for us
men, for us sinners, and especiallyfor us believers. Unto us a son is given —
Or, the son, namely, of the virgin, spokenof Isaiah 7:14; the Immanuel, the
Song of Solomon of God, so called, not only on accountof his miraculous
conception, but because ofhis eternalgeneration, the Word, who was in the
beginning with God, had glory with the Fatherbefore the world was, was
loved by him before the foundation of the world, and by whom he made the
worlds, and createdall things. See John 1:1-3; John 17:5; John 17:24;
Hebrews 1:2; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians1:16. This person,
the Father’s own Son, his only-begotten Son, is given, John 3:16; sent forth,
Galatians 4:4; sent in the likeness ofsinful flesh, Romans 8:3; though rich,
and in the form of God, made in the likeness ofmen, poor, and of no
reputation, Php 2:7; 2 Corinthians 8:9; given to be our infallible Teacher, our
prevalent Mediator, our almighty Saviour, our righteous Ruler, and our final
Judge. Accordingly, The government — Of the church, of the world, yea, of
all things, for the church’s benefit, Ephesians 1:21-22;shall be upon his
shoulder — That is, upon him, or in his hands; all power being given to him in
heaven and on earth. In mentioning shoulder, he speaks metaphorically;great
burdens being commonly laid upon men’s shoulders, and all government, if
rightly managed, being a greatburden, and this especiallybeing, of all others,
the most weighty and important trust. Possiblyhere may be also an allusion to
the ancientcustom of carrying the ensigns of government before the
magistrates, upon the shoulders of their officers, or, as some think, to the
regalrobe worn by kings and governors. And his name shall be called — That
is, he shall be: for the following particulars are not to be takenfor a
description of his proper name, but of his glorious nature and qualities;
Wonderful — He is wonderful in his person, as God and man, God manifest
in the flesh, which union of two such different natures in one individual,
intelligent, and self-conscious being, is a greatand incomprehensible mystery.
Hence we are told, No man knoweth the Son but the Father, Matthew 11:27;
and he is said to have had a name written, which no man knew but himself;
and hence, when appearing to Manoah, he said, Why askestthou after my
name, seeing it is secret:Hebrew, ‫,אלפ‬ wonderful, the same word here used,
Jdg 13:18. He is also wonderful with respectto his birth, life, doctrine,
miracles;his love and sufferings; his death, resurrection, and ascension;his

humiliation and exaltation; his cross and crown; his grace and glory.
Counsellor— He is so called, because he knew the whole counselof God, and,
as far as was necessary, revealedit to us, and is the greatcounsellorof his
church and people in all their doubts and difficulties, in all ages and nations,
being made of God unto them wisdom. He also is the author and giver of all
those excellentcounsels, deliverednot only to the apostles, but also by the
prophets, (1 Peter1:10-12,)and hath gathered, enlarged, and preserved his
church by admirable counsels, andthe methods of his providence; and, in a
word, hath in him all the treasures ofwisdom and knowledge. The mighty
God — This title can agree to no man but Christ, who was God as well as
man, to whom the title of God or Jehovahis given, both in the Old and New
Testaments, as Jeremiah23:6;John 1:1; Romans 9:5; and in many other
places. And it is a true observation, that this Hebrew word ‫,לא‬ eel, is never
used in the singular number of any creature, but only of the Almighty God, as
is evident by perusing all the texts where this word occurs. The everlasting
Father — Hebrew, ‫יבא‬ ‫,דע‬ The Fatherof eternity: having called him a child
and a son, lest this should be misinterpreted to his disparagement, he adds
that he is a Father also, eventhe Father of eternity, and, of course, oftime,
and of all creatures made in time. Christ, in union with the Father and the
Holy Ghost, is the God and Fatherof all things, the maker and upholder of all
creatures, John1:3; Hebrews 1:3; and especiallythe Fatherof all believers,
who are called his children, (Hebrews 2:13,) and the author of eternal life and
salvationto them, Hebrews 5:9. Or, this title may be given him because he is
the father of the new and eternal age, that is, of the economywhich is to
endure for ever; for Christ is the father of a new generation, to continue
through all eternity; the secondAdam, father of a new race;the head of a new
and everlasting family, in which all the children of God are reckoned. The
Prince of peace — This is another title, which certainly does not agree to
Hezekiah, whose reign was far from being free from wars, as we see 2 Kings
18., but it agrees exactlyto Christ, who is calledour peace, Micah5:5;
Ephesians 2:14; and is the only purchaser and procurer of peace betweenGod
and men, Isaiah 53:5; and betweenmen and men, betweenJews and Gentiles,
Ephesians 2:15; and of the peace of our own consciences;and who leaves
peace as his legacyto his disciples, John 14:27; John 16:33.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
9:1-7 The Syrians and Assyrians first ravagedthe countries here mentioned,
and that regionwas first favoured by the preaching of Christ. Those that want
the gospel, walk in darkness, and in the utmost danger. But when the gospel
comes to any place, to any soul, light comes. Letus earnestlypray that it may
shine into our hearts, and make us wise unto salvation. The gospelbrings joy
with it. Those who would have joy, must expectto go through hard work, as
the husbandman, before he has the joy of harvest; and hard conflict, as the
soldier, before he divides the spoil. The Jews were deliveredfrom the yoke of
many oppressors;this was a shadow of the believer's deliverance from the
yoke of Satan. The cleansing the souls of believers from the power and
pollution of sin, would be by the influence of the Holy Spirit, as purifying fire.
These greatthings for the church, shall be done by the Messiah, Emmanuel.
The Child is born; it was certain;and the church, before Christ came in the
flesh, benefitted by his undertaking. It is a prophecy of him and of his
kingdom, which those that waited for the ConsolationofIsrael read with
pleasure. This Child was born for the benefit of us men, of us sinners, of all
believers, from the beginning to the end of the world. Justly is he called
Wonderful, for he is both God and man. His love is the wonder of angels and
glorified saints. He is the Counsellor, for he knew the counsels of God from
eternity; and he gives counselto men, in which he consults our welfare. He is
the Wonderful Counsellor;none teaches like him. He is God, the mighty One.
Such is the work of the Mediator, that no less powerthan that of the mighty
God could bring it to pass. He is God, one with the Father. As the Prince of
Peace,he reconciles us to God; he is the Giver of peace in the heart and
conscience;and when his kingdom is fully established, men shall learn war no
more. The government shall be upon him; he shall bear the burden of it.
Glorious things are spokenof Christ's government. There is no end to the
increase ofits peace, forthe happiness of its subjects shall lastfor ever. The
exactagreementof this prophecy with the doctrine of the New Testament,
shows that Jewishprophets and Christian teachers had the same view of the
person and salvation of the Messiah. To what earthly king or kingdom can
these words apply? Give then, O Lord, to thy people to know thee by every

endearing name, and in every glorious character. Give increase ofgrace in
every heart of thy redeemed upon earth.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
For - This is given as a reasonof the victories that were predicted in the
previous verses. Thatit has reference to the Messiahhas been almost
universally conceded;and indeed it does not seempossible to doubt it. The eye
of the prophet seems to have been fixed on this greatand glorious event - as
attracting all his attention. The scenes ofcoming times, like a panorama, or
picture, passedbefore him. Mostof the picture seems to have been that of
battles, conflicts, sieges,dimness, and thick darkness. Butin one portion of the
passing scene there was light. It was the light that he saw rising in the distant
and darkenedGalilee. He saw the joy of the people;the armor of war laid
aside;the image of peace succeeding;the light expanding and becoming more
intense as the darkness retired, until he saw in this region the Prince of Peace
- the Sun of Righteousness itself. The eye of the prophet gazedintently on that
scene, and was fixed on that portion of the picture: he sees the Messiahin his
office, and describes him as already come, and as born unto the nation.
Unto us - For our benefit. The prophet saw in vision the darkness and gloom
of the nation, and saw also the son that would be born to remove that
darkness, and to enlighten the world.
A child - (‫דלי‬ yeled). This word usually denotes a lad, a boy, a youth. It is
commonly applied to one in early life; but no particular stress is to be laid on
the word. The vision of the prophet is, that the long-expectedMessiahis born,
and is seengrowing up amidst the surrounding darkness ofthe north of
Palestine, Isaiah9:1.
Is born - Not that he was born when the prophet spake. Butin prophetic
vision, as the events of the future passedbefore his mind, he saw that
promised son, and the eye was fixed intently on him; see the Introduction,
section7, and the note at Isaiah1:1.
A son - ‫בב‬ bên. This word does not differ materially from the word translated
child. In the future scenes, as theypassedbefore the mind of the prophet, he

saw the child, the sonthat was to be born, and describedhim as he appeared
to his view - as a child. Fixing the eye on him, he proceeds atonce to designate
his characterby stating the appropriate names which he would bear.
Is given - The Messiahis often representedas having been given, or sent; or as
the rich gift of God; the note at Acts 4:12; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:22; John
17:4. The Messiahwas pre-eminently the gift of the God of love. Man had no
claim on him, and God voluntarily gave his Son to be a sacrifice forthe sins of
the world.
And the government shall be upon his shoulder - The sense ofthis passageis,
that he shall rule, or that the government shall be vestedin him. Various
interpretations have, however, beengiven of the phrase 'upon his shoulder.'
Some have supposed, that it means simply he shall sustainthe government, as
the shoulder is that by which we uphold any thing. Pliny and Cicero thus use
the phrase;see Rosenmuller. Others, that it means that he should wear the
royal purple from a child. - Grotius. Lowth supposes that it refers to the
ensign of government - the scepter, the sword, the keys, or the like, that were
borne upon the shoulder, or suspended from it; see the note at Isaiah22:22. It
is evident, from this latter place, that some ensign of office was usually borne
upon the shoulder. The sense is, that he should be a king, and under this
characterthe Messiahis often predicted.
And his name shall be called - That is, his attributes shall be such as to make
all these applications appropriate descriptions of his powerand work. To be
called, and to be, in the Hebrew, often mean the same thing. The word ‫איקיא‬
vayı̂qerâ' may possibly mean, Yahweh shall call him; or it may be regardedas
takenimpersonally. Such a use of a verb is not uncommon in Isaiah. 'One
calls him,' is, according to the usage in Isaiah, as ranch as to say, he will justly
bear this name; or simply, he will be.
Wonderful - ‫פלא‬ pele'. This word is derived from the verb ‫פלא‬ pâlâ', to
separate, to distinguish, or to make great. It is applied usually to anything that
is greator wonderful, as a miracle; Exodus 15:2; Lamentations 1:9; Daniel
12:6. It is applied here to denote the unusual and remarkable assemblageof
qualities that distinguished the Messiah. Those are specifiedmore particularly

in the other part of the verse;such an assemblage ofquailties as to make
proper the names Mighty God, etc. 'The proper idea of the word,' says
Hengstenberg, 'is miraculous. It imports that the personage here referredto,
in his being and in his works, willbe exaltedabove the ordinary course of
nature, and that his whole manifestationwill be a miracle.' Yet it seems to me,
that the proper idea of the word is not that of miraculous. It is rather that
which is separatedfrom the ordinary course of events, and which is suited to
excite amazement, wonder, and admiration, whether it be miraculous or not.
This will be apparent if the following places are examined, where the word
occurs in various forms. It is rendered marvelous, Psalm 118:23;Psalm
139:14;Psalm98:1; Job 5:9; wonderful, 2 Samuel 1:26; Psalm 139:14;
Proverbs 30:18; Job42:3; Psalm72:18;Psalm 86:10;hidden, Deuteronomy
30:2; things too high, Psalm131:1; miracles, Judges 6:13;Exodus 15:2; Psalm
77:14;Psalm 88:10;Psalm 89:5; the word is translatedwonders, in the sense
of miracles, in severalplaces;and hard, Deuteronomy 17:8; Jeremiah32:17.
From these passages, itis clearthat it may denote that which is miraculous,
but that this idea is not necessarilyconnectedwith it. Anything which is suited
to excite wonderand amazement, from any cause, willcorrespondwith the
sense ofthe Hebrew word. It is a word which expresseswith surprising
accuracyeverything in relation to the Redeemer. Forthe Messiahwas
wonderful in all things. It was wonderful love by which Godgave him, and by
which he came;the manner of his birth was wonderful; his humility, his self-
denial, his sorrows were wonderful;his mighty works were wonderful; his
dying agonies were wonderful; and his resurrection, his ascension, were all
suited to excite admiration and wonder.
Counsellor- This word has been sometimes joined with 'wonderful,' as if
designedto qualify it thus - "wonderful counselor;" but it expressesa distinct
attribute, or quality. The name "counselor" here, ‫יאעי‬ yû‛ēts, denotes one of
honorable rank; one who is suited to stand near princes and kings as their
adviser. It is expressive of greatwisdom, and of qualifications to guide and
direct the human race. The Septuagint translates this phrase, 'The angelof
the mighty counsel.'The Chaldee, 'The God of wonderful counsel.'

The mighty God - Syriac, 'The mighty God of ages.'This is one, and but one
out of many, of the instances in which the name God is applied to the Messiah;
compare John 1:1; Romans 9:5; 1 John 5:20; John 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16;
Hebrews 1:8. The name 'mighty God,' is unquestionably attributed to the true
God in Isaiah 10:21. Much controversyhas arisenin relation to this
expression;and attempts have been made to show that the word translated
"God," ‫אל‬ 'ĕl, may refer to a hero, a king, a conqueror. Thus Gesenius
renders, it 'Mighty hero;' and supposes that the name 'God' is used here in
accordancewith the custom of the Orientals, who ascribe divine attributes to
kings. In like manner Pluschke (see Hengstenberg)says, 'In my opinion this
name is altogethersymbolical. The Messiahshallbe calledstrength of God, or
strong God, divine hero, in order by this name to remind the people of the
strength of God.' But after all such controversy, it still remains certainthat
the natural and obvious meaning of the expressionis to denote a divine
nature. So it was evidently understood by the ancientversions; and the fact
that the name God is so often applied to Christ in the New Testamentproves
that it is to be understood in its natural and obvious signification.
The everlasting Father - The Chaldee renders this expression, 'The man
abiding forever.'The Vulgate, 'The Fatherof the future age.'Lowth, 'The
Father of the everlasting age.'Literally, it is the Father of eternity, ‫אבי‬ ‫עד‬ 'ĕby
‛ad. The word rendered "everlasting," ‫עד‬ ‛ad, properly denotes "eternity,"
and is used to express "forever;" see Psalm 9:6, Psalm9:19; Psalm 19:10. It is
often used in connectionwith ‫עאלע‬ ‛ôlâm, thus, ‫אעד‬ ‫עאלע‬ vā‛ed ‛ôlâm, "forever
and ever;" Psalm 10:16;Psalm 21:5; Psalm45:7. The Hebrews used the term
father in a greatvariety of senses - as a literal father, a grandfather, an
ancestor, a ruler, an instructor. The phrase may either mean the same as the
Eternal Father, and the sense will be, that the Messiahwill not, as must be the
case with an earthly king, howeverexcellent, leave his people destitute after a
short reign, but will rule over them and bless them forever (Hengstenberg);or
it may be used in accordancewitha custom usual in Hebrew and in Arabic,
where he who possessesa thing is called the father of it.
Thus, the father of strength means strong;the father of knowledge,
intelligent; the father of glory, glorious;the father of goodness, good;the
father of peace, peaceful. According to this, the meaning of the phrase, the

Father of eternity, is properly eternal. The application of the word here is
derived from this usage. The term Father is not applied to the Messiahhere
with any reference to the distinction in the divine nature, for that word is
uniformly, in the Scriptures, applied to the first, not to the secondpersonof
the Trinity. But it is used in reference to durations, as a Hebraism involving
high poetic beauty. lie is not merely representedas everlasting, but he is
introduced, by a strong figure, as even the Father of eternity. as if even
everlasting duration oweditself to his paternity. There could not be a more
emphatic declarationof strict and proper eternity. It may be added, that this
attribute is often applied to the Messiahin the New Testament;John 8:58;
Colossians 1:17;Revelation1:11, Revelation1:17-18;Hebrews 1:10-11;John
1:1-2.
continued...
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
6. For—the ground of these greatexpectations,
unto us—for the benefit of the Jews first, and then the Gentiles (compare
"unto you," Lu 2:11).
son … given—(Ps 2:7). God's gratuitous gift, on which man had no claim (Joh
3:16; Ro 6:23).
government … upon … shoulder—The ensignof office used to be worn on the
shoulder, in tokenof sustaining the government (Isa 22:22). Here the
government on Messiah's shoulderis in markedantithesis to the "yoke and
staff" of the oppressoron Israel's "shoulder" (Isa 9:4). He shall receive the
kingdom of the earth from the Father, to vindicate it from the misrule of those
to whom it was entrusted to hold it for and under the Most High, but who
sought to hold it in defiance of His right; the Father assertsHis right by the
Son, the "Heir of all things," who will hold it for Him (Da 7:13, 14).
name … called—His essential characteristicsshallbe.
Wonderful—(See on [697]Isa 8:18;Jud 13:18, Margin; 1Ti 3:16).
Counsellor—(Ps 16:7;Ro 11:33, 34;1Co 1:24; Col 2:3).

mighty God—(Isa 10:21;Ps 24:8; Tit 2:13) Horsley translates:"Godthe
mighty man." "Unto us … God" is equivalent to "Immanuel" (Isa 7:14).
everlasting Father—This marks Him as "Wonderful," that He is "a child,"
yet the "everlasting Father" (Joh10:30; 14:9). Earthly kings leave their
people after a short reign; He will reign over and bless them for ever
[Hengstenberg].
Prince of Peace—(Seeon[698]Isa 9:5; Ge 49:10;Shiloh, "The
Tranquillizer"). Finally (Ho 2:18). Even already He is "our peace" (Lu 2:14;
Eph 2:14).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Having spokenof the glorious light, and joy, and victory of God’s people, he
now proceeds to show the ground of it, and by what person these things are
procured.
Unto us; unto us Jews, ofwhom Christ was born, and to whom he was
primarily sent, Matthew 15:24, for our use and benefit.
A Child; the Messiah, by the consentof interpreters, not only Christian, but
Jewish;for so the ancient Hebrew doctors understood the place, and
particularly the Chaldee paraphrast; although the later Jews, outof
opposition to Christ, wrestit to Hezekiah;which extravagantconceit, as it
hath no foundation at all in that or any other text of Scripture, and therefore
may be rejectedwithout any further reason, so it is fully confuted by the
following titles, which are such as cannot without blasphemy and nonsense be
ascribedto Hezekiah, nor indeed to any mere mortal man, as we shall see. But
all the following particulars do so truly and exactlyagree to Christ, that they
cannot without greatviolence be alienatedfrom him, or ascribedto any other.
Is born, for shall be born, as the prophets generallyspeak.

A Son; so he determines the sex of the child. Or, the Son, to wit, of the virgin,
of whom I spake before, Isaiah7:14.
Is given; is freely and graciouslygiven to us by God. Other children also are
said to be given by God, Ge 30 6 48:9, but this in a peculiar manner, and
therefore he is calledthe gift of God, John 4:10.
The government, to wit, of Israel, or of God’s people, to whom he is given,
shall be upon his shoulder, i.e. upon him, or in his hands. He mentions
shoulders, because greatburdens are commonly laid upon men’s shoulders;
and as all government, if it be rightly managed, so this especially, is a very
heavy burden, requiring extraordinary care, and diligence, and self-denial.
Possiblyhere may be also an allusion to the ancient custom of carrying the
ensigns of government before the magistrate upon the shoulders of their
officers;or to the cross ofChrist, which was laid upon his shoulders, John
19:17, which also was the way to his kingdom or government, Luke 24:26.
His name shall be called; either,
1. He shall be called;for names are oft put for persons, as Acts 1:15
Revelation3:4 11:13. Or,
2. His name shall be; for to be called in Scripture is off put for to be, as I have
noted before on Isaiah 1:26, and oft elsewhere. Butthis is not to be taken for a
description of his proper name, by which he should be commonly called, but
of his glorious nature and qualities. See my notes on Isaiah7:14.

Wonderful, Counsellor: these words may be taken either,
1. Severally, as they are in our translation, and by many others. This the Jews
apply to Hezekiah, who, as they say, is calledwonderful, because ofthe
miracle which God wrought for him, 2 Kings 20:2, &c.; and counsellor,
because he took counselwith his princes about God’s worship, and the
defence of the city, 2 Chronicles 29:4, &c., and gave goodcounselto others;
which ridiculous accountis sufficient to overthrow that exposition. But they
agree most eminently to the Lord Christ, who is truly wonderful, in his
person, and natures, and words, and works, being made up of wonders, in
whom there was nothing which was not wonderful; who also may well be
calledCounsellor, because he knew the whole counsel of God, and (so far as it
was necessary)revealedit to us, and is the greatCounsellorof his church and
people in all their doubts and difficulties. Or,
2. Jointly,
wonderful Counsellor;which may seembest to agree both with the following
titles, eachof which is made up of two words, and with Isaiah28:29, where
God is calledwonderful in counsel, and makes the title more full and
emphatical. To call Christ simply a Counsellor, may seemtoo mean a
character, being common to many others with him; but to say he is a
wonderful Counsellor, is a singular commendation. And so Christ is, because
he hath been the Counsellorof his church in all ages, andthe author and giver
of all those excellentcounsels deliverednot only by the apostles, but also by
the prophets, as is evident from 1 Peter1:10,11, and hath gathered, and
enlarged, and preservedhis church by admirable counsels and methods of his
providence, and, in a word, hath in him all the treasures of wisdomand
knowledge, Colossians2 3.

The mighty God: this title can agree to no man but Christ, who was God as
well as man, to whom the title of God or Jehovahis given, both in the Old and
New Testament, as Jeremiah23:6 John 1:1 Romans 9:5, and in many other
places. And it is a most true observation, that this Hebrew word El is never
used in the singular number, of any creature, but only of the Almighty God, as
is evident by perusing all the texts where this word is used. And although the
title of Elohim, which is of the plural number, be twice or thrice given to some
men, yet there is constantly added some diminishing expressionto it, as when
they are said to be afraid, Job 41:25, and to die, Psalm49:10; whereas here he
adds the epithet of mighty, which is ascribedto the greatGod, Deu 10:17, and
elsewhere.
The everlasting Father, Heb. the Father of eternity, Having calledhim a
Child, and a Son in respectof his human nature, lest this should be
misinterpreted to his disparagement, he adds that he is a Father also, eventhe
God and Fatherof all things; the work of creationbeing common and
commonly ascribedto eachof the persons of the blessedTrinity, the Maker
and Upholder of all creatures, as he is saidto be, John 1:3 Hebrews 1:3, and
the Fatherof all believers, who are calledhis children, Hebrews 2:13, and the
Father of eternity; either,
1. The first author (such persons being called fathers, as Genesis 4:20, and
elsewhere)ofeternal salvation, as he is called, Hebrews 5:9. Or,
2. As we render it, the everlasting Father, who, though as man he was then
unborn, yet was and is from everlasting to everlasting. Theywho apply this to
Hezekiahrender it, the father of an age, and expound this of his long life and
numerous posterity; which I the rather mention, to show what absurd shifts
they are forced to use who interpret this text of any other but Christ. For he
did not live very long, nor had he, that we read of, more than one son,

Manasseh. And if both these things had been true of him, they were more
eminently true of many other men. Besides,this Hebrew word being used of
God, as here it is of him who was now calledthe mighty God, constantly
signifies eternity, as Isaiah26:4 57:15, &c.
The Prince of peace:this title doth not fully agree to Hezekiah, whose reign
was not free from wars, as we see, 2 Kings 18; but it agreesexactlyto Christ,
who is calledour peace, Micah5:5 Ephesians 2:14, and is the only purchaser
and procurer of peace betweenGodand men, Isaiah53:5, and of peace
betweenmen and men, Jews and Gentiles, Ephesians 2:15, and of the peace of
our own consciences, andleaves peace as his legacyto his disciples, John14:27
16:33.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
For unto us a child is born,.... This is a reasonof all that is said in the context;
of the greatlight that shone upon and was seenby those that sat in darkness,
and in the land of the shadow of death; of the greatjoy among the people;of
the breaking off of the yoke, rod, and staff of the oppressor;and of the
burning of garments rolled in blood, so putting an end to war, and
establishing peace;all which is owing to the child here said to be born, by
whom we are to understand the Messiah;as the Targum interprets it; and not
Hezekiah, as many of the Jewishwriters (n) apply it; who could never be
representedas a child just born, when he was, atleast, ten or elevenyears of
age when this prophecy was given out, and twenty nine when Sennacherib
came up with his army againsthim, as Aben Ezra observes;to which time he
and others refer the context; nor can any reason be assignedwhy he should be
calleda "son", in such a peculiar and unusual manner; nor can it be said of
him, that he was the greatlight which shined upon the inhabitants of Galilee;
nor was his birth the occasionofso greatjoy as the birth of this child is said to
be; nor can it, with any justness, be said of him, that of the increase ofhis
government and peace there was no end; seeing his government only extended
to the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah, and his reign was but twenty nine
years, and for the most part attended with affliction, oppression, and war;

besides, the many august titles here used cannotbe ascribedunto him, nor to
any mere creature whatever(o); but everything agrees with Christ; and to
him it is applied, evenby some ancient and modern writers among the Jews
(p) themselves. This clause respects his humanity, his incarnation and birth,
which is spokenofin the present tense, though future, because ofthe certainty
of it; that he should really become man, assume a true body, and a reasonable
soul, partake of the same flesh and blood with the children, be made flesh, and
dwell among us: and this was to us, "for us": for our good, for our profit and
advantage;not for angels, but for men; for the saints under the Old
Testament, and under the New;for all his people, his brethren, and children;
that they might have a sanctified nature; that law and justice might be
satisfiedin that nature which had sinned, and Satanbe ruined by it, which he
himself had ruined; and that Christ might be a fit Mediator and Redeemerof
his people, and be capable of executing his severaloffices to our advantage;
his priestly office, by satisfying and interceding for us; his prophetic office, by
teaching us; and his kingly office, by ruling over us; and that he might answer
the relations he stands in of a father, husband, brother, and friend:
unto us a son is given: even he who is the Son of God, his ownSon, his only
begottenSon, his beloved Son, the dear Son of his love; all which aggravate
his love in the gift of him, to be the covenantand head unto us, to be the
Saviour of us, and a sacrifice forus; and in delivering him up into the hands
of men, justice, and death; this is a free gift of God's love, a very large and
comprehensive one, is unparalleled and unspeakable, unchangeable and
irreversible.
And the government shall be upon his shoulder: not only of the world in
general, but of the church in particular; this child is born to royal dignity; he
is King of saints; his government consists in ruling in the hearts of his people,
in enacting laws for them, and causing them to submit unto them, in subduing
their enemies, in protecting them, their persons and properties, rights and
liberties, and in supplying them with everything necessary;and this
government is delegatedto him from his Father, is devolved upon him by him,
is not of this world, but is spiritual; it is righteously administered, is
peaceable,and will continue for ever: and its being said to be "upon his
shoulder" is an allusion to magistrates having a key or rod laid on their

shoulders, as ensigns of their office, or carriedby their officers for them, see
Isaiah9:4 and it shows that it was laid upon him, or enjoined him by his
father, though not againsthis will; and it denotes a weight of honour and care
bore by him, whose shoulders are fit for the same, and equal to it; and that he
is the prop and support of his church and people, who are safe under his
government and protection:
and his name shall be calledWonderful: not that he should be commonly
calledamong men by this name, nor by any of the following;but that he
should appearto be, or to have that in him, or to do what would sufficiently
answerto this name, and to the rest: he is wonderful in his person, and in the
glory and beauty of it; that he should be God and man in one person, and
have two natures, so different from eachother, united in him; that he, being
truly God, should become man; and that he should be born of a virgin;
wonderful in the disposition of his mind, and in the qualities he is possessed
of; in his love to his people, and his sympathy with them; in his humility,
meekness,and patience;in his wisdom, conduct, courage, andgreatness of
soul: wonderful in his life; in his private life many wonderful things are
recordedof him; as the direction of the wise men to him by a star, and their
worshipping of him; the preservationof him from Herod's cruelty; his
disputation with the doctors in the temple at twelve years of age;and his
living such a mean and obscure life for thirty years together:and his public
life was nothing but a continued series of wonders;his baptism in Jordan; his
temptations in the wilderness;his doctrines and miracles, and his
transfiguration on the mount: wonderful in his death; that he should die at all,
who is the Prince of life, the Lord of life and glory; that he should die with his
own and his Father's consent, and that for sinners, even the chief of sinners;
and by dying procure life for us; abolish death; destroy him that had the
powerof it, the devil; and obtain eternalsalvation and redemption: the
circumstances attending his death were marvellous: such as the darkness that
was upon the earth; the rending of the vail, and cleaving of the rocks:
wonderful in his resurrection from the dead, which was by his own power,
before he saw corruption, at the time signified by types and prophecy, and
with the same body exceedinglyglorious;and which has an influence on our
justification, regeneration, and resurrection:wonderful in his ascensionto

heaven, both in the manner of it, in a cloud, and in the effects of it, receiving
gifts for men, and giving them to them; in his entrance into heaven; sessionat
the right hand of God; and intercessionfor transgressors:wonderful he will
be in his secondcoming to judgment; the signs of it are many and marvellous;
the manner of it wonderfully glorious;the different effects of it on men, filling
some with joy, and others with terror; and the things that will then be done;
as the raising of the dead; placing all nations before him; separating the
righteous from the wicked;pronouncing their distinct sentences, and
executing them; in a word, Christ is wonderful, in all he is, has, or belong unto
him; in his person, offices, and relations;in his people, who are for signs and
wonders;in his doctrines and ordinances;and in the manifestations of himself
and of his grace to his people, now and hereafter; nay, the word signifies not
only "wonderful", but a "miracle" itself, as Christ is in his person (q), see
Judges 13:17,
Counsellor;this some read in conjunction with the former title, thus,
"Wonderful Counsellor";so the Arabic version; and the Septuagint, which
calls him, "the Angel of the great council";and the Targum is,
"who does wonderfully in council;''
and which agrees with Isaiah28:29. This title belongs to Christ, as concerned
with his Father, and the blessedSpirit, in the works ofnature, providence,
and grace. Godstands in no need of counsel, nor does it properly fall on him,
though it is sometimes ascribedto him, speaking after the manner of men.
Creatures are not of his council, but Christ is; he was privy to all his thoughts,
purposes, and decrees;he was consultedin creation, and in the works of
providence, Genesis 1:26, Genesis11:7 and in the greataffair of redemption
and salvation;the council held concerning that is the greatcouncil the
Septuagint version here makes mention of; and may be calledthe council of
peace, Zechariah6:13 in which the scheme of salvationwas fixed; the author
of it was found, and pitched upon; the wayof it agreedon, to be through the
assumption of human nature, and by obedience, sufferings, and death; and
the time of Christ's incarnation and death settled, as well as all blessings of
grace and glory, for the persons who were to share in this salvation. This title
also agrees withChrist in respectto his people, to whom he is council, and for

whom he is council; he is council to them; he gives them council; so he did in
person, when on earth; he advised sinners to repentance; encouragedsouls to
believe in him; directed the weary to come to him for rest; the hungry and
thirsty for food; such as were healedand pardoned, he counselledthem to sin
no more; and he advised his followers to do to all men as they would men
should do to them; to behave in an humble and modest manner; to bear
reproaches and persecutions cheerfully; to love one another; and to pray to
his Father, in his name, for all things they wanted: and now he gives his
people counselby the ministry of the word, which is the counselof God, the
produce of his wisdom, a transcript of his eternalcouncil and covenant, a
declarationof the will of God, and of Christ; and in which Christ counsels the
poor in spirit to come to him for riches, the nakedfor clothing, the ignorant
for spiritual light and knowledge, suchas are ready to perish for salvation;
and he counsels those that believe to abide in him, and by his truths and
ordinances;which counselis wholesome and suitable, hearty, sincere, and
faithful; is wise and prudent, and freely given; and which being taken,
infallibly succeeds:he is council for them in heaven; he appears there in the
presence ofGod for them; represents their persons, and presents their
petitions; answers to all charges exhibited againstthem; and, as their
advocate, pleads their cause;and calls for blessings agreedto be bestowed
upon them, which they want; for all which he is abundantly qualified, being
the only wise God, the Ancient of days, the Father of his people; and, as
Mediator, the Wisdom of God, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge are, and on whom the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, and of
counseland might, rests:
the mighty God; or "Godthe mighty One" (r); as some read the words with a
comma; but if read together, the sense is the same;Christ is God, truly and
properly so; as appears from his name Jehovah, which is peculiar to the most
High; from his nature and perfections, being the same with his Father's:from
the works performed by him, as those of creation, providence, miracles,
redemption, resurrectionfrom the dead, &c.; and from the worship given
him, which only belongs to God; also he is called our God, your God, their
God, my God, by which epithets those that are not truly God are never called;
he is said to be God manifest in the flesh; God over all, blessedfor ever; the

greatGod, the living God, the true God, and eternal life; and he is "the
mighty One" as appears by the works he did, previous to his incarnation; as
the creationof all things out of nothing; the upholding of all things by the
word or his power; the management of all the affairs of providence, there
being nothing done but what he was concernedin; as the confusionof
languages;the burning of Sodomand Gomorrah; bringing the children of
Israelout of Egypt; leading and going before them through the Red Sea and
wilderness;and bearing and carrying them all the days of old: and also by the
works he did when here on earth; as his miracles, calledhis mighty works;
such as healing all manner of diseasesby a word speaking, orby touching the
person, or by the persontouching him, even his garment, or without seeing
the personat all, and always without the use of medicines; dispossessing devils
out of the bodies of men; power over the elements, as to change waterinto
wine, rebuke the wind and seas, &c.;raising the dead, and even his own body
when dead; and, above all, the greatwork of redemption, by which he appears
to be the mighty One indeed; his Father's call of him to it shows it; his
undertaking it confirms it; and his actual performance of it puts it out of all
doubt; as well as what was then done by him; such as bearing all the sins of
his people;engaging with all their enemies;conquering them, and delivering
them out of their hands: likewise by what he does now, partly in the
conversionof his people;quickening men dead in trespassesand sins; causing
dry bones to live; giving spiritual sight to such as were born blind; plucking
out of the hands of Satan, and turning from his power to God; which shows
him to be strongerthan the strong man armed; beginning, carrying on, and
finishing the work of faith with power on them; as wellas at first making
them willing to submit to his righteousness and to be saved by him; and partly
in his care of them afterwards;he having the government of them on his
shoulders; supplying all their wants;bearing all their burdens; and
supporting them under all their afflictions, temptations, and desertions;
protecting them from all their enemies;strengthening them to do his will and
work;and keeping them from falling totally and finally, and preserving them
safe to his everlasting kingdom and glory: moreover, by what he will do
hereafter;binding Satan, and confining him for the space of a thousand years;
clearing the world of all his and his people's enemies;raising the dead; and

judging the world; and destroying wickedmen and devils with an everlasting
destruction.
The everlasting Father;which does not design any relation of Christ in the
Godhead; and there is but one Father in the Godhead, and that is the first
Person;indeed Christ and the Father are one, and the Father is in him, and he
is in the Father, and he that has seenthe one has seenthe other, and yet they
are distinct, Christ is not the Father; the Son and Spirit may be considered
with the first Personas Father, in creationand regeneration, theybeing
jointly concernedtherein, but not in the Trinity: it is easyto make it appear
Christ is not the Father, but is distinct from him, since he is said to be with the
Father from eternity, to be the Son of the Father in truth and love, his own
Son, his only begottenand beloved Son; Christ frequently calls the first
Personhis Father, prayed to him as such, and is our advocate with him, as
well as the wayunto him; he is said to be sent by the Father, to come from
him, and to go to him; and many things are said of Christ that cannotbe said
of the Father, as his being made flesh, suffering and dying in the room of his
people; and the Father is said to do many things unto him, as to anoint him, to
sealhim, to show him all he did, to commit all judgment to him, and give him
to have life in himself as he had: but Christ is a Fatherwith respectto chosen
men, who were given him as his children and offspring in covenant;who are
adopted into that family that is named of him, and who are regeneratedby his
Spirit and grace:and to these he is an "everlasting Father";he was so from
everlasting;for regenerationand faith do not make men children, but make
them appear to be so; God's electare children previous to the Spirit's work
upon them, and even to the incarnation and death of Christ; adoption is an act
of the will of God in covenantfrom eternity: and Christ is a Fatherto these
unto everlasting;he will never die, and they shall never be left fatherless;he
and they will ever continue in this relation; he as such supplies them with
everlasting provisions, he clothes them with everlasting raiment, he gives them
an everlasting portion, promotes them to everlasting honour, saves them with
an everlasting salvation, bearing an everlasting love to them. Some render the
words, "the Father of eternity" (s); the author of eternal life, who has
procured it for his people, and gives it to them; or to whom eternity belongs,
who inhabits it, and is possessedofit, is the everlasting I AM, was before all

persons and things, was setup in an office capacityfrom everlasting, and had
a glory with the Fatherbefore the world was, in whom eternalelection, and
with whom the everlasting covenant, were made. The Septuagint version is,
"the Father of the world to come" (t); of the Gospeldispensation;so called,
Hebrews 2:5 the legaldispensation, when in being, was the then present
world, at the end of which Christ came;this is now at an end, and a new state
of things has taken place, which with respectto the Old Testamentsaints was
the world to come, and of this Christ is the Fatheror author; as the law came
by Moses, andhe was the father of the legaldispensation, grace and truth are
come by Christ, the Father and author of the Gospeldispensation;the
doctrines of it are from him, and the ordinances of it by him; and he is the
father of that state or world to come after the resurrection, the New
Jerusalemchurch state, and also of the ultimate glory.
The Prince of peace;Christ is a Prince, often so called, Ezekiel34:24 he is so
by birth, being the King's Son, the Sonof God, and by office, power, and
authority; he is so a Prince as that he is a King; he is exalted to be a Prince
and a Saviour; and he is a Prince superior to kings, being the Prince of the
kings of the earth, Acts 5:31 and he is calledthe "Prince of peace", because he
is the author of peace;just as he is saidto be the "Prince of life", Acts 3:15 for
the same reason:he is the author of peace betweenJew and Gentile, by
abrogating the ceremoniallaw, the enmity betweenthem, and by sending the
Gospelto both, and making it the powerof Godto salvationto some of eachof
them, and by bringing them into the same Gospelchurch state, and making
them partakers of the same privileges and blessings, internal and external,
Ephesians 2:14 and he is the author of peace betweenGodand sinners; he has
made it by the blood of the cross, having the chastisementof their peace laid
upon him, in consequenceofa covenant of peace he made with his Father,
who was in him reconciling the world to himself, and he is so calledlikewise,
because he is the giver of peace;of all outward peace and prosperity to his
churches, as rest from their enemies, concordamong themselves, and
additions to them of such as shall be saved;of internal peace through the
discoveries ofhis love, and the application of his righteousness, blood, and
sacrifice in a way of believing in him, and in a course of obedience to him; and
likewise ofeternal peace and rest in the world to come. Moreover, allthat

concernhim as a King or Prince show him to be the Prince of peace:his
kingdom lies, among other things, in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost; the
sceptre of his kingdom is the golden sceptre of grace and mercy; his royal
proclamation is the Gospelof peace;the fruit of his Spirit is peace;and his
subjects are peaceableones, both in church and state. With this compare
Hebrews 7:2. It is observable that at his birth there was a generalpeace, not
only in the Roman empire, Luke 2:1 but in all the world; and it is remarkable,
that whereas atthis time the Chinese empire enjoyed a profound peace, the
emperor of it changedhis name, and would not be calledby his name Ngayus,
but Pingus, which signifies "peaceable"(u).
(n) T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 2. & 99. 1. Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi, &
Abarbinel, in loc. NizzachonVet. p. 87. R. Isaac. Chizzuk Emuna, par. 1. c.
21. p. 195. Lipman. Carmen. p. 115. (o) See my book of the Prophecies ofthe
Messiah, &c. p. 200, 201. (p) Debarim Rabba, sect. 1. fol. 234. 4. Perek
Shalom, fol. 20. 2. Maimon. apud Maji Synops. Theolog. Jud. p. 121. Vid.
Reuchlin de Arte Cabal. p. 745. (q) "non admirabilis tantum sed" ,
"miraculum ille est;per se Deus, per unionem hypostaticam", Gusset. Ebr.
Comment, p. 675. (r) "Deus, fortis", V. L. Montanus. (s) "Pateraeternitatis",
Montanus, Cocceius,&c. (t) , so some copies;with which agrees the Vulgate
Latin version, "Paterseculifuturi". (u) Martin, Hist. Sinic. p. 361.
Geneva Study Bible
For to us a child is born, to us a sonis given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be calledWonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting {k} Father, The Prince of Peace.
(k) The author of eternity, and by whom the Church and every member of it
will be preserved forever, and have immortal life.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
6. unto us] the survivors of the judgment. Cf. “Immanuel,” “Godwith us.”

the government] This word is found only here and in Isaiah 9:7, and is of
uncertain interpretation, perhaps “princedom.”
his name shall be called] The name of the Messiahconsists ofa series of
honorific titles, pertaining to Him in His kingly capacityand expressing
mainly the qualities displayed in His government. We may compare, with
Guthe and others, the high-sounding titles assumedby Egyptian and
Babylonian monarchs in their inscriptions, such as, “Giverof Life in
perpetuity,” “EverLiving,” “Lord of Life,” “Lord of Eternity and Infinity”
&c.
Wonderful, Counseller]Since eachof the other names is compounded of two
words, these expressions are also to be takentogetheras forming a single
designation—Wonder-Counseller. The constructionis either construct
followedby genitive—“a wonder of a Counseller” (cf. Genesis 16:12), oracc.
governedby participle—“one who counsels wonderful things.” Cf. “wonderful
in counsel” (of Jehovah)in ch. Isaiah 28:29. On counselas the function of a
king, see Micah4:9.
The mighty God] (’êl Gibbôr) either “God-like Hero” or Hero-God. The
secondis to be preferred, because the title is applied to Jehovahin ch. Isaiah
10:21 (cf. Deuteronomy 10:17;Jeremiah 32:18). These two titles ascribe to the
Messiahthe two fundamental virtues of a ruler, wisdom and strength (cf. ch.
Isaiah11:2), both in superhuman measure. The predicate of divinity (like that
of eternity in the next name) is not to be understood in the absolute
metaphysicalsense;it means that the divine energy works through him and is
displayed in his rule (cf. Isaiah 11:2 ff.; Mi. Isaiah5:4; Zechariah12:8). In the
fulfilment the words receive a larger sense.

The remaining two titles describe the characterofthe Messiah’s government,
as (a) paternal, and (b) peaceful.
The everlasting Father]lit. Father of Eternity. The translation “Fatherof
booty” is grammatically unimpeachable (see ch. Isaiah 33:23;Genesis 49:27),
but the ideas of fatherhoodand booty form an unnatural association. “Father
of Eternity” describes the king, not as “possessorofthe attribute of eternity”
but as one who continually acts as a father to his people.
Prince of Peace]Cf. ch. Isaiah 2:2-4, Isaiah11:4 ff.; Micah5:5; Zechariah
9:10.
6, 7. The last and greatestcauseofjoy is the birth of the Messiahand his
wonderful characterand government. When Isaiahexpected the event to take
place, cannotbe gatheredfrom this prophecy. There is no reasonfor
supposing that the reference is to a child already born; the perfect tense is
used, as throughout the passage,from the ideal standpoint of the writer,
which is within the Messianicage. The birth of the child is most naturally
conceivedas taking place in the age of miracle which succeeds the overthrow
of the Assyrian; hence no part is assignedto him in effecting the national
emancipation.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 6. - Unto us a child is born (comp. Isaiah7:14-16, where the promise of
"a child," "a son," is first made - a child who was, like this Child, to be "God
with us"). The government shall be upon his shoulder. The word translated
"government" (misrah) occurs only here and in ver. 7. It is probably to be
connectedwith sat, "prince," and Israel. Government was regardedas a
burden, to be born on the back or shoulders, and was sometimes symbolized
by a key laid upon the shoulder (Isaiah22:22). Vizier means "burdened." The
Latin writers often speak of the civil power as borne on the shoulders of

magistrates (Cic., 'Orat. pro Flacc,'§ 95;Plin., 'Paneg.,'§ 10). As God, our
Lord governedall things from the beginning; as man, he setup a "kingdom"
which he still governs - upon the earth. His name shall be called. It is perhaps
not very important whether we view what follows as one name or several.
Isaiahdoes not really mean that the "Child" should bear as a name, or names,
any of the expressions,but only that they should be truly applicable to him.
Wonderful, Counselor. It has been proposedto unite these two expressions
and translate, "Wondrous Counselor" (compare "wonderfulin counsel,"
Isaiah28:29). But Dr. Kay is probably right in saying that, if this had been the
meaning, it would have been expresseddifferently. Gesenius, Rosenmüller,
Delitzsch, and Vance Smith agree with Dr. Kay in taking the words
separately. Wonderful. The Messiahwouldbe "wonderful" in his nature as
God-Man; in his teaching, which "astonished"those who heard it (Matthew
7:28); in his doings (Isaiah25:1); in the circumstances ofhis birth and death;
in his resurrection, and in his ascension. "Wonder"wouldbe the first
sentiment which his manifestation would provoke, and hence this descriptive
epithet is placedfirst. As the Word, as Wisdom itself, as he who says,
"Counselis mine, and sound wisdom: I am Understanding" (Proverbs 8:14),
he is well named "Counselor."None will ever seek his counselin vain, much
less repent of following it. The mighty God; rather, perhaps, Mighty God; but
the difference is not great, since El, God, contains within itself the notion of
singularity, which is given to ordinary nouns by the article. The term El, God,
had been previously applied to the Messiahonly in Psalm 45:6. It denotes in
Isaiahalways (as Mr. Cheyne observes)"divinity in an absolute sense;it is
never used hyperbolically or metaphorically." The Everlasting Father; rather,
Everlasting or Eternal Father. But here, again, there is a singularity in the
idea, which makes the omissionof the article unimportant; for how could
there be more than one Everlasting Father, one Creator, Preserver, Protector
of mankind who was absolutely eternal? If the term "Father," appliedto our
Lord, grates on our ears, we must remember that the distinction of Persons in
the Godheadhad not yet been revealed. The Prince of Peace;literally, Prince
of Peace. A"Prince of Peace"had been long shadowedforth, as in
Melchizedek, "King of Salem," i.e. "ofPeace;" and againin Solomon, "the
peacefulone;" and Isaiah himself had already prophesied the peacefulness of
the Messiah'skingdom(Isaiah 2:4). Compare the song of the angels at our

Lord's birth (Luke 2:14). If the peacefulnesshas not vet very clearlyshown
itself, the reasonwould seemto be that our Lord's kingdom has yet to come
into the hearts of most men.
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
The night of despair to which the unbelieving nation would be brought, is
describedin Isaiah8:21, Isaiah8:22 : "And it goes about therein hard pressed
and hungry: and it comes to pass, when hunger befals it, it frets itself, and
curses by its king and by its God, and turns its face upward, and looks to the
earth, and beyond distress and darkness, benighting with anguish, and thrust
out into darkness." The singulars attachthemselves to the ‫לא‬ in Isaiah 8:19,
which embraces all the unbelievers in one mass;"therein" (bâh) refers to the
self-evident land ('eretz). The people would be brought to such a plight in the
approaching Assyrian oppressions, thatthey would wander about in the land
presseddown by their hard fate (niksheh) and hungry (râ'eb), because all
provisions would be gone and the fields and vineyards would be laid waste. As
often as it experienced hunger afresh, it would work itself into a rage
(v'hithkazzaqph with Vav apod. and pathach, according to Ges. 54, Anm.),
and curse by its king and God, i.e., by its idol. This is the way in which we
must explain the passage,in accordancewith 1 Samuel 14:43, where killel
bēholim is equivalent to killel b'shēm elohim, and with Zephaniah 1:5, where
a distinction is made betweenan oathlayehovâh, and an oath b'malcâm; if we
would adhere to the usage ofthe language, in which we never find a ‫קלל‬ ‫ל‬
corresponding to the Latin execrariin aliquem (Ges.), but on the contrary the
objectcursed is always expressedin the accusative. We must therefore give up
Psalm5:3 and Psalm68:25 as parallels to b'malco and b'lohâi: they curse by
the idol, which passes with them for both king and God, curse their wretched
fate with this as they suppose the most effectualcurse of all, without
discerning in it the just punishment of their own apostasy, andhumbling
themselves penitentially under the almighty hand of Jehovah. Consequently
all this reactionof their wrath would avail them nothing: whether they turned
upwards, to see if the black skywere not clearing, or lookeddown to the
earth, everywhere there would meet them nothing but distress and darkness,
nothing but a night of anguish all around (me‛ūph zūkâh is a kind of
summary; mâ‛ūph a complete veiling, or eclipse, written with ū instead of the

more usual ō of this substantive form: Ewald, 160, a). The judgment of God
does not convertthem, but only heightens their wickedness;just as in
Revelation16:11, Revelation16:21, afterthe pouring out of the fifth and
seventh vials of wrath, men only utter blasphemies, and do not desistfrom
their works. After stating what the people see, whetherthey turn their eyes
upwards or downwards, the closing participial clause of Isaiah 8:22 describes
how they see themselves "thrust out into darkness'(in caliginem propulsum).
There is no necessityto supply ‫;אּוא‬ but out of the previous hinnēh it is easyto
repeathinno or hinnennu (en ipsum). "Into darkness:" ăphēlâh (acc. loci)is
placed emphatically at the head, as in Jeremiah23:12.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT
EVERLASTING FATHER
Eternal Father(In Hebrew actually Abi'ad [ab = father and ad = eternal] -
which literally means "The Father of Eternity") - Isaiah is not saying the Son
is the Fatherwhich is the false teaching of modalism. In context the Son Who
is the King functions as a father would over his children -- He acts like a
father -- he protects them, he, feels affectionand compassionfor his children,
etc (cp to a similar sense in Isa 22:21). Another example of this meaning of
father is found in Job where he says…
I was a father to the needy, and I investigatedthe case which I did not know.
(Job 29:16)
The NET Bible Note adds that "This figurative, idiomatic use of “father” is
not limited to the Bible. In a Phoenicianinscription (ca. 850–800BC)the ruler
Kilamuwa declares:“To some I was a father, to others I was a mother.” In
another inscription (ca. 800 b.c.)the ruler Azitawadda boasts that the god

Baalmade him “a father and a mother” to his people. (See ANET 499–500.)
(Isaiah 9 Commentary)
Vine writes that the idea of Father is that "He is loving, tender,
compassionate, anall-wise Instructor, Trainer and Provider."
Motyer - Probably the leading idea in the name Father here is that his rule
follows the pattern of divine fatherhood (The Prophecyof Isaiah An
Introduction Commentary 1993)
Adrian Rogers says Everlasting Father"speaksofthe love that He has for us.
“Like as a father [pitied] his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear
him.” (Psalms 103:13)Jesus is the Everlasting Father. When Jesus Christ was
born, He was as old as His Fatherand older than His mother. How was He as
old as His Father? Because He said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30)—
“he that hath seenme hath seenthe Father.” (John 14:9) Jesus, therefore, can
rightly be calledthe Everlasting Father, because you cannotseparate Godthe
Son from God the Father, and God the Fatherfrom Godthe Spirit, and God
the Sprit from God the Son. And so, Jesus couldaptly say and truly say, “I
and my Father are one.” (John 10:30)And, notice He’s the Everlasting
Father, according to Isaiah9:6. About sixteen years ago, Life Magazine had
on their front page in big bold letters, “God is Dead”—sixteenyears ago.
Sevenyears later, Life Magazine was dead. God’s still alive—God’s still alive.
He is the Everlasting Father, and because He’s the Everlasting Father, He’s
the Fatherof love today to meet every need that you have. (The Christmas
Story According to Isaiah)
Guzik on eternal Father - The idea in these Hebrew words is that Jesus is the
source or author of all eternity, that He is the CreatorHimself. It does not
mean that Jesus Himself is the Personof the Father in the Trinity. (Isaiah 9
Commentary)
Clendenen notes that "Fatheris a relatively rare way of describing God in the
Hebrew Bible (Dt 32:6; Jer3:4,19; Isa 63:16; 64:7; Mal2:10) and a rarer way
of describing a king (1Sa 24:12), though the Israelites are frequently called
God’s sons (Ex 4:22, 23). (New American Commentary: Isaiah 1-39)

Eternal (05703)('ad)is a noun that means forever, always, continual, without
end (or beginning),eternity. The first use of ad in the Bible is one of the best -
“The LORD shall reign forever and ever.” (Ex 15:18) Isaiah 57:15 calls God
"the high and exaltedOne Who lives forever". Ad canindicate continual joy
(Ps. 61:8; Isa. 65:18);or continual anger(Mic. 7:18 ="He does not retain His
angerforever"; Amos 1:11). Ad references to mountains that would be
shattered(Hab. 3:6 = "the perpetual mountains were shattered");the sun and
the moon (Ps. 148:6) may show that the word sometimes means less than
eternity or only an apparent eternity. The word occurs with the word ʿôlām
(Ps. 10:16; 45:6; Da. 12:3) and sometimes with the word neṣaḥ (Ps. 9:18;
Amos 1:11).
TheologicalWordbook ofthe Old Testamentadds that "Frequently the word
ʿad is applied to God. His existence is eternal (Isaiah 57:15). While his
righteousness endures forever(Ps 111:3;Ps 112:3, 9), his angerdoes not
(Micah 7:18). Godis worthy of praise and will be praised forever(Ps 45:17;Ps
52:9; Ps 111:10;Ps 145:1, 2, 21). The throne of God (Ps 10:16;Ps 45:6 [H 7];
Exodus 15:18)and the law of God(Ps 19:9]) will endure forever. This word is
also applied to Israel. The Davidic dynasty will continue forever, depending
upon their response to the covenant(Ps 89:29;Ps 132:12). Zion is God's
dwelling place forever (Ps 48:14;Ps 132:14;1 Chron. 28:9).A sharp contrastis
seenin the use of this word relative to the righteous and wicked. The righteous
will not always be forgotten (Ps 9:18-19])and they will inherit the land forever
(Ps 37:29). By contrastthe wickedare doomed to destruction forever (Ps 9:6;
Ps 92:7).
Gilbrant on ad/adh - With the exceptions of Job20:4f and Hab. 3:6, ʿadh
always refers to the unforeseeable future. The noun ʿadh is often used with
reference to persons and things that are not eternal, but temporal. It is desired
that the king's reign experience "length of days" (Ps. 21:4). This same intent is
voicedfor those who live righteously ("may their hearts live forever," Ps.
22:26). David determined to sing praises ofthe Lord forever (Ps. 61:8). The
Davidic dynasty will be established"forever" (Ps. 89:29). Its permanence was
contingent upon keeping the Covenant. Then there would always be sons who
would sit upon this throne (Ps. 132:12). Those who are truthful will endure
forever (Pr 12:19). In a moment of intense poetic expression, Jobshared his

utter despair that his words would be chiseledin rock forever(Job 19:24).
The righteous will inherit the land forever (Ps. 37:29). Mostoften, however,
ʿadh is applied to God and his attributes. He is the high and lofty One Who
continues forever (Isa. 57:15). His righteousness endures forever (Ps. 111:3;
112:3, 9). He is worthy of eternal recognitionor honor (Ps. 111:8). His
precepts were to be reverencedforever(Ps. 19:9). Yahweh will not be angry
forever, for He delights to show mercy (Mic. 7:18). (The Complete Biblical
Library Hebrew-EnglishDictionary)
Ad/adh - 49xin 49v- all(1), continually(1), Eternal(1), ever(15), forever(26),
forever*(1), forevermore*(2), old(1), perpetual(1).
Exod. 15:18;1 Chr. 28:9; Job 19:24;Job 20:4; Ps. 9:5; Ps. 9:18; Ps. 10:16;Ps.
19:9; Ps. 21:4; Ps. 21:6; Ps. 22:26; Ps. 37:29;Ps. 45:6; Ps. 45:17; Ps. 48:14;Ps.
52:8; Ps. 61:8; Ps. 66:7; Ps. 83:17; Ps. 89:29;Ps. 92:7; Ps. 104:5; Ps. 111:3;Ps.
111:8;Ps. 111:10;Ps. 112:3; Ps. 112:9;Ps. 119:44;Ps. 132:12;Ps. 132:14;Ps.
145:1;Ps. 145:2; Ps. 145:21;Ps. 148:6;Prov. 12:19;Prov. 29:14; Isa. 9:6; Isa.
9:7; Isa. 26:4; Isa. 45:17; Isa. 47:7; Isa. 57:15; Isa. 64:9; Isa. 65:18; Dan. 12:3;
Amos 1:11; Mic. 4:5; Mic. 7:18; Hab. 3:6
Below are some representative uses relatedto God as Ruler or King as well as
some other uses in Isaiah.
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him
with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searchesall hearts, and
understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find
Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. (1 Chr. 28:9)
The Lord is King forever and ever; Nations have perished from His land. (Ps
10:16).
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepterof uprightness is the
scepterof Your kingdom. (Ps 45:6).
For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death. (Ps
48:14)

He rules by His might forever; His eyes keepwatchon the nations; Let not the
rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. (Ps 66:7).
Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever. (Ps
111:3)
“If your sons will keepMy covenantAnd My testimony which I will teach
them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.” (Ps. 132:12)
If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be establishedforever.
(Pr 29:14)
Trust in the Lord forever, Forin Godthe Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
(Is 26:4)
Israelhas been savedby the Lord With an everlasting salvation;You will not
be put to shame or humiliated To all eternity. (Is 45:17)
For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is
Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly
of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the
contrite. (Is 57:15).
Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever;
Behold, look now, all of us are Your people. ( Isaiah64:9)
But be glad and rejoice foreverin what I create;For behold, I create
Jerusalemfor rejoicing And her people for gladness. (Isaiah65:18)
Young commenting on eternal Fatherwrites "He is One who eternally is a
Father to His people. Now and forever He guards His people and supplies
their needs. “I am the goodshepherd,” said our Lord, and thus expressedthe
very heart of the meaning of this phrase. What tenderness, love, and comfort
are here! Eternally—a Father to His people!(The Book of Isaiah3 Vol.
Edward J. Young)
THE EVERLASTING FATHER

There is always sadnessto see a home where there are fatherless children.
Sometimes due to death and sometimes due to other sadcircumstances, a
mother has to bring up a family alone. Turning from the titles which have
proclaimed the glory and might of the coming One, Isaiahnow declares that
those who trust in their God will never be without a Father. The One to whom
the prophet looks is the everlasting Father. This seems to bring Him nearer
and closerto us, speaking of a relationship with us that even eternity will not
affect. It does not, however, affectthe relationship of the persons in the
Godheadas it does not detract from God the Father. He who is revealedas the
everlasting Fatheris Godthe Son, as the title refers to his relationship to
eternity and to all His own who will inhabit it That a father pities his children
is known to us, Psalm103:13. He is able to guide them with His wisdom and
shelter them with His love. He cares for them and has compassionon them
just as the everlasting Fathercares for and has compassionon us. This, then,
is the outlook we have for the endless ages, to have a Fatherwhose care we
can anticipate with joy, and whose love for us will never diminish. But one
way of reading this title adds more to its significance. Some readit as ‘the
Father of Eternity’, e.g. JND. If we have briefly consideredHis compassion,
we see now His power and authority. In the realm of eternity, He reigns
supreme. As ‘the Father of Eternity’, He is the cause ofit, the One who
brought it into being, the One who initiated it. Eternity owes its existence to
Him and it is His powerthat sustains it. KEIL and DELITZSCHstate that,
‘The title Eternal Fatherdesignates Him, however, not only as the possessor
of eternity … but as the tender, faithful, and wise trainer, guardian, and
provider for His people even in eternity’. Events around us cancause us fear.
The storms of life, which come closer, cangrip us with anxiety. The
uncertainty with which we are beset may cloud our horizons. But He who died
on Calvary is the everlasting Fatherwith endless, timeless compassionand
control. With that prospect, fear not! (John Bennett - Day by Day - Divine
Titles)
GOD IS THE EVERLASTING FATHER

The term “Father” has greatmeaning to me. My father was my pastor, my
friend, my confidant, my counselor. Yes, I was a “preacher's kid,” but I never
had even the slightestdesire to live in rebellion from the principles my dad
taught me. In truth, I wanted to embody his godly teaching because I saw the
integrity of his life and I knew of his passionate love for me. The early
disciples must have been shell-shockedwhenJesus taught them to address the
sovereignGodof the universe with the intimate term “Father,” translated
from the Aramaic abba. This word was certainly one of endearment and
intimacy that transcendedtheir expectations. Paulwrote in Romans 8:15,
“Foryou did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you
receivedthe Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father! ’”
Through Christ, he had become a son—a spiritual reality that seemedto
never stop astonishing Paul all the days of his life.
We have alreadylookedat Isaiah 9:6 in our considerationof Christ as our
Counselor. We will have occasionto look at it on three other occasions laterin
this book, but here our focus is on Jesus as the “Eternal” or“Everlasting
Father”—the Fatherof all eternity. This mention of “eternity” indicates a
timeless quality. It means his kingdom has no end. Only one who possesses
eternity in his own being cangive everlasting life, and this is the nature of the
God we serve. Yet it not only speaks ofeternity; it speaks ofintimacy. This
greatKing of ours cares for his children like a loving father. As the eternal or
everlasting Father, he is always presentand ever caring. In Matthew 7:11,
Jesus spoke to this intimate care. If an earthly Father knows how to give good
gifts to his children, how much more does God desire to give goodthings to
his? I confess thatI miss my earthly dad, but I rejoice that in Christ I have an
everlasting Fatherwho always cares for me. (Kenneth Hemphill - God Is)
Ray Pritchard - Devotional - Everlasting Father“He will be called . . .
Everlasting Father " (Isaiah9:6).
In the Hebrew the phrase is literally “the Father of Eternity.” This speaks of
the purpose of his coming.

He is before, above, and beyond time. He is the possessorofeternity. He is
eternally like a father to his people. This is not a statementabout the Trinity
but about the characterofour Lord. All that a goodfather is, Jesus is to his
people.
Becausehe is like a father, he cares forhis people. Becausehe owns eternity,
he can give us eternal life. That’s important for those who live on this sin-
cursed planet. No one lives forever. Sooneror later we will all find our own
place in the graveyard. We are not immortal but transitory. We’re here today,
gone tomorrow. A dead Christ will do us no good. Dying men need an undying
Christ.
Here’s a keyphrase: He is a father forever! That’s important to me because I
had a father, but not a father forever. I had a father, but he is gone now. I
receiveda messagefrom someone who said her aunt knew my father, Dr.
Tyrus Pritchard. That warmed my heart because it’s been 38 years since my
father died. He was a very goodman, but he was not a father forever. I am a
father to Joshua, Mark and Nick, but I am not a father forever. I will
somedaypass away. All human fathers must go. But Jesus is a father forever!
He’s just what we need.
We are glad, O Lord, for your love that never ends. We rejoice in the thought
that you are greaterthan any problem we may face today. Amen.
Wonderful Counselor
“He will be calledWonderful Counselor” (Isaiah9:6).
Literally this title means “a wonderof a counselor,”speaking ofthe wisdom of
his plan. The word “wonderful” means “astonishing” or“extraordinary.” The
writers of the Old Testamentused it for acts of Godwhich man cannot
understand. The word “counselor” means “advisor” or“idealruler.”
This means he is a reliable counselor. Those who come to him will never be led
astray. Talk radio is filled with people who make their living giving advice to
others. Much of it is good, some not so good. But the Lord goes to no one for
advice. And when anyone comes to him, he gives them the counselthey need.

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