The Meaning of Isaiah 1:1 Explained

Isaiah 1:1

KJV: The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

YLT: The Visions of Isaiah son of Amoz, that he hath seen concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Darby: The vision of Isaiah the son of Amos, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

ASV: The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The vision  of Isaiah  the son  of Amoz,  which he saw  concerning Judah  and Jerusalem  in the days  of Uzziah,  Jotham,  Ahaz,  [and] Hezekiah,  kings  of Judah. 

What does Isaiah 1:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The book claims Isaiah as its author. His name summarizes the revelation of the book, namely, that it is Yahweh who saves. Obadiah was the only other writing prophet who described his book as a vision. This unusual title stresses that what Isaiah wrote reflects reality accurately; he saw it. This word does not mean that everything that Isaiah wrote is what he saw in one or more visions. Though unstated, this vision (the prophecies that constitute this book) came from God. According to Jewish tradition Isaiah"s father, Amoz (not the prophet Amos), was the brother of King Amaziah, Uzziah"s father, which would have made Isaiah King Uzziah"s cousin. Isaiah ministered in and to the people of Jerusalem and Judah, but he saw them as the real Israel since they lived under the Davidic kings, in contrast to the residents of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The kings of Judah mentioned ruled from792-686 B.C.

Context Summary

Isaiah 1:1-9 - The Ingratitude Of A Favored Nation
This chapter forms the preface to the prophecies of Isaiah. It is a clear and concise statement of the points at issue between Jehovah and His people. Special urgency was given to these appeals, when first uttered, from the fact which was well-known to the Hebrew politicians and people, that Assyria was preparing for a great war of conquest, which would be directed specially against Jerusalem and her allies. This chapter is east in the form of an assize, a crown case in which God is both complainant and judge. The conviction of sinfulness which the prophet desired to secure, was sought, not by appealing to a code of laws which had been transgressed, but by showing the ingratitude with which Israel had repaid the fatherly love of God. It is the personal element in sin that most quickly convicts men. "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" "Thou art the man!" "He hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace!" [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 1

1  Isaiah complains of Judah for her rebellion
5  He laments her judgments
10  He upbraids their whole service
16  He exhorts to repentance, with promises and threats
21  Bewailing their wickedness, he denounces God's judgments
25  He promises grace
28  And threatens destruction to the wicked

What do the individual words in Isaiah 1:1 mean?

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz that he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah Jotham Ahaz [and] Hezekiah kings of Judah
חֲזוֹן֙ יְשַֽׁעְיָ֣הוּ בֶן־ אָמ֔וֹץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָזָ֔ה עַל־ יְהוּדָ֖ה וִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם בִּימֵ֨י עֻזִּיָּ֧הוּ יוֹתָ֛ם אָחָ֥ז יְחִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ מַלְכֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה

חֲזוֹן֙  The  vision 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חָזׄון  
Sense: vision.
יְשַֽׁעְיָ֣הוּ  of  Isaiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְשַׁעְיָה 
Sense: the major prophet, son of Amoz, who prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem during the days of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah; author of the prophetic book by his name; tradition has it that he was sawn asunder in the trunk of a carob tree by king Manasseh and that this is the incident referred to in Heb :37.
בֶן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָמ֔וֹץ  of  Amoz 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָמֹוץ  
Sense: father of Isaiah.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
חָזָ֔ה  he  saw 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָזָה  
Sense: to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide.
עַל־  concerning 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יְהוּדָ֖ה  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  and  Jerusalem 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
בִּימֵ֨י  in  the  days 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
עֻזִּיָּ֧הוּ  of  Uzziah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֻזִּיָּה 
Sense: son of king Amaziah of Judah and king of Judah himself for 52 years; also ‘Azariah’.
יוֹתָ֛ם  Jotham 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄותָם  
Sense: son of king Uzziah of Judah by Jerushah; king of Judah for 6 years and contemporary with Isaiah and king Pekah of Israel.
אָחָ֥ז  Ahaz 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָחָז  
Sense: king of Judah, son Jotham, father of Hezekiah.
יְחִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ  [and]  Hezekiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִזְקִיָּה 
Sense: 2th king of Judah, son of Ahaz and Abijah; a good king in that he served Jehovah and did away with idolatrous practices.
מַלְכֵ֥י  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יְהוּדָֽה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.