Isaiah 8:1-4

Isaiah 8:1-4

[1] Moreover the LORD  said  unto me, Take  thee a great  roll,  and write  in it with a man's  pen  concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.  [2] unto me faithful  witnesses  to record,  Uriah  the priest,  and Zechariah  the son  of Jeberechiah.  [3] And I went  unto the prophetess;  and she conceived,  and bare  a son.  Then said  the LORD  to me, Call  his name  Mahershalalhashbaz.  [4] For before the child  shall have knowledge  to cry,  My father,  and my mother,  the riches  of Damascus  and the spoil  of Samaria  shall be taken away  before  the king  of Assyria. 

What does Isaiah 8:1-4 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Whereas the sign of Immanuel was for Ahaz primarily, the sign of Maher-shalal-hash-baz was for all the people of Judah. The preceding prophecies to Ahaz ( Isaiah 7:10-25) are generally negative, but the following prophecies to the Judahites ( Isaiah 8:1-10) are more positive. These instructions from the Lord evidently came to Isaiah in the midst of the Syro-Ephraimitic war. [1]
Robert Chisholm Jr. believed Maher-shalal-hash-baz was the immediate fulfillment of the Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah 7:14.
"The juxtaposition of the birth report narrative ( Isaiah 8:1-8) with the birth announcement narrative ( Isaiah 7:14-25) suggests a close relationship between the prophecy and the birth. The pattern of events (initial deliverance followed by punitive judgment) associated with the growth pattern of the child is the same in both chapters. Also, Immanuel is addressed in the conclusion of the prophecy in chapter9 (cf. Isaiah 8:8) as if He were already present on the scene. This address makes excellent sense if one understands the introduction of the same message ( Isaiah 8:1-3) as describing his birth.
"The differing names present a problem (which, by the way, one also faces in Matthew"s application of the Immanuel prophecy to the birth of Jesus). Perhaps Immanuel, understood as a symbolic name, focuses on God"s involvement in Judah"s history, whereas Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, the child"s actual name, alludes to the specific purpose or effect of His involvement. (In the same way, when applied to Jesus, "Immanuel" attests to God"s personal intervention in history through the Incarnation, whereas the Lord"s actual name, Jesus, indicates the specific purpose or effect of that intervention.)" [2]