Believers in the inspiration of
Holy Scripture argue back: But there are comparable prophecies elsewhere and
there is therefore no reason why this Isaiah passage should not provide another
example. Then the famous mention of Josiah in 1 Kgs. 13:2 is cited. It has to
be, because there is actually no other strictly parallel example available.
It is, of course, true that God could
inspire one of His prophets with detail of this kind. But does He? Did He?
Actually the Josiah prophecy is
hardly a good foundation to build on, for those words: “Josiah by name” could
well be an editorial parenthesis inserted for explanation’s sake at the time 1
Kings was being put together. It is noteworthy that, when Josiah arose to
fulfil this prophecy (2 Kgs. 23:15-18), the record there makes no allusion to
it. With the inserted phrase at 1 Kgs. 13:2 the compiler has already made all
the explanation that is necessary*. (Harry Whittaker, Isaiah [Wigan:
Biblia, 1988], 393; Whittaker is commenting on the referenceto "Cyrus" in Isa 44:28 and 45:1)
* It is useful also to observe
that 1 Kgs. 13:32 there is a similar anticipation of later historical fact in
the mention of Samaria (16:24), not yet built in the time of the Josiah
prophecy. (Ibid. 393)