Some have maintained
that these are merely theophoric names, a long title that contains the name of
God but which does not indicate that the bearer of the name is deity. They
often will compare these titles in Isa 9:6 grammatically to the long title in
8:3, “Maher-shalal-hash-baz” (“Swift is the booty, fast is the prey”). Then the
title is translated “A Wonderful Counselor is the Mighty God, The Eternal
Father is the Prince of Peace.” In response, the name in 8:3 (“Maher-shalal-hash-baz”)
is dependent on the same words being used in 8:1. Second, the title in 8:3 is
not parallel syntactically to 9:6 because all the words in 9:6 are substantives
that do not have subjects and predicates. Moreover, titles such as used in 9:6
frequently reflect the nature of the person who is named (e.g. 2Sm 12:24-25;
Isa 1:26; Hos 1:10). (Michael Rydelnik, “The Messiah and His Titles,” in
Michael Rydelnik and Edwin eds., The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy:
Studies and Expositions of the Messiah in the Old Testament [Chicago: Moody
Publishers, 2019], 39 n.14)
Mighty
God (’el gibbor)
The
deity of the coming king is accentuated by the designation el, the
common Hebrew term for God. Delitzsch insists, “There is no reason why we
should take El in this name of the Messiah in any other sense than Immanu-El;
not to mention the fact that El in Isa is always a name of God.”45 Motyer adds,
“when we find a construction identical with Isa 9:6 (el with a following
adjective or noun), el is never adjectival but is always the ruling noun …
There is no evidence supporting an adjectival use of el in Isa 9:6.”
The term
gibbor (“mighty”) is often used of God (Dt 10:17; Ps 24:8; Jer 20:11;
Zph 3:17). Although it can also refer to “warriors” or “heroes” (Ezk 32:21),
linking gibbor with el clearly indicates that Isaiah intended to
describe this wondrous child as deity. Isaiah uses the same exact title of the
Lord Himself in 10:20-21 (cf. also Dt 10:17; Jer 32:18). Goldingay observes
that “the recurrence of the phrase rendered ‘Mighty God’ (’el gibbor) in
10:21 with definite reference to Yahweh makes it harder to accept that here the
phrase means ‘God-like warrior.’” Thus, attempts to limit this title to a mere
human “hero” seem to betray the expositor’s proclivity to reject the deity of
the Messiah in general or that it was specifically revealed in the OT. Taken in
the normal grammatical sense, ’el gibbor means “God, the mighty One.” It
is similar to ’el shaddai (“God almighty”) or’el olam (“God the
eternal”).
Everlasting
Father (abi ad)
Kings
were often depicted in the ancient world as “fathers” to their people. However,
this person’s fatherhood is described as being “eternal.” The word ’ad signifies
perpetuity or duration and is used by Isaiah to describe the “high and lofty
one” (57:15 NLT). Delitzsch notes, “The word ‘Father’ [abi] designates a
quality of the Messiah with respect to His people. He acts toward them like a
father.” (Delitzsch, Prophecies of Isaiah, 1:338) This describes His
relationship to His children as a “fatherly king.” As such, “father” does not
eliminate the possibility that this describes the one who is also called “son”
in this prediction. Thus, the newborn son will be the eternal One who is
eternally a father to His people.
Notwithstanding
the above, there is an alternative way of translating these two words. Gary
Smith correctly notes that the expression may also be translated as a genitive
phrase (“father of eternity”). (Smith, Isaiah 1-39, 1:241) This
translation indicates that the newborn son is actually the author or creator of
time, clearly an attribute of deity. Hence, Rydelnik and Spencer state, “The
child born here is not to be confused with the Father in the Triune Godhead.
Rather, the Son of God is the creator of time, the author of eternity.” In
either case, “everlasting” is a term that refers to God or God’s promises (2Sm
7:16), not to mere human beings. Kaiser comments, “Thus the one who will arrive
later is one who has been here from the beginning of time and more!” (Walter C.
Kaiser Jr., The Messiah in the Old Testament [Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1995], 164) (Edward E. Hindson, “Isaiah 9:1-7: The Deity of Messiah,” in Ibid.,
836-37)
