Book of Isaiah Resources

Websites

The Prophet Isaiah—Chabad

This website is run by the Hasidic Jewish organization Chabad, giving their take on Isaiah and his book.

Isaiah in The Jewish Encyclopedia

The Jewish Encyclopedia article gives a good amount of extra detail from outside of The Book of Isaiah, including a more detailed description of Isaiah's sawed-inside-the-tree death from the Talmud.

Historical Documents

We Like Ike

President Eisenhower's farewell address was a warning against the influence of the "military industrial complex." That being the case, he referenced the line from Isaiah 2:3-4 about beating "swords into ploughshares" (though he uses the term a little differently.)

Reagan's @ the UN

President Reagan also referenced the "ploughshares" line in a speech to the UN, one in which he famously speculated on how quickly the US and Soviet Russia would band together under threat of an alien attack. Um, okay…

Video

"Heal the World"

This tune from the King of Pop provides yet another reference to Isaiah's "swords into ploughshares" line. Nice touch, MJ.

Jewel at Lilith Fair

This song, itself, has nothing to do with Isaiah, but it was performed at Lilith Fair, an all-female music festival inspired by the character of Lilith, first mentioned in Isaiah.

U2 is Down

This U2 song relates Martin Luther King Jr. to the Suffering Servant from Isaiah: "One man come here to justify / One man to overthrow."

Audio

The Messiah by Handel

Handel's Messiah (the piece with the famous "Hallelujah" part) begins by setting some of Isaiah's prophecies to music. Check out this version from a Cambridge University choir.

Hendrix on the Watchtower

The original Bob Dylan version of the song—inspired by lines from Isaiah—is discussed in the "Pop Culture References" section. But this version is included here because Dylan said it was a better version then his own song. Jimi Hendrix truly made it his own.

Images

The Dartmouth College Seal and Motto

The motto on the Dartmouth College seal echoes Isaiah 40:3 (by way of Mark's gospel, which quotes it): "A voice crying out in the wilderness."

Isaiah by Michelangelo

This is Michelangelo's way of envisioning Isaiah from the Sistine Chapel. He looks beardless, yet… scholarly.

Peace by William Strutt

This is 19th Century British artist William Strutt's drawing of the scene depicted in Isaiah 11:6, with the carnivorous and herbivorous animals getting chummy, and a little child leading them. Aww.

Isaiah by Raphael

Bearded and looking every inch the prophet, Isaiah appears unrolling a scroll—probably a rough draft of his book.

Russian Icon of Isaiah

This Russian Monastery's portrait of Isaiah is a pretty austere and dignified looking one.

Isaiah Receiving His Mission

Here's a stained glass portrayal of Isaiah's tête-à-tête with those fearsome seraphim—though significantly less fearsome, in this case.