Isaiah 9:4
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 9:1-7
We continue today with Isaiah’s prophecy beginning with verse three. It’s not unusual for different translations of the Bible to use different words to convey the meaning of the original Hebrew. The Hebrew language uses words that often have multiple meanings and context plays a large role in how we translate the Hebrew word into English. A particular Hebrew word can convey a word-picture that would take an entire sentence in English to convey the same thing.
But it is unusual for two English translations to use the opposite words conveying opposite meanings. Isaiah 9:3 is one of those instances where depending on the English translation we use, we will find opposite meanings. Most modern translations match the NIV translation that says:
“You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder” (vs. 3).
However, the King James Version says:
“Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil” (vs. 3).
The NIV says their joy “increased” whereas the KJV says their joy has “not increased.” So which do we use and does it really matter? If you aren’t a stickler for getting everything right all the time, then no it doesn’t really matter. This isn’t a salvation issue and getting this idea wrong isn’t going to change anything significant with this prophecy. But I personally think the KJV got it correct so that’s the one we are going to use.
The reason most translations omitted the word “not” is because it doesn’t fit the context. The “not increased their joy” statement appears to contradict the statement that immediately follows saying “they rejoice before you.” But if we dig into this prophecy a bit, I think we can make the “not” make sense.
Recall from yesterday that Matthew quoted the two preceding verses in pointing out that this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming. Jesus lived during the occupation of Israel by the Roman Empire. Isaiah 9:2 speaks of a people that walked in darkness who have now seen a great light. The people In darkness are the Jews and the great light is Jesus.
Now Isaiah 9:3 speaks of a nation but this is not the nation of Israel if we are going to say their joy has “not” increased because the receiver of this joy or lack thereof are the Jews. Enlarging the nation of Israel would lead to their joy. However, enlarging an oppressive nation would lead to them having no joy. Let’s read Isaiah 9:2-4 again but this time I’ve added identifiers:
“The people [oppressed Jews] walking in darkness
have seen a great light [Jesus];
on those living in the land of deep darkness [oppressed Jews]
a light [Jesus] has dawned.
You [God] have enlarged the nation [Roman Empire]
and not increased their [oppressed Jews] joy;
they [oppressed Jews] rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor [Roman Empire]” (vs. 2-4).
The word used for nation in verse three is the Hebrew word gôy. It is often used to refer to a Gentile (not Jewish) or pagan nation. It is also not out of character for God to play a role in enlarging a nation that would oppress Israel. In context, that is exactly what is happening at this time during the book of Isaiah. God is about to use the nation of Assyria to bring judgement to Israel for their empty sacrifices.
The point to take home with us today is that God’s people rejoiced in the midst of their suffering. The nation of Israel was being oppressed by the Roman Empire and that did not increase their joy. However, Jesus arrives on the scene and the people rejoice “as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.”
Jesus prayed on the night of his arrest for us to have joy. He was leaving the world but his disciples were not. Jesus prayed to the Lord, “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them” (John 17:13). James, the brother of Jesus also wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2).
Jesus knew that the one thing we needed to endure the hard times in life was joy. James takes it to a new level by instructing us to find joy in persecution. But not for the sake of persecution but because persecution draws us closer to Jesus. I think of joy as my response to what Jesus has done for me. When I think of Jesus, what thoughts and feelings does that stir within me? Love, hope, gratitude, confidence … joy.
The Jews were living under an oppressive Roman rule. The Romans were not increasing their joy to say the least. But then Jesus showed up. And amidst their physical suffering, the people rejoiced because a light had dawned.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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