Maher-Shalal-Hashbaz
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shaft call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”. (Matthew 1:21-23)
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. (Isaiah 7:14)
One of the most intriguing problems in prophecies of the nativity is the harmonization of these two verses. There is no doubt that Matthew is applying the prophecy of Isaiah to the birth of Jesus and in support of the concept of a virgin birth. There is also little doubt that Isaiah is applying the prophecy in his own day, and that the birth is not a virgin birth in the usual perception of that expression.
THE SETTING OF ISAIAH’S PROPHECY
The section of Isaiahs prophecy in which our text is found is one of the longer sections of the book, covering all of chapters 7 through 12.
Amaze is king of Judah. He is one of the more wicked of Judah’s kings and it is remarkable that such an outstanding prophecy would be given to him. As a punishment for the iniquities of Israel during the reign of Ahaz, God permitted a confederacy of the northern kingdom of Israel, under King Pekah, and his Syrian ally, Rezin, to attack and score a great victory against Judah. Fearful of these allied forces, King Ahaz desired to make a defensive pact with the great eastern power Assyria, under Tiglath-Pileser.
It is in this scenario that Isaiah and his son, ShearJashub, seek a meeting with the king outside the walls of Jerusalem. The prophet urges the wicked king to seek a sign of the Lord. The king, in pretended humility, states that he will not tempt the Lord in such a way. Isaiah’s response is harsh, “Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?”. (Isaiah 7:13) Then he proceeds to give the sign of a virgin conceiving and bearing a son.
This sign, in the context of Isaiah, cannot be directly referring to some such far-off event as the birth of Jesus, since the prophet continues in verse 16, “For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrent shall be forsaken of both her kings.”
THE FULFILLMENT OF THE SIGN
The sign given Ahaz in chapter 7 is fulfilled in chapter 8. “Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man’s pen concerning Maher-shalalhashbaz. And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz. 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”. (Isaiah 8:1-4)
Thus the fulfillment of the sign is the birth of Isaiah’s second son, Maher-shalal-hashbaz. The similarity of verse 4 in chapter 8 with verse 16 in chapter 7 supports this interpretation. Evidently Isaiah had two wives, the mother of his first son Shear-Jashub, and the prophetess who bore the second child.
VIRGIN OR YOUNG MAIDEN
It is here where the conflict arises. Is it proper to say that Isaiah’s second child was a result of a virgin birth? Certainly not in the sense that Jesus was the product of a miraculous conception by the holy Spirit in the womb of Mary! However, neither can we endorse the thought put forth by many commentators that the Hebrew alma simply means “young maiden” while the Greek Parthenos translated “virgin” in Matthew 1:23, means a true virgin. If such were so, Matthew would be greatly altering the meaning of the Isaiah passage to force it to fit the birth of Jesus.
The Wycliffe Commentary notes: “The word for virgin here is carefully chosen. Etymologically [alma] does rot necessarily signify a (virgo intacta] (an untouched maiden). In actual usage in the Hebrew Scriptures, however, it refers only to a maiden chaste and unmarried (so far as the context shows). This well fits the prospective mother alluded to in this situation. Judging from Isaiah 8:1-4, the typical mother was the prophetess who became Isaiah’s wife within a short time after this prophecy was spoken. Therefore she was a virgin at the time this promise was given. She serves as a type of the Virgin Mary, who remained a virgin even after her miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit” (emphasis added).
Thus the prophetess to whom Isaiah went was a virgin at the time of conception, i.e, Maher-shalalhashbaz was the result of the first sexual relationship between her and Isaiah. This precludes the prophetess being the first wife of Isaiah, since his other son, Shear-Jashub, was already on the scene. In the case of Mary, she was a virgin when she conceived, and remained one until the birth of the child.
The key thought of Wycliffe is that the entire incident in Isaiah is symbolic. This is confirmed in Isaiah 8:18, “Behold, I and the children whom the LORD bath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts.” Pastor Russell, in an article titled “Bible Reading;” comments as follows: “It was not uncommon for Jehovah to deal in this very way – causing a typical fulfillment of a prophecy to transpire, and thus attract attention for a time away from the actual fulfillment. In this case of typical fulfillment… the prophet represented Jehovah, the prophetess represented the Virgin Mary, and their child represented Jesus” (R436).
WHY NAMED EMMANUEL
Another oddity in both Isaiah and Matthew is that the name given the child appears different from the one predicted. The prophesied name is Immanuel, “God with us;” but Isaiah’s son was named Mahershalal-hashbaz, “swift to the destruction:” Mary’s son was also not named Immanuel, but Jesus.
In the case of Jesus, the problem seems simple to solve. Contrary to public opinion, Jesus does not mean “Savior;” but “Jehovah saves:” It is a compound name, adding the prefix “Je;” designating Jehovah, to the proper name Oshea, meaning savior. This is shown in Numbers 13:16 where we read that Moses changed the name of the spy Oshea to Jehoshua, or as we know it, Joshua.
However the connection between Immanuel and the name Maher-shalal-hashbaz is not so apparent. At first reading, the name of Isaiah’s son means destruction rather than salvation. However the destruction referenced is that of the alliance of Israel and Syria. This destruction did mean salvation – to the two-tribe kingdom of Judah.
Notice Isaiah 8:8-10: “And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.”
Not only is the name Immanuel mentioned in verse 8, but the last phrase of this passage, “for God is with us” is, in the Hebrew, Immanuel. In both cases God would be with them, and that to save. In the Old Testament, through the defeat of the antagonistic alliance; in the New Testament, through the ransom sacrifice, and thus the defeat of Satan, the ultimate enemy of the entire human race.
THE BIG PICTURE
Expanding from our theme text to the complete prophecy of Isaiah 7 through 12, we find that it is a broad scope picture of the entire salvation process. The prophecy can be broken into three sections.
(1) Chapters 7 and 8 were largely fulfilled in the prophet’s day, though they are typical of a large fulfillment later.
(2) Chapters 9 and 10 find their fulfillment in the first advent and the following Gospel age.
(3) Chapters 11 and 12 will be fulfilled in the future in Christ’s Messianic kingdom.
The focal point of the first section is the desolation to be wrought, first upon Israel by the Assyrians, and then upon Judah. This desolation is depicted graphically in Isaiah 7:20-22. The Living Bible paraphrase captures the sense of the passage well.
“In that day the Lord will take this `razor’ – these Assyrians you have hired to save you – and use it on you to shave off everything you have: your land, your crops, your people. When they finally stop plundering, the whole nation will be a pastureland; whole flocks and herds will be destroyed, and a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep left. But the abundant pastureland will yield plenty of milk, and everyone left will live on curds and wild honey:’
The latter part of this passage is not depicting an era of plenty, but a desolation so complete that there would be so few inhabitants left that only these would have an abundance from the land.
Even when a remnant returned under the edict of Cyrus, it was but a token amount of the Jewish world population. Never did they regain full independence, though there was a measure of autonomy following the Maccabean revolt.
THE TURNING POINT
The ninth chapter opens with a distinct turn of events. “Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair shall not go on forever. Though soon the land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be under God’s contempt and judgment, yet in the future these very lands, Galilee and Northern Transjordan, where lies the road to the sea, will be filled with glory.”
This prophecy is quoted in Matthew 4:15,16 and applied to the first advent. For the first time in about 600 years, the faithful in Israel could progress from the darkness and despair of their dispersion to the great light of the message of Jesus Christ.
This turning point is further elucidated in the familiar words of Isaiah 9:6,7: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
In the opening sentence of his article on “The Throne of David” (R452), Pastor Russell rightly concludes: “This prophecy seems to be a continuation of that in Isaiah 7:14:” In other words, the child of the virgin birth pictured by Maher-shalal-hashbaz would fulfill a rulership role that child never achieved. The antitypical child, Jesus, would carry four titles:
(1) Wonderful Counsellor – The wisdom of his counsel would fulfill all that was predicted of Jesus when he is personified as wisdom in Proverbs 7 to 9.
(2) The Mighty God – His power would be unmatched, for he would assume “all power in heaven and in earth”. (Matthew 28:18)
(3) The Everlasting Father – In love, he would provide the guidance and leadership that only come from a caring father figure.
(4) The Prince of Peace – A title indicating that his kingdom would be based on perfect justice, protecting the rights of every man by instructing them in the ways of righteousness.
Truly, as Jesus himself said, “He that seeth me bath seen the Father”. (John 14:9) His life mirrors that of his heavenly Father, Jehovah, in being a complete representation of the four cardinal attributes of wisdom, power, love and justice.
A SECOND DISPERSION
Although Israel had not achieved autonomy, there was a large portion of Jewry in their ancient homeland. Now once again, because they did not accept their Messiah, their house was to be “left desolate”. (Matthew 23:37,38) This is the message of Isaiah 9:8, correctly translated in the New American Standard, “The Lord sends a message against Jacob, and it falls on Israel:”
The execution of this sentence is predicted in the prophecy under consideration. “The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind… shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts. Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honorable, he is the head… the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail… the leaders of this people cause them to err, and they that are led… are destroyed”. (Isaiah 9:12-16)
This diaspora was to last nearly 2000 years, until their double was fulfilled in 1878. Then there would be a great return to the land. But those who would eventually inherit that land would be but a remnant of those who went out. Inheritance would demand faith of this remnant. Of them the prophet wrote in Isaiah 10:20- 22: “In that day… the remnant of Israel… shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return:”
THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM
In the final two chapters of this prophecy we find descriptions of Christ’s Messianic kingdom. Isaiah 11:1-5 describes the return of Christ and the object of his second advent. “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked… Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness… of his reins.”
As in Isaiah 9:6, we see Christ presented in four figures. These also closely compare to the aspects of the operation of the holy Spirit on Bezaleel, the chief builder of Israel’s tabernacle. (Exodus 31:2,3)
In a thought-provoking article on Reprint page R4093, M. E. Reimer also compares these attributes to the holy anointing oil used in the tabernacle.
KINGDOM BLESSINGS
In these last chapters we find one of the bestknown promises of the kingdom: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed… and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cocktrice’ den.”
Whether this applies to literal animals or to those of wolf-like and lamb-like dispositions is immaterial, since the point of the passage is to show that Christ’s kingdom will eventually produce a domain of peace and tranquility. Though probably the “child” is a metaphor for those who possess childlikeness, it is worth noting that the one who will, in truth, lead them is that child of the virgin of chapter seven and the child of chapter nine who is called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.
Nor will this kingdom be a limited one. It will be for those of all nations, races and peoples. “In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign to the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious”. (Isaiah 11:10)
This kingdom will usher in the “highway of holiness”. (Isaiah 35:8-10) The beginnings of this highway are described in these closing chapters. “The LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea… he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria… as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of… Egypt”. (Isaiah 11:15-18)
The grand finale of that kingdom is found in the closing words of the prophecy. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he bath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee”. (Isaiah 12:2-6)
THE GEOGRAPHIC SETTING
Another lesson in the study of these chapters in Isaiah is their geographic setting, described in Isaiah 7:3. “Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and ShearJashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field:”
This location is southwest of the city of Jerusalem, just outside the city walls. Two pools have been uncovered by archaeologists at this location, connected with a stone gutter, or conduit. Gravity caused the water to flow rapidly through the conduit connecting the two pools. This flowing water made an ideal spot for the fullers (or “dyers of cloth”) to rinse their dyed garments. Since red was the predominant color, the water was frequently colored red by the rinsed dye.
Connecting this setting with the prophetic name Maher-shalalhashbaz (“hastening to the spoil”) recalls another prophecy of Isaiah. “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in throe apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come”. (Isaiah 63:1-4)
But this symbol of stained garments is not used only of destruction. It is also used by the same prophet to depict salvation. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. (Isaiah 1:18) In this picture of the work of the fuller we see the redemptive work of Christ which is shown in the Matthew quotation at the head of this article.
In both senses, then, the setting Isaiah chose for the giving of the prophecy becomes a picture of the words he speaks – truly a sign from God.
SHEAR-JASHUB
Not only was the name Maher-shalal-hashbaz symbolic, the same is true of Isaiah’s other son, Shear-Jashub. Isaiah 8:18 states that Isaiah’s “children;’ plural, would be “for signs and wonders in Israel.” The name Shear-Jashub means “a remnant shall return” and appears twice in the middle of this prophecy. We do not notice it since the words are translated into their English meaning.
“The remnant shall return (Hebrew, shear jashub), even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return (Hebrew, shear jashub): the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness”. (Isaiah 10:21,22)
Thus in Isaiah’s oldest son we see a promise of blessing to the faithful remnant of Israel, and in the name of his youngest, a promise of ultimate deliverance from their enemies.
How beautiful it is to note the care by which a loving heavenly Father has outlined over and over again the fact that salvation is sure and promised, and that good, not evil, will ultimately triumph.
– Carl Hagensick