Review of Commentaries

Barry Webb, The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles’ Wings, ed. J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996).

This short commentary (~250 pages) does an extremely good job at explaining the big picture of the book. It doesn’t get into great detail. Rather, it helps the reader see the big picture. We disagree with Webb’s replacement theology of Israel with the Church, but otherwise, this is a highly recommended commentary for anyone studying Isaiah.

J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996).

Motyer is a scholar and specialist of Isaiah. He has written several commentaries on this book, including one for Tyndale and a devotional commentary called Isaiah by the Day: A New Devotional Translation (2014). We have only read his longer commentary that is 544 pages in total—on average, 8 pages per chapter. This commentary moves at a quick pace, while also relying on Motyer’s training in the original languages and the Old Testament context. We highly recommend this commentary.

He holds to an Amillennial or Historical Premillennial view—perspectives that are difficult to tell apart.

We appreciated Motyer’s wholistic approach to Isaiah, incorporating the New Testament as well as sound exegesis. This commentary is going to err on the side of seeing Jesus throughout this book, but we see no problem with this approach. This was refreshing to read after studying Gary Smith’s commentary, which seldom moves beyond the text of Isaiah or even to the Old Testament in general.

Geoffrey W. Grogan, “Isaiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986).

Grogan holds to a premillennial view, and his study is a good beginning commentary on Isaiah. It is roughly 350 pages—or roughly 5 pages of commentary per chapter of Scripture.

Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1-39, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, The New American Commentary (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007).

Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009).

Smith’s commentary on Isaiah is a technical and rigorous work, spanning approximately 1,400 pages—or roughly 20 pages of commentary per chapter of Scripture. He takes Isaiah at face value, rarely citing the New Testament to support his views. While he is a conservative theologian, he prioritizes studying the text of Isaiah itself before referencing other scriptures.

This methodology has both strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, it encourages the interpreter to focus directly on the text rather than turning to external passages. However, a drawback is that it limits the interpretation to Isaiah alone, whereas a more holistic approach, incorporating all of Scripture (tota Scriptura), can provide a fuller understanding. Smith’s conservative theology, which upholds verbal plenary inspiration, is evident throughout his commentary, though his approach tends to exclude direct engagement with the New Testament.

Smith’s interpretation reflects a premillennial viewpoint. Regarding Isaiah 65:18, He writes, “God’s new creation will include nature, the nations, the Israelites, Jerusalem, and the temple.” However, he says nothing about the existence of a Millennium—never using the word. Moreover, his treatment of Isaiah 65:20 was lacking. Under his view, the presence of death is a “hypothetical situation drawn from life in this sinful world,” and it is used to “illustrate the point that people will live a very long time.”

While this commentary has many advantages, its main drawback is its excessive detail. The page count could’ve been cut in half without resulting in much lost. In fact, the work is even lengthier than John Oswalt’s comprehensive technical commentary on Isaiah (which is no small feat!).