The prophesied names of the promised Messiah painted a picture of who He would be. He would be Immanuel, God with us, Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Yet we call Him Jesus, as the angel instructed Joseph, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, ESV).

My wife and I have three boys, and with each pregnancy, we had the same conversation that many couples have: “What are we going to name this little one?” We have always believed that names carry significance. We decided that each of our children would have a family name connecting them to us and a name connecting them to our faith: Judah Grant, Jonathan Knox, and Ransom James.

The Bible provides ample example of this in Isaiah 8. In the middle of his prophetic message to King Ahaz of Judah, Isaiah conveys a divine message through the name of his son.

Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 9 are often quoted during this time of year. Isaiah 7 declares:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14, ESV

Isaiah 9 continues:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6, ESV

Yet Isaiah 8 and its surrounding context are often overlooked because they are difficult to interpret outside their historical and literary setting.

Full Context

Isaiah wrote during the Syro-Ephraimite War, when Syria and Israel conspired to attack Judah and replace King Ahaz with a ruler sympathetic to their agenda (Isaiah 7:1–2). During this section of Scripture, two of Isaiah’s children are mentioned. The child at the center of Isaiah 8 is Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, a name meaning “speed the spoil, hasten the prey” (Isaiah 8:1, ESV). The Lord instructs Isaiah:

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