The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isaiah 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
vision
Isaiah 21:2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
Numbers 12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Numbers 24:4,16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: …
saw
Isaiah 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isaiah 13:1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
the days
Isaiah 6:11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,
2 Chronicles 26:1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.
2 Chronicles 27:1 Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerushah, the daughter of Zadok.
that Isaiah son of Amoz saw
Isaiah, whose name means "Yahweh is salvation," is one of the major prophets in the Bible. His father, Amoz, is not widely known outside of this context, but Isaiah's lineage suggests a connection to the royal family or priesthood, granting him access to the kings of Judah. The phrase "saw" implies a direct and personal encounter with God's message, emphasizing the authenticity and authority of Isaiah's prophecies. Isaiah's ministry is marked by his call to repentance and his foretelling of both judgment and redemption.
during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah
This timeframe situates Isaiah's ministry in a period of significant political and spiritual change, spanning approximately 740 to 686 BC. Uzziah's reign was marked by prosperity and military strength, but also by pride and eventual downfall. Jotham continued his father's policies but faced growing threats from surrounding nations. Ahaz's reign was characterized by idolatry and political alliances that compromised Judah's faithfulness to God. Hezekiah, in contrast, initiated religious reforms and sought to restore worship of Yahweh. Isaiah's prophecies address the challenges and failures of these kings, calling the nation back to covenant faithfulness. This period also includes the rise of Assyria as a dominant power, posing a constant threat to Judah and influencing the political landscape. Isaiah's messages often reflect the tension between reliance on God and the temptation to seek security through human alliances.
The opening words announce that what follows is direct revelation from God—something Isaiah actually saw. Scripture treats such visions as factual, not imaginative.
• 1 Samuel 3:1 notes “the word of the LORD was rare … visions were scarce,” underscoring that when God grants one, it carries weight.
• Ezekiel 1:1 speaks of “visions of God,” placing Isaiah in a long line of prophets who received visible, vivid communication.
• Proverbs 29:18 warns, “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint,” showing why God graciously provided this one—to steer His people back to Himself.
By introducing the entire book with the word vision, Isaiah signals that every oracle, warning, and promise that follows is divinely sourced and therefore trustworthy.
God narrows the scope to the southern kingdom and its capital. Though Isaiah will occasionally address surrounding nations (Isaiah 13–23), the primary audience is Judah.
• Psalm 48:1-3 calls Jerusalem “the city of our God … His holy mountain,” reminding us why its sin grieves the Lord so deeply.
• Micah 3:9 accuses leaders “who despise justice … who build Zion with bloodshed,” paralleling Isaiah’s burden for societal injustice in the same city.
• 2 Kings 17:18-19 shows Israel’s northern kingdom already exiled; Judah alone remains. God focuses on Judah to spare her from similar judgment—if she will repent.
The prophet is firmly rooted in history, not legend. His father’s name is given, anchoring him in a real family and lineage.
• 2 Kings 19:2-5 portrays Isaiah counseling King Hezekiah during the Assyrian crisis, confirming his national influence.
• 2 Chronicles 26:22 records that Uzziah’s deeds were written “by Isaiah the prophet,” indicating Isaiah’s long public ministry and literary capability.
• John 12:38-41 cites Isaiah’s words and adds that Isaiah “saw His glory,” linking this eighth-century prophet directly to the revealed glory of Christ.
Four reigns spanning roughly 740–686 BC frame Isaiah’s service. The verse invites readers to interpret the entire book in light of these specific historical settings.
• Uzziah (also called Azariah, 2 Kings 15:1-7): a prosperous era, yet “his heart was lifted up” and judgment fell (2 Chron 26:16-21). Isaiah begins amid outward success masking inner rot.
• Jotham (2 Kings 15:32-38): generally faithful, but “the people still acted corruptly” (2 Chron 27:2). Conditions worsened even under good leadership.
• Ahaz (2 Kings 16): notorious for idolatry, sacrificing his son, and appealing to Assyria. Isaiah’s warnings intensify here (Isaiah 7:1-14).
• Hezekiah (2 Kings 18–20): a godly reformer who experiences miraculous deliverance yet later shows Babylonians his treasures, prompting Isaiah’s prediction of future exile (Isaiah 39).
Listing these kings demonstrates God’s patience across decades: one message, consistent prophet, four administrations—underscoring that the covenant Lord “is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Peter 3:9).
Isaiah 1:1 serves as the book’s title page: a God-given vision, aimed at Judah and Jerusalem, delivered by the historically rooted prophet Isaiah, and situated during four specific reigns. This single verse anchors everything that follows in divine authority, national relevance, prophetic credibility, and concrete history, calling the reader to heed each subsequent word as the unerring, timely voice of God.
(1) The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz . . .--The term "vision," as descriptive of a prophet's work (1Samuel 3:1), is the correlative of the old term "seer," as applied to the prophet himself (1Samuel 9:9). The latter fell into disuse, probably because the pretenders to the clairvoyance which it implied brought it into discredit. The prophet, however, did not cease to be a "seer;" and to see visions was still one of the highest forms of the gift of the spirit of Jehovah (Joel 2:28). It describes the state, more or less ecstatic, in which the prophet sees what others do not see, the things that are yet to come, the unseen working of the eternal laws of God. As compared with "the word of the Lord," it indicates a higher intensity of the ecstatic state; but the two terms were closely associated, and, as in Isaiah 2:1, a man was said to see "the word of the Lord." Judah and Jerusalem are named as the centre, though not the limit, of the prophet's work.Verse 1. - TITLE OF THE WORK. It is questioned whether the title can be regarded as Isaiah's, or as properly belonging to the work, and it is suggested that it is rather a heading invented by a collector who brought together into a volume such prophecies of Isaiah as were known to him, the collection being a much smaller one than that which was made ultimately. In favor of this view it is urged(1) that the prophecies, as we have them, do not all "concern Judah and Jerusalem;"
(2) that there is a mistake in the title, which Isaiah could not have made, none of the prophecies belonging to the reign of Uzziah. But it may be answered, that, in the scriptural sense, all and Jerusalem, prophecy "concerns Judah and Jerusalem," i.e. the people and city of God; and, further, that it is quite impossible to prove that no part of the "vision" was seen in the reign of Uzziah. There are no means of knowing whether Isaiah collected his prophecies into a volume himself or whether the collection was the work of others. In either case, the existing title must be regarded as designed for the entire work. All the earlier prophecies - those of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, and Zephaniah - have some title introducing them. Verse 1. - The vision (comp. Obadiah 1:1; Nahum 1:1). The term is probably used in a collective sense, but is also intended to suggest the intrinsic unity of the entire body of prophecies put forth by Isaiah. As prophets were originally called "seers" (1 Samuel 9:9), so prophecy was called "vision;" and this latter use continued long after the other (comp. 1 Chronicles 17:15; Ezekiel 12:27; Daniel 9:23; Obadiah 1:1, etc.). Isaiah the son of Amoz (comp. Isaiah 2:1; Isaiah 13:1; Isaiah 37:2; etc.; 2 Kings 20:1; 2 Chronicles 32:32). The signification of the name Isaiah is "the salvation of Jehovah." The name Amen (Amots) is not to be confused with Amos ('Amos), who seems to have been a contemporary (Amos 1:1). Concerning Judah and Jerusalem. The prophecies of Isaiah concern primarily the kingdom of Judah, not that of Israel. They embrace a vast variety of nations and countries (see especially Isaiah 13, 15. - 21, 23, 47.); but these nations and countries are spoken of "only because of the relation in which they stand to Judah and Jerusalem" (Kay), or at any rate to the people of God, symbolized under those names. Jerusalem occupies a prominent place in the prophecies (see Isaiah 1:8, 21; Isaiah 3:16-26; Isaiah 4:3-6; Isaiah 29. 1-8; 31:4-9, etc.). In the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Uzziah (or Azariah, as he is sometimes called) reigned fifty-two years - probably from B.C. 811 to B.C. 759; Jotham sixteen years - from B.C. 759 to B.C. 743; Ahaz also sixteen years - from B.C. 743 to B.C. 727; and Hezekiah twenty-nine years - from B.C. 727 to B.C. 698. Isaiah probably prophesied only in the later years of Uzziah, say from B.C. 760; but as he certainly continued his prophetical career tin Sennacherib's invasion of Judaea (Isaiah 37:5), which was not earlier than B.C. 705, he must have exercised the prophet's office for at least fifty-six years. The lowest possible estimate of the duration of his ministry is forty-seven years - from the last year of Uzziah, B.C. 759, to the fourteenth of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:5). The highest known to us is sixty-four years - from the fourth year before Uzziah's death ( B.C. 762) to the last year of Hezekiah ( B.C. 698). (See 'Speaker's Commentary,' vol. 5. p. 5.)
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