Q233 : Understanding the Book of Isaiah

I am doing a study on the Book of Isaiah, but I am so lost. Can you recommend a source of information that will perhaps be more understandable? The teacher is using Arnold Fruchtenbaum's mp3, but I did not hear the introduction, and I am lost as well as some of the other students. I need a source I can trust.

A233 : by Tony Garland

Isaiah is a pretty challenging book so it can take quite a bit of time (even years) to get a really good grasp of it. I'm mentioning this because, if you haven't been through it in detail before, then you should expect to feel lost in portions! Especially coming to a better understanding of the historical context.

Another challenge with Isaiah is that many of the commentaries are either superficial or overwhelming.

I would start out with an intermediate-depth commentary, and add some additional resources which go into greater depth where desired. Some that I can recommend:

• John A. Martin, Isaiah in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament^a, Walvoord and Zuck, editors. I'd recommend purchasing the two-volume set which covers the entire Scriptures, including the New Testament^b.
• Geoffrey W. Grogan, Isaiah in Gaebelein, F. E., Grogan, G. W., Feinberg, C. L., Ellison, H. L., & Alexander, R. H., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6)^c.
• Edward J. Young, Studies In Isaiah^d. This is an advanced three-volume work and goes into great detail.

Unfortunately, I'm not presently aware of a good intermediate-level audio/video course available freely over the Internet.

Hang in there! It is OK to feel lost at times. Ask God to help you understand more each time you study: God will bring greater clarity with time.