Discover how the timeless words of Isaiah speak into today’s crises, offering insight, challenge, and hope for contemporary readers.

Preachers and teachers of the Bible know that the present continually reshapes our understanding of the past, including the texts Christians hold sacred. In Isaiah 40–66, Julia O’Brien explores how the authors of Second and Third Isaiah reworked their religious traditions to address the concerns of their own times, how these texts have been read across diverse communities historically, and how we might responsibly interpret them now in our current contexts of racialized violence, polarized politics, climate crisis, and declining church membership.

Not only does this volume challenge readers to hear divine comfort alongside critique and judgment, guiding them to read Isaiah with ears attuned to the texts’ distinct contexts, but O’Brien also emphasizes how the stories we tell about our ancestors, and the primary texts we cite, shape our identities, politics, and relationships. Following Isaiah’s example, readers are invited to tell new stories—inspired by previous generations, yet aware of past shortcomings, and responsive to the pressing challenges of our time.

Those who preach and teach will appreciate how O’Brien combines historical and literary analysis with theological and cultural sensitivity, attending to the original contexts of exile and post-exile while sensitively challenging long-standing christological readings that have marginalized Jewish interpretations. Additionally, O’Brien addresses preconceptions about the role of prophecy in the Bible and biases in interpretation around gender, race, and disability, highlighting the real-world consequences of common readings.

Emphasizing sound critical exegesis with strong theological sensibilities, the new Interpretation Bible Commentary series features innovative interpretive approaches that help readers engage the biblical text as a source for participating in the larger social world. These volumes, written by an array of new and diverse authors, are designed to meet the needs of clergy, teachers, and students by inviting readers into the lively work of careful biblical interpretation for the purpose of faithful exposition. Through its engagement with Scripture, the Interpretation Bible Commentary series illumines our relationship with God, one another, and creation so that readers are propelled with new understanding and energy for fulfilling God’s claims on us in our rapidly changing contexts.