Today’s obituaries include a person’s dates of birth and death, family members, affiliations, and sometimes a list of remarkable occurrences in their life. Celebrities often gain more notoriety after they die when various acquaintances and family members come forward with stories about the famous person’s life. The first question most people ask, however, is, “How did they die?” When we think of biblical figures, we often wonder the same thing, especially a notable biblical individual like Isaiah. We wonder, “How did Isaiah die?”
What Does the Bible Tell Us about the Prophet Isaiah?
Isaiah, one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, wrote the book ascribed to him. Isaiah 1:1 gives us his credentials, “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.” The Bible names Amoz as Isaiah’s father but does not indicate Amoz was a prophet; the office of prophet was not an automatic inheritance from a biological father. God chooses whom He will, and it is clear He chose Isaiah. The Bible infers that Isaiah was married to a prophetess, and they had two sons (Isaiah 7:3, 8:3). His name means “The Lord is salvation.” He was a contemporary of Hosea and Micah.
Within the book, Isaiah records his prophecies to the Judean court at a time when they enjoyed financial prosperity. But their spiritual state was one of wickedness, which added to their overall decline. Isaiah prophesied during the time of the divided kingdom, just ahead of the Assyrians defeating and taking them captive. It was part of Isaiah’s call as a prophet to appeal to the people to repent and return to the Lord.
John MacArthur says Isaiah was also known as the “evangelical Prophet,” and he declared much about God’s grace to Israel, especially in chapters 40-66. The shining focus is chapter 53, where Isaiah portrays Christ as the stricken Lamb of God. The book of Isaiah is the most quoted book in the New Testament (over sixty-five times), and Isaiah is mentioned over twenty times.
When Did Isaiah Die?
The Bible gives us no specific details about Isaiah’s length of days other than what he prophesied during the reigns of the four kings mentioned above. He lived about 700 years before Jesus Christ, and his prophetic years spanned between 740 and 700 B.C., based upon the kings reigning during the time he prophesied. The best we can surmise is he died sometime in the sixth century B.C.
Do We Know How Isaiah Died?
Once again, the Bible does not give us an answer regarding how Isaiah died. Various traditions, however, declare Isaiah died a martyr’s death. 2 Kings 18 gives us a look at what transpired after the death of Hezekiah, the last in the list of kings under whom Isaiah prophesied.
Hezekiah was one of Judah’s good kings and reigned for 29 years in Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:2-3). When Assyria threatened Judah and its spokesperson shouted to the people not to listen to Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:29), Hezekiah tore his clothes and sent his chief counselors to Isaiah (2 Kings 19:1-2). Isaiah told them not to fear the Assyrians’ words and that Sennacherib would fall (2 Kings 19:7; Isaiah 37:1-7). Hezekiah prayed to the Lord for deliverance, and God promised there would be a remnant (2 Kings 19:31). The Assyrian king was defeated and met death at the hands of his sons.
Hezekiah later entertained an Assyrian envoy and showed them all his treasures. Isaiah then told Hezekiah all the accumulations (including some of Hezekiah’s sons) of Judah would be taken captive to Babylon. After Hezekiah’s death, his son, Manasseh, took the throne and “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 21:2). The Lord proclaimed judgment on Manasseh through His prophets (and Isaiah was probably among them). The Lord said He would remove the remnant and deliver them into the hands of their enemies (2 Kings 21:14).
Tradition has it Isaiah met his death at the hands of King Manasseh (695–642 B.C.), who feared for his throne. Some maintain that Isaiah died by being cut in two with a wooden saw. Other reports claim Isaiah died when he hid from Manasseh in a tree in Silwan, and then he was sawn in half. A tomb has been erected on a hill near where it was presumed he died—those who hold to this tradition cite Hebrews 11:37 for proof. While the passages are true, they do not name Isaiah as one who came to die by any of the ways mentioned.
Does it Matter Whether We Know How Isaiah Died?
One’s manner of death matters greatly to the people who would revere them, and perhaps their reverence would supersede that which is owed solely to the Lord. In contemporary society, people “worship” deceased popes, kings, presidents, and even actors and rock stars.
The Bible shows how people may “worship” things left behind by a revered person. Moses, God’s chosen one to deliver Israel, made a bronze serpent so anyone bitten by a serpent would be healed by looking at the bronze one (Numbers 21:9). Later, Hezekiah broke that same bronze serpent in pieces because the people of Israel worshipped it by burning incense (2 Kings 18:4). Had God not hidden Moses’ body, the people could very well have kept his corpse and held him up for worship! Is it possible the archangel Michael contended with the devil for Moses’ body (as recorded in Jude 9) because the devil would have liked nothing better than to provide a counterfeit Savior to Israel? Perhaps.
Death usually raises people’s admiration for the deceased, and often, they revere the dead without choosing to remember their faults.
We worship Jesus as Lord, our risen Savior, but we cannot worship an image made into the likeness of either Jesus or His cross. Isaiah 42:8 reminds us, “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” Ezekiel 29:35 says God is jealous for His name.
If we were to worship Isaiah because he was a major prophet or because he heard the voice of the Lord, we would steal glory from God. Because Jesus was resurrected, He lives, and we worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23). It matters when Jesus was born and when He died. It matters how Jesus died and where, because He is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets (Luke 4:21; Romans 3:21). All the prophesies are fulfilled in Jesus; knowing when Isaiah was born, and how and when he died, does not matter. What the prophet Isaiah said and did does, for His prophesies point to God’s plan of redemption as it leads to fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Old Testament deaths are often recorded, and God always has a reason for what He includes in Scripture. There was a significance to the deaths that resulted from wicked rebellion against God, and certain individual deaths are documented for our benefit (Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Korah’s rebellion comes to mind (Numbers 16). Corporate death due to rebellion (such as the million who rose against King Asa in 2 Chronicles 14) displays God’s magnificent power and sovereignty.
However, Isaiah’s death is not recorded, and we needn’t toil in vain to find an answer to something God left out of Scripture. Paul warns us against getting caught up in empty speculations (1 Timothy 1:4).
We must keep all of this in mind as we reflect upon the hows and whys of the biblical record of God’s servants. And as we ponder, remember Jesus suffered the ultimate rejection to secure our redemption. That’s a fact we can celebrate.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/fotokris
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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