Isaiah 9
"For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.'"
Isaiah 37:32 (KJV)
The following prooftext is used often by missionaries, even though it's not actually quoted by the New Testament:
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty G-d, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. [7] Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (KJV)
There are numerous problems with the above passage (which appears as Isaiah 9:5-6 in Jewish Bibles), both with translation and context.
Translation:
In the Hebrew, this passage is in the past tense! For example, the word which the Christian Bibles render as "his name shall be called" is the two words "vayikra shemo," which properly translated, should be "called his name" or "his name was called." The word "vayikra" is the first word to appear in the book of Leviticus, and a quick check will show that all Bibles render "vayikra" there properly, in the past tense.
To show that this is a mistranslation, here is the proof below. Below is an scanned image of the first verse in Leviticus. A square is drawn around the first word, which is pronounced "vayikra" -- "he called." This word is in the past tense.
Below is a scanned image of the verse in Isaiah. A square is drawn around the same word in that verse, "vayikra."
If anyone questions the truthfulness of my claims of mistranslations, they need only verify the Hebrew text itself. I implore the skeptical reader to do so.
Context:
1) Jesus was never called any of these names.
2) If this is about Jesus, doesn't that mean that Jesus is the Father?
3) Prince of Peace? Jesus himself would seem to object to such a title for himself:
Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. (KJV)
Is someone who says he has not come to bring peace someone we can call "Prince of Peace?"
This passage is, in reality, about the wonders performed by the Lord for Hezekiah, king of Judah. "Hezekiah" means "Strong/mighty is G-d." This passage is Isaiah's praise of the Lord for his salvation in the affair of Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem. We find an allusion to this in that the rare usage of the term "the zeal of Lord" is used elsewhere in reference to Hezekiah's victory.
The fact that the New Testament doesn't even quote this passage shows what a weak prooftext it is.
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