Esaias is the Greek form of the name Isaiah, the great eighth-century prophet of Judah.
This spelling appears in the New Testament (especially in the King James Version) when the Gospel writers and apostles quote or refer to him.
Isaiah (Esaias) prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, calling Judah to repentance and announcing both judgment and magnificent hope.
He is best known for his prophecies of the coming Messiah, the suffering Servant, and the future kingdom of God.
Esaias stands as one of the major writing prophets and one of the most frequently quoted Old Testament figures in the New Testament. His name means “Yahweh is salvation.” Called to ministry in a dramatic vision of the Lord’s holiness, he confronted the sin of Judah, warned of coming exile, and yet looked far beyond his own day to the virgin-born Immanuel, the Child who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Servant who would be pierced for our transgressions, and the coming King who would reign in righteousness. The New Testament writers repeatedly turn to Esaias to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of these promises. His book is a sweeping revelation of God’s holiness, justice, and redeeming grace.
- The name “Esaias” is simply the Greek rendering of “Isaiah” and appears in New Testament quotations and references.
- He received his call in the year King Uzziah died, when he saw the Lord high and lifted up and cried, “Woe is me!”
- His ministry spanned several decades and addressed both the crisis of the Assyrian threat and the deeper spiritual condition of the people.
- Esaias contains some of the clearest Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah’s birth, character, suffering, and reign.
- The New Testament cites him in connection with John the Baptist, the ministry of Jesus in Galilee, the hardening of Israel, the conversion of the Gentiles, and the gospel itself.
- His vision of God’s holiness (“Holy, holy, holy”) has shaped the worship of the church across the centuries.
- The second half of the book especially develops the themes of comfort, the Servant of the Lord, and the future restoration of God’s people.
- The Call Vision (Isaiah 6) – Esaias sees the Lord on the throne, is convicted of sin, cleansed by a coal from the altar, and sent as a prophet.
- Immanuel Prophecies (Isaiah 7–12) – During the Syro-Ephraimite crisis he announces the sign of the virgin-born Immanuel and the coming Child with divine names.
- Oracles against the Nations – He pronounces judgment on Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, Moab, Egypt, and others, showing God’s sovereignty over all peoples.
- The Suffering Servant (especially Isaiah 53) – He describes the Servant who is despised, pierced, and crushed for the sins of others, yet ultimately exalted.
- Comfort and Restoration (Isaiah 40–66) – He proclaims comfort to God’s people, the coming of the Lord, the new exodus, and the future glory of Zion.
- New Testament Fulfillment – Jesus and the apostles repeatedly quote Esaias to show that the Messiah’s ministry, rejection, and worldwide mission were foretold.
- Isaiah 6:1-8 – “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up… ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts’… ‘Here I am! Send me.’”
- Isaiah 7:14 – “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
- Isaiah 9:6-7 – “For to us a child is born… and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
- Isaiah 53:5-6 – “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities… and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
- Matthew 3:3 – “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah [Esaias] when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord…’”
- Matthew 4:14-16 – Jesus’ move to Galilee fulfills “what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah [Esaias].”
- Matthew 8:17 – Jesus’ healings fulfill Isaiah’s word: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
- Luke 4:17-21 – Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah [Esaias] in the synagogue at Nazareth and declares, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
- Acts 8:28-35 – The Ethiopian eunuch is reading Esaias the prophet; Philip begins with that Scripture and tells him the good news about Jesus.
- Romans 9:27, 29; 10:16, 20-21; 15:12 – Paul repeatedly cites Esaias concerning Israel and the inclusion of the Gentiles.
- John 12:38-41 – John quotes Isaiah and notes that Isaiah “saw his glory and spoke of him.”
Esaias (Isaiah) is one of the towering voices of the Old Testament and one of the most important witnesses to Jesus in all of Scripture. His vision of God’s blazing holiness, his clear announcements of the coming Messiah, and his portrait of the Servant who would bear the sins of many find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. When the New Testament writers wanted to show that the gospel was no afterthought, they turned again and again to Esaias. In him we hear both the thunder of judgment and the comfort of salvation, both the cry of “Woe is me!” and the promise of a Child who is Mighty God. To read Esaias is to stand on the threshold of the gospel and to see the glory of Christ centuries before His coming.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.