For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Parallel translations
- WEB For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- KJV 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 God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
- NKJV For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- NASB For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
- NLT For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A divine child is promised who will rule as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Overview
This is one of the clearest Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, born as a human child yet bearing names that belong to God himself. "Mighty God" and "Everlasting Father" point to his full deity, while "child is born" affirms his true humanity. Christians see this fulfilled in Jesus, the God-man who reigns with all authority and brings true and lasting peace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 40
- Luke 2:11Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!
- Matt 28:18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
- Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- Isa 7:14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
- Matt 1:23“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
- 1 Jn 5:20And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
- Rev 19:16And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
- John 1:1–2In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- 1 Tim 3:16By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
- Isa 53:5But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
- Isa 28:29This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
- Heb 2:13–14And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And once again: “Here am I, and the children God has given Me.”
- Rom 8:32He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
- Ps 45:6Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
- Eph 2:14–18For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility
- 1 Cor 15:25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
- Isa 10:21A remnant will return—a remnant of Jacob—to the Mighty God.
- John 14:27Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
- Judg 13:18“Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”
- Heb 1:8But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
- John 1:14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 3:16–17For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- Isa 63:16Yet You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.
- Zech 9:9–10Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
- Isa 11:1–2Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Matt 11:27All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
- Luke 1:35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
- John 1:16From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
- Heb 13:20Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
- 1 Cor 1:30It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
- Ps 72:7May the righteous flourish in his days and prosperity abound, until the moon is no more.
- Acts 10:36He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
- Titus 2:13as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
- Heb 7:2–3and Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of righteousness.” Then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”
- Prov 8:23From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, before the earth began.
- Acts 20:28Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
- Col 2:3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
- Deut 10:17For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.
- Eph 1:21–22far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
- Mic 5:4–5He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 9:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.