The Power of Isaiah 9:6–7: Responding to the Islamic Claim of “Corruption”

The Power of Isaiah 9:6–7: Responding to the Islamic Claim of “Corruption”

By: Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute

Muslim critics often claim that Isaiah 9:6–7 is “corrupted” because the Greek Septuagint (LXX) seems to read differently from the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) and later Christian translations. The specific accusation is that titles such as “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” were “interpolated” by Christian translators to elevate the prophecy to a Christological level. Instead, the LXX renders the passage as: “His name is called the Messenger of Great Counsel: for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to him.”

This objection, however, collapses under careful historical, textual, and theological analysis.

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1. Textual Variants Are Not “Corruption”

The Septuagint (3rd–2nd century B.C.) is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, not the original Hebrew text itself. Variations between the LXX and the MT do not automatically indicate “corruption,” but rather different manuscript traditions. Even Jewish scholars recognize that the LXX sometimes paraphrased, simplified, or interpreted Hebrew idioms for a Greek-speaking audience.

For example, the Hebrew phrase peleʾ yōʿēṣ, ʾēl gibbōr, ʾaḇî-ʿaḏ, śar šālôm (“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”) may have been rendered more fluidly in the LXX to highlight the function of the child as God’s divinely appointed ruler and bringer of peace, rather than emphasizing his divine titles. This is interpretation, not corruption.

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2. The Hebrew Masoretic Text is Clearer and Earlier

The Hebrew Masoretic Text, preserved by Jewish scribes, clearly contains the exalted titles of Isaiah 9:6. It predates Islam by over a millennium and has been found in fragments at Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls, ca. 150 B.C.–70 A.D.), which confirms the integrity of these divine titles long before Christianity or Islam. The Qumran Isaiah scroll (1QIsaᵃ) confirms the reading of Mighty God (El Gibbor) in Isaiah 9:6.

Thus, the divine titles are not “Christian inventions,” but rooted in the Jewish textual tradition itself.

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3. The Septuagint Still Affirms Messianic Significance

Even the Septuagint, despite its paraphrastic rendering, calls the child “Messenger of Great Counsel”. This expression points to one who delivers the divine plan of salvation—a role perfectly fulfilled by Jesus Christ, whom the New Testament calls the Logos (John 1:1, 14) and the one who reveals the Father (John 14:9).

The promise that God will bring “peace upon the princes” aligns with Christ’s role as the one who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14–18). Therefore, the LXX and the MT do not contradict, but rather complement one another in their messianic anticipation.

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4. No Basis for the Islamic “Corruption” Charge

Muslim polemicists assume that any textual difference must mean deliberate Christian corruption. Yet this ignores the historical fact that:

• Both Jews and Christians transmitted these texts before Islam existed.

• Jewish rabbis—who rejected Christ—preserved the same Hebrew text (with the divine titles). Surely Jews had no reason to “Christianize” their Scriptures.

• The early Church used both the LXX and the Hebrew traditions, finding Christ foreshadowed in both.

Therefore, the Islamic accusation is historically unsustainable. The biblical witness predates Muhammad by centuries, and the textual integrity of Isaiah is better attested than the Quran, which lacks such manuscript diversity and early witnesses.

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5. The Christological Fulfillment

Whether one reads the MT (“Mighty God, Prince of Peace”) or the LXX (“Messenger of Great Counsel”), the prophecy points toward a divine ruler who will establish an everlasting kingdom on David’s throne. The New Testament applies this directly to Jesus Christ (Luke 1:32–33).

Thus, Isaiah 9:6–7 is not diminished but magnified in its witness: the promised Son is both divine in nature and messianic in mission. The Jewish Scriptures testify to His deity, and the Greek LXX affirms His role as God’s messenger of salvation.

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Conclusion

Isaiah 9:6–7 stands as one of the clearest Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah’s divine identity and eternal reign. The alleged “corruption” is a misunderstanding of how textual traditions and translations work. Far from being an interpolation, the divine titles in the Hebrew text are authentic and ancient.

Muslim critics must explain why pre-Christian Jewish manuscripts already contained these titles if they were supposedly later Christian additions. The reality is that the prophecy of Isaiah points unambiguously to Jesus Christ as the divine King of peace, centuries before Muhammad was born.

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