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 God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” 

Regarding the possible confusion on this verse in harmonizing it with the scriptural teaching that Jesus is the son of God, we observe that this verse is definitely a prophecy referring to Jesus. The Greek word for “God” here is Elohim, meaning a “mighty one.” Jesus is a “mighty god,” but he is not THE Almighty God. Remember that Jesus quoted verse Psalm 82:6 in reproving the Jews for wanting to stone him for calling himself the son of God. 

Let’s read the account in John 10:31-36: “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, for a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou being a man, makest thyself, God. Jesus answered them, is it not written in your Law, I said, ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, thou blasphemes; because I said, I am the son of God?” 

God in this sense means “a mighty one.” To refer to the one and only Almighty God, we need to add definitive language, like “Almighty,” or in the Hebrew, Jehovah Elohim, the “Self-Existing, Eternal Might One.” 

So then in Isaiah 9:6, we can see that the phrase “mighty God” does not have to refer to the heavenly Father but can and does refer to Jesus. 

The phrase “everlasting Father” means “age-lasting Father” in the Hebrew. But the thought of Jesus being a father is of more interest. 

In 1 Corinthians 15:45, we read, “And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam a life-giving spirit.” As Adam was the father or progenitor of the human family, so Jesus because of his willing sacrifice on the cross, became the second Adam, a life-giving spirit for the dying human family. Adam gave us life, but actually we all die because of inherited sin. Jesus, though, gives us the ability to gain perfect life and that eternally. 

Similarly, we read in Revelation 22:16, “I, Jesus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the birth and morning star.” 

Jesus is the “offspring of David” in a sense through his genealogy through Joseph and Mary. This fulfills certain prophecies. He is the “root of David” in the sense that the root is the life source for a plant. Jesus will resurrect David; he will be the life source for David in the future. So then, in effect, Jesus will be a father or life-giver to David, but not to David alone, but rather to all mankind, just as the first Adam was to the whole human family. 

We trust that this helps to explain Isaiah 9:6 with the rest of the scriptures in explaining that Jesus is the son of God Almighty, and that in the peaceable future kingdom, Jesus will be the mighty God empowered to restore the fallen human family as his own as the “second Adam” or “second father” to the race.

The trinity has been a highly controversial doctrine for many centuries. Because of the strong feelings surrounding this doctrine, few are willing to delve into the Bible to see what it really says about the true nature of God and His son, Jesus. We recommend an enlightening booklet called The Lord Our God is One Lord. It is intended for the serious student who wants to know what the Bible really teaches. In addition, is the holy Spirit a person and a third member of the trinity? See how the holy Spirit is used in Scripture. 

Additional Resources:

Download PDF: The Lord Our God is One Lord

Christian Questions Podcast “Who is God?” A 3-part series
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CQ Rewind Show Notes for Part I