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Research dossier · Arts & Letters

Isaiah 1

first chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 2, 2026
Entity authorityQ16158664 ↗
Source-derived summary

Isaiah 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Isaiah, one of the Book of the Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and a book of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. In this "vision of Isaiah concerning Judah and Jerusalem", the prophet calls the nation to repentance and predicts the destruction of Solomon's Temple in the 587 BCE siege of Jerusalem. This chapter provides an introduction to the issues of sin, judgement, and hoped-for restoration which form the overarching structure of the whole book. It concludes (verse 31) with "a reference to the burning of those who trust in their own strength", in a fire which cannot be "quenched" (Hebrew root: k-b-h), a relatively rare word which is also used in the last verse of the book (verse 66:24: "their fire shall not be quenched"), thereby linking together beginning and ending of this whole book. It is traditionally read on the Shabbat Chazon immediately preceding the Tisha B'Av (9th of Av) fast day.

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 31 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Biblical Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (3rd century BCE or later):

1QIsaa: complete

4QIsaa (4Q55): extant: verses 1‑3

4QIsab (4Q56): extant: verses 1‑6

4QIsaf (4Q60): extant: verses 10‑16, 18‑31

4QIsaj (4Q63): extant: verses 1‑6

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B;

G

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B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK:

G

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S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A;

G

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A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q;

G

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Q; 6th century).

Parashot

The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Isaiah 1” as first chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewBest approached as a cultural-object dossier: authorship and date matter, but circulation and reception often explain the wider significance. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1008—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Isaiah, first and chapter can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as first chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q16158664. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1008.

Critical limits

Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Isaiah 1”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Isaiah 1 primary sources, Isaiah 1 archive and Isaiah research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Isaiah 1”?
  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Isaiah 1” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.