Charles Ellicott Commentary Isaiah 9:8

"The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel." — Isaiah 9:8 (ASV)

(8). The Lord sent a word into Jacob ... —For “has lighted” read it lights. A new section, though still closely connected with the historical occasion of Isaiah 7, begins.

The vision of the glory of the far-off king comes to an end, and the prophet returns to the more immediate surroundings of his time. The “word” which Jehovah sends is the prophetic message that follows.

It is a question whether the terms “Jacob” and “Israel” stand in the parallelism of identity or contrast, but the use of the former term in Isaiah 2:3 and Isaiah 2:5-6 makes the former use more probable. In this case, both names practically stand for the kingdom of Judah as the true representative of Israel. The apostate kingdom of the Ten Tribes, being no longer worthy of the name, is therefore described here, as in Isaiah 7:5; Isaiah 7:8; Isaiah 7:17, simply as Ephraim.

The occasion of the prophecy is given in Isaiah 9:9. Pekah, the king of Ephraim, was still confident in his strength, and in spite of his partial failure, and the defeat of his ally (2 Kings 16:9), derided the prophet’s prediction.