New International Biblical Commentary: Isaiah (NIBC, 13)

This is a great, one volume commentary on Isaiah. You will need your bible handy, as Scripture is not quoted, but is referenced.

Have you noticed how expensive John Goldingay's more technical studies of Isaiah can be? My goodness, who is going to spend $170 on a two volume exegesis of Isaiah 40-55? I'd love to have it, but even a bibliophile like me has certain principles! All kidding and kvetching aside, this more modest volume gives you a little sampling of how Goldingay sees the book of Isaiah. He does a nice job of showing how Isaiah's vision of God's righteous kingdom shows up everywhere, and how certain passages evoke other texts within Isaiah and in the psalter. On the other hand, there is not a lot of meat on the bones when it comes to the discussion of individual verses. There is a nice discussion of the more infamous passages in Isaiah (52:13-53:12, for instance). The bottom line is that this is the book to get before you spend your retirement monies on the other, more substantial volumes. This is not the best single volume commentary on Isaiah (I like Brevard Childs and J. Alec Motyer more), but it is a reliable and pastor friendly book. Recommended.