For …: This verse gives the third reason for the people’s celebration mentioned in verse 2. The verse points both backward and forward—the child has been born and will in the future assume the vitally important role of governing the people and bringing peace. According to some interpreters, these words were a part of hymns sung at the time of the coronation of Davidic kings.

For to us a child is born: The present completed tense form here in English means that the child has been born already. This expresses the Hebrew text accurately.

To us a son is given is parallel to the previous line, clarifying its meaning. The first two lines use passive verbs. Those languages that require active forms may have a slight difficulty here since the agent of these verbs is uncertain. If active verbs are required, these lines may be rendered “There is a child now living in our world, a son is here” or “A child has come into the world, a male child is here.” The child is not identified in any way. He may be the child named Immanuel in 7.14, or he may be a son of the prophet and his wife, perhaps suggesting a link to chapter 8. As noted earlier, we cannot claim obvious links between this verse and chapter 7 (or 8). Translators do not need to engage in speculation about the child’s identity since it is a fruitless task.

And the government will be upon his shoulder: The child will assume power. The term government translates a Hebrew word that only appears here and in the next verse. The Septuagint renders it “rule,” so it is assumed that the Hebrew word carries that meaning. Revised English Bible has “symbol of dominion,” while New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “authority.” The phrase upon his shoulder denotes carrying a burden of responsibility. For this line Bible en français courant (1997) identifies the source of the child’s authority, saying “God has conferred authority to him.” Good News Translation simply renders it “And he will be our ruler” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

Here the Hebrew begins to use imperfect verb forms with the conjunction often rendered “and.” These verbs continue the tense of the perfect verb forms used in the previous lines. They refer to a state or situation that now exists, so they may be rendered with the present tense in English. Some translations continue to use a perfect tense here (so New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant), which is better.

And his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”: This series of four double names probably copies an Egyptian practice of rulers adopting special throne names. An example of this (though not a double title) is found in 2 Kgs 23.34. The interpretation and translation of these names is not an easy task. Each name is composed of two nouns bound together; they are literally “wonder of counselor, god of power, father forever, prince of peace.” New Jerusalem Bible uses hyphens to indicate this, saying “Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace” (similarly New American Bible). What makes interpretation difficult is that the nouns may have more than one sense; for example, Mighty God or “god of power” can be understood to mean “Mighty Hero” (Revised English Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). We will examine below how to render these names.

For the phrase his name will be called, many versions have a past, completed tense (New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or at least a present tense (Bible en français courant). The Hebrew verb here indicates a present situation—these are the names already given. RSV/NRSV, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New International Version use the future tense.

Wonderful Counselor can mean literally “a counselor who works wonders” or “a wonder who gives counsel.” Most translations treat the word “wonder” as an adjective qualifying the word “counselor” or “adviser”; it signals that the advice this person gives is amazing and marvelous. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is different with “prudent ruler,” shifting the focus from someone who is a wise person giving sound advice, to a king himself.

As we noted above, Mighty God can also be rendered “divine [or, mighty] hero.” It partly depends on which word in Hebrew is taken to qualify the other one. The Hebrew word for God (ʾel) can also be used as an adjective describing a quality to a high degree. There is a clear sense in the Hebrew words of someone who has power and strength and has it to a great degree. New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New International Version say “Mighty God,” as Revised Standard Version does. Bible en français courant is similar with “strong God.” However, the name “Mighty God” or “strong God” does not seem appropriate for a child who is to be ruler, so the weight of evidence suggests that “Mighty Hero” (Revised English Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or something similar is the correct understanding.

Everlasting Father or “father forever” may indicate the paternal care of this person for his people. This quality is an eternal one. Bible en français courant says “Father for always.” Many versions have “Eternal Father” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). This too may seem a strange title for a child. However, we recognize that these praise names are expressions of faith and hope for what the child will become.

Prince of Peace is also ambiguous, though it most likely means he is a prince who brings about peace. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh changes the focus from a prince to a king with “a peaceable ruler” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch); this probably means “a ruler who brings peace.”

These names present a challenge to translators, which can be clearly seen from the New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh rendering: “The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has a footnote on “planning grace,” referring the reader to 25.1|prj:NJPS.Isa 25.1, but there it is clearly God who is “planning grace.” Are the child’s names in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh in fact praise titles of God? Few translators will want to follow New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh this far. However, in many cultures “praise names,” which often carry the hopes of a family for a child, are quite common. They may be “unusual” in the sense that they may literally mean things like “nation peace” or “magnificent birth.” In such cultures the simplest solution for translation is to follow the literal Hebrew text, remaining close to the traditional set of double names. In some cultural settings, however, it may be difficult to present the names in this manner. They may have to be expressed as meaningful phrases instead; for example, “One who gives marvelous advice, Powerful Hero, Father forever, the Prince who brings peace.”

Another factor that translators need to consider is that this verse may carry a great deal of emotional and theological content for many Christians. Thus, there may be pressure on translators to retain a traditional and firmly established translation of these titles. Since the meaning of several of the names is by no means certain, there is no need for translators to create unexpected new renderings. If the meaning of the source text allows for it, there is no harm in retaining a close link to church tradition in the rendering of these names, with alternate renderings presented in a footnote. On the other hand, a new rendering may invite readers to refresh their thinking about this well-known passage.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• A child has come into the world, a male child is here;
he has the power to rule.
His name is “Wonder-counselor, Great Hero,
Father forever, Prince who brings Peace.”

• A child has been born, a son we have;
upon his shoulders rests authority.
He has been named:
“Marvelous Counselor, Great God,
Eternal Father, Peaceable Prince.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .