His Name Is "Wonderful"

This week I am excited to take us through one of the most famous Biblical passages we associate with the celebration of the Birth of Christ:

“For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

Isaiah 9:6-7

This passage is just chock full to the brim of rich theology and wondrous, freeing, liberating, saving truth!  Join me through the week as we take a closer look in my Daily Digs for this week...

For Starters, a Brief Note on the Name “Wonderful”

Sometimes you will see Isaiah 9:6 rendered as “Wonderful Counselor,” as though the word wonderful simply describes His counseling ability. However, in the Hebrew text these are two separate throne names. Pele’ (“Wonderful”) stands alone as a divine title, and Yo’etz (“Counselor”) follows as another. The Masoretic accents, ancient royal naming patterns, and the use of pele’ exclusively for God all confirm that Isaiah lists distinct names, each revealing a facet of the Messiah’s divine identity.

For Day 2 in this week’s series, we focus on the first of these names:

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WHY ISAIAH LISTS THESE NAMES

In Isaiah 9, the prophet is not handing out poetic adjectives or aspirational titles. He is announcing the enthronement of a divine King using ancient royal naming conventions. But unlike earthly rulers—who receive titles expressing what they wish to be—this Child bears names that only God Himself can carry.

These names function as:

✔ Throne names — titles that reveal the King’s nature

✔ Revelatory names — declarations of who He already is

✔ Divine names — descriptors used of Yahweh alone

Isaiah is not describing a merely exalted human. He is pulling back the curtain to show Israel — and us — that the promised Messiah is God in the flesh.

And the first word of disclosure is simply:

THE HEBREW DEPTH OF “WONDERFUL”

The word Isaiah uses is:

פֶּלֶא — pele’

(Pronounced PEH-leh)

This is not the Hebrew equivalent of “lovely,” “pleasant,” or “delightful.”

Pele’ is a word that belongs to the realm of the miraculous, the inexplicable, the divine.

What pele’ means:

• miracle

• marvel

• wonder

• something beyond human ability

• something that evokes awe because it is of God

In Scripture, pele’ marks the point where human capability ends and only God can act.

It describes:

• supernatural deliverances

• divine judgments

• miraculous interventions

• God’s incomprehensible nature

So when Isaiah says:

“His name will be called Wonderful (pele’).”

He is not saying:

“He will be lovely to think about.”

He is saying:

“His very being is Miracle. His nature is Divine Marvel. He embodies the awe of God Himself.”

“Wonderful” is not an adjective; it is a revelation of deity.

ONLY GOD IS CALLED PELE’ — AND JESUS IS GIVEN THAT NAME

One of the clearest biblical confirmations of the divine meaning of pele’ appears in Judges 13, where the Angel of the LORD appears to Manoah (Samson’s father).

Manoah asks His name

This is the moment that unlocks Isaiah 9:6.

Manoah:

“What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass, we may honor You?”

The Angel of the LORD:

“Why do you ask My name, seeing it is Wonderful?”

(Hebrew: pele’ — the very word Isaiah uses.)

This is not a created angel. This is the pre-incarnate Christ! And He uses the very name Isaiah later applies to the Messiah.

Isaiah is telling his readers that the Child who will be born is the same Person who spoke to Manoah —the One whose name is too marvelous to comprehend.

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DIGGING DEEPER

WORDS FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES THAT RESONATE “WONDERFUL”

(Old Testament Vocabulary of Divine Wonder)

1. Pele’ (פֶּלֶא)

wonder • marvel • miracle (Isaiah 9:6, Judges 13:18)

2. Nifla’ot (נִפְלָאוֹת)

wonderful acts • miraculous deeds (Exodus 34:10; Psalms 72:18; 77:11–14)

3. Pala’ (פָּלָא) — verb form

to be extraordinary • to be beyond human ability • to do marvels (Psalm 118:23 — “This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”)

4. Nora’ (נוֹרָא)

awesome • fear-inspiring • majestic in power (Exodus 15:11 — “fearful in praises”)

Often used in connection with God’s wonder-working power.

5. Gadol (גָּדוֹל)

great • exceedingly great • beyond measure (Psalm 86:10 — “You are great, and do wondrous things.”)

6. Pele’ gedol (פֶּלֶא גָּדוֹל)

great wonder (Daniel 12:6 — “How long shall the wonders be?”)

7. Chesed nifla’ (חֶסֶד נִפְלָא)

marvelous kindness (Psalm 31:21)

8. Mophet (מוֹפֵת)

miracle • sign • wonder (Used for God’s signs in Egypt, etc.)

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OLD TESTAMENT VERSES: GOD ALONE IS THE WORKER OF WONDERS

In the Hebrew Scriptures, pele’ and its derivatives appear repeatedly — and always of Yahweh.

Here is a treasury of passages:

Exodus 15:11

“Who is like You… doing wonders?”

Exodus 34:10

“I will do marvels such as have not been done…”

1 Chronicles 16:12

“Remember His marvelous works…”

Job 5:9

“Who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.”

Psalm 9:1

“…tell of all Your marvelous works.”

Psalm 31:21

“He has shown me His marvelous kindness.”

Psalm 72:18

“The LORD… who alone does wondrous things.”

Psalm 77:11, 14

“You are the God who works wonders.”

Psalm 86:10

“You alone are God. You do wondrous things.”

Psalm 98:1

“He has done marvelous things.”

Isaiah 25:1

“You have done wonderful things.”

Each verse powerfully reinforces the point:

Wonder belongs to God alone.

And Isaiah gives that name directly to Jesus.

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NEW TESTAMENT VERSES: JESUS EMBODIES DIVINE WONDER

The New Testament continues the theme — people encountering Jesus respond with awe typically reserved for God.

Matthew 21:15

“…they saw the wonderful things He did.”

Mark 2:12

“We never saw anything like this!”

Luke 5:26

“We have seen marvelous things today!”

John 1:14

“We beheld His glory…”

John 21:25

“…the world itself could not contain the books…”

Acts 2:22

Jesus was attested by “miracles, wonders, and signs.”

Revelation 15:3

“Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God Almighty.”

Jesus is not merely a performer of wonders;

He is the Wonder of God incarnate.

And Mary echoes the same vocabulary of divine wonder:

“He who is mighty has done great things (megaleia) for me,

and holy is His Name.” — Luke 1:49

The word she uses is the New Testament counterpart to the Hebrew pele’ —

God’s extraordinary, awe-inspiring, miraculous works.

Mary recognizes the God of Wonders has drawn near in her womb.

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THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION — CHRIST IS THE WONDER

When Isaiah calls Him “Wonderful,” he is confessing:

• the Child is divine,

• the Son is eternal,

• the Messiah is Yahweh,

• the Savior is the God of wonders,

• the Wonder Himself has stepped into the world.

His:

• incarnation

• words

• compassion

• cross

• resurrection

• future reign

....all radiate the awe of the divine.

He is not simply one who does wonders -

His presence produces them. He embodies them.

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Personal Reflection

When I call Jesus “Wonderful,” I am confessing more than admiration. I am acknowledging that He is the One who exceeds my understanding, the One whose presence stirs holy awe, the One whose works cannot be counted, and whose ways cannot be traced.

He is not simply the giver of wonders;

He is the Wonder Himself.

And when I look back over my life,

I can see His marvelous fingerprints everywhere—

in mercies I did not deserve,

in rescues I did not expect,

and in strength I did not possess.

Today I choose to behold Him again—

the Marvel of God,

the Wonder of heaven made flesh,

the One whose Name is Wonderful.

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Interested in knowing how to enter into a personal relationship with God through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Say a Salvation Prayer and Receive Jesus Christ Today. Of course, the saying of a prayer is the reflection of a monumental and life-changing heart decision, but this is a good guide.