Isaiah 9:2

Walked in darkness] as described in Isaiah 8:21; Isaiah 8:22. Have seen] The light of the new age to which the prophet looked forward was of course in the future, but to his vision it is so assured that he describes it as having already dawned. Such use of the past tense (prophetic perfect) is frequent in the prophetic writings. Dwell] RV 'dwelt': the tense being parallel to 'walked' in the preceding clause.

Isaiah 9:1 are referred to in Matthew 4:15 as fulfilled in our Lord's Galilean ministry. We need not suppose that Isaiah had this distinctly in mind. He only speaks in these verses in general terms of the light of the new and glorious age shining upon that district which should be the first to suffer the affliction of conquest and captivity. When Christ, the true Sun of Righteousness, illumined that very same district it was natural that the Evangelist should see the ultimate fulfilment of the prophecy which Isaiah, unconscious of the wonderful fulfilment which awaited his words, had uttered.