Dr. Joel Hoffman, always available to answer biblical translation questions, has responded to another one from me. I try not to nag him, and I have a few in the hopper, but I appreciate his help:

Polycarp asks on the About page how “wonderful, counselor” of Isaiah 9:5 (9:6) should be translated.

It’s a difficult question with a longer than usual answer. But here goes.

As with “Prince of Peace,” we assume that the title “wonderful, counselor” — whatever it means — describes God after whom the child in Isaiah 9 is named, not the child himself. But translating the two-word combination is tricky.

Q&A: Who is the Wonderful Counselor? « God Didn’t Say That.

Don’t forget to check out his new book.