Bible Commentaries

Isa 7:1-9:7.

PREDICTION OF THE ILL SUCCESS OF THE SYRO-ISRAELITISH INVASION OF JUDAH--AHAZ'S ALLIANCE WITH ASSYRIA, AND ITS FATAL RESULTS TO JUDEA--YET THE CERTAINTY OF FINAL PRESERVATION AND OF THE COMING OF MESSIAH.

In the Assyrian inscriptions the name of Rezin, king of Damascus, is found among the tributaries of Tiglath-pileser, of whose reign the annals of seventeen years have been deciphered. For the historical facts in this chapter, compare

2Ki 15:37-16:9.

Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel, as confederates, advanced against Jerusalem. In the first campaign they "smote Ahaz with a great slaughter"

(2Ch 28:5).

Their object was probably to unite the three kingdoms against Assyria. Egypt seems to have favored the plan, so as to interpose these confederate kingdoms between her own frontier and Assyria (compare

Isa 7:18,

"Egypt"; and

2Ki 17:4,

Hoshea's league with Egypt). Rezin and Pekah may have perceived Ahaz' inclination towards Assyria rather than towards their own confederacy; this and the old feud between Israel and Judah

(1Ki 12:16)

occasioned their invasion of Judah. Ahaz, at the second inroad of his enemies (compare

2Ch 28:1-26 and 2Ki 15:37, with Isa 16:5),

smarting under his former defeat, applied to Tiglath-pileser, in spite of Isaiah's warning in this chapter, that he should rather rely on God; that king accordingly attacked Damascus, and slew Rezin

(2Ki 16:9);

and probably it was at the same time that he carried away part of Israel captive

(2Ki 15:29),

unless there were two assaults on Pekah--that in

2Ki 15:29,

the earlier, and that in which Tiglath helped Ahaz subsequently [G. V. SMITH]. Ahaz was saved at the sacrifice of Judah's independence and the payment of a large tribute, which continued till the overthrow of Sennacherib under Hezekiah

(Isa 37:37; 2Ki 16:8, 17, 18; 2Ch 28:20).

Ahaz' reign began about 741 B.C., and Pekah was slain in 738 [WINER].

1. Ahaz--In the first years of his reign the design of the two kings against Judah was carried out, which was formed in Jotham's reign

(2Ki 15:37).

Syria--Hebrew, Aram

(Ge 10:22, 23),

originally the whole region between the Euphrates and Mediterranean, including Assyria, of which Syria is an abbreviation; here the region round Damascus, and along Mount Libanus.

Jerusalem--An actual siege of it took place, but was foiled

(2Ki 16:5).

2. is confederate with--rather, is encamped upon the territory of Ephraim [MAURER], or better, as Rezin was encamped against Jerusalem, "is supported by" [LOWTH] Ephraim, whose land lay between Syria and Judah. The mention of "David" alludes, in sad contrast with the present, to the time when David made Syria subject to him

(2Sa 8:6).

Ephraim--the ten tribes.

as . . . trees of . . . wood--a simultaneous agitation.

3. Go forth--out of the city, to the place where Ahaz was superintending the works for defense and the cutting off of the water supply from the enemy, and securing it to the city. So

Isa 22:9; 2Ch 32:4.

Shearjashub--that is, A remnant shall return

(Isa 6:13).

His very name (compare

Isa 7:14; Isa 8:3)

was a standing memorial to Ahaz and the Jews that the nation should not, notwithstanding the general calamity

(Isa 7:17-25; Isa 8:6-8),

be utterly destroyed

(Isa 10:21, 22).

conduit--an aqueduct from the pool or reservoir for the supply of the city. At the foot of Zion was Fount Siloah

(Isa 8:6; Ne 3:15; Joh 9:7),

called also Gihon, on the west of Jerusalem

(2Ch 32:30).

Two pools were supplied from it, the Upper, or Old

(Isa 22:11),

or King's

(Ne 2:14),

and the Lower

(Isa 22:9),

which received the superfluous waters of the upper. The upper pool is still to be seen, about seven hundred yards from the Jaffa gate. The highway leading to the fullers' field, which was in a position near water for the purposes of washing, previous to drying and bleaching, the cloth, was probably alongside the aqueduct.

4. Take heed, &c.--that is, See that thou be quiet (not seeking Assyrian aid in a fit of panic).

tails--mere ends of firebrands, almost consumed themselves (about soon to fall before the Assyrians,

Isa 7:8),

therefore harmless.

smoking--as about to go out; not blazing.

son of Remaliah--Pekah, a usurper

(2Ki 15:25).

The Easterners express contempt by designating one, not by his own name, but by his father's, especially when the father is but little known

(1Sa 20:27, 31).

6. vex--rather, "throw into consternation" [GESENIUS].

make a breach--rather, "cleave it asunder." Their scheme was to divide a large portion of the territory between themselves, and set up a vassal king of their own over the rest.

son of Tabeal--unknown; a Syrian-sounding name, perhaps favored by a party in Jerusalem

(Isa 3:6, 9, 12).

7.

(Isa 8:10; Pr 21:30).

8. head--that is, in both Syria and Israel the capital shall remain as it is; they shall not conquer Judah, but each shall possess only his own dominions.

threescore and five . . . not a people--As these words break the symmetry of the parallelism in this verse, either they ought to be placed after "Remaliah's son," in

Isa 7:9,

or else they refer to some older prophecy of Isaiah, or of Amos (as the Jewish writers represent), parenthetically; to which, in

Isa 7:8,

the words, "If ye will not believe . . . not be established," correspond in parallelism. One deportation of Israel happened within one or two years from this time, under Tiglath-pileser

(2Ki 15:29).

Another in the reign of Hoshea, under Shalmaneser

(2Ki 17:1-6),

was about twenty years after. But the final one which utterly "broke" up Israel so as to be "not a people," accompanied by a colonization of Samaria with foreigners, was under Esar-haddon, who carried away Manasseh, king of Judah, also, in the twenty-second year of his reign, sixty-five years from the utterance of this prophecy (compare

Ezr 4:2, 3, 10, with 2Ki 17:24; 2Ch 33:11)

[USHER]. The event, though so far off, was enough to assure the people of Judah that as God, the Head of the theocracy, would ultimately interpose to destroy the enemies of His people, so they might rely on Him now.

9. believe, . . . be established--There is a paronomasia, or play on the words, in the Hebrew: "if ye will not confide, ye shall not abide." Ahaz brought distress on himself by distrust in the Lord, and trust in Assyria.