Isaiah 7
7
The Syro-Ephraimite War#7:1–8:18] These verses (often termed Isaiah’s “Memoirs”) contain a series of oracles and narratives (some in first person), all closely related to the Syro-Ephraimite war of 735–732 B.C. Several passages feature three children whose symbolic names refer to the Lord’s purposes: Shear-jashub (7:3), Emmanuel (7:10–17; 8:8–10), and Maher-shalal-hash-baz (8:1–4). Judah and its Davidic dynasty should trust God’s promises and not fear the combined armies of Israel and Syria; within a very short time these two enemy states will be destroyed, and David’s dynasty will continue.
Crisis in Judah. 1In the days of Ahaz,#Days of Ahaz: who ruled from 735 to 715 B.C. This attack against Jerusalem by the kings of Aram (Syria) and Israel in 735 B.C. was occasioned by the refusal of Ahaz to enter with them into an anti-Assyrian alliance; cf. 2 Kgs 16. king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it.#2 Kgs 16:5; 2 Chr 28:5–15. 2When word came to the house of David that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, the heart of the king and heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.
3Then the Lord said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub,#Shear-jashub: this name means “a remnant will return” (cf. 10:20–22). at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, 4and say to him: Take care you remain calm and do not fear; do not let your courage fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands,#Is 8:12; 30:15. the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans and of the son of Remaliah— 5because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned#Planned: the plans of those who plot against Ahaz shall not be accomplished (v. 7). What the Lord plans will unfailingly come to pass, whereas human plans contrary to those of the Lord are doomed to frustration; cf. 8:10; 14:24–27; 19:11–14; 29:15; 30:1. See further the note on 14:24–27. evil against you. They say, 6“Let us go up against Judah, tear it apart, make it our own by force, and appoint the son of Tabeel#Son of Tabeel: a puppet of Jerusalem’s enemies. His appointment would interrupt the lawful succession from David. king there.”
7Thus says the Lord God:
It shall not stand, it shall not be!#Is 8:10; Ps 33:10.
8#God had chosen and made a commitment to David’s dynasty and his capital city Jerusalem, not to Rezin and his capital Damascus, nor to the son of Remaliah and his capital Samaria (2 Sm 7:12–16; Ps 2:6; 78:68–72; 132:11–18). Within sixty-five years…nation: this text occurs at the end of v. 8 in the Hebrew. Ahaz would not have been reassured by so distant a promise; the phrase is probably a later addition. The head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin;
9The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
Within sixty-five years,
Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation.
Unless your faith is firm,
you shall not be firm!#2 Chr 20:20.
Emmanuel. 10Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as the sky!#Deep…sky: an extraordinary or miraculous sign that would prove God’s firm will to save the royal house of David from its oppressors. 12But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!”#Tempt the Lord: Ahaz prefers to depend upon the might of Assyria rather than the might of God. 13Then he said: Listen, house of David! Is it not enough that you weary human beings? Must you also weary my God? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign;#Isaiah’s sign seeks to reassure Ahaz that he need not fear the invading armies of Syria and Israel in the light of God’s promise to David (2 Sm 7:12–16). The oracle follows a traditional announcement formula by which the birth and sometimes naming of a child is promised to particular individuals (Gn 16:11; Jgs 13:3). The young woman: Hebrew ‘almah designates a young woman of marriageable age without specific reference to virginity. The Septuagint translated the Hebrew term as parthenos, which normally does mean virgin, and this translation underlies Mt 1:23. Emmanuel: the name means “with us is God.” Since for the Christian the incarnation is the ultimate expression of God’s willingness to “be with us,” it is understandable that this text was interpreted to refer to the birth of Christ. the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel. 15Curds and honey#Curds and honey: the only diet available to those who are left after the devastation of the land; cf. vv. 21–25. he will eat so that he may learn to reject evil and choose good; 16for before the child learns to reject evil and choose good, the land of those two kings whom you dread shall be deserted.
17The Lord shall bring upon you and your people and your father’s house such days as have not come since Ephraim seceded#Such days as have not come since Ephraim seceded: the days of the kingdom prior to the secession of Ephraim and the other northern tribes (1 Kgs 12). The king of Assyria: the final comment appears to be a later editorial gloss indicating days worse than any since the secession. from Judah (the king of Assyria). 18On that day
The Lord shall whistle
for the fly in the farthest streams of Egypt,
and for the bee in the land of Assyria.#Is 5:26.
19All of them shall come and settle
in the steep ravines and in the rocky clefts,
on all thornbushes and in all pastures.
20#God will use the Assyrians from across the River (the Euphrates) as his instrument (“razor”) to inflict disgrace and suffering upon his people. Ahaz paid tribute to the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III, who decimated Syria and Israel in his campaigns of 734–732 B.C. (cf. 2 Kgs 16:7–9). The feet: euphemism for sexual parts; cf. Is 6:2. On that day the Lord shall shave with the razor hired from across the River (the king of Assyria) the head, and the hair of the feet; it shall also shave off the beard.#Is 3:24; 2 Sm 10:4–6; Ez 5:1.
21On that day a man shall keep alive a young cow or a couple of sheep, 22and from their abundant yield of milk he shall eat curds; curds and honey shall be the food of all who are left in the land. 23#Cf. note on 5:5–6. On that day every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand pieces of silver shall become briers and thorns. 24One shall have to go there with bow and arrows, for all the country shall be briers and thorns.#Is 32:13. 25But as for all the hills which were hoed with a mattock, for fear of briers and thorns you will not go there; they shall become a place for cattle to roam and sheep to trample.#Is 5:5; 32:14.
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Yeshayah (Isaiah) 7
7
1And it came to be in the days of Aḥaz son of Yotham, son of Uzziyahu, sovereign of Yehuḏah, that Retsin sovereign of Aram and Peqaḥ son of Remalyahu, sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, went up to Yerushalayim to fight against it, but could not prevail against it.
2And it was reported to the house of Dawiḏ, saying, “Aram has set up camp in Ephrayim.” And his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the forest are moved with the wind.
3And יהוה said to Yeshayahu, “Go out now to meet Aḥaz, you and She’ar-Yashuḇ your son, at the end of the channel of the upper pool, on the highway of the Launderer’s Field,
4and say to him, ‘Take heed, and be calm; do not fear or be faint-hearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce displeasure of Retsin and Aram, and the son of Remalyahu.
5Because Aram, Ephrayim, and the son of Remalyahu have plotted evil against you, saying,
6“Let us go up against Yehuḏah and tear it apart, and break it open for ourselves, and set a sovereign over them, the son of Taḇe’ĕl.”
7Thus said the Master יהוה, “It is not going to stand, nor shall it take place.
8“For the head of Aram is Dammeseq, and the head of Dammeseq is Retsin. And within sixty-five years Ephrayim is to be broken as a people.
9“And the head of Ephrayim is Shomeron, and the head of Shomeron is the son of Remalyahu. If you do not believe, you are not steadfast.” ’ ”
10And יהוה spoke again to Aḥaz, saying,
11“Ask a sign for yourself from יהוה your Elohim; make deep the request or make it high.”
12But Aḥaz said, “I do not ask nor try יהוה!”
13And he said, “Hear now, O house of Dawiḏ! Is it not enough that you weary men, that you weary my Elohim also?
14“Therefore יהוה Himself gives you a sign: Look, the ‘almah’#Virgin/young woman. See Explanatory Notes "Maiden" conceives and gives birth to a son, and shall call His Name Immanu’ĕl.#Ěl with us.
15“He eats curds and honey when He knows to refuse evil and choose the good.
16“For before the child knows to refuse evil and choose the good, the land that you dread is to be forsaken by both her sovereigns.
17“יהוה brings on you and your people and your father’s house days that have not come since the day that Ephrayim turned away from Yehuḏah – the sovereign of Ashshur.”
18And it shall be in that day that יהוה whistles for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Mitsrayim, and for the bee that is in the land of Ashshur.
19And they shall come, and all of them shall rest in the steep ravines and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all weeds and in all pastures.
20In that day יהוה shall shave with a razor hired beyond the River – with the sovereign of Ashshur – the head and the hair of the legs, and also remove the beard.
21And it shall be in that day that a man keeps alive a young cow and two sheep.
22And it shall be, that he shall eat curds because of the plenty milk he gets, for everyone left in the land shall eat curds.
23And it shall be in that day, every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand sheqels of silver, let it be for thornbushes and weeds.
24With arrows and bows one shall go there, because all the land shall be thornbushes and weeds.
25And to all the hills which were tilled with the hoe, you do not go for fear of thornbushes and weeds; but it shall be for sending oxen to, and a place for sheep to roam.
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