Isaiah 8
8
A Son of Isaiah. 1The Lord said to me: Take a large tablet, and inscribe on it with an ordinary stylus,#Ordinary stylus: lit., “stylus of men.” Maher-shalal-hash-baz: a symbolic name to be given to another son of Isaiah (v. 3); it means “quick spoils; speedy plunder,” and describes what the Assyrians will do to Syria and Israel. “belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz,”#Is 10:6. 2and call reliable witnesses#Reliable witnesses: who would testify that Isaiah had indeed prophesied the future destruction. Uriah the priest: cf. 2 Kgs 16:10. for me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah, son of Jeberechiah.
3Then I went to the prophetess and she conceived and bore a son. The Lord said to me: Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz, 4for before the child learns to say, “My father, my mother,” the wealth of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria shall be carried off by the king of Assyria.
The Choice: The Lord or Assyria. 5Again the Lord spoke to me:
6Because this people#This people: Judah. Waters of Shiloah: the stream that flows from the Gihon spring into the pool of Shiloah in Jerusalem and provides a sure supply in time of siege; here it symbolizes the divine protection which Judah has rejected by seeking Assyrian support, symbolized by “the River” (i.e., the Euphrates). Ultimately Assyrian power will devastate Judah. His outspread wings: the Lord’s wings, a recurring symbol for divine protection (Ps 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 61:5; 91:4; Ru 2:12). Some understand the image to refer to the sides of the flooding river, but this use of the Hebrew word for “wings” is unparalleled elsewhere in classical Hebrew. has rejected
the waters of Shiloah that flow gently,
And melts with fear at the display of Rezin and Remaliah’s son,
7Therefore the Lord is bringing up against them
the waters of the River, great and mighty,
the king of Assyria and all his glory.
It shall rise above all its channels,
and overflow all its banks.
8It shall roll on into Judah,
it shall rage and pass on—
up to the neck it shall reach.#Is 30:28.
But his outspread wings will fill
the width of your land, Emmanuel!
9Band together, O peoples, but be shattered!
Give ear, all you distant lands!
Arm yourselves, but be shattered! Arm yourselves, but be shattered!
10Form a plan, it shall be thwarted;
make a resolve, it shall not be carried out,
for “With us is God!”#The plan of Israel’s enemies will be thwarted because, as the name “Emmanuel” signifies, “with us is God.” #Is 7:7; 17:12–14.
Disciples of Isaiah. 11For thus said the Lord—his hand strong upon me—warning me not to walk in the way of this people:
12#Because Isaiah and his followers resisted the official policy of seeking help from Assyria they were labeled “conspirators”; Isaiah uses the term to express what is really the case, cooperating with the Lord. Do not call conspiracy what this people calls conspiracy,
nor fear what they fear, nor feel dread.
13But conspire with the Lord of hosts;
he shall be your fear, he shall be your dread.#Is 29:23; 1 Pt 3:14–15.
14He shall be a snare,
a stone for injury,
A rock for stumbling
to both the houses of Israel,
A trap and a snare
to those who dwell in Jerusalem;#Lk 2:34; Rom 9:32–33; 1 Pt 2:7–8.
15And many among them shall stumble;
fallen and broken;
snared and captured.#Mt 21:44.
16Bind up my testimony, seal the instruction with my disciples.#Bind…seal…with my disciples: because the prophet’s message was not well received at the time, he wanted to preserve it until the future had vindicated him as God’s true prophet (cf. 30:8–9). 17I will trust in the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob; yes, I will wait for him. 18Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me: we are signs#Signs: in the meantime, while awaiting the vindication of his message, Isaiah and his children with their symbolic names stood as a reminder of God’s message to Israel. and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.#Is 2:2–5; 4:5; 11:9; 14:32; 28:16; 31:9; 33:5.
19And when they say to you, “Inquire of ghosts and soothsayers who chirp and mutter;#Chirp and mutter: a mocking reference to necromancers. #Is 29:4. should not a people inquire of their gods, consulting the dead on behalf of the living, 20for instruction and testimony?” Surely, those who speak like this are the ones for whom there is no dawn.#Surely…no dawn: reliance on necromancy brings futility.
21He will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry,
and when hungry, shall become enraged,
and curse king and gods.
He will look upward,
22and will gaze at the earth,
But will see only distress and darkness,
oppressive gloom,
murky, without light.#Oppressive gloom…without light: the meaning of the Hebrew here is quite uncertain.
The Promise of Salvation Under a New Davidic King.#8:23–9:6] The meaning of 8:23 is somewhat uncertain, for example, whether the expressions translated “once” and “now” refer to times or to individuals, and also whether the verbs speak of degrading and glorifying the territories. If this traditional translation is correct, the passage would seem to promise the former Northern Kingdom of Israel deliverance from the Assyrians and might relate to Hezekiah’s program of trying to reincorporate the northern territories into the kingdom of Judah and thus restore the boundaries of the country as it was under David. 23There is no gloom where there had been distress. Where once he degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, now he has glorified the way of the Sea, the land across the Jordan, Galilee of the Nations.#The territories mentioned in this verse are those which the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III took from Israel and incorporated into the Assyrian provincial system as a result of the Syro-Ephraimite War of 735–732 B.C. (2 Kgs 15:29). Zebulun…Naphtali: regions of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel. The way of the Sea: the area along the Mediterranean coast south of Mount Carmel which became the Assyrian province of Dor. Land across the Jordan: the province of Gilead east of the Jordan. Galilee of the Nations: the territory north of Mount Carmel which was incorporated in the Assyrian province of Megiddo. Galilee apparently had a large non-Israelite population. Mt 4:15–16 cites this verse in the context of the beginning of Jesus’ public mission in Galilee.
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Isaiah 8: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Isaiah 8
8
Assyrian Invasion Prophesied
1Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary #8:1 Hebrew with a man’s stylus: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.#8:1 Maher-shalal-hash-baz means The spoil speeds, the prey hastens or Swift to plunder, quick to carry away; also in verse 3. 2And I will appoint for Myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”
3And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 4For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”
5And the Lord spoke to me further:
6“Because this people has rejected
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
and rejoiced in Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,
7the Lord will surely bring against them
the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates #8:7 Hebrew the River—
the king of Assyria and all his pomp.
It will overflow its channels
and overrun its banks.
8It will pour into Judah,
swirling and sweeping over it,
reaching up to the neck;
its spreading streams will cover
your entire land, O Immanuel!#8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
9Huddle together,#8:9 Or Raise the war cry or Be evil or Be broken O peoples, and be shattered;
pay attention, all you distant lands;
prepare for battle, and be shattered;
prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;
state a proposal, but it will not happen.
For God is with us.#8:10 Hebrew Immanuel; see Matthew 1:23.”
A Call to Fear God
(Ecclesiastes 8:10–13)
11For this is what the Lord has spoken to me with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in the way of this people:
12“Do not call conspiracy
everything these people regard as conspiracy.
Do not fear what they fear;#8:12 Or Do not fear their threats
do not live in dread.#8:12 LXX do not be shaken; cited in 1 Peter 3:14
13The Lord of Hosts is the One
you shall regard as holy.
Only He should be feared;
only He should be dreaded.
14And He will be a sanctuary—
but to both houses of Israel
a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,#8:14 Cited in Romans 9:33 and 1 Peter 2:8
to the dwellers of Jerusalem
a trap and a snare.
15Many will stumble over these;
they will fall and be broken;
they will be ensnared and captured.”
16Bind up the testimony
and seal the law among my disciples.
17I will wait for the Lord,
who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in Him.#8:17 Or I will eagerly look for Him; cited in Hebrews 2:13
18Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me #8:18 Cited in Hebrews 2:13 as signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
Darkness and Light
19When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
21They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God. 22Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.
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The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.