Isaiah 7:1-9
Chapter 7
THE BOOK OF EMMANUEL
First Warning to Ahaz
When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, laid siege to Jerusalem but could not capture it.When the news reached the house of David: “Aram’s troops are encamped in Ephraim.” The king’s heart and the people’s hearts trembled like the forest’s trees do before the wind.
The Lord then said to Isaiah: “Go with your son, A-remnant-will-return, and meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field.”
Say to him:“Stay calm and fear not; do not lose courage before these two stumps of smoldering firebrands—the fierce anger of Rezin the Aramean and the blazing fury of the son of Remaliah. You know that
Aram, Ephraim, and Remaliah’s son have plotted against Judah, saying:
Let us invade and scare it, seize it, and put the son of Tabeel king over it.”
But the Lord God says: It shall not be so; it shall not come to pass.
8aFor Damascus is only the head of Aram and Rezin the lord of Damascus.
9aSamaria is only the head of Ephraim and Remaliah’s son is only the lord of Samaria.
Commentaries
First Warning to Ahaz.
The information in verse 1 pertains to the Syro-Ephraimite war. Assyria is gaining more territory; Damascus and Samaria want to force the king of Judah to join them in attacking Assyria together. Ignoring Isaiah’s advice, Judah decides to seek help from the Assyrians.
The Assyrians support the small southern kingdom but impose harsh vassalage on it. Additionally, they begin invasions of Samaria, ultimately destroying it in 722 B.C. Isaiah, like most prophets, preaches not only with words but also through symbolic gestures and signs.