Isaiah 7:2

And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. AND IT WAS TOLD THE HOUSE OF DAVID (AHAZ AND HIS HOUSEHOLD), SAYING, SYRIA IS CONFEDERATE WITH EPHRAIM - 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 Septuagint, Chaldaic, Syriac, and Arabic give much the same sense as the English version. Literally, 'rests upon Ephraim' [ naachaah (H5117), from nuwach, akin to chaanah, to confide] The mention of "David" alludes, in sad contrast with the present, to the time when David made Syria subject to him (2 Samuel 8:6...

2._And it was told the house of David. _He does not mean that, at the very time when the two kings were approaching to the city, the king received intelligence about the league; for it would not have been safe for Ahaz to go out, when the invading army was spread over the country; but before they had collected their forces, it is said that King Ahaz trembled. Hence there is reason to believe that his consternation became greater when he saw the danger nearer. _The house of David _means the king’s palace and court; as if the Prophet had said that Ahaz and his counsellors had been informed about the conspiracy which had been formed against Judea. As to the words, נחה (_nachah_) is variously rendered by interpreters. The signification of this Hebrew word being _to lead_, some draw from it this meaning, “The King of Syria _led _his soldiers to aid the army;” and they think that...

1-9 Ungodly men are often punished by others as bad as themselves. Being in great distress and confusion, the Jews gave up all for lost. They had made God their enemy, and knew not how to make him their friend. The prophet must teach them to despise their enemies, in faith and dependence on God. Ahaz, in fear, called them two powerful princes. No, says the prophet, they are but tails of smoking firebrands, burnt out already. The two kingdoms of Syria and Israel were nearly expiring. While God has work for the firebrands of the earth, they consume all before them; but when their work is fulfilled, they will be extinguished in smoke. That which Ahaz thought most formidable, is made the ground of their defeat; because they have taken evil counsel against thee; which is an offence to God. God scorns the scorners, and gives his word that the attempt should not succeed. Man purposes, but God...

AND IT WAS TOLD THE HOUSE OF DAVID - That is, the royal family; or the king and princes; the government. Ahaz was the descendant and successor of David. SYRIA IS CONFEDERATE WITH EPHRAIM - Ephraim was one of the tribes of Israel, and the kingdom of Israel was often called “Ephraim,” or the kingdom of Ephraim; in the same way as the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were called the kingdom of Judah. The phrase, ‘is confederate with,’ is in Hebrew ‘resteth on;’ see the margin. The meaning is, that Syria was “supported by” Ephraim, or was allied with Ephraim. The kingdom of Israel, or Ephraim, was situated “between” Syria and Jerusalem. Of course, the latter could not be attacked without marching through the former, and without their aid. In this sense it was that Syria, or the Arameans, relied or “rested” on Ephraim. Though Syria was by far the stronger power, yet it was not strong enough to at...

SECTION IV. PROPHECIES CONNECTED WITH THE SYRO-ISRAELITE WAR (Isaiah 7-10:4). EXPOSITION ISAIAH 7:1 THE PROPHECY GIVEN TO AHAZ AT THE TIME OF THE SYRO-ISRAELITISH WAR. The Syro-Israelitish war is touched on both in Kings and Chronicles. In Kings the alliance between Rezin and Pekah is distinctly declared, as also the fact that they conjointly besieged Jerusalem (2 Kings 16:5). From Chronicles we lear

AND IT WAS TOLD THE HOUSE OF DAVID,.... Ahaz, and his family, the princes of the blood, his court and counsellors; who had intelligence of the designs and preparations of the Syrians and Israelites against them: SAYING, SYRIA IS CONFEDERATE WITH EPHRAIM; the ten tribes; or the kingdom and king of Israel. Some render it, "Syria led"; that is, its army "unto Ephraim" y; marched it into the land of Israel, and there joined the king of Israel's army; others, as the Vulgate Latin version, "Syria rests upon Ephraim" z; depends upon, trusts in, takes heart and encouragement from Ephraim, or the ten tribes, being his ally. The Septuagint version is, "Syria hath agreed with Ephraim"; entered into a confederacy and alliance with each other; which is the sense of our version; and is confirmed by the Targum, which is, "the king of Syria is joined with the king of Israel:'' and his heart was moved...

Isaiah 7:1. _And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind._ They were tossed to and fro, bent, thrown down, as the trees of a forest in a tornado. They had already felt the power of these two confederate kings, and they were terribly afraid. David himself would have had confidence in God; but «the house of David» had gone far astray. Ahaz had cast off the fear of God, and he had therefore great fear of men. Isaiah 7:3

EPHRAIM In the prophetic books "Ephraim" and "Israel" are the collective names of the ten tribes who, under Jeroboam, established the northern kingdom, subsequently called Samaria (1 Kings 16:24) and were (B.C. 722) sent into an exile which still continues. (2 Kings 17:1). They are distinguished as "the outcasts of Israel" from "the dispersed of Judah." (Isaiah 11:12). "Hidden" in the world (Matthew 13:44) they, with Judah, are yet to be restored to Palestine and made one nation again. (Jeremiah 23:5); ...

CHAPTER 7 The Prophet before King Ahaz 1. _The king in trouble (Isaiah 7:1)_ 2. _Isaiah sent and his message (Isaiah 7:3)_ 3. _A sign offered and refused (Isaiah 7:10)_ 4. _The sign: The virgin birth (Isaiah 7:13)_ 5. _The advent of the Assyrian (Isaiah 7:17)_ Study carefully the historic setting of this chapter and2 Chronicles 28:1-27 7. See lecture on “Messianic Predictions.” In verse 14 the virgin birth of Christ is announced. Much of the controversy is around the word “virgin” (almah), which the critics declare does not m

ISAIAH GIVES AHAZ THE ENCOURAGING SIGN OF IMMANUEL WHEN HE IS DISMAYED BY THE ALLIANCE OF SYRIA AND EPHRAIM AGAINST HIM. For the historical circumstances see pp. 59, 70f. Apart from Isaiah 7:1, which is derived from 2 Kings 16:5 and is out of chronological order, this section seems to have been written by an editor on the basis of Isaiah's autobiography (contrast the 1st person of the preceding chapter with the 3rd of this). The alarm, described in the picturesque metaphor of Isaiah 7:2, specially affected the house of David, since its position was menaced by the project of the allies to abolish the Davidic dynasty and install a creature of their own. The news which caused such dismay was that Syria had alighted on Ephraim ...