Isaiah 7:4

And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. TAKE HEED, AND BE QUIET; FEAR NOT - i:e., see that thou be quiet (not seeking Assyrian aid in a fit of panic). NEITHER BE FAINT-HEARTED FOR THE TWO TAILS OF THESE SMOKING FIREBRANDS - mere ends of firebrands almost consumed themselves (about soon to fall before the Assyrians, ), therefore harmless. SMOKING - as about to go out; not blazing. THE SON OF REMALIAH - Pekah, an usurper, having killed Pekahiah, the preceding king (). The Easterns express contempt by designating one, not by his own name, but by the father's,...

4._And thou shalt say to him _(102) The Hebrew word שמר (_shamar_,) which signifies _to keep_, is here put in the Hiphil; (103) and the greater part of interpreters take it for _beware_; but they erroneously apply this to an unnatural and far-fetched meaning, that Ahaz should _beware _of carrying on war. A more natural meaning is, that he ought not to waver or wander about in uncertainty, but to remain calm and serene. Accordingly, I have rendered it _refrain_. The meaning therefore is, that Ahab should be composed, and should not be agitated or harass his mind by uneasiness, as fickle and unsteady persons are wont to do when they are struck with terror. This interpretation is confirmed by the word which follows, _Be quiet_; for these two are connected, first, to keep quiet _watch_, so as not to be d

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...

Verse Isaiah 7:4. The _Syriac_ omits וארם _vearam_, "and Syria;" the Vulgate reads מלך ארם _melech aram_, "king of Syria:" one or the other seems to be the true reading. I prefer the former: or, instead of וארם ובן _vearam uben_, read ופקח בן _vepekach ben,_ _and pekah son_, MS....

TAKE HEED - Hebrew ‘Keep thyself;’ that is, from fear. NEITHER BE FAINTHEARTED - Hebrew, ‘Let not thy heart be tender;’ that is, let it not be easily moved; be strong, fearless. FOR THE TAILS ... - There is much beauty and force in this comparison. The “design” of Isaiah is to diminish the fear of Ahaz. Instead, therefore, of calling them “firebrands” - burning and setting on fire everything in their way - he calls them the “tails, that is, the ends,” or remains of firebrand - almost consumed themselves, and harmless. And instead of saying that they were “burning and blazing,” he says that they were merely “smoking” - the half-burned, decaying remains of what might have been once formidable. The prophet also is just about to announce their approaching destruction by the Assyrians; see...

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 SAY UNTO HIM, TAKE HEED, AND BE QUIET,.... Or "keep" thyself, not within the city, and from fighting with his enemies, but from unbelief, fear, and dread; or, as the Septuagint version, "keep" thyself, "that thou mayest be quiet" a; be easy, still, and silent, and see the salvation of God: the Jewish writers interpret the first word of resting and settling, as wine upon the lees: see Jeremiah 48:11: FEAR NOT; this explains the former: NEITHER BE FAINTHEARTED; or "let thy heart soft" b, and melt like wax, through dread and diffidence: FOR THE TWO TAILS OF THESE SMOKING FIREBRANDS: meaning the two kings of Syria and Israel: and so the Targum, "for these two kings, who are as smoking firebrands;'' a metaphor used to express the weakness of these princes, their vain wrath and impotent fury,

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

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 ...