Isaiah 22:8

to the weapons: This large and impressive building stored weapons. It also stored valuable items (see Isaiah 39:2; 1 Kings 7:2–6).

The defeat of Judah would show what the future day of the Lord will be like (see study note on Isaiah 2:5–22). Jerusalem would have no power to save itself in that time of disaster.

The people of Jerusalem prepared for war. They counted their weapons, inspected the city walls, and made sure they had enough water.

However, they did not think about God’s plans (see Isaiah 13:1–14:23). They focused on their own efforts instead of seeking the Lord.

King Hezekiah played an important role in these preparations. However, the verbs in this passage are plural. Isaiah was speaking to the people as a group, not only to Hezekiah. This is different from the way Isaiah addressed Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz (Isaiah 7:1–4).

This message addresses the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC (see Isaiah 36–37; 2 Kings 18:17–19:37). It may also refer to the people's preparation for the later Babylonian siege from 588 to 586 BC.