Isaiah 7:17

Judgment to Come · Isaiah 7:17–25
Read Isaiah 7

Translations

Modern
The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”
Traditional
The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.
Literal
YHWH will bring upon you and upon your people and upon the house of your father days that have not come since the day of the turning away of Ephraim from Judah—the king of Assyria!”
Latin
Adducet Dominus super te, et super populum tuum, et super domum patris tui, dies qui non venerunt a diebus separationis Ephraim a Juda, cum rege Assyriorum.

Original

Hebrew
English
The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”

Notes

  • Israel separated from Judah in 931 BC (see 1 Kings 12:19–20).

  • He will bring the king of Assyria: Ahaz asked Assyria for help (2 Kings 16:8–9). However, Assyria later turned against him. Judah became a vassal state, which means it was forced to serve and pay tribute to Assyria.

At one point in his reign, Ahaz faced a serious crisis. The kings of Syria and Israel attacked Judah. They planned to remove Ahaz and force Judah to join them in resisting Assyria.

Instead of trusting the Lord, Ahaz asked Assyria for help (2 Kings 16:7–10). By doing this, he rejected Isaiah’s call to trust in God (Isaiah 7:12).

The Assyrians defeated Syria and Israel. In time, both nations fell. However, Assyria later turned against Judah and sought to control it completely.

These prophecies occurred when Assyria rose to power. Syria and Israel formed an alliance against Judah (Isaiah 7:1–2; see 2 Kings 16:5). God used Assyria as a tool to punish Syria, Israel, and Judah (Isaiah 7–10).

Theme notes and profiles

Ahaz Isaiah Fearing People Salvation in Isaiah

Events

Parallels

Micah 1:1–7

People

Ephraim: Second son of Joseph, and a tribe of Israel Judah: Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province

Places

Assyria: A powerful ancient empire, often in conflict with Israel

Glossary

Ahaz (King) Calah Isaiah, Book of

Topics

Ahaz: King of Judah, Son and Successor of Jotham: Prophecies Concerning Assyria: Predictions Respecting: Invasion of Judah By Assyria: Prophecies Concerning Hypocrisy: Ahaz Isaiah: Prophecies, Reproofs, and Exhortations of Denounces Calamities Against Israel and Judah Prophecies Concerning Israel: Prophecies Concerning of War and Other Judgments Tribe of Ephraim: The Leading Tribe of the Kingdom of Israel