‏ Isaiah 17

Summary for Isa 17:1-20:6: 17:1–20:6  ^a This section contains prophecies of judgment against Damascus, Israel, Ethiopia, and Egypt. The scene moves from the crisis of 734 BC (the alliance of Syria and Israel—see study note on 7:1-25) to the Assyrian crisis in 701 BC (see chs 36–37  ^b). 17:1  ^c Damascus, the ringleader in the alliance of Syria and Israel against Judah, fell when the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III invaded in 732 BC.
17:2  ^d The towns of Aroer were east of the Dead Sea (see 2 Kgs 10:32-33  ^e).

• Flocks will graze in the streets: The city would be useless for any other purpose.
17:3  ^f The strategic fortified towns of Israel were the pride of Israel, but they could not resist God’s purposes.
Summary for Isa 17:4-11: 17:4-11  ^g The vision shifts from Damascus (17:1-3  ^h) to the northern kingdom of Israel; Damascus and Israel were allies in the war against Judah, and both were later destroyed by Assyria. 17:4  ⁱ Israel’s glory will grow dim: God will judge all human pride.

• Israel’s robust body will waste away like a person who is ill.
17:5  ^j The valley of Rephaim was a fertile valley in Judah; however, it looked bare after each harvest.
17:6  ^k Although the God of Israel judged the wickedness of Israel, he was still its God.
17:7  ^l The people referred to here are either Israelites or humanity at large.

• look ... turn their eyes: They will again put their trust in the Lord.
17:8  ^m Canaanites and then Israelites worshiped the fertility goddess Asherah in wooded areas or, in the absence of wooded areas, using Asherah poles (see 27:9  ⁿ; 65:3  ^o; Mic 5:14  ^p).
17:9  ^q The Hivites and Amorites were members of the original population of Canaan; they were to be destroyed when the Israelites conquered the land (see Deut 20:17  ^r).
17:10  ^s The Israelites had mixed faith in the Lord with elements of Baal worship. They turned from the Lord, who alone is God and will not be held alongside an idol in people’s hearts.

• The term Rock refers to the Lord’s ability to provide refuge (see 26:4  ^t; 30:29  ^u; Ps 18:2  ^v, 46  ^w).
Summary for Isa 17:12-14: 17:12-14  ^x God was present with Judah during the crisis. 17:12  ^y At times, the sea represents opposition to God (see Job 7:12  ^z; 26:12  ^aa; Pss 46:3  ^ab; 93:3  ^ac).
17:13  ^ad God will silence them: The Lord is sovereign over the nations, as he is over the sea (Ps 65:7  ^ae).
17:14  ^af In the evening ... by dawn: Despite frightening circumstances, Israel can have confidence in the Lord’s ability to save quickly (see 37:36-38  ^ag).

‏ Isaiah 18

18:1  ^ah Ethiopia was at the southern extremity of the kingdom of Egypt. At the time, Egypt was ruled by the dynasty of the Ethiopian Piankhi.
18:3  ^ai Both the battle flag and ram’s horn were used to marshal and send signals to armies in battle (see Judg 3:27  ^aj; 6:34  ^ak; 2 Sam 2:28  ^al).
18:4  ^am The Lord is untroubled by human activities; he watches quietly from his dwelling place and acts in his own time (see Ps 2:1-4  ^an).
18:5  ^ao your plans are ripening: Ethiopia had made every effort to form alliances to protect itself against Assyria, but its alliance with Judah would not help.
18:7  ^ap Conquered or weaker nations were often forced to pay tribute to a dominant king in the region (see 16:1  ^aq; 2 Kgs 3:4-5  ^ar). The Ethiopians would come bringing gifts to honor the Lord for his defeat of the Assyrians (see also 2 Chr 32:23  ^as).

‏ Isaiah 19

Summary for Isa 19:1-20:6: 19:1–20:6  ^at See also Jer 46  ^au; Ezek 29–32  ^av.
Summary for Isa 19:1-10: 19:1-10  ^aw Egypt was vulnerable, depending on the Nile for food, fish, and industry. When the Lord struck the Nile, Egypt would be in dire straits, and their gods would not be able to help. 19:1  ^ax Riding on a swift cloud shows God’s sovereignty and power over creation (Ps 104:3  ^ay). He is coming in judgment against Judah’s enemies (see Deut 33:26  ^az; Pss 18:9-10  ^ba; 68:4  ^bb; 97:2-3  ^bc).

• The idols of Egypt tremble because they are weak and impotent, unable to help (see Isa 40:18  ^bd; 45:16  ^be; 46:1  ^bf).
19:2  ^bg Egypt had a history of civil wars that ravaged the country. Egypt’s fragile unity was breaking apart.
19:3  ^bh Idols ... spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead were called upon in an attempt to ward off impending destruction (see 8:19-22  ^bi; 47:12-13  ^bj).
19:4  ^bk hard, cruel master: In 671 BC, the Assyrian king Esarhaddon invaded Egypt and destroyed the royal city of Memphis. In 663 BC, Ashurbanipal attacked and destroyed Thebes (see Nah 3:8-10  ^bl).
19:5  ^bm The waters of the Nile were Egypt’s lifeline. Any disturbance in the regular pattern of flooding affected the whole nation. In ancient Egypt, the Nile was considered to be a god. However, the true God could easily dry it up.
19:9  ^bn There was no flax or thread: The drought crippled the linen industry.
Summary for Isa 19:11-15: 19:11-15  ^bo The prophet taunted the leaders and wise men of Egypt, who were helpless to avert tragedy. 19:11  ^bp Zoan was the capital of Egypt, located in the Nile delta (see Num 13:22  ^bq).

• officials ... best counsel: The king depended on the strategies and counsel of wise men (Isa 19:12  ^br; see Gen 41:39-40  ^bs).

• The officials of Zoan were known for all their wise ancestors, and Egypt liked to brag about them.
19:12  ^bt Where are your wise counselors: Cp. 1 Cor 1:20  ^bu.
19:13  ^bv Memphis was an ancient capital in Egypt located south of the Nile delta. It was destroyed by Esarhaddon in 671 BC.
19:15  ^bw There is nothing Egypt can do: No leader, idol, or conventional wisdom can stand against God’s judgment.

• The head and the tail represented all of Egypt’s leaders from the greatest to the least important (see 9:14-15  ^bx).
19:16  ^by An upraised fist (literally waving the hand) was a threatening motion.
19:18  ^bz five of Egypt’s cities: This is probably just a way of saying “a number of cities” (see also 17:6  ^ca; 30:17  ^cb).

• Jews living in Egypt after the destruction of Jerusalem spoke Hebrew, here called the language of Canaan.

• Heliopolis was devoted to Re, the sun god. At a time when Judah was resisting the Lord, Isaiah envisioned the Egyptians following the Lord.
Summary for Isa 19:19-25: 19:19-25  ^cc The new Egypt would receive a place in God’s purposes together with Assyria and Israel. 19:19  ^cd This altar or monument refers either to the temple that was built by Jews at Elephantine in Egypt (500 BC), to some other Jewish place of worship, or perhaps to a memorial the Egyptians constructed in devotion to the Lord.
19:20  ^ce The altar (19:19  ^cf) would be a sign and a witness of the Egyptians’ religious connection with Israel (see 19:24-25  ^cg).

• God answers the prayers of those who cry to the Lord for help.

• The Lord is a savior; he would protect the Egyptians even as he protected Jerusalem from the Assyrians.
19:22  ^ch strike Egypt: The Hebrew verb used here is the same as the one used for the tenth plague (Exod 12:13  ^ci, 23  ^cj, 27  ^ck), bringing up associations of what God did during the Exodus.

• The Lord, who brings a plague, can also bring healing.

• he will listen to their pleas and heal them: This expresses a covenantal relationship between the Lord and Egypt (see Isa 65:24  ^cl).
19:23  ^cm Traditionally, Egypt and Assyria were enemies of one another and of Israel. They were idolatrous to the core, but they would leave behind their enmity and their idols to worship the true God.

• In the rugged terrain of the ancient Near East, a highway provided a means for safe, easy travel and trade (see 11:16  ^cn; 35:8  ^co; 40:3  ^cp; 62:10  ^cq).
19:24  ^cr Israel will be ... a blessing in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Gen 12:3  ^cs).
19:25  ^ct Two designations usually reserved for Israel, my people and the land I have made (see 29:22  ^cu; 32:18  ^cv), are applied here to foreign nations. The Lord promised to regard those from the nations who turn to him as his special possession (63:17  ^cw).

‏ Isaiah 20

Summary for Isa 20:1-5: 20:1-5  ^cx Ashdod’s reliance on Egypt and Ethiopia was useless. As a complement to his words, Isaiah walked about exposed and barefoot, a symbolic action for what God would do. 20:1  ^cy Sargon of Assyria is Sargon II (721–705 BC).

• Ashdod was one of the five Philistine cities that rebelled against Assyria in 713 BC.
20:2  ^cz Prophets characteristically wore burlap or other rough clothing as a sign of mourning over the sins of the people (see 2 Kgs 1:8  ^da; Mark 1:6  ^db).

• naked: That is, exposed in some way, possibly even completely nude.
Summary for Isa 20:3-4: 20:3-4  ^dc This symbolic event took place some three years before the fall of Ashdod (see 20:2  ^dd). Through it, Isaiah became an object lesson for the people (see 8:18  ^de).
Summary for Isa 20:5-6: 20:5-6  ^df Philistia’s downfall was a warning to the people of Judah, who also relied on Egypt and other alliances rather than on God.