Isaiah 7:2

2 It was told the house of David, saying, "Aram is allied with Efrayim." His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.

Isaiah 7:2 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 7:2

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" ^F25; 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" ^F26; 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, and the heart of his people, as the
trees of the wood are moved with the wind;
the metaphor denotes the strength and force of the confederate armies, comparable to a strong, blustering, boisterous wind; see ( Isaiah 32:2 ) ( Jeremiah 4:11 Jeremiah 4:12 ) and the weakness of the king and people of Judah, who were like to trees shaken by the wind; and also the fear they were possessed with, partly through consciousness of guilt, and partly through distrust of divine power and Providence; and also on account of what they had suffered already from these powerful enemies, when they attacked them singly; and therefore might much more dread them, as they were combined together against them; see ( 2 Chronicles 28:5-8 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (hxn) "duxit exercitum", Tigurine version.
F26 "Syria quievit super Ephraim", Forerius, Cocceius; "Syria acquiescit in Ephraimo", Piscator.

Isaiah 7:2 In-Context

1 It happened in the days of Achaz the son of Yotam, the son of `Uzziyah, king of Yehudah, that Retzin the king of Aram, and Pekach the son of Remalyahu, king of Yisra'el, went up to Yerushalayim to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

2 It was told the house of David, saying, "Aram is allied with Efrayim." His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.

3 Then the LORD said to Yesha`yahu, "Go forth now to meet Achaz, you, and She'ar-Yashuv your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fuller's field;

4 and say to him, 'Take heed, and be quiet; don't be afraid, neither let your heart be faint, because of these two tails of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Retzin and Aram, and of the son of Remalyahu.

5 Because Aram, Efrayim, and the son of Remalyahu, have purposed evil against you, saying,