Isaiah 7:4

4 And thou shalt say to him, See thou, that thou be still; do not thou dread, and thine heart be not afeared of the two tails of these brands smoking, in the wrath of the strong vengeance of Rezin, king of Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. (And thou shalt say to him, See thou, that thou stay calm; do not thou fear, and do not let thy heart be afraid of the two tails of these smoking firebrands, that is, of the anger of the strong vengeance of Rezin, the king of Syria, and that of the son of Remaliah.)

Isaiah 7:4 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 7:4

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" ^F1; 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" ^F2, 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, and the short continuance of it; they being like to firebrands wholly burnt and consumed to the end; a small part remaining, which could not be laid hold upon to light fires or burn with, and that only smoking, and the smoke just ready to vanish. For the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of
Remaliah;
this shows who are meant by the two firebrands, Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah king of Israel; and what by the smoke of them, their fierce anger; which, though it seemed to threaten with utter destruction, in the opinion of Ahaz and his court, was only like the smoke of a firebrand burnt to the end, weak and vanishing.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (jqvhw rmvh) (fulaxai) , Sept.; "observa ut sis quieto animo", Vatablus.
F2 (Kry la) "ne mollescas", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Isaiah 7:4 In-Context

2 And they told to the house of David, and said, Syria hath rested on Ephraim, that is, the king of Syria and the king of Israel be confederated, to come together against the realm of Judah, and the heart of him and of his people was moved together, as the trees of woods be moved of the face of the wind (and his heart and those of his people were altogether moved, or shaken, like the trees in the woods by the wind).

3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, Go thou out, and Jashub, thy son, which is left, into the meeting of Ahaz, at the last end of the water conduit of the higher cistern, in the way of the field of the fuller. (And the Lord said to Isaiah, Thou, and thy son Shearjashub, go out to meet with Ahaz, at the far end of the water conduit of the Upper Pool, on the way to the Fuller's Field.)

4 And thou shalt say to him, See thou, that thou be still; do not thou dread, and thine heart be not afeared of the two tails of these brands smoking, in the wrath of the strong vengeance of Rezin, king of Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. (And thou shalt say to him, See thou, that thou stay calm; do not thou fear, and do not let thy heart be afraid of the two tails of these smoking firebrands, that is, of the anger of the strong vengeance of Rezin, the king of Syria, and that of the son of Remaliah.)

5 For Syria, and Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have begun evil counsel against thee, and say,

6 Go we up to Judah, and raise we him, and draw we him out to us; and set we a king in the midst thereof, the son of Tabeal.