Isaiah 17

4–11 These verses apply primarily to Israel (the northern kingdom). In that day (the day of God’s judgment) the glory of Jacob (Israel) will fade (verse 4). In verses 5–8, Isaiah says that a small number of Israelites will remain faithful to God and survive His judgment. They will not look to the altars of the Canaanite gods or worship at the Asherah poles, the symbols of the goddess Asherah (verse 8). No doubt some of these Israelites turned to God because they feared the judgment that was coming; indeed, many eventually left Israel and settled in Judah.

Verses 9–11 deal with the judgment that will fall on those Israelites who do not turn to God: they will be driven from the strong cities they had seized from the Canaanites (verse 9). As the Canaanites had fled before Israel, now Israel would flee before the Assyrians.

This judgment would come because the Israelites had forgotten God [their] Savior (verse 10). They had planted imported vines—that is, they had joined with the Arameans; but those vines (the alliance with Aram) would be as nothing in the day of judgment, the day of disease and incurable pain brought on by the Assyrian invasion (verse 11).

12–14 In these verses, Isaiah pictures the nations of the Middle East raging like the raging sea (verse 12). They are “raging” against the Lord, against His people, and ultimately against His Anointed one (Psalm 2:1–6; Acts 4:25–26). However, God will drive back the nations as if they were chaff before the wind (verse 13)—the wind of His breath, His judgment (see Psalm 83:1–18). Isaiah ends by saying that this judgment will be the portion (fate) of those nations who loot and plunder God’s people.