Isaiah 7:17-25

The Devastation of Judah. Probably an independent prophecy rather than a continuation of Isaiah 7:2; it strikes a very different note. It may belong to the same date, but may quite well be later. Disaster unparalleled since the revolt of the ten tribes (note the Southern point of view) is coming on Judah, an Assyrian invasion. Yahweh will whistle for the enemy, who will penetrate the most inaccessible retreats of the land, and humiliate and spoil the people. The population that will remain will be so scanty that very few cattle will yield an abundance of milk. The land will not be cultivated; the vineyards, where the most valuable vines grew, those worth a shekel apiece, will be overrun with briers. The thorn thickets will be the lurking-place of wild beasts, and cannot therefore be safely approached without weapons.

Isaiah 7:18. The text apparently means that the swarming tribes of Egypt, numerous but not formidable, and the compact, fierce, and well-marshalled Assyrians, would meet for battle in Judah. If we read simply, the Lord shall hiss for the fly and the bee, omitting the descriptions as glosses, Assyria only is intended. hired: possibly a reference to the purchase by Ahaz of Assyria's help. Shaving is a mark of degradation.

Isaiah 7:25. The text may be corrupt; the meaning is very uncertain.