Isaiah 8

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 734 BC – 732 BC · Divided kingdom · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

22 verses · 497 words · ~2 min read · ~3 min listen

Assyrian Invasion Prophesied

¹Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary stylus: Maher-shalal-hash-baz. ²And I will appoint for Myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”

³And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. ⁴For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

⁵And the Lord spoke to me further:

⁶“Because this people has rejected

the gently flowing waters of Shiloah

and rejoiced in Rezin

and the son of Remaliah,

⁷the Lord will surely bring against them

the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—

the king of Assyria and all his pomp.

It will overflow its channels

and overrun its banks.

⁸It will pour into Judah,

swirling and sweeping over it,

reaching up to the neck;

its spreading streams will cover

your entire land, O Immanuel!

⁹Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered;

pay attention, all you distant lands;

prepare for battle, and be shattered;

prepare for battle, and be shattered!

¹⁰Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;

state a proposal, but it will not happen.

For God is with us.”

A Call to Fear God

Ecclesiastes 8:10–13

¹¹For this is what the Lord has spoken to me with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in the way of this people:

¹²“Do not call conspiracy

everything these people regard as conspiracy.

Do not fear what they fear;

do not live in dread.

¹³The Lord of Hosts is the One

you shall regard as holy.

Only He should be feared;

only He should be dreaded.

¹⁴And He will be a sanctuary—

but to both houses of Israel

a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,

to the dwellers of Jerusalem

a trap and a snare.

¹⁵Many will stumble over these;

they will fall and be broken;

they will be ensnared and captured.”

¹⁶Bind up the testimony

and seal the law among my disciples.

¹⁷I will wait for the Lord,

who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob.

I will put my trust in Him.

¹⁸Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Darkness and Light

¹⁹When men tell you to consult mmediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldnʼt a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

²¹They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God. ²²Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.

Footnotes (11)

a v1 Hebrew with a manʼs
b v1 Maher-shalal-hash-baz means The spoil speeds, the prey hastens or Swift to plunder, quick to carry away; also in verse 3.
c v7 Hebrew the River
d v8 Immanuel means God with us.
e v9 Or Raise the war cry or Be evil or Be broken
f v10 Hebrew Immanuel; see Matthew 1:23.
g v12 Or Do not fear their threats
h v12 LXX do not be shaken; cited in 1 Peter 3:14
i v14 Cited in Romans 9:33and 1 Peter 2:8
j v17 Or I will eagerly look for Him; cited in Hebrews 2:13
k v18 Cited in Hebrews 2:13

Study notes on this chapter · 2

Prophecy & fulfillmentWidely held reading

The two kings who threatened Ahaz

When Syria and Israel threaten Judah, Isaiah tells Ahaz that the plan will not stand and that before a child is old enough to know right from wrong, the land of the two kings will be deserted. Assyria took Damascus and much of Israel within about three years, and Israel itself fell in 722/721 BC.

When: Isaiah, c. 734 BC; Assyrian campaigns 734–732 BC.

Original passageIsaiah 7:1–9Isaiah 7:16Isaiah 8:4

Where the New Testament applies it2 Kings 15:29–302 Kings 16:9

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

Here am I and the children God has given me

Hebrews says Jesus shares flesh and blood with those he saves, and puts Isaiah's words and a line from Psalm 22 in his mouth: 'I will declare your name to my brothers', 'I will put my trust in him', 'Here am I, and the children God has given me.'

When: Isaiah, c. 735 BC; Hebrews, before AD 70 (most likely).

Original passageIsaiah 8:17–18Psalms 22:22

Where the New Testament applies itHebrews 2:11–14

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

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