Isaiah 8:4

8:4 for before the child knows how to cry out, ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria 1  will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” 2 

Isaiah 10:9

10:9 Is not Calneh like Carchemish?

Hamath like Arpad?

Samaria like Damascus? 3 

Isaiah 10:2

10:2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,

and to deprive 4  the oppressed among my people of justice,

so they can steal what widows own,

and loot what belongs to orphans. 5 

Isaiah 16:9

16:9 So I weep along with Jazer 6 

over the vines of Sibmah.

I will saturate you 7  with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh,

for the conquering invaders shout triumphantly

over your fruit and crops. 8 

1 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

2 sn The child’s name foreshadows what will happen to Judah’s enemies; when their defeat takes place, the child will be a reminder that God predicted the event and brought it to pass. As such the child will be a reminder of God’s protective presence with his people.

3 sn Calneh … Carchemish … Hamath … Arpad … Samaria … Damascus. The city states listed here were conquered by the Assyrians between 740-717 b.c. The point of the rhetorical questions is that no one can stand before Assyria’s might. On the geographical, rather than chronological arrangement of the cities, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:264, n. 4.

4 tn Or “rob” (ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV); KJV “take away the right from the poor.”

5 tn Heb “so that widows are their plunder, and they can loot orphans.”

6 tn Heb “So I weep with the weeping of Jazer.” Once more the speaker (the Lord? – see v. 10b) plays the role of a mourner (see 15:5).

7 tc The form אֲרַיָּוֶךְ (’arayyavekh) should be emended to אֲרַוָּיֶךְ (’aravvayekh; the vav [ו] and yod [י] have been accidentally transposed) from רָוָה (ravah, “be saturated”).

8 tn Heb “for over your fruit and over your harvest shouting has fallen.” The translation assumes that the shouting is that of the conqueror (Jer 51:14). Another possibility is that the shouting is that of the harvesters (see v. 10b, as well as Jer 25:30), in which case one might translate, “for the joyful shouting over the fruit and crops has fallen silent.”