Isaiah 7:2

7:2 It was reported to the family ¹  of David, “Syria has allied with ²  Ephraim.” They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. ³ 

Isaiah 7:4

7:4 Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm! ⁴  Don’t be afraid! Don’t be intimidated ⁵  by these two stubs of smoking logs, ⁶  or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah.

[7:2]  ¹ tn Heb “house.” In this context the “house of David” includes King Ahaz, his family, and the royal court. See also Jer 21:12; Zech 12:7-8, 10, 12, for a similar use of the phrase.

[7:2]  ² tn Heb “rests upon.” Most understand the verb as נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”), but HALOT 685 s.v. II נחה proposes that this is a hapax legomenon which means “stand by.”

[7:2]  ³ tn Heb “and his heart shook and the heart of his people shook, like the shaking of the trees of the forest before the wind.” The singular pronoun “his” is collective, referring to the Davidic house/family. לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the seat of the emotions.

[7:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “guard yourself and be quiet,” but the two verbs should be coordinated.

[7:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “and let not your heart be weak”; ASV “neither let thy heart be faint.”

[7:4]  ⁶ sn The derogatory metaphor indicates that the power of Rezin and Pekah is ready to die out.