What You Wish For | Isaiah 7:1-9
Watch your thoughts; they become your emotions.
Welcome to Gateways, where you experience the Nevi’im—the Prophets—through the teachings of Don Yitzchak Abarbanel, distilled into easy-to-follow lessons.
In this lesson, we’re going to dive into Isaiah’s guidance during a moment of political and religious decay.
We’ll cover the verses, Abarbanel’s questions, and his answers. I’ll conclude with a short takeaway. For a full background, please see the previous lesson.
Jeff
Overview
The overarching intent of this prophecy is to make known the predictions that Isaiah the prophet foretold concerning the ascent of Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remalyahu to wage war against Jerusalem in the days of Ahaz king of Judah, and also what he foretold regarding the coming of Sennacherib against Jerusalem and his downfall at the hand of Hezekiah his son, as well as the success of Hezekiah’s generation and the destruction of Damascus and Samaria—all of which will be explained in the verses themselves.
Verses
(א) וַיְהִ֡י בִּימֵ֣י אָ֠חָ֠ז בֶּן־יוֹתָ֨ם בֶּן־עֻזִּיָּ֜הוּ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֗ה עָלָ֣ה רְצִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲ֠רָ֠ם וּפֶ֨קַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֤הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יְר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה עָלֶ֑יהָ וְלֹ֥א יָכֹ֖ל לְהִלָּחֵ֥ם עָלֶֽיהָ׃
(ב) וַיֻּגַּ֗ד לְבֵ֤ית דָּוִד֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר נָ֥חָה אֲרָ֖ם עַל־אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיָּ֤נַע לְבָבוֹ֙ וּלְבַ֣ב עַמּ֔וֹ כְּנ֥וֹעַ עֲצֵי־יַ֖עַר מִפְּנֵי־רֽוּחַ׃
(ג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָה֮ אֶֽל־יְשַֽׁעְיָ֒הוּ֒ צֵא־נָא֙ לִקְרַ֣את אָחָ֔ז אַתָּ֕ה וּשְׁאָ֖ר יָשׁ֣וּב בְּנֶ֑ךָ אֶל־קְצֵ֗ה תְּעָלַת֙ הַבְּרֵכָ֣ה הָעֶלְיוֹנָ֔ה אֶל־מְסִלַּ֖ת שְׂדֵ֥ה כוֹבֵֽס׃
(ד) וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵ֠לָ֠יו הִשָּׁמֵ֨ר וְהַשְׁקֵ֜ט אַל־תִּירָ֗א וּלְבָֽבְךָ֙ אַל־יֵרַ֔ךְ מִשְּׁנֵ֨י זַנְב֧וֹת הָאוּדִ֛ים הָעֲשֵׁנִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה בחֳרִי־אַ֛ף רְצִ֥ין וַאֲרָ֖ם וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָֽהוּ׃
(ה) יַ֗עַן כִּֽי־יָעַ֥ץ עָלֶ֛יךָ אֲרָ֖ם רָעָ֑ה אֶפְרַ֥יִם וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָ֖הוּ לֵאמֹֽר׃
(ו) נַעֲלֶ֤ה בִֽיהוּדָה֙ וּנְקִיצֶ֔נָּה וְנַבְקִעֶ֖נָּה אֵלֵ֑ינוּ וְנַמְלִ֥יךְ מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ בְּתוֹכָ֔הּ אֵ֖ת בֶּן־טָֽבְאַֽל׃
(ז) כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֑ה לֹ֥א תָק֖וּם וְלֹ֥א תִֽהְיֶֽה׃
(ח) כִּ֣י רֹ֤אשׁ אֲרָם֙ דַּמֶּ֔שֶׂק וְרֹ֥אשׁ דַּמֶּ֖שֶׂק רְצִ֑ין וּבְע֗וֹד שִׁשִּׁ֤ים וְחָמֵשׁ֙ שָׁנָ֔ה יֵחַ֥ת אֶפְרַ֖יִם מֵעָֽם׃
(ט) וְרֹ֤אשׁ אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ שֹׁמְר֔וֹן וְרֹ֥אשׁ שֹׁמְר֖וֹן בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֑הוּ אִ֚ם לֹ֣א תַאֲמִ֔ינוּ כִּ֖י לֹ֥א תֵאָמֵֽנוּ׃
It was in the days of Ahaz, son of Yotam, son of Uziyahu, king of Judah, that Retzin king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remalyahu, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem in war against it, but they could not conquer it.
It was told to the house of David, saying: Aram has allied with Ephraim. His heart and his people’s heart trembled, like the trembling of the trees of the forest from the wind.
The Lord said to Isaiah: Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and She’ar Yashuv your son. to the end of the channel of the upper pool, on the path of the launderer’s field.
Say to him: Take care and be calm, do not fear, and let your heart not be faint from these two smoldering butts of firebrands used from the inflamed wrath of Retzin and Aram, and the son of Remalyahu.
Because Aram plotted evil against you, with Ephraim and the son of Remalyahu, saying:
Let us go up against Judah, sunder it, and breach it for ourselves. We will crown a king in its midst, the son of Tave’al.
So said the Lord God: It will not stand and it will not be.
For the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Retzin, and in sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, no longer being a people.
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remalyahu. If you do not have faith it is because you are not faithful.
Photo by Ivan S
Question
The second question concerns his statement: “For the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin,” and likewise when he says, “and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remalyahu,” and so on.
For what purpose are these statements about “heads”?
If the doubt concerned their coming to wage war against Jerusalem, and the prophet foretold that it would not come to pass, what argument is there in saying that the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin?...
And behold, with regard to Ephraim he says, “and within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, no longer being a people,” but with regard to Aram he says nothing of the sort.
Moreover, that prophecy—that within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people—is not a promise that they will not wage war against Jerusalem or breach it, even if Ephraim’s ultimate end is to be cut off after sixty-five years.
Answers
Therefore, it is proper to explain “for the head of Aram” as deriving from the word ella (“but / rather”), which is one of the four usages that the Sages, of blessed memory, stated that the word ki can serve. He, Isaiah, is saying that what those kings counseled together—to say, “Let us go up against Judah and breach it”—will not stand and will not come to pass; rather, this will be the outcome: the head of Aram will be Damascus, and the head of Damascus will be Rezin—that is, the king of Assyria will come up against them and capture Damascus and kill Rezin. And just as Aram’s counsel against Jerusalem will not be fulfilled there, so it will instead be fulfilled upon Damascus and upon Rezin.
And after briefly mentioning the downfall of Damascus and Rezin, he also mentioned the downfall of Samaria and the son of Remalyahu. Concerning this he said, “and within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, no longer being a people.”
And you already know that the kingdom of Israel is called Ephraim by Scripture, because Jeroboam, who first reigned over Israel, was from the tribe of Ephraim. He is saying that the aforementioned decree will likewise be fulfilled upon the head of Ephraim, which is Samaria, and upon the head of Samaria, who was Pekah son of Remalyahu, whom Hoshea son of Elah killed, as is mentioned in the book of Kings (II 15:30).
Thus, this entire prophecy was to assure Ahaz that these two kings would not harm him nor wage war against Jerusalem, for their counsel would not be fulfilled in Jerusalem; rather, their toil would return upon their own heads, and their counsel would be fulfilled in Damascus and in Samaria, and upon Rezin and the son of Remalyahu…
Thus, the verses have been explained, and the second question has been resolved.
Takeaway
This is one of the finest examples of poetic justice. Two kings, Rezin and Pekah, decide to overthrow another king, only to find the same thing happening to them years later.
It’s a somber reminder to be careful what you wish for.
The flip side of this is also true, as in the verse:
רַבִּים מַכְאוֹבִים לָרָשָׁע, וְהַבּוֹטֵחַ בַּה׳, חֶסֶד יְסוֹבְבֶנּוּ
The wicked have many pains, but those who trust in Hashem are surrounded with kindness.
Psalms 32:10
We should constantly watch our thoughts, because they become our emotions. When we are certain that bad things will happen, we’ll find that bad things will surround us. But trusting in Hashem, knowing that there is a silver lining even in the hardest of times, is a golden ticket to finding His kindness everywhere.