Isaiah 17:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,

NIV: You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines,

NASB: For you have forgotten the God of your salvation And have not remembered the rock of your refuge. Therefore you plant delightful plants And set them with vine shoots of a strange god.

CSB: For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and you have failed to remember the rock of your strength; therefore you will plant beautiful plants and set out cuttings from exotic vines.

NLT: Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you. You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you. So you may plant the finest grapevines and import the most expensive seedlings.

KJV: Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:

NKJV: Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, Therefore you will plant pleasant plants And set out foreign seedlings;

What began as an oracle against Damascus (Isaiah 17: 1) has become a conversation between the Lord and His people, Israel. In one sense, Israel will share in the judgment on Damascus, because of their foolish alliance against the Assyrians. In another sense, that alliance will cause Damascus to share with Israel the consequences of Israel's faithlessness to the Lord. Isaiah has written in the previous verses that the strong cities, both in Israel and Syria, will be abandoned. This emptying will be following the Lord's judgment in the form of the Assyrian invasion. That invasion will reduce the population of both nations to a feeble remnant (Isaiah 17:2–3).

Now the Lord reminds Israel of why this fate will happen. They have forgotten the God who saved them. They have failed to remember the "Rock of their refuge." This forgetting is exactly what the Lord warned His people about repeatedly in Deuteronomy. "And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 8:19–20).

God is reminding His people of His warnings not to forget. They have had the consequences in writing for generations. They have seen the results in their own history (Judges 2:16–19). This was not new information. When the Lord calls them to "remember," this means more than simply being aware in their minds. The people of the Lord have a solemn responsibility, from generation to generation, to do whatever it takes to remember the Lord's faithfulness to them. They are to be intentional about relying on, and obeying, Him.

Because Israel has failed to remember once more, they will again experience catastrophe. No matter how carefully they work to provide for themselves, this sorrow will still come. Isaiah describes this self-reliance as tending a plant. You carefully select the best one for the fruit it should provide. Here the passage uses the example of getting a cutting from a stranger, symbolizing the other nations and their gods, to plant and grow your own plant. In the end, though, you lose the harvest because you depended on another, or yourself, instead of on the Lord (Isaiah 17:11).

Isaiah 17:1–14 begins as a prophecy of the destruction of Damascus, the capital of Syria. Israel will nearly be wiped out along with it. Survivors of both nations will exist on scraps. The remnant of Israel will finally look to their Maker for help instead of praying to false idols. This remnant will experience grief and pain because they have forgotten the God of their salvation. Still, the Lord God has the power to drive away enemies like dust against a strong wind.

What begins as an oracle against Damascus becomes a description of the consequences of Israel's faithlessness As well as the Lord's ability to save them. Damascus will become a heap of ruins. Ephraim will be nearly wiped out along with it. The glory of both will be wasted away like a once healthy man starving and living on scraps. Finally, Israel will look to their Maker instead of to idols they have made with their hands. They forgot the God of their salvation, the One who can chase away the storms of the enemy nations.

Prior chapters included prophecies against various nations, such as Assyria, Babylon, and Moab (Isaiah 13—16). Chapter begins as another oracle against one of Israel's hostile neighbors. However, this one is set much earlier in time. Damascus will become ruins and Israel will be nearly wiped out along with it. Survivors will gather scraps just to survive. The remnant in Israel will finally look to their Maker for help, instead of to idols. Still, the Lord can drive away the roaring nations who have come against Israel. Further oracles follow, beginning with a prophecy about Cush (Isaiah 18).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).