Isaiah 17:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us.

NIV: In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! This is the portion of those who loot us, the lot of those who plunder us.

NASB: At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning they are gone. This will be the fate of those who plunder us And the lot of those who pillage us.

CSB: In the evening—sudden terror! Before morning—it is gone! This is the fate of those who plunder us and the lot of those who ravage us.

NLT: In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn its enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder us, a fitting end for those who destroy us.

KJV: And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

NKJV: Then behold, at eventide, trouble! And before the morning, he is no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, And the lot of those who rob us.

Enemy nations coming for Israel have been described as a roaring storm approaching with terrifying power (Isaiah 17:12). The people need to find shelter; yet they have looked in all the wrong places. They've been seeking it in worship of false gods and alliances with other nations. Instead, they must look to the Lord.

God is the One who can send enemy nations running away with a single rebuke. He becomes the terrifying storm that drives them away like chaff in a strong wind (Isaiah 17:13). The Lord alone is a reliable source of salvation for Israel. This is true even when armies as terrifying as the Assyrians march toward them, as they did in Isaiah's time.

This passage depicts terror at night under the threat of a powerful enemy, but how by morning the enemy is gone. The threat is no more! That's what those who attack Israel to ransack the people of the Lord should expect. That's what Israel should turn to the Lord to provide. The perfect example of this comes a little later when the fearsome Sennacherib and the Assyrians finally have Jerusalem under siege. There was hope of survival in human terms for the city. Then the Lord becomes the storm.

"And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place." (Isaiah 37:36–38).

Why worship a god that cannot protect a powerful leader like Sennacherib from his own sons? Why choose lesser, powerless, imaginary idols when the Lord your God can wipe out thousands of enemies on your doorstep in a single night?

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).