¶ The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from [being] a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
The burden {H4853} of Damascus {H1834}. Behold, Damascus {H1834} is taken away {H5493} from being a city {H5892}, and it shall be a ruinous {H4654} heap {H4596}.
This is a prophecy about Dammesek: "Dammesek will soon stop being a city; it will become a heap of ruins.
This is the burden against Damascus: “Behold, Damascus is no longer a city; it has become a heap of ruins.
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
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Amos 1:3
¶ Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment] thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: -
Amos 1:5
I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD. -
Zechariah 9:1
¶ The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus [shall be] the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, [shall be] toward the LORD. -
Isaiah 25:2
For thou hast made of a city an heap; [of] a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. -
Micah 1:6
Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, [and] as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. -
Isaiah 7:8
For the head of Syria [is] Damascus, and the head of Damascus [is] Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. -
Jeremiah 49:23
¶ Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; [there is] sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
Isaiah 17:1 opens a prophetic oracle, often termed a "burden" (Hebrew: massa), specifically directed at Damascus, the powerful capital of Aram (Syria). This verse immediately declares a devastating future for the city:
Context of Isaiah 17:1
This prophecy is situated within a series of "burdens" or divine pronouncements against various nations surrounding Judah and Israel, found in Isaiah chapters 13-23. Historically, Damascus was a significant regional power that often interacted with, and at times opposed, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. In the 8th century BC, during Isaiah's ministry, Damascus had allied with the Northern Kingdom of Israel against Judah (the Syro-Ephraimitic War). King Ahaz of Judah, in response, sought the aid of the Assyrian Empire. The fulfillment of this prophecy came swiftly and decisively when the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III conquered Damascus in 732 BC, effectively taking its inhabitants captive and destroying its prominence as recounted in 2 Kings 16:9.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insight
The term "burden" is the Hebrew word massa (מַשָּׂא), which literally means a "load" or "lifting up." In a prophetic context, it signifies a heavy, authoritative pronouncement, often one of impending judgment or doom. The phrase "ruinous heap" (Hebrew: mappelah) vividly portrays a scene of utter devastation, where a once-thriving city is reduced to rubble and debris.
Practical Application
Isaiah 17:1 serves as a powerful reminder that all earthly powers are transient and ultimately accountable to the sovereign God. For believers, this verse reinforces faith in God's control over world events and the certainty of His spoken word. It encourages humility and trust in Him, knowing that while nations rise and fall, His kingdom is everlasting and His dominion endures through all generations. It also highlights the consequences of rebellion against God or opposition to His purposes, even for those who seem invincible in their own strength.