DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9552#0471
TO THE CHRISTIAN PUBLIC.
Let us now refer to the context of the verse in
question. The first verse of the same chapter speaks of
the king of Syria and the king of Israel having besieged
Jerusalem ; verse 3 and 4, of the Lord's having sent
Isaiah the* prophet to Ahaz the king of Jerusalem to
offer him consolation and confidence against the attacks
of these two kings ; 5 and 6, of the two kings having
taken evil counsel against Ahaz and of their determina-
tion to set the son of Tabeal on his throne ; 8 and 9
foretell the total fall of Ephraim (the ten tribes of
Israelites who separated from Judah which comprised
the two remaining tribes) and of Samaria within three
score and five years; 10 and 11 mention the Lord's
offering to Ahaz a sign, which he (verses 12 and 13 )
declined ; 14, 15 and 16 contain the Lord's promise to
give spontaneously a sign of the destruction of Ahaz's
enemies in the person of the son borne by the virgin of
Jerusalem ; the delivery of Judah from these two kings
before the child should become of age ; 17, and following
verses, foretell what was to happen in Judah, bringing
the king of Assyria in opposition to the kings of Syria
and of Israel, who were then inimical to the house of
David. The first four verses, of chap. viii. speak of the
birth of a son to Isaiah, the prophet, and of the depreda-
tions by the Assyrians on the land of Damascus, the
capital of Syria, and on the land of Samaria, the head of
Ephraim, before that son should have knowledge to cry,
" My father and my mother." Hence it is evident that
the child mentioned in ch. vii. verse 14, called Immanuel,
was much older than the child mentioned ch. viii. 3 ;
for the attacks upon Syria and Israel by the Assyrians
took place only before the former became of age to
»
Let us now refer to the context of the verse in
question. The first verse of the same chapter speaks of
the king of Syria and the king of Israel having besieged
Jerusalem ; verse 3 and 4, of the Lord's having sent
Isaiah the* prophet to Ahaz the king of Jerusalem to
offer him consolation and confidence against the attacks
of these two kings ; 5 and 6, of the two kings having
taken evil counsel against Ahaz and of their determina-
tion to set the son of Tabeal on his throne ; 8 and 9
foretell the total fall of Ephraim (the ten tribes of
Israelites who separated from Judah which comprised
the two remaining tribes) and of Samaria within three
score and five years; 10 and 11 mention the Lord's
offering to Ahaz a sign, which he (verses 12 and 13 )
declined ; 14, 15 and 16 contain the Lord's promise to
give spontaneously a sign of the destruction of Ahaz's
enemies in the person of the son borne by the virgin of
Jerusalem ; the delivery of Judah from these two kings
before the child should become of age ; 17, and following
verses, foretell what was to happen in Judah, bringing
the king of Assyria in opposition to the kings of Syria
and of Israel, who were then inimical to the house of
David. The first four verses, of chap. viii. speak of the
birth of a son to Isaiah, the prophet, and of the depreda-
tions by the Assyrians on the land of Damascus, the
capital of Syria, and on the land of Samaria, the head of
Ephraim, before that son should have knowledge to cry,
" My father and my mother." Hence it is evident that
the child mentioned in ch. vii. verse 14, called Immanuel,
was much older than the child mentioned ch. viii. 3 ;
for the attacks upon Syria and Israel by the Assyrians
took place only before the former became of age to
»