John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 17

The burden of Damascus. Here he prophesies against the kingdom of Syria, and mentions the chief city in which the seat of the kingdom lay. It was fitting that this calamity, like others which came before it, should be described, so that the righteous could confidently believe that God would one day assist them, and would not always permit them to be oppressed by the wicked without end. The king of Syria had formed an alliance with Israel against Judah, as we saw previously in the seventh chapter; and since the Jews were not able to contend with him, and were deprived of other help, they might also have doubts about God’s assistance, as if He had utterly abandoned them. Therefore, to free them from these doubts, he threatens the destruction of that kingdom, from which they would readily conclude that God fought in defense of His people.

It is uncertain at what time Isaiah uttered this prophecy, for, as I have already remarked, he does not follow chronological order in threatening each nation with the punishment it deserved. But, as far as I am able to conjecture, he foretold these events when those two kings—that is, the kings of Israel and Syria—invaded Judea and formed an alliance to destroy it and the whole Church (Isaiah 7:1–2). For, by joining the Israelites and Syrians together, he summons them to a mutual judgment, to show that the only advantage they had derived from their wicked and disgraceful conspiracy was to be involved in the same destruction. In this way, Isaiah intended to comfort godly people of the tribe of Judah, for he focuses chiefly on them, so that they might not be discouraged, and not on the Syrians or even the Israelites, whose destruction he foretells.

Behold, Damascus is taken away. The demonstrative particle Behold, seals the certainty of the prophecy. When he expressly mentions Damascus, this does not mean that the other parts of the kingdom are exempt, but it was customary for the prophets to use a part to represent the whole, thereby including the fate of the entire nation in the destruction of its metropolis. For what can ordinary towns expect when the kingdom's citadel has been stormed? Yet there is another reason why the prophets pronounce heavier threats on the chief and royal cities, and especially direct their discourse against them. It is because a polluted flood of crimes overflows from them into the whole country.

The cities of Aroer are forsaken. It is not probable that Aroer here denotes the city which is mentioned elsewhere (Numbers 32:34; Deuteronomy 2:36, 3:12, 4:48), but it is rather the name of a country. He draws the picture of a country which has been ruined; for he shows that those places in which cities had been built will be devoted to pasture, and that no habitation will be left there but huts and shepherds’ tents; for if any inhabitants remained, the shepherds would drive their flocks to some other place.

The fortress shall cease. He points out the reason why the Lord determines to cut off the kingdom of Syria. Amos (Amos 1:3) enumerates additional reasons, but the most important was the one the Prophet mentions: namely, that they had drawn the kingdom of Israel to their side for the purpose of making war against the Jews. The Israelites were undoubtedly allured by the flatteries of the Syrians to form an alliance with them against their brethren. It was a pretext especially suited to deceive them, that the Syrians would aid them against all their enemies. Consequently, the Israelites placed confidence in the forces and power of the Syrians to such an extent that they believed themselves able to oppose any adversary. All Israel is here, as in many other passages, denoted by the name Ephraim, which was the chief tribe of that people. Now, “the assistance and kingdom” are said to “cease” from any place when its strength is broken and its rank is overthrown.

And the remnant of Syria. That is, both of these nations, the Syrians and the Israelites, will come to nothing. For the purpose of giving additional weight to the prophecy, he states that it is God who declares it, for he immediately adds these words: saith Jehovah of hosts. Now, when the Lord punished those two kingdoms so severely, he unquestionably promoted in this way the benefit of his Church, delivering it by the destruction of its enemies.

And indeed, in destroying both nations, he employed the Assyrians as his agents, to whom even the Jews had applied. Although in this respect they had sinned grievously, yet their offense did not hinder the Lord from promoting the benefit of his Church, or from delivering it by bringing its enemies into conflict with each other.

From this we perceive how great is the care God exercises over us, since he does not spare even the greatest kingdoms in order to preserve us. We should also observe that though all the wicked enter into a league and join hands to destroy us, yet the Lord will easily rescue us from their jaws.

Besides, we should remark that it is advantageous for us to be deprived of earthly aids, on which we rely in vain in opposition to God. For when we are blinded by our prosperity, we flatter ourselves and cannot hear the voice of God. It therefore becomes necessary to remove these obstructions, so that we may perceive our helplessness, as was the case with the Israelites, who were deprived of their aid after Syria had been destroyed.

The glory of Jacob shall be diminished. Although he had undertaken to speak of Syria and Damascus, he takes the opportunity to join Israel with the Syrians, because they were bound by a mutual league and were united in the same cause. Indeed, the Syrians, whom Isaiah chiefly addresses, were like a torch to inflame the Israelites, as we have already said. But the Israelites themselves were equally at fault, and therefore they were justly drawn, by what might be called a mutual bond, to endure the same punishment.

It is not easy to say whether under the name Jacob he speaks of the whole elect people, so as to include also the tribe of Judah. But it is probable that he refers only to the ten tribes, who laid claim to the name of the nation, and that it is in mockery that he describes them as glorious, because, being puffed up with their power and multitude and allies, they despised the Jews, their brothers.

And the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. When he next threatens them with leanness, his object is to reprove their indolence, as the Prophets frequently reprove them for their fatness (Jeremiah 5:28; Jeremiah 50:11). Because of their prosperity and the fertility of the country, they became proud, just as horses that are fat and excessively pampered grow restive. Hence also they are elsewhere called fat cows (Amos 4:1). But however fierce and stubborn they might be, God threatens that he will take away their fatness with which they were puffed up.

And it shall be as when the harvester gathers the corn. He shows by a comparison how great the desolation will be. “As the reapers,” he says, “gather the corn in armfuls, so this multitude, though large and extended, will be mowed down by the enemies.” Now, to ensure no remnant is left, he adds that at the conclusion of the harvest the ears will be gleaned, as if to say that when the multitude has been destroyed and the country laid bare like a reaped field, not even the shaken and scattered ears will be left.

Besides, he uses the metaphor of a harvest because the people, trusting in their great numbers, feared nothing; but just as reapers are not terrified by the large quantity of corn, so he declares that their vast numbers will not prevent God from utterly destroying them. This may also refer to the Assyrians, but the meaning will be the same, for they were God’s servants in executing this vengeance.

We do not need to spend much time explaining the word gather, for it simply means that the slaughter will resemble a harvest, which concludes with the gleaning of the ears. When the ten tribes had been carried away, the Assyrians, having learned that they were planning a revolution, destroyed them also (2 Kings 17:4). He especially mentions the valley of Rephaim, because its fertility was well known to the Israelites.