John Gill Commentary Isaiah 17

The burden of Damascus,
&c.] A heavy and grievous prophecy, concerning the destruction of it; the Arabic version is, ``the prophecy of Isaiah concerning Damascus;'' and the Targum is, ``the burden of the cup of cursing to give Damascus to drink.''

Behold, Damascus is taken away from [being] a city ;
a kingdom, as the Targum; it was the head of one, but now its walls were demolished, its houses pulled down, and its inhabitants carried captive; this was done by Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, (2 Kings 16:9) it had been a very ancient city, see (Genesis 15:2) and the head of the kingdom of Syria, (Isaiah 7:8) , and though it underwent this calamity, it was rebuilt again, and was a city of great fame, when destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, (Jeremiah 49:24Jeremiah 49:25) after which it was raised up again, and was in being in the apostle's time, and still is, (Acts 9:22) (2 Corinthians 11:32)

and it shall be a ruinous heap ;
or a heap of stones, as the Targum and Kimchi interpret it. A "behold" is prefixed to the whole, as being very wonderful and remarkable, unthought of, and unexpected.

The cities of Aroer are forsaken
The inhabitants of them being slain, or carried captive, or obliged to flee. Aroer was a city by the river Arnon, on the borders of Moab and Ammon, (Deuteronomy 2:36) (Deuteronomy 3:12) , it was originally in the hands of the Amorites, and sometimes in the hands of the Moabites and Ammonites: it was given by Moses to the Reubenites and, Gadites, from whom it was taken by the Syrians, and in whose possession it seems to have been at this time; see (2 Kings 10:33) though Jarchi thinks it was now in the hands of Pekah king of Israel, and said to be forsaken, because the Reubenites and Gadites were now carried captive. Jerom ^F13 says it was seen in his time, upon the top of the mountain.

Here it seems to designs a country of this name, in which were many cities. Grotius thinks it was a tract of land in Syria, the same with the Aveira of Ptolemy ^F14 . Vitringa is of opinion that Damascus itself is meant, which was a double city, like that divided by the river Chrysorrhoas, as this was by Arnon.

They shall be for flocks which shall lie down ; instead of houses, there should be sheepcotes and shepherds' tents, and instead of men, sheep; and where streets were, grass would grow, and flocks feed and lie down; which is expressive of the utter desolation of these cities, or this tract of ground:

and none shall make [them] afraid ; the flocks of sheep, timorous creatures, easily frightened; but so great should be the depopulation now, there would be no man upon the spot, or any pass by, to give them any disturbance.

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: De locis. Heb. fol. 87. 1.
• F14: Geograph. l. 5. c. 15.

The fortress also will cease from Ephraim. The ten tribes, now in confederacy with the Syrians, whose metropolis or fortress was Samaria. This seems to be intended here, and it would be destroyed, at least taken out of the hands of the Israelites, and they would be carried captive by Shalmaneser king of Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). This may be understood, not of that particular city and fortress only, but of all their strongholds, the singular being put for the plural. The Targum is, "the government will cease from Ephraim"; they will have no more a king over them, nor have they to this day.

And the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria. Damascus was the head city of Syria, where the kings of Syria had their palace; but now that and the rest of Syria would no longer be a kingdom of itself, but would be subject unto others, as it has been ever since.

They shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, says the Lord of hosts. That is, the Syrians, who were in alliance with Israel, would share the same fate. They would be carried captive as they were, have their metropolis and other cities, and their whole kingdom, taken from them, and be stripped of their grandeur and wealth. They would have no more glory than they had, which was none at all, or at least very small, as the next verse shows (Isaiah 17:4).

And in that day it shall come to pass It being much about the same time that both kingdoms were destroyed by the Assyrians:

[that] the glory of Jacob shall be made thin ; the same with Ephraim and Israel, the ten tribes, whose glory lay in the superior number of their tribes to Judah; in the multitude of their cities, and the inhabitants of them; but now would be thinned, by the vast numbers that should be carried captive:

and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean : like a man in a consumption, that is become a mere skeleton, and reduced to skin and bones: the meaning is, that all their wealth and riches should be taken away; so the Targum, "and the riches of his glory shall be carried away."

And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn , &c.] The "standing" corn, as in the Hebrew text: "and reapeth the ears with his arm"; or "his arm reaps the ears" ^F15 ; that is, with one hand he gathers the standing corn into his fist, and then reaps it with his other arm; and just so it should be with the people of Israel: they were like a field of standing corn, for number, beauty, and glory; the Assyrian was like a harvestman, who laid hold upon them, and cut them down, as thick and as numerous as they were, just as a harvestman cuts down the corn, and with as much ease and quick dispatch; they being no more able to stand before him than a field of corn before the reaper! This was done both by Tilgathpilneser, (2 Kings 15:29) and by Shalmaneser, (2 Kings 17:6) kings of Assyria.

and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim ; The Targum renders it, ``the valley of giants.'' and so it is translated, (Joshua 15:8) (18:16) mention is made of it in (2 Samuel 5:18 2 Samuel 5:22) (23:13) it was a valley not far from Jerusalem, as Josephus ^F16 says; who also calls it the valley of the giants: it is thought to have been a very fruitful place, where the ears of corn were very large and heavy, and so great care was taken in gathering and gleaning that none be lost: wherefore, as the former simile signifies the carrying off the people of Israel in great numbers by the above kings, this may signify, as some have thought, either the picking up of those that fled without, or the gleaning of them in after times by Esarhaddon, (Ezra 4:2) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: (rwuqy Mylbv werzw) "et brachium ejus spicas demeteret", Junius & Tremellius; "demetit", Piscator
• F16: Antiqu. l. 7. c. 4. sect. 1.