John Gill Commentary Isaiah 17:1

"The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap." — Isaiah 17:1 (ASV)

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.