Isaiah 17:1
1 The burden [massa'] of Damascus
[Dammeseq]. Behold, Damascus [Dammeseq] is taken away [cuwr] from
being a city [`iyr], and it shall be a ruinous [mappalah] heap [ma`iy]. KJV-Interlinear
1 The oracle concerning Damascus.
"Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city, And it will
become a fallen ruin. NASB
In Damascus were 365
streets dedicated to idols, such that a different idol was worshipped every day
and thus throughout the entire year.
Throughout its history, Damascus has been destroyed more often than any
other city, and yet it continues to rise again and again, but continues in its
evil habits, always and continually rejecting God in favor of its false gods.
Its commitment to evil
has been continually confirmed, and thus its destruction is continually
justified.
And just as evil is
destroyed over and over again throughout history and continues to raise its
head again and again, so too, this city as well as evil on the whole, will have
its final day of judgment and finality, from which it will never rise up again.
The phrase, it will be
removed from being a city, simply means that it will lose its identity. It will lose its reputation. It will lose its glory. It will cease to exist completely.
It will become a heap
for ruin. This means that it will become
a trash pile, good only for the dumping of garbage, for it has become and will
become and is throughout history, nothing more than garbage.
Once a city that sought
an identify of prosperity and wealth, it will end up with an identity of
garbage, which is worse than poverty.
