Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Isaiah 17:1

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely
Isaiah 17:1ues

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.