Isaiah 7:2
in Isaiah 7When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.
KJV
And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
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This verse in Isaiah 7
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And it was told the house of David - That is, the royal family; or the king and princes; the government. Ahaz was the descendant and successor of David. Syria is confederate with Ephraim - Ephraim was one of the tribes of Israel, and the kingdom of Israel was often called “Ephraim,” or the kingdom of Ephraim; in the same way as the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were called the kingdom of Judah. The phrase, ‘is confederate with,’ is in Hebrew ‘resteth on;’ see the margin.
This site's exposition
Now in the days that Ahaz
on Isaiah 7:1-2
Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah march on Jerusalem to force Ahaz into their alliance against Assyria. Though the siege fails, the fear remains. The chapter belongs to the Syro-Ephraimite war that 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28 narrate from the political side.
This site's exposition
the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled
Ephraim is a name for the northern kingdom of Israel, as Barnes explains, and the Hebrew for in league with means rests on. The court is called the house of David, and Henry reads the title as a reminder of God's covenant with David in Psalm 89.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter VII, Verses 1, 2) And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah: Rezin King of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it. And they reported to the house of David, saying: Syria has joined forces with Ephraim, and his heart is troubled, as the trees of the forest are moved by the wind. Uzziah, also known as Azariah, reigned as king of Judah in Jerusalem for fifty-two years (2 Kings 15).
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, he sets out the declaration of this: and they, his scouts, told the house of David, that is, the royal house, saying: Syria has rested upon Ephraim, that is, the king of Syria with the king of the ten tribes, which are called Ephraim, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
This degenerate royal family is called the house of David, to put us in mind of that article of God's covenant with David ( Ps. lxxxix. 30-33 ), If his children forsake my law, I will chasten their transgression with the rod; but my loving-kindness will I not utterly take away, which is remarkably fulfilled in this chapter.
And it was told the house of David,.... Ahaz, and his family, the princes of the blood, his court and counsellors; who had intelligence of the designs and preparations of the Syrians and Israelites against them: saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim; the ten tribes; or the kingdom and king of Israel.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
is confederate with--rather, is encamped upon the territory of Ephraim [MAURER], or better, as Rezin was encamped against Jerusalem, "is supported by" [LOWTH] Ephraim, whose land lay between Syria and Judah.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz What did Scripture see to trace his lineage? But, since the end of the verse states: “And he could not wage war against it,” it teaches you that the merit of his forebears stood him in good stead.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֻּגַּ֗ד | vaiyugad | and it was told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לְבֵ֤ית | leveit | to [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| דָּוִד֙ | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| נָ֥חָֽה | nachah | it has stood | H5117 → | 142 times |
| אֲרָ֖ם | ʾaram | Aram | H758 → | 143 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | with | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֶפְרָ֑יִם | ʾefrayim | Ephraim | H669 → | 180 times |
| וַיָּ֤נַע | vaiyana' | and it shook | H5128 → | 40 times |
| לְבָבוֹ֙ | levavo | heart his | H3824 → | 252 times |
| וּלְבַ֣ב | ulevav | and [the] heart of | H3824 → | 252 times |
| עַמּ֔וֹ | amo | people his | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| כְּנ֥וֹעַ | kenoa' | as shake | H5128 → | 40 times |
| עֲצֵי־ | ʾatzei- | [the] trees of | H6086 → | 328 times |
| יַ֖עַר | yaar | [the] forest | H3293 → | 59 times |
| מִפְּנֵי־ | mipenei- | from before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| רֽוּחַ׃ | ruach | a wind | H7307 → | 378 times |
וַיֻּגַּ֗דand it was told
vaiyugadH5046 →370 times
לְבֵ֤יתto [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
דָּוִד֙David
davidH1732 →999 times
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
נָ֥חָֽהit has stood
nachahH5117 →142 times
אֲרָ֖םAram
ʾaramH758 →143 times
עַל־with
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
אֶפְרָ֑יִםEphraim
ʾefrayimH669 →180 times
וַיָּ֤נַעand it shook
vaiyana'H5128 →40 times
לְבָבוֹ֙heart his
levavoH3824 →252 times
וּלְבַ֣בand [the] heart of
ulevavH3824 →252 times
עַמּ֔וֹpeople his
amoH5971 →1873 times
כְּנ֥וֹעַas shake
kenoa'H5128 →40 times
עֲצֵי־[the] trees of
ʾatzei-H6086 →328 times
יַ֖עַר[the] forest
yaarH3293 →59 times
מִפְּנֵי־from before
mipenei-H6440 →2123 times
רֽוּחַ׃a wind
ruachH7307 →378 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 28:1The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
it leads to
- Psalms 53:5
There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 28:7
The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.
- Isaiah 26:3–4
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
- Psalms 27:1–2
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— whom shall I dread?
- Psalms 112:7
He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
- Psalms 53:5
Through
Isaiah 8:12“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 3:14–15
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.”
- Luke 21:9
When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.”
- 1 Peter 3:14–15
Through
Isaiah 7:13Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well?
it leads to
- Isaiah 43:24
You have not bought Me sweet cane with your silver, nor satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities.
- Isaiah 43:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
About Isaiah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.