Prophecy to Achaz – Calamity or Consolation?
Introduction
Mixed Messages
The opening verses of Yeshayahu 7 tell of a meeting between Yeshayahu and Achaz in which the prophet reassures the king that he need not fear his enemies, Aram and Yisrael. Though this section of the chapter is clearly a prophecy of encouragement, the prophet's message in the continuing verses is more ambiguous. Yeshayahu's words appear contradictory; some portend calamity, while others convey hope. In one breath, he speaks of both abundant milk and honey and a ravaged land filled with thorns and thistles:
(כב) וְהָיָה מֵרֹב עֲשׂוֹת חָלָב יֹאכַל חֶמְאָה כִּי חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ יֹאכֵל כׇּל הַנּוֹתָר בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ. (כג) וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה כׇל מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה שָּׁם אֶלֶף גֶּפֶן בְּאֶלֶף כָּסֶף לַשָּׁמִיר וְלַשַּׁיִת יִהְיֶה.
(22) and it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give, he shall eat curd; for curd and honey shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land. (23) And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, shall even be for briers and thorns.
How are we to understand the mixed messages? Is Yeshayahu trying to console Achaz, or is he prophesying punishment?
The Sign
After Yeshayahu's initial reassurance of Achaz, he tells the king to ask for a Divine sign. Achaz refuses, saying that he has no need to test Hashem. This sparks Yeshayahu's anger, and he proceeds to give the king his own sign:
(יג) וַיֹּאמֶר שִׁמְעוּ נָא בֵּית דָּוִד הַמְעַט מִכֶּם הַלְאוֹת אֲנָשִׁים כִּי תַלְאוּ גַּם אֶת אֱלֹהָי. (יד) לָכֵן יִתֵּן אֲדֹנָי הוּא לָכֶם אוֹת הִנֵּה הָעַלְמָה הָרָה וְיֹלֶדֶת בֵּן וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ עִמָּנוּ אֵל. (טו) חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ יֹאכֵל לְדַעְתּוֹ מָאוֹס בָּרָע וּבָחוֹר בַּטּוֹב. (טז) כִּי בְּטֶרֶם יֵדַע הַנַּעַר מָאֹס בָּרָע וּבָחֹר בַּטּוֹב תֵּעָזֵב הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה קָץ מִפְּנֵי שְׁנֵי מְלָכֶיהָ.
(13) And he said: 'Hear ye now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that ye will weary my God also? (14) Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (15) Curd and honey shall he eat, when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good. (16) Yea, before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou hast a horror of shall be forsaken.
Why does Achaz's refusal make Yeshayahu so upset? Moreover, if the king did sin, why does Yeshayahu provide him with an alternative sign and why does he continue to console him? The name of the soon to be born boy, Emanuel, appears to be a symbol of salvation, but what does his eating of "חֶמְאָה וּדְבַשׁ" connote? The very same image appears later in verse 22 in reference to the nation as a whole; does it represent the same idea in both verses?
Assyria: Friend or Foe?
In verses 17-20, Yeshayahu introduces Assyria into the discussion. As above, Yeshayahu's words here are ambiguous and open to opposing interpretations.
(יז) יָבִיא י"י עָלֶיךָ וְעַל עַמְּךָ וְעַל בֵּית אָבִיךָ יָמִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא בָאוּ לְמִיּוֹם סוּר אֶפְרַיִם מֵעַל יְהוּדָה אֵת מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר. (יח) וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִשְׁרֹק י"י לַזְּבוּב אֲשֶׁר בִּקְצֵה יְאֹרֵי מִצְרָיִם וְלַדְּבוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר. (יט) וּבָאוּ וְנָחוּ כֻלָּם בְּנַחֲלֵי הַבַּתּוֹת וּבִנְקִיקֵי הַסְּלָעִים וּבְכֹל הַנַּעֲצוּצִים וּבְכֹל הַנַּהֲלֹלִים. (כ) בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יְגַלַּח אֲדֹנָי בְּתַעַר הַשְּׂכִירָה בְּעֶבְרֵי נָהָר בְּמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר אֶת הָרֹאשׁ וְשַׂעַר הָרַגְלָיִם וְגַם אֶת הַזָּקָן תִּסְפֶּה.
(17) The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.' (18) And it shall come to pass in that day, That the Lord shall hiss for the fly That is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. (19) And they shall come, and shall rest all of them In the rugged valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, And upon all thorns, and upon all brambles. (20) In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also sweep away the beard.
- "יָבִיא י"י עָלֶיךָ... אֵת מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר" – At first glance, these words suggest that Assyria is soon to devastate Yehuda itself ("יָבִיא י"י עָלֶיךָ"). Why, though, would the prophet share such news right after reassuring Achaz that he had nothing to fear from Aram and Yisrael? Must the verse be speaking about an attack on Yehuda, or is it possible that it refers to Assyria's attacking of Yehuda's enemies?1
- "וְעַל בֵּית אָבִיךָ" – Yeshayahu speaks of this momentous event affecting not only Achaz and the nation, but also "בֵּית אָבִיךָ". The phrase would seem to refer to the Davidic dynasty, but why does Yeshayahu feel it necessary to specify the entire line in addition to Achaz himself?
- "יָמִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא בָאוּ לְמִיּוֹם סוּר אֶפְרַיִם מֵעַל יְהוּדָה" – Why does Yeshayahu compare the upcoming invasion to the division of the kingdom? What about the two events was similar?
- "Flies of Egypt" ("לַזְּבוּב אֲשֶׁר בִּקְצֵה יְאֹרֵי מִצְרָיִם") – What is the significance of this metaphor? Is the prophet suggesting that Egypt is to join Assyria in her onslaught, or is the mention of the Nile purely poetic?2
- "תַעַר הַשְּׂכִירָה" – Who is the "hired blade" and whom is it going to raze? Do the words "בְּמֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר" in the continuation of the verse serve to identify the blade, in which case Hashem is saying that He will use Assyria as His weapon of destruction? Or, alternatively, is Assyria the object of the verse, with Hashem saying that His blade will raze Assyria itself? Finally, regardless of the identity of the "blade", what is the meaning behind the choice of metaphor?