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Isaiah 17 Bible study: The burden of Damascus
The burden of Damascus turns to Israel by its third verse: Syria's remnant will be "as the glory of the children of Israel" (17:3), and then "the glory of Jacob will be made thin" (17:4). And 17:7's look shares a verse with the Holy One of Israel only here and in 31:1, where "they don’t look to the Holy One of Israel" (31:1).
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“In that day, people will look to their Maker, and their eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel.”
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“In Isaiah 17, the remnant of Syria will be as the glory of the children of Israel, and then the glory of Jacob will be made thin.”
Is that in Isaiah 17, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
"The burden of Damascus"
"The burden of Damascus" (17:1). It is the fourth heading in Isaiah with burden (tap burden), after Babylon (13:1), the burden "in the year that King Ahaz died" (14:28), and Moab (15:1); the book's introduction lists all eleven. The LORD's word begins, "Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap" (17:1). In Hebrew ruinous heap is two words, me'i mappalah, and the Hebrew Bible has me'i in this verse only; Brown-Driver-Briggs gives it as "ruin-heap". Then Ephraim is named with Damascus: "The fortress shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria" (17:3) (tap remnant). Here is what almost everyone misses: after 17:3 the burden of Damascus doesn't name Damascus again. The same verse goes on, "They will be as the glory of the children of Israel" (17:3), and from there the chapter speaks of "the glory of Jacob" (17:4), of "the Holy One of Israel" (17:7), and of "the children of Israel" (17:9). The chapter names Damascus, Syria and Ephraim as the text has them, and these notes apply none of it to any nation, city or conflict today.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Isaiah 17
That was a taste
The rest of Isaiah 17 is waiting in Favor
- Glory made thin, and gleanings left
- People will look to their Maker
- You have forgotten the God of your salvation
- Roaring seas, and nations
- The olive tree shaken again
- The harvest flees away
- 12 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Isaiah 17 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
שָׁעָהsha'ahsay sha-AH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "gaze (steadily, with interest, etc.)", and "gaze at, regard (with favour)". Strong's: "to gaze at or about (properly, for help)". The chapter has it twice, once toward God and once away from idols: "In that day, people will look to their Maker" (17:7), and "They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands" (17:8). The Hebrew Bible has it 15 times, seven of them in Isaiah. Only here and in Isaiah 31:1 does it stand in a verse with the Holy One of Israel: "but they don’t look to the Holy One of Israel, and they don’t seek the LORD!" (Isaiah 31:1). Its first use in the Hebrew Bible is "The LORD respected Abel and his offering" (Genesis 4:4).
For your group
Isaiah 17 Bible study questions
- 1"In that day, people will look to their Maker" (17:7). When you need help, what do you find yourself looking to first, and what would it look like to look to God first this week?
- 2"For you have forgotten the God of your salvation" (17:10). What helps you remember what God has done for you, and what makes it easy to forget?
- 3This chapter speaks of ruin, and still says, "Yet gleanings will be left there" (17:6). How do you hold together the hard words and the hopeful ones when you read a chapter like this?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Isaiah 17 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Isaiah 17 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Isaiah 17 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
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No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
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Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
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The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home