Messianic promises and hopes bound up with it, that we fully understand how it evoked, in the

case of Ahaz, that most full and personal Messianic prediction of "the Virgin's Son" (Isaiah 7:14).

Not only would their plan not "come to pass "(Isaiah 7:7), but looking beyond the unbelief and the

provocations of an Ahaz (Isaiah 7:13), the Divine pro mise would stand fast. "The house of David"

could not fail. For beyond the present was the final goal of promised salvation in Immanuel the

Virgin -born And this was God's answer to the challenge of Rezin and of the son of Remaliah - His

"sign" as against their plans: a majestic declaration also of His object in maintaining "the house of

David," even when represented by an Ahaz. And when the hour of judgment came, it would be not

by placing a Syrian king on the throne of David, but by carrying prince and people into a

banishment which would open a new - the last - period of Israel's God-destined history.

But as tidings of the "confederacy," with its avowed purpose of taking all the strongholds and

cities which commanded the defenses of Judah,* and of settin g up another king, reached "the

house of David," in the poetic language of Isaiah, Ahaz' "heart shook, and the hearts of his people,

as the trees of the forest shake before the wind" (Isaiah 7:2).

* Isaiah 7:6 - (...) "let us break through for ourselves;" the same word being "used with reference

to the fortified towns or passes commanding the entrance into a country" (Cheyne, The prophecies

of Isaiah, ad loc.).

And in truth the success of the allies was such as to account for such feelings - at least on the part

of an unbelieving and craven king. Joining together the narratives in the Books of Kings and

Chronicles, we have first, in 2 Kings 16:5, a general account of the war - its purpose, beginning,

and final failure. To this is added, in the next verse, a notice of the expedition of Rezin, in which

he "restored Elath to Edom,"* when "the Edomites came to Elath," and continued to occupy it to

the time of the writer. This brief account is supplemented in 2 Chronicles 28:5.

* For (...) "to Syria," we read with most commentators, (...) "to Edom," while the other correction,

(...) "and the Edomites" (instead of "the Syrians"), is attested by the Qeri, the LXX....

There we read of a twofold success of the allies - that achieved by Rezin, in consequence of wh ich

a great multitude of captives were carried to Damascus and a victory gained by Pekah. In all

probability Rezin marched from Damascus through the trans -Jordanic territory straight into the

south of Judah, extending his march as far as the latest conques t of Judah, Elath. This was now

restored to Edom.

Syria alone could scarcely have held such an isolated post, nor could it have been left in the rear in

the hands of Judaeans. On the other hand, its restoration to Edom explains their active

participation in the league (2 Chronicles 28:17). The text leaves it somewhat doubtful whether

Rezin actually fought a pitched battle against a Judaean army, such as was evidently won by

Pekah (2 Chronicles 28:6), or else the "smiting" of the Syrians spoken of in ver. 5 only referred in

a more general sense to the losses inflicted on Judah by Rezin.* As it is not likely that an army of

Judah could have been opposed to Rezin, while another was dispatched against Pekah, we adopt

the latter view.

* For a similar use of the expression comp. 1 Samuel 6:19; 2 Samuel 24:17; and other passages.

While Rezin thus ravaged the south, Pekah attacked Israel from the north. In a pitched battle, no

fewer than 120,000 Judaeans fell in one day.*

* Although this number seems somewhat large, and, indeed, like that of the 200,000 captives

taken to Samaria (2 Chronicles 28:8), is evidently "a round number," yet we must bear in mind the

size of the Judaean army (300,000 under Amaziah, 2 Chronicles 25:5; 307,500 under Uzziah,

26:13); furt her. the bitter feeling prevailing in Israel (2 Chronicles 28:9); and lastly, that, as Canon