Verse

Isaiah 7:4

ESV And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
NIV Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood--because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.
NASB and say to him, ‘Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stumps of smoldering logs, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah.
CSB Say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Don't be afraid or cowardly because of these two smoldering sticks, the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and the son of Remaliah.
NLT Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah.
KJV And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

What does Isaiah 7:4 mean?

Isaiah has received instruction from the Lord to find King Ahaz at a crucial moment in Judah's history (Isaiah 7:3). The armies of allied Syria and Israel have come to attack Judah. They have already destroyed tens of thousands of Ahaz's people (2 Chronicles 28). These two nations are now making their way toward Jerusalem to put the city under siege (Isaiah 7:1). Ahaz and his citizens are terrified.

God tells the king of Judah, essentially, to "calm down." The Lord describes these two kings as "smoldering stumps of firebrands." In other words, they are like a stick that has been pulled from a campfire, but will soon go out. They are a threat that will not last.

It's true that both kings are fiercely angry. The Lord names these two kings. Rezin is the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah is the king of the northern ten tribes of Israel. Despite their anger, both will soon be gone from power. The Lord does not want Ahaz to respond to their coming attack with fear or foolishness. It won't be long before they are not a problem.
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