Isaiah 17:1-3

Isaiah 17:1-3

[1] The burden  of Damascus.  is taken away  from being a city,  and it shall be a ruinous  heap.  [2] The cities  of Aroer  are forsaken:  they shall be for flocks,  which shall lie down,  and none shall make them afraid.  [3] The fortress  also shall cease  from Ephraim,  and the kingdom  from Damascus,  and the remnant  of Syria:  they shall be as the glory  of the children  of Israel,  saith  the LORD  of hosts. 

What does Isaiah 17:1-3 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

God announced that Damascus and the cities of Syria, plus Samaria ("the fortified city," Isaiah 17:3), would soon fall. Assyria destroyed Damascus in732 B.C. and Samaria in722 B.C. These cities would lose their sovereignty and glory and would become grazing lands instead of population centers. Nevertheless the almighty God promised that there would be a few people left in Syria, as there would be in Ephraim (cf. Isaiah 18:7).