Isaiah 8 continues the narrative from chapter 7, during the reign of King Ahaz of Judah (735–715 BC). The southern kingdom faced a grave threat from the coalition of Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel (the ten tribes), who sought to force Judah into joining their rebellion against Assyria. Ahaz, however, rejected the Lord’s offer of a divine sign (Isaiah 7:10–14) and instead placed his trust in Assyria’s military might. Isaiah 8 reinforces God’s coming judgment for Ahaz’s unbelief, while also emphasizing the hope of a faithful remnant who would trust the Lord.
I have included two maps for a perspective of the nations in Isaiah’s day and understanding where those lands lie in the nations of today.
V 1-4 Isaiah 7 references two children. The first is Shear-jashub (yeshuv) is Isaiah’s son, whose name means “a remnant will return” (7:3). The second is Immanuel, the promised child of 7:14, a sign of God’s presence and ultimate deliverance, pointing to the greater Immanuel, Yeshua the Messiah.
In contrast, the child in Isaiah 8 is named Maher-shalal-hash-baz, meaning “swift is the booty, speedy is the prey” (8:1, 3). This name served as a prophetic warning of the coming swift destruction of Syria and Israel by Assyria. Before the child could even say “my father” or “my mother,” Assyria would conquer Damascus and Samaria (8:4). This prophecy was fulfilled by 732 BC, when the Assyrian Empire overran both Syria (Aram) and the northern kingdom of Israel. About a decade later, Assyria exiled the majority of Israel’s population and resettled the land with people from other conquered nations (2 Kings 17:24). Over time, this mixed population became known as the Samaritans, a name derived from Samaria, the former capital of the northern kingdom. By the time of Yeshua, the Samaritans were deeply despised and shunned by the people of Judah, who had returned from the Babylonian exile and viewed them as religiously impure and genealogically compromised.
V 5–8 Judah’s rejection of God’s gentle provision is illustrated with “The gentle waters of Shiloah” (v. 6): This imagery represents God’s quiet, sustaining presence and provision for Judah and its capital Jerusalem. These waters came from the Gihon Spring and flowed into the Pool of Siloam, where Yeshua, centuries later, healed a man born blind (John 9). By rejecting God’s provision and relying on Assyria, Judah invited disaster. The “floodwaters of the Euphrates” symbolize the overwhelming invasion by Assyria (v. 7–8). In judgment, Judah is still called the “land of Immanuel,” affirming God’s covenant faithfulness.
Despite the coming judgment, God has not, and never will, abandon His covenant people. Through faith in Immanuel, we who are grafted into Israel (Romans 11:17–24) become partakers of these same promises. God has not replaced Israel; rather, He has brought forth “another flock” (John 10:16) to be united with His “firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22–23), creating one redeemed people under the Messiah.
V 9–10 Isaiah warns that nations may rise against Judah, but they will ultimately fail, for God is sovereign over all events. Nations that attack Israel do so for their own purposes, yet God uses even their hostility for His divine discipline and will later judge them for their arrogance (Gen. 12:3; Rom. 11:17-18). This message provided hope for the remnant of Israel that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted.
V 11–15 God’s calls Isaiah to fear God, not conspiracies. He told him not to fear what the people fear, whether conspiracy or political plots, but to fear the Lord (v. 11–12). This recalls the wisdom of Psalm 1, where the righteous trust in the Lord and are “like trees planted by streams of water.” For those who trust Him, God is a sanctuary (holy refuge), but for the rebellious, He becomes a “stone of stumbling”(v. 14–15). Peter quotes this verse in 1 Peter 2:8, applying it to those who reject Yeshua.
V 16-18 God commands Isaiah to “bind up the testimony” and preserve the prophetic word as a witness (v. 16). Isaiah and his sons—Shear-jashub (a remnant will return) and Maher-shalal-hash-baz (swift to plunder) stand as living signs of God’s plan. Hebrews 2:13 quotes Isaiah 8:18 to show how these two sons were living signs of God’s plan and prophetic word. Their names were messages of both judgment and hope to a remnant who would survive and return after their captivity, but destruction would come swiftly. Hebrews sees Yeshua as the ultimate “sign” and the true Immanuel prophecy fulfilled (Isaiah 7:14). As Isaiah’s children symbolized God’s faithfulness, Yeshua’s followers are now His “children” those redeemed by His sacrifice and adopted into God’s family. In quoting Isaiah 8:18, the author of Hebrews emphasizes that Yeshua identifies with His people fully, by calling them His “brothers” (Hebrews 2:11–12). Just as Isaiah’s children were signs to Israel, we, as Yeshua’s disciples, become living testimonies of His saving power (Matt. 5:14–16).
V 19-20 The people of Judah were pressuring Isaiah to consult mediums and spiritists and occult practices similar to those of the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28) reflecting their rejection of God’s Word. However, consulting spiritists, mediums, or engaging in any form of the occult is strictly forbidden by God. Such practices not only violate His commands but also undermine faith in His authority, sovereignty, and revelation. Both the Old and New Testaments make this clear.
1. Forbidden by God’s Law Leviticus 19:31: “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 18:10–12: “There shall not be found among you anyone who… consults a medium or a spiritist, or one who inquires of the dead. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD…” God forbids these practices because they involve seeking spiritual knowledge or guidance apart from Him.
2. Mediums claim to contact spirits or the dead, but Scripture exposes these claims as deception—either through human trickery or demonic influence. Isaiah 8:19 warns: “When they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” To turn to mediums shows distrust in God’s guidance and attempts to access power or knowledge outside His will.
3. The spiritual realm is real, and God warns that Satan and his demons masquerade as “angels of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Engaging in occult practices opens the door to demonic deception, bondage, and oppression.
4. Seeking counsel from mediums is essentially idolatry, as it replaces God’s voice with another spiritual source and elevates created beings (spirits or demons) above the Creator.
5. Christians are aalled to rely on God alone. The Holy Spirit guides believers into truth (John 16:13). Looking to other spiritual sources is a rejection of God’s Word and His Spirit. The Bible alone is God’s authoritative revelation.
6. King Saul’s consultation of the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28) stands as a vivid warning. His act of seeking guidance from a forbidden source contributed directly to his downfall and death.
The only sure source of spiritual truth and guidance is God’s Word. Any message or guidance not aligned with Scripture is darkness and deception.
Isaiah 8 links “Immanuel” of chapter 7 to the future Messianic King who will bring true deliverance. This chapter ending in darkness makes contrasts Isaiah 9 where we will learn about God’s light in the coming of the Messiah coming). Once again, we are reminded of God’s covenant faithfulness: Even in judgment, God preserves a remnant of Israel, a pattern fulfilled in the coming of Yeshua, and remains today when Jewish people come to faith in Israel’s Messiah.
