Discovery BoxIsaiah 17:3 
Context17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
and Damascus will lose its kingdom. 1
The survivors in Syria
will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
Isaiah 27:12
Context27:12 At that time 2 the Lord will shake the tree, 3 from the Euphrates River 4 to the Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites. 5
1 tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”
2 tn Heb “and it will be in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
3 tn Heb “the Lord will beat out.” The verb is used of beating seeds or grain to separate the husk from the kernel (see Judg 6:11; Ruth 2:17; Isa 28:27), and of beating the olives off the olive tree (Deut 24:20). The latter metaphor may be in view here, where a tree metaphor has been employed in the preceding verses. See also 17:6.
4 tn Heb “the river,” a frequent designation in the OT for the Euphrates. For clarity most modern English versions substitute the name “Euphrates” for “the river” here.
5 sn The Israelites will be freed from exile (likened to beating the olives off the tree) and then gathered (likened to collecting the olives).
