And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.

ISAIAH 7:2KJV
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Isaiah 7:2 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 7:2 mean?

Isaiah 7:2 describes how the royal family of Judah, the "house of David," heard that Syria had formed an alliance with Ephraim (the northern kingdom of Israel), causing the king and his people to become deeply afraid, their hearts shaken like trees swaying in the wind. The verse uses a vivid image to show just how unsettled and fearful the people felt when they learned about this threatening alliance.

The setting is during the reign of King Ahaz in Jerusalem, when two neighboring powers—Syria and Israel (called Ephraim)—joined forces against Judah. Isaiah is recording the emotional reaction of Ahaz and his people to this political and military threat. The verse uses the picture of trees moving in the wind to capture the anxiety and instability that gripped the nation at this news.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 7:2

  • "Moved" (נָעוּ, nā‘u): This word is used twice in the verse and means to shake, sway, or tremble. The repetition emphasizes just how deeply the fear affected both the king and the people, not just a passing worry but a real, physical sense of dread.
  • "Wind" (רוּחַ, rūaḥ): This word can mean wind, breath, or spirit. Here, it highlights the invisible but powerful force that causes the trees (and the people) to shake, suggesting that the fear was overwhelming and hard to resist.
  • "House" (בַּיִת, bayit): Refers specifically to the royal family or dynasty of David, not just a physical building. This clarifies that the message was directed at the leadership of Judah, not the general population alone.

Why Isaiah 7:2 matters

  • The verse helps explain why King Ahaz was so anxious and why God later sent Isaiah to reassure him; understanding the depth of fear sets up the need for God's message in the following verses.
  • The image of trees shaking in the wind shows that the fear was widespread and deeply felt, not just a private worry of the king but something the whole nation experienced.
  • By naming the alliance between Syria and Ephraim, the verse connects to the larger political crisis facing Judah and sets the stage for the prophecy that follows about God's protection and the sign of Immanuel.

Where else these words appear

“moved” Hebrew H5128 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
  • Job 16:4 I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.
  • Isaiah 29:9 Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.

“wood” Hebrew H3293 · used in 58 verses

  • Deuteronomy 19:5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
  • Psalms 83:14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
  • Isaiah 56:9 All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

“confederate” Hebrew H5117 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
  • 2 Samuel 7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
  • Isaiah 7:19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

“Syria” Hebrew H758 · used in 117 verses

  • Genesis 10:22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
  • 1 Kings 22:35 And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.
  • 1 Chronicles 1:17 The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.