For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

ISAIAH 8:4KJV
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Isaiah 8:4 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 8:4 mean?

Isaiah 8:4 predicts that before a young child is old enough to say "my father" or "my mother," the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria. The verse gives a specific and short time frame for when these two powerful cities will fall to Assyria.

The prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Judah, using the growth of a child as a sign for how quickly these events will happen. The verse underscores how soon Assyria will conquer Israel (Samaria) and Syria (Damascus), showing that God's warning through Isaiah is urgent and will be fulfilled in the near future.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 8:4

  • נַעַר (naʿar, H5288) — "child": This word often refers to a young boy, not yet mature, highlighting just how little time will pass before the prophecy is fulfilled.
  • יָדַע (yadaʿ, H3045) — "knowledge": The verse uses this word to mark the age when a child first recognizes and calls out to parents, emphasizing the shortness of the time.
  • חַיִל (ḥayil, H2428) — "riches": This word can mean wealth, strength, or resources, so the prophecy is not just about physical goods but the strength and prosperity of Damascus.
  • שָׁלָל (shalal, H7998) — "spoil": This word refers to plunder taken in war, showing that the coming loss will be total and humiliating for Samaria.

Why Isaiah 8:4 matters

  • Isaiah 8:4 clarifies that God's judgment on Israel and Syria is not far off but will happen very soon, within a child's early years.
  • The verse connects to the sign of the child in the previous verses, making the prophecy concrete and measurable rather than vague or distant.
  • Understanding the specific words for "riches" and "spoil" highlights that the prophecy involves both the loss of wealth and the defeat of military strength, deepening the sense of coming disaster.

Where else these words appear

“Damascus” Hebrew H1834 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 14:15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
  • 2 Kings 16:10 And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
  • Isaiah 17:3 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.

“spoil” Hebrew H7998 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 49:27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
  • 1 Samuel 30:19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
  • Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

“Samaria” Hebrew H8111 · used in 101 verses

  • 1 Kings 13:32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
  • 2 Kings 10:36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:8 And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

“Assyria” Hebrew H804 · used in 138 verses

  • Genesis 2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
  • 2 Kings 20:6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
  • Isaiah 36:13 Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.