Isaiah 7:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consequently, the bodies of the defeated will lay stretched across the valleys, hills, mountains, and forests, completely covering the landscape. Were they not so powerful and swift, their high numbers alone would have sufficed to overpower the Israelites. However, when such strength is joined with their great numbers and, most dreadfully, when they are driven by divine wrath, what possibility of salvation could remain? The phrase "in every thorny bush and in every tree" might seem exaggerated. It is clear they won’t find rest in trees, but, as previously mentioned, the prophet indulges in hyperbole. He continues by drawing a parallel with wasps.

This conflict ultimately led to Josiah's death, granting the Egyptian king dominion over Judah. Pharaoh Necho grew so powerful that he stripped Joachaz, Josiah’s son who had ruled, of his sovereignty and carried him captive to Egypt, while appointing Eliakim as king, imposing tribute on the populace and exacting considerable wealth. Eliakim ruled Judah for eleven years before his son Jehoiakim took over, followed by Zedekiah, during whose reign Nebuchadnezzar waged war against Judah, reducing it to ashes and capturing Jerusalem alongside other cities. He took Israel captive along with the sacred vessels, fulfilling the prophecies documented in the scriptures (4 Kings 24:10 and following; cf. 2 Chron. 36:5 and following; also 4 Sam. 23:29 and following; 2 Chron. 35:20 and following). These historical occurrences illuminate the meaning of the expounded words. Thus, it is proclaimed that on that day, the Lord will summon the flies from the banks of the Nile and the bee from the land of Assyria. This description is clearly allegorical: it draws from the practice of beekeeping, where a beekeeper calls bees from their hives into the fields, only to gather them back again, as if they were chicks returned to their nests. Here, the Egyptians are likened to flies, presumably due to their great numbers and relatively subdued voices, while the Assyrians are compared to bees for their ornate and striking appearance, which resembles their rich attire and keen interest in adornment, armed as they are with sharp spears. All these will arrive and find refuge in the desolate areas of the land, in rocky caves, and in the crevices of trees. Given the mention of flies, it remains figurative, signifying their thorough search across the land to ensure none who hide, whether amidst mountains, wilderness, or forest glades, are overlooked. Another interpretation suggests that within those who harbor bitterness against the Almighty and persist in their offenses, manifest hostile forces and destructive passions dwell, mirroring their nature, rendering them incapable of evasion or escape. For if God determines to send calamity upon us, who can be our rescuer?

They are said to share in the river of Egypt, for the Nile begins upstream near the Ethiopians, and only a small stretch near its mouth is where Egypt is populated. In this region, all manner of four-legged creatures, beasts, insects, and birds are deified and worshipped. The Lord will obliterate these flies, the impotence of the opposing force, by His command; with the breath of His mouth, He shall annihilate them (cf. 2 Thess. 2:8). In Assyria, the bee is mentioned. The bee, although small and feeble, dies immediately after delivering its sting; it inflicts minimal harm while sacrificing its own life. This mirrors the behavior of those who are mockingly cruel—like the Dukhobors—often causing more harm to themselves than to those they attack.