Why does Isaiah 17 begin as a prophetic disciplinary declaration against the Arameans , but then later on also includes the Israelites?

Question

Isaiah 17 begins as a prophetic disciplinary declaration over Damascus ( major city in Kingdom of Aram ( i.e the Arameans ).

However, starting from Isaiah 17:3-8, said declaration takes a sort of strange turn by intertwining/interweaving/interlacing prophetic disciplinary against the Israelites?

Isaiah 17

New American Standard Bible 1995

Prophecy about Damascus 17 The [a]oracle concerning Damascus.

“Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city And will become a fallen ruin. 2 “The cities [b]of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks [c]to lie down in, And there will be no one to frighten them. **3 “The [d]fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, And [e]sovereignty from Damascus And the remnant of Aram; They will be like the glory of the sons of Israel,” Declares the Lord of hosts.

4 Now in that day the glory of Jacob will [f]fade, And the fatness of his flesh will become lean. 5 It will be even like the [g]reaper gathering the standing grain, As his arm harvests the ears, Or it will be like one gleaning ears of grain In the valley of Rephaim. 6 Yet gleanings will be left in it like the [h]shaking of an olive tree, Two or three olives on the topmost bough, Four or five on the branches of a fruitful tree, Declares the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 In that day man will have regard for his Maker And his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel.** 8 He will not have regard for the altars, the work of his hands, Nor will he look to that which his fingers have made, Even the [i]Asherim and [j]incense stands. 9 In that day [k]their strong cities will be like [l]forsaken places in the forest, Or like [m]branches which they abandoned before the sons of Israel; And [n]the land will be a desolation. ………………………………………………………….. ………………………..

Answer 1

The background of Isaiah 17 was around 735BC, Aram and Samaria (North Kingdom) formed an alliance to resist Assyria. They were initially intent to force Judah to join the alliance, instead King Ahaz paid tribute to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria to save his kingdom (2 Kings 16:7).

As Judah did not commit to the alliance, Aram and Samaria raised an army to attack Judah in 735BC (Isaiah 7). The Lord sent Isaiah to king Ahaz that he should trust the Lord's protection, instead Ahaz refused to ask for a sign (Isaiah 7:12) but paying tribute to Assyria for his protection. Eventually, Aram was conquered by Assyrian in 732BC, and Samaria was destroyed in 722BC. But the Lord prophesized the power of the Assyrian, whom Judah clung to, would eventually become their nightmare, that in 701BC, Judah only held on their city of Jerusalem, when Sennacherib king of Assyria captured all the fortified cities of Judah.

7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates— the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks

8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel!” (Isaiah 8:7-8 NIV)

Therefore the prophesy in Isaiah 17:1-11 referred to the destruction of Aram and Samaria, in 732BC & 722BC respectively.