Delivery from Future Enemies (5:5-6):

5:5–6 The NIV has attached the first line of verse 5 to the foregoing oracle, but in order to do so, it has had to emend the line. The Hebrew does not say, And he will be their peace. Rather it reads, “And this shall be peace.” The line belongs with this oracle, though indeed “this” refers to the messianic figure of verses 2–4.

There has been much scholarly discussion about the proper interpretation of this brief passage and its relation to 5:2–4. The plural verbs in 5c and 6a conflict with the singular verb in 6c. The military images employed contrast with the peaceful portrait in 5:4. Thus, the questions are, Who will deliver Israel from the Assyrians, and How?

To answer the questions, we must first realize that Assyria in verses 5b and 6a does not refe…