28:1–33:24 Review · Oracles of Woe: The material in these chapters is loosely connected by the repetition of “woe” (28:1; 29:1, 15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1) and seems to date to the period of Judah’s troubles with Assyria, during the reign of Hezekiah.

28:1–29 · This section comes from a time before the fall of Samaria when the enemy of Israel was already on the horizon. Assyria is likened to “a hailstorm and a destructive wind” and “a driving rain and a flooding downpour” (28:2). Imagery of overflowing water is also found in Isaiah 8, where the prophet describes the coming judgment on Israel and Aram. The northern kingdom is likened to a “fading flower” (28:1) because the beautiful and fertile valleys characteristic of Ephraim would soon be overrun by Assyrian troops. The agricultural advantag…