Isaiah 2:7

Silver and gold. Judah had become a commercial people, and their great interest in life was material gain. They were rich in gold and silver, but poor in righteousness and faith. Uzziah’s reign had been long and prosperous. He had been successful against the Philistines and Arabians, and had received tribute from the Ammonites (2 Chron. 26:7, 8). With prosperity came luxury and moral decline. Some idea of the extent of Judah’s wealth in the days of Isaiah may be gained from the tribute Sennacherib claims to have received from Hezekiah, which included 30 talents of gold (more than 21/4 tons, or more than 2 metric tons; see Vol. I, p. 164), 800 talents of silver (more than 30 tons, or more than 27 metric tons), precious stones, and many other kinds of treasure.

Horses. Through Moses the Lord had instructed Israel not to “multiply horses” to themselves (Deut. 17:16), and through Samuel He had pointed out that the appointment of a king would result in provision for both horses and chariots (1 Sam. 8:11, 12). Solomon had many horses and chariots (1 Kings 10:25-29), and Uzziah undoubtedly followed his example in this regard. In OT times horses were used primarily in warfare. The multiplication of horses and chariots would turn the eyes of the people away from trust in God to trust in material things. Micah 5:10, 12, 13 declares that the Lord will in vengeance cut off the horses and chariots, together with the idols, witchcrafts, and soothsayers.