Isaiah 7:18

Hiss for the fly. Literally, “whistle to the fly” to come from the distant parts of Egypt, that is, summon the armies of Egypt. The period of the Twenty-fourth Dynasty in Egypt was about 750 — 715. But contemporary with this dynasty was another founded by Piankhi, a powerful chieftain of Nubia, who ultimately extended his sway to southern Egypt (see Vol. II, pp. 52, 53). This Ethiopian Dynasty, the Twenty-fifth, ruled Egypt form about 715 to 663. When Sennacherib came against Judah, evidently on his second invasion of Judah (see Vol. II, p. 64), Taharka (see Vol. II, pp. 53, 64, 65, 160; and see on 2 Kings 18:13; 19:9), the fourth king of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (see Vol. II, pp. 53, 77), threatened the Assyrian advance (see 2 Kings 19:9; Isa. 37:9). Many of the people of Judah probably relied upon Egypt for deliverance from Assyria (2 Kings 18:21). The “Ethiopian” king of Egypt is here called a “fly,” because the fly is a pest and the Egyptians would prove to be a nuisance rather than a help to Judah. Isaiah points out the folly of God’s people in turning to Egypt for help (Isa. 30:1-7; 31:1-3). It was the Lord, not Egypt, who would save Judah from Assyria (chs. 31:4-9; 37:33—36).

The bee. Assyria is compared to a bee. Bees here symbolize a persistent and formidable enemy (Deut. 1:44; Ps. 118:12). The sting of a bee, however painful, is seldom fatal. Assyria would come against Judah as the rod of God’s anger (Isa. 10:5-7), but the nation would not perish.