13. In what do the leaders of Judah put their confidence, and is such confidence justified?

¹³ Isaiah then elaborates: “And you proceeded to say: ‘No, but on horses we shall flee!’ That is why you will flee. ‘And on swift horses we shall ride!’ That is why those pursuing you will show themselves swift.” (Isaiah 30:16) The Judeans think that swift horses, rather than Jehovah, will mean their salvation. (Deuteronomy 17:16; Proverbs 21:31) However, counters the prophet, their trust will be an illusion because their enemies will overtake them. Even large numbers will not help them. “A thousand will tremble on account of the rebuke of one; on account of the rebuke of five you will flee.” (Isaiah 30:17a) The armies of Judah will panic and flee at the shout of just a handful of the enemy.a In the end, only a remnant will remain, left alone, “like a mast on the top of a mountain and like a signal on a hill.” (Isaiah 30:17b) True to the prophecy, when Jerusalem is destroyed in 607 B.C.E., only a remnant survive.​—Jeremiah 25:8-11.