MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ

(Maʹher-shalʹal-hash-baz) [Hurry, O Spoil! He Has Made Haste to the Plunder; or, Hurrying to the Spoil, He Has Made Haste to the Plunder].

The name given to Isaiah’s second son at Jehovah’s direction.

Jehovah commanded Isaiah to write these prophetic words on a large tablet and have it attested to by reliable witnesses. Thereafter, he instructed the prophet to give this same expression as a name to his newborn son, declaring that before the child could say, “My father!” and “My mother!” the king of Assyria would subjugate Judah’s enemies​—Damascus and Samaria. (Isa 8:1-4) The prophetic meaning of this name given to Isaiah’s second son was fulfilled within the designated time period. During the reign of Israel’s King Pekah, the Assyrian monarch Tiglath-pileser III invaded Israel, took many cities, plundered the land, and carried numerous inhabitants into captivity. Thereafter, Pekah was murdered. (2Ki 15:29, 30) The king of Assyria also captured Syria’s capital city Damascus, took its people into exile, and put Syrian King Rezin to death. (2Ki 16:9) In this way both of these kings who had conspired against Judah met their end. Later, in 740 B.C.E., the Assyrians overthrew Samaria, removing the apostate Israelites from that city and from the rest of the domain of the northern kingdom of Israel. (2Ki 17:1-6) Thus, this boy born to Isaiah by his wife (whom he terms “the prophetess”) proved to be in Israel a truthful and reliable ‘sign and miracle’ from Jehovah.​—Isa 8:3, 18.