Text: Isaiah 7:9
OT Text Referred to: 2 Chronicles 20:20
Subject: faith
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Isaiah 7:9 delivers the famous wordplay: "If you do not stand firm in faith (תַאֲמִינוּ, ta'aminu), you will not stand firm at all (תֵאָמֵנוּ, te'amenu)" — a paronomasia on the root אמן (aman, "to be firm/believe"). 2 Chronicles 20:20 echoes with a nearly identical construction: "Believe (הַאֲמִינוּ, ha'aminu) in the LORD your God and you will be established (תֵּאָמֵנוּ, te'amenu)." The identical root and the same semantic link between believing and being established connect the two passages. Jehoshaphat's exhortation before battle recalls Isaiah's challenge to Ahaz, demonstrating the same theological principle: faith in God is the condition of national security, not military alliances or human strategy.