The evil counsel or conspiracy of the two kings of Syria and Ephraim (Northern Israel) will not come to pass (v. 7). Isaiah then utters the first prophecy. While Syria is to continue as a country with Damascus as its capital and King Rezin as its ruler, Judah’s other enemy, Ephraim (the northern ten tribes of Israel), will not even be a people within sixty-five years (v. 8). Naming the two kings as the head may be a declaration of their following their own reasoning, not the Lord’s will. Judah is also warned, if they do not believe what Isaiah says, they will be defeated, and “not be established” as a strong nation.
This prophecy of Ephraim not being a people was fulfilled, but exactly when is not certain. Several cities of the Northern Kingdom were captured by Tiglathpilesar shortly following this prophecy, “and carried [the inhabitants] captive to Assyria” (2 Kings 15:29). “In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign” (2 Kings 16:1). Since Pekah’s reign over Israel was only twenty years long, Israel’s conquest would have occurred shortly after Isaiah’s prophecy. Hoshea succeeded Pekah as king of Israel, and in the sixth year of his reign, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria , captured Samaria, the capital of Israel. Three years later he “carried Israel away into Assyria” (2 Kings 17:1–6). This happened following the death of Ahaz, but at least within twelve years after Isaiah gave his prophecy. After “the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets … the king of Assyria [Shalmaneser] brought men from Babylon and [other countries] and placed them in the city of Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof” (2 Kings 17:24).
This marks the end of the occupancy of Samaria by the northern tribes of Israel. But did they exist longer as “a people”? Some writers refer to still another conquest by Assyria wherein King Manasseh was captured by the king of Assyria and carried captive into Babylon (see 2 Chronicles 33:11). This last conquest is very close to the precise sixty-five-year prophecy. However, the capture of King Manasseh has to do with Judah, not northern Israel, and consequently does not apply to the prophecy. Other writers acknowledge this and explain that Isaiah was just using a broad number of years to pronounce the end of the northern kingdom of Israel. There is yet another consideration. The ten northern tribes remained in Assyria for an undetermined number of years and then were led farther into the north (see 2 Esdras 13:39–48, an apocryphal writing; and compare D&C 133:26–34). These people have since been known as the lost tribes of Israel and are still not identified. The time of their being led into the north may also figure into the sixty-five-year time period spoken of by Isaiah. While the chronology may be uncertain, there is no uncertainty that the prophecy was fulfilled.