1. Isaiah 17:1 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why are prophecies sometimes addressed to cities and at other times to countries?

Isaiah 17:1 (ESV)

1 An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.

Some prophecies address whole countries, while in others, only the cities are addressed. However, as in the case of Damascus, these cities were large and important, and therefore they acted as representatives of the entire country.