The two foreign nations of Ashdod and Egypt are invited to be observers and witnesses of the moral calamities in Israel. The summoning of witnesses spotlights the depths of decadence to which God’s people have sunk since these nations, who are the epitome of evil, will be their judges. It also highlights the fact that even by standards of international decency, Israel have become culprits.1 Finally, the Mosaic law required two witnesses in cases where the death penalty was imposed (Deuteronomy 17:6).
9 Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst.”