Maher-shalal-hash-baz was a son of Isaiah, born to a prophetess, whose name the Lord commanded Isaiah to give before the child was conceived (2 Nephi 18:1, 3). The name means “to speed to the spoil, he hasteneth the prey.” It marked a coming Assyrian campaign: before the child was old enough to call out for his father and mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria would be carried away before the king of Assyria, dated to 721 BC.
With his brother Shear-jashub, whose name means “a remnant shall return,” Maher-shalal-hash-baz was named as a sign to Israel. Isaiah declared, “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion” (2 Nephi 18:18).