Isaiah7
English Standard Version
1In the of the of , of , of , the of and the of the of to to wage it, but yet mount an it.
2When the of was , is in with , the of Ahaz and the of his as the of the the .
3And the Lord to , Go to , you and your , at the of the of the on the to the .
4And to him, Be , be , do , and do let your be of of , at the of and and the of .
5 , with and the of , has against you, ,
6Let us against and it, and let us it for ourselves, and the of as in the of it,
7 the God: It shall , and it shall come to pass.
8 the of is , and the of is . And within will be being a .
9And the of is , and the of is the of . you are firm in , will be firm at .
10 the Lord to ,
11 a of the Lord your ; let it as or as .
12But , I will , and I will the Lord to the .
13And he , , O of ! Is it too you to , you my ?
14 the himself will you a . , the shall and a , and shall his .
15He shall and when he how to the and the .
16 the knows to the and the , the you will be .
17The Lord will you and upon your and your as have since the that —the of .
18In that the Lord will for the is at the of the of , and for the is in the of .
19And they will and in the , and in the of the , and on all the , and on the .
20In that the will with a that is the —with the of —the and the of the , and it will the also.
21In that a will keep a and ,
22and of the of that they , he will , for who is the will and .
23In that there used to a , worth a shekels of , will become and .
24With and a man will , the will be and .
25And as for the used to be with a , you will for of and , but they will become a place where are let and where .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 7.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Ahaz threatened by Israel and Syria; and is assured their attack would be in vain. (1-9). God gives a sure sign by the promise of the long-expected Messiah. (10-16). The folly and sin of seeking relief from Assyria are reproved. (17-25).
vv1-9
Ungodly men are often punished by others as bad as themselves. Being in great distress and confusion, the Jews gave up all for lost. They had made God their enemy, and knew not how to make him their friend. The prophet must teach them to despise their enemies, in faith and dependence on God. Ahaz, in fear, called them two powerful princes. No, says the prophet, they are but tails of smoking firebrands, burnt out already. The two kingdoms of Syria and Israel were nearly expiring. While God has work for the firebrands of the earth, they consume all before them; but when their work is fulfilled, they will be extinguished in smoke. That which Ahaz thought most formidable, is made the ground of their defeat; because they have taken evil counsel against thee; which is an offence to God. God scorns the scorners, and gives his word that the attempt should not succeed. Man purposes, but God disposes. It was folly for those to be trying to ruin their neighbours, who were themselves near to ruin. Isaiah must urge the Jews to rely on the assurances given them. Faith is absolutely necessary to quiet and compose the mind in trials.
vv10-16
Secret disaffection to God is often disguised with the colour of respect to him; and those who are resolved that they will not trust God, yet pretend they will not tempt him. The prophet reproved Ahaz and his court, for the little value they had for Divine revelation. Nothing is more grievous to God than distrust, but the unbelief of man shall not make the promise of God of no effect; the Lord himself shall give a sign. How great soever your distress and danger, of you the Messiah is to be born, and you cannot be destroyed while that blessing is in you. It shall be brought to pass in a glorious manner; and the strongest consolations in time of trouble are derived from Christ, our relation to him, our interest in him, our expectations of him and from him. He would grow up like other children, by the use of the diet of those countries; but he would, unlike other children, uniformly refuse the evil and choose the good. And although his birth would be by the power of the Holy Ghost, yet he should not be fed with angels' food. Then follows a sign of the speedy destruction of the princes, now a terror to Judah. "Before this child," so it may be read; "this child which I have now in my arms," (Shear-jashub, the prophet's own son, 3,) shall be three or four years older, these enemies' forces shall be forsaken of both their kings. The prophecy is so solemn, the sign is so marked, as given by God himself after Ahaz rejected the offer, that it must have raised hopes far beyond what the present occasion suggested. And, if the prospect of the coming of the Divine Saviour was a never-failing support to the hopes of ancient believers, what cause have we to be thankful that the Word was made flesh! May we trust in and love Him, and copy his example.
vv17-25
Let those who will not believe the promises of God, expect to hear the alarms of his threatenings; for who can resist or escape his judgments? The Lord shall sweep all away; and whomsoever he employs in any service for him, he will pay. All speaks a sad change of the face of that pleasant land. But what melancholy change is there, which sin will not make with a people? Agriculture would cease. Sorrows of every kind will come upon all who neglect the great salvation. If we remain unfruitful under the means of grace, the Lord will say, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth for ever.
Key Words
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
אָחָז: Achaz, the name of a Jewish king and of an Israelite
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
יוֹתָם: Jotham, the name of three Israelites
עֻזִּיָּה: Uzzijah, the name of five Israelites
מֶלֶךְ: a king
יְהוּדָה: Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
רְצִין: Retsin, the name of a Syrian and of an Israelite
אֲרָם: Aram or Syria, and its inhabitants; also the name of the son of Shem, a grandson of Nahor, and of an Israelite
פֶּקַח: Pekach, an Israelite king
Cross References
Isaiah 7Directly quotes and identifies the sign of the virgin conceiving Immanuel as fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Provides the direct historical parallel of Rezin and Pekah besieging Jerusalem but failing to prevail.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Records the fulfillment of the prediction that Syria's king would be removed by Assyria.
Supported by JFB
Shows Ahaz hiring the Assyrian king, whom God then uses as a razor to shave Judah.
Supported by JFB
Highlights the same geographic location (the fuller's field conduit) used later during Rabshakeh's threatening encounter.
Supported by JFB
Unpacks the theological meaning of Isaiah's son's name, Shear-jashub ('a remnant shall return').
Supported by JFB
Echoes the warning that if you will not believe, you will not be established.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Details the severe initial slaughter Judah suffered under the confederate kings before this prophecy.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts the house of David's current terror with David subjugating Syria in his prime.
Supported by JFB
Exposes why Pekah is contemptuously called 'the son of Remaliah'—he was a murderous usurper.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Reiterates the failure of enemy counsel because of 'Immanuel'—God is with us.
Supported by JFB
Ahaz hypocritically masks his unbelief by pretending to obey the command not to tempt God.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Identifies the exact location where Assyrian messengers later stood to mock Hezekiah.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Illustrates the idiom of young children not yet knowing how to refuse evil and choose good.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Connects the judgment of wild briers and thorns overrunning once-fertile fields with divine abandonment.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Affirms that no human counsel or plan can stand against the decree of Yahveh.
Supported by JFB