Isaiah 7:21

21 It will be a time when survivors will count themselves lucky to have a cow and a couple of sheep.

Isaiah 7:21 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 7:21

And it shall come to pass in that day
Not in the days of Hezekiah, after the destruction of Sennacherib's army, when there followed great fruitfulness and plenty, ( Isaiah 37:30 Isaiah 37:31 ) as Kimchi and Jarchi interpret it; but in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, after the destruction of Jerusalem, when some poor men were left in the land to till it, ( Jeremiah 39:10 ) for of these, and not of rich men, are the following words to be understood: [that] a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep;
this seems to denote both the scarcity of men and cattle, through the ravages of the army of the Chaldeans; that there should not be large herds and flocks, only a single cow, and two or three sheep; and yet men should be so few, and families so thin, that these would be sufficient to support them comfortably.

Isaiah 7:21 In-Context

19 They'll come and infest every nook and cranny of this country. There'll be no getting away from them.

20 And that's when the Master will take the razor rented from across the Euphrates - the king of Assyria no less! - and shave the hair off your heads and genitals, leaving you shamed, exposed, and denuded. He'll shave off your beards while he's at it.

21 It will be a time when survivors will count themselves lucky to have a cow and a couple of sheep.

22 At least they'll have plenty of milk! Whoever's left in the land will learn to make do with the simplest foods - curds, say, and honey.

23 But that's not the end of it. This country that used to be covered with fine vineyards - thousands of them, worth millions! - will revert to a weed patch.