Isaiah 7:1-9

War against Jerusalem

1 Now it came about in the days of ¹Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that ²Rezin the king of Aram and ³Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but ⁴could not conquer * it.

2 When it was reported to the ⁵house of David, saying, "The Arameans ⁶have camped in ⁷Ephraim," his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.

3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the ⁸conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller's field,

4 and say to him, 'Take care and be ⁹calm, have no ¹⁰fear and ¹¹do not be fainthearted * because of these two stubs of smoldering ¹²firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the ¹³son of Remaliah.

5 'Because * ¹⁴Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying,

6 "Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,"

7 thus says the Lord GOD: "¹⁵It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass.

8 "For the head of Aram is ¹⁶Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another 65 * years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people ),

9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. ¹⁷If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.""'

Isaiah 7:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 7

This chapter contains a prophecy of the preservation of the kingdom of Judah, from its enemies; a confirmation of it by a sign; and a prediction of various calamities that should come upon it, antecedent to the accomplishment of that sign. The enemies of Judea are named, and the besieging of Jerusalem by them, and the date of it, which was without effect, are mentioned, Isa 7:1 the fear and dread which seized the house of David upon the news of this confederacy, Isa 7:2 the orders given by the Lord to the Prophet Isaiah, to take with him his son, and meet Ahaz, at a certain place pointed at, Isa 7:3 whose errand was to comfort him, and exhort him to be quiet and easy; since the conspiracy formed against him should be fruitless, and the kingdom of Israel should be broken to pieces, Isa 7:4-9 after which the king is put upon asking a sign of the Lord, for the confirmation of it; which he refusing to do, under a pretence of tempting the Lord, is reproved; and a sign nevertheless is given; which is that of the birth of the Messiah of a virgin, who would be truly God, as his name Immanuel shows, and truly man, as his birth, his food, and gradual knowledge of good and evil, prove, Isa 7:10-15 yea, it is suggested that the deliverance of Judea from the two kings of Syria and Israel should be very speedy; even before the young child Isaiah had with him was capable of knowing to refuse evil, and chose good, Isa 7:16 but as a chastisement of the house of David for their incredulity in this matter, and slight of the divine goodness, various things are threatened to befall them, before the birth of the Messiah; even such as had not been since the revolt of the ten tribes; as that their enemies, the Assyrians and others, should come upon them in great numbers, and fill all places, so that they would be in the utmost distress, and not be able to escape, Isa 7:17-19 there would be a great consumption of men of all sorts, high and low, signified by shaving off the hair of the head, beard, and feet; so that the few that remained would enjoy plenty, Isa 7:20-22 and for want of men to till the land, it would be covered with thorns and briers; and because of wild beasts, the few men in it would be obliged to defend themselves with bows and arrows, Isa 7:23,24 and yet, after this, the land should become fruitful again, before the Messiah's coming, Isa 7:25, as some interpret it.

Cross References

• 1. 2 Kings 16:1; Isaiah 1:1
• 2. 2 Kings 15:37
• 3. 2 Kings 15:25; 2 Chronicles 28:6
• 4. Isaiah 7:6, 7
• 5. Isaiah 7:13; Isaiah 22:22
• 6. Isaiah 8:12
• 7. Isaiah 9:9
• 8. 2 Kings 18:17; Isaiah 36:2
• 9. Exodus 14:13; Isaiah 30:15; Lamentations 3:26
• 10. Isaiah 10:24; Matthew 24:6
• 11. Deuteronomy 20:3; 1 Samuel 17:32; Isaiah 35:4
• 12. Amos 4:11; Zechariah 3:2
• 13. Isaiah 7:1, 9
• 14. Isaiah 7:2
• 15. Isaiah 8:10; Isaiah 28:18; Acts 4:25, 26
• 16. Genesis 14:15; Isaiah 17:1-3
• 17. 2 Chronicles 20:20; Isaiah 5:24; Isaiah 8:6-8; Isaiah 30:12-14

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "fight against"
• [b]. Lit "has settled down on"
• [c]. Lit "from before"
• [d]. I.e. a remnant shall return
• [e]. I.e. laundryman's
• [f]. Lit "cause it a sickening dread"
• [g]. Lit "it"
• [h]. Heb "YHWH," usually rendered LORD
• [i]. Or "be established"