Isaiah 7:21

21 It shall happen in that day, that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two 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 shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all thorn-hedges, and on all pastures.

20 In that day will the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, [even] with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.

21 It shall happen in that day, that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two sheep;

22 and it shall happen, that because of the abundance of milk which they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land.

23 It shall happen in that day, that every place, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silver shekels, shall be for briers and thorns.