Isaiah 7:21

21 Now in that day a man may keep alive a ¹heifer and a pair 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 will all come and settle on the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes and on all the watering places.

20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria ), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.

21 Now in that day a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep;

22 and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey.

23 And it will come about in that day, that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns.

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 14:30; Isaiah 27:10; Jeremiah 39:10