Isaiah 7:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: thus says the Lord God: "‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.

NIV: Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: " ‘It will not take place, it will not happen,

NASB: this is what the Lord God says: 'It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass.

CSB: This is what the Lord God says: It will not happen; it will not occur.

NLT: But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'This invasion will never happen; it will never take place;

KJV: Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.

NKJV: thus says the Lord God: “It shall not stand, Nor shall it come to pass.

The Lord has sent Isaiah to give a message to King Ahaz of Judah: do not be terrified of the kings of Syria and Israel. These kings are coming to remove him from his throne, but the Lord instructs him to not be afraid. Specifically, Isaiah is to tell Ahaz to be calm (Isaiah 7:4).

Now the Lord begins to reveal why Ahaz doesn't have to be afraid of these two seemingly powerful kings and their evil plans for him. Their scheme will fail (Isaiah 7:5–6). In fact, the Lord says their plan will not even come to pass.

Delivering this prophecy from the Lord, Isaiah returns for these few verses to using the familiar form of poetry (Isaiah 7:8–9). This is the format which filled much of the first six chapters of his book.

Isaiah 7:1–9 describes the terror of Judah's King Ahaz and his people at the news that Israel and Syria have teamed up to defeat him. The Lord tells Isaiah to take his son and find Ahaz in a specific place. Isaiah reveals to Ahaz that what he fears will not happen. Syria and Israel will not conquer Jerusalem and divide up Judah and put someone else on Ahaz's throne. Instead, Israel will cease to be a people within 65 years. Ahaz must be firm in his faith in the Lord if he wishes to have any foundation.

Isaiah 7 begins with the threat of invasion from two of Judah's enemies: Israel and Syria. Judah's King Ahaz and his people are terrified. Speaking for the Lord, Isaiah tells Ahaz to not be afraid because it will not happen. Israel and Syria will soon be gone. Ahaz, though, refuses the Lord's command to ask for a sign. In response, Isaiah tells Ahaz that after Syria and Israel are destroyed, the Lord will use the king of Assyria to bring judgment on Judah through invading armies, emptying the land until little remains.

Isaiah 7 follows the description of Isaiah's commission as a prophet in Isaiah 6. Now the Lord tells him to go and speak to Judah's king Ahaz, who is terrified about an impending invasion from Syria and Israel. Isaiah promises this invasion will not happen. Instead, both nations will soon be destroyed. Ahaz refuses the Lord's command to ask for a sign to confirm His words. Isaiah tells Ahaz that after Israel and Syria are wiped out, the Lord will use the king of Assyria to bring harsh judgment against Judah in the form of relentless invading armies.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 11/21/2024 10:26:25 AM