Isaiah 7:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.

NIV: In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River--the king of Assyria--to shave your heads and private parts, and to cut off your beards also.

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

CSB: On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River--the king of Assyria--to shave the hair on your heads, the hair on your legs, and even your beards.

NLT: In that day the Lord will hire a 'razor' from beyond the Euphrates River — the king of Assyria — and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.

KJV: In the same day shall the Lord shave with a rasor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.

NKJV: In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, With those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, The head and the hair of the legs, And will also remove the beard.

Isaiah continues to tell King Ahaz about the terrible days to come. This will happen because he refused to trust in the Lord to protect Judah (Isaiah 7:17). Instead, the king of Judah planned to ally with Assyria, hoping the king of Assyria would destroy Judah's enemies (2 Kings 16:7–9). To be allies, the much smaller nation of Judah would have to give something to Assyria in the form of payment or at least an agreement to be loyal to Assyria's king. In that sense, Ahaz literally "hired" Assyria to protect him.

The idea of Ahaz trying to "hire" Assyria to protect Judah is mocked here by the Lord is saying He will hire the king of Assyria to "shave" Judah. The culture of Isaiah's time and place had much to do with honor and shame. For a man to be shaved against his will was a sign of great humiliation. Some commentators suggest that defeated enemies might have half their head shaved and that slaves were given specific shaved haircuts to show their status.

In this case, though, it is the Lord who will "shave" His people in Judah. The common belief of the times was that when one nation defeated another it was because the conquerors had stronger gods. Isaiah wants all who reads his words to understand that the gods of the Assyrians will not defeat the God of Israel. Instead, it will be the Lord who brings this humiliation on His own people for their faithlessness to Him. He will use the king of Assyria to shave the nation. Judah will be left exposed, ashamed, and beaten.

Isaiah 7:10–25 describes the Lord's response, through Isaiah, to King Ahaz's refusal to obey the Lord. He was told to ask for a sign to confirm the prophecy that Israel and Syria would fail to conquer Judah. Isaiah prophecies that a virgin will conceive and name her child Immanuel. Before the child is old enough to reject evil, Israel and Syria will be wiped out. Then the Lord will use the king of Assyria to harshly judge Judah, humiliate His own people, and empty the land of Judah's citizens.

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).