Isaiah 7:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep,

NIV: In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.

NASB: Now on that day a person may keep alive only a heifer and a pair of sheep;

CSB: On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,

NLT: In that day a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep or goats left.

KJV: And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;

NKJV: It shall be in that day That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;

The prophet Isaiah is describing the judgment the Lord will bring on Judah through the invading armies of Assyria. He has said that the armies will arrive in Judah as infesting insects (Isaiah 7:18). The Lord will use the king of Assyria as a razor to humiliate His people (Isaiah 7:20). In this period and culture, to be shaved against your will was a grave dishonor and the original audience would deeply understand the point the Lord is making.

Now Isaiah describes something that sounds positive but reveals just how many people will be dead or exiled. He pictures a man who has figured out how to keep one young cow and two sheep, or goats, alive. This implies the man can come up with enough feed for three animals. The following verse (Isaiah 7:22) will say that such a man will have an excess of milk to drink. This will happen either because those animals will have no young to feed or because the population has been diminished to such a degree that those who remain will have all the dairy they can use.

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).

Accessed 5/5/2024 1:27:52 PM