Isaiah 7:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns.

NIV: Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.

NASB: People will come there with bows and arrows, because all the land will be briars and thorns.

CSB: A man will go there with bow and arrows because the whole land will be thorns and briers.

NLT: The entire land will become a vast expanse of briers and thorns, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife.

KJV: With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.

NKJV: With arrows and bows men will come there, Because all the land will become briers and thorns.

Isaiah is describing the vast changes coming to Judah's land and economy after the Lord uses the king of Assyria to bring His judgment (Isaiah 7:20–22). There will be so few people left, that once rich and productive vineyards will become overgrown with thistles and thorns (Isaiah 7:23).

Agriculture, especially the grape harvest, was key to Judah's economy. That industry relied on plentiful workers to work the vineyards to keep the fields free from weeds and thorns and to keep the vines productive. Much of the population will eventually be killed or carried away by the Assyrians. Those left behind will be insufficient to look after the vineyards. Instead, the people will revert to hunting to survive, using bows and arrows to bring down game to eat. The land will revert from agriculture to hunting and herding.

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 5/6/2024 11:26:07 AM