Isaiah 7:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field.

NIV: Then the LORD said to Isaiah, 'Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer's Field.

NASB: Then the Lord said to Isaiah, 'Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the fuller’s field,

CSB: The Lord said to Isaiah, "Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, by the road to the Launderer's Field.

NLT: Then the Lord said to Isaiah, 'Take your son Shear-jashub and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.

KJV: Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;

NKJV: Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field,

The invading armies are in Judah. The kings of Israel and Syria to the north have come to defeat Ahaz, Judah's king. In his place they want to put a puppet king (Isaiah 7:6). They don't want to have to fight Judah when the Assyrians arrive to attack their people (Isaiah 7:1). The Syrians and Israelites have already killed or captured tens of thousands of the people of Judah (2 Chronicles 28). They are making their way to Jerusalem to put the great city under siege. Their goal is to starve the city and its king into submission (Isaiah 7:2).

In this moment, the Lord tells Isaiah to talk to King Ahaz. He tells his prophet where to find the king, a place called "the Washer's Field." It is very likely the king was reviewing Jerusalem's water supply, which was located outside of the city. He would be seeing about securing it so the city would have water during a siege.

Scholars describe the source of this water supply as the Gihon Spring in a valley easy of Jerusalem. Water was brought from the spring through an aqueduct to a reservoir on the southwestern edge of the city. Washer's field was likely a place near the water where laundry was done.

The Lord tells Isaiah to bring his son to this meeting. His son's name is Shear-jashub, which means "a remnant will return." It's unclear if the Lord means for the name of Isaiah's son to suggest something to Ahaz. Isaiah may have named his son after the hope that Judah would have a future after God's judgment comes. That although this judgement would bring near total annihilation, there would still be some people left.

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).