Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Isaiah 7 Study Notes: Ahaz and the Immanuel Sign

When Aram and Israel threaten Jerusalem, Isaiah urges King Ahaz to stay calm and trust God, since their plot will fail. Ahaz declines God's offer of a sign, so the Lord gives one: a virgin will bear a son called Immanuel. Isaiah also warns that Assyria will devastate Judah's land.

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General

When the LORD invites Ahaz to request a sign (7:10-12), how does Ahaz respond?

Answer: He refuses, saying he will not put the LORD to the test

The LORD Himself offers Ahaz a sign of any kind, as deep as Sheol, the realm of the dead, or as high as heaven (7:10-11). Ahaz refuses with pious-sounding words, claiming that asking would be putting the LORD to the test (7:12). The law did forbid testing God as Israel had at Massah (Deuteronomy 6:16), but that meant demanding proof in unbelief, not accepting an offer God Himself made. Isaiah rebukes David's royal house for wearying the patience of his God as well as of men (7:13). Second Kings shows where Ahaz's trust really lay: he sent messengers and the temple's silver and gold to the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser, asking to be saved (2 Kings 16:7-8). Jeremiah warns that the one who relies on human strength and turns from the LORD is cursed (Jeremiah 17:5).

  • Isaiah 7:10-13 (BSB)
    “Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well?”
    The LORD offers Ahaz a sign; Ahaz refuses and Isaiah rebukes the house of David.
  • Deuteronomy 6:16 (BSB)
    “Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.”
    The law forbade testing God as Israel had done at Massah.
  • 2 Kings 16:7-8 (BSB)
    “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.” Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.”
    Ahaz instead sent temple silver and gold to Assyria's king, asking to be rescued.
  • Jeremiah 17:5 (BSB)
    “This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.”
    Trusting in human strength rather than the LORD brings a curse.

Theological

How does Ahaz answer the LORD's offer of a sign in 7:10-12?

Answer: He refuses, saying he will not put the LORD to the test

God offers Ahaz a sign without limit, as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven (7:10-11). Ahaz declines under cover of piety, appealing in effect to the prohibition of testing God (7:12; Deuteronomy 6:16). But refusing a sign God commands is not reverence; it is unbelief. Isaiah therefore charges David's royal house with exhausting the patience of God (7:13). His actual policy was to buy Assyrian protection with the temple's treasures (2 Kings 16:7-8), the trust in man that Jeremiah 17:5 pronounces cursed.

  • Isaiah 7:10-13 (BSB)
    “Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well?”
    The LORD offers Ahaz a sign; Ahaz refuses and Isaiah rebukes the house of David.
  • Deuteronomy 6:16 (BSB)
    “Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.”
    The law forbade testing God as Israel had done at Massah.
  • 2 Kings 16:7-8 (BSB)
    “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.” Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.”
    Ahaz instead sent temple silver and gold to Assyria's king, asking to be rescued.
  • Jeremiah 17:5 (BSB)
    “This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.”
    Trusting in human strength rather than the LORD brings a curse.

General

In 7:1-2, who marched against Jerusalem during the reign of Ahaz?

Answer: Rezin of Aram, joined by Pekah of Israel

During the reign of Ahaz, grandson of Uzziah, Rezin of Aram and Israel's king Pekah, Remaliah's son, advanced to attack Jerusalem, though they could not conquer it (7:1). When word came that Aram had allied with Ephraim, another name for the northern kingdom of Israel, the hearts of the king and his people shook like forest trees in the wind (7:2). Second Kings records the same attack and siege (2 Kings 16:5), and Chronicles says Judah suffered heavy losses in this war because they had abandoned the LORD (2 Chronicles 28:5-6).

  • Isaiah 7:1-2 (BSB)
    “Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city. When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.”
    The setting of the chapter: an alliance marches against Jerusalem in Ahaz's reign.
  • 2 Kings 16:5 (BSB)
    “Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.”
    Second Kings records the same attack and siege of Jerusalem.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:5-6 (BSB)
    “So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.”
    Chronicles records Judah's heavy losses in this war because they had forsaken the LORD.

Theological

Which alliance threatened Jerusalem in Ahaz's reign, according to 7:1-2?

Answer: Rezin of Aram, joined by Pekah of Israel

The chapter opens with the crisis of the Aram-Israel alliance: Rezin of Damascus and Pekah of Samaria advanced on Jerusalem but could not take it (7:1). News that Aram had joined forces with Ephraim, the northern kingdom, left the king and his people shaking at heart like forest trees in the wind (7:2). The parallel accounts confirm the siege (2 Kings 16:5) and show it as the LORD's discipline on a Judah that had forsaken Him (2 Chronicles 28:5-6).

  • Isaiah 7:1-2 (BSB)
    “Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city. When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.”
    The setting of the chapter: an alliance marches against Jerusalem in Ahaz's reign.
  • 2 Kings 16:5 (BSB)
    “Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.”
    Second Kings records the same attack and siege of Jerusalem.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:5-6 (BSB)
    “So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.”
    Chronicles records Judah's heavy losses in this war because they had forsaken the LORD.

General

Whom does the LORD say He will bring against Judah in 7:17-20?

Answer: Assyria's king, shaving the land like a hired razor

Isaiah warns that the LORD is sending Ahaz, his people and his father's house days unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah, for He is bringing Assyria's king (7:17). God will whistle for flies from Egypt's distant streams and for Assyria's bees, and they will settle everywhere in the land (7:18-19). Then Assyria's king, a razor God hires from across the Euphrates, will shave Judah from head to foot, a picture of shame and stripping (7:20). Ahaz had paid Assyria's king to rescue him (2 Kings 16:7-8), yet Chronicles says that king brought Ahaz trouble instead of strength (2 Chronicles 28:20-21). God rules over the nations and uses Assyria as the rod of His anger (10:5-6), while holding Assyria responsible for its pride, like an axe boasting against the man who wields it (10:15).

  • Isaiah 7:17-20 (BSB)
    “The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.” On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes. On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.”
    The LORD announces He will bring Assyria against Judah.
  • 2 Kings 16:7-8 (BSB)
    “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.” Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.”
    Ahaz had paid Assyria's king to rescue him.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:20-21 (BSB)
    “Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him. Although Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and from the princes and had presented it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.”
    The Assyrian king brought Ahaz trouble instead of strength.
  • Isaiah 10:5-6 (BSB)
    “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.”
    Assyria is the LORD's instrument of anger against His people.
  • Isaiah 10:15 (BSB)
    “Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!”
    The tool cannot boast against the One who wields it, so Assyria is accountable for its pride.

Theological

What instrument of judgment does the LORD announce in 7:17-20?

Answer: Assyria's king, shaving the land like a hired razor

The LORD is sending on David's royal house an unprecedented time of distress: Assyria's king (7:17). Egypt and Assyria are summoned like insects swarming the land (7:18-19), and Assyria is the razor God hires from across the Euphrates to shave Judah in humiliation (7:20). The power Ahaz paid to rescue him (2 Kings 16:7-8) brought him trouble instead of strength (2 Chronicles 28:20-21). God sovereignly wields Assyria as the rod of His anger (10:5-6) while holding it culpable for its arrogance (10:15).

  • Isaiah 7:17-20 (BSB)
    “The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.” On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes. On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.”
    The LORD announces He will bring Assyria against Judah.
  • 2 Kings 16:7-8 (BSB)
    “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.” Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.”
    Ahaz had paid Assyria's king to rescue him.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:20-21 (BSB)
    “Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him. Although Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and from the princes and had presented it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.”
    The Assyrian king brought Ahaz trouble instead of strength.
  • Isaiah 10:5-6 (BSB)
    “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.”
    Assyria is the LORD's instrument of anger against His people.
  • Isaiah 10:15 (BSB)
    “Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!”
    The tool cannot boast against the One who wields it, so Assyria is accountable for its pride.

General

What will the land of Judah be like in that day, according to 7:21-25?

Answer: Vineyards turned to briers and thorns, fit only for grazing

With most people gone, a man will keep only a heifer and a couple of sheep, and the few left will live on curds and honey, food of a land returned to pasture rather than farmland (7:21-22). Where a thousand vines once stood, worth a thousand silver shekels, thorny scrub will take over; people will go there only to hunt, and the once-tilled hills will become grazing ground for cattle and sheep (7:23-25). This echoes the warning of the vineyard song, where the LORD's neglected vineyard is overgrown with thorns (5:6), and Isaiah later mourns his people's land overgrown with thorny weeds (32:13).

  • Isaiah 7:21-25 (BSB)
    “On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep, and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briers and thorns will be found. Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. For fear of the briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.”
    The land after the Assyrian invasion.
  • Isaiah 5:6 (BSB)
    “I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.””
    The vineyard song had warned that God's vineyard would be overrun with thorns.
  • Isaiah 32:13 (BSB)
    “and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers—even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry.”
    Isaiah later mourns the land of his people overgrown with thorns and briers.

Theological

How does 7:21-25 describe the land after the Assyrian invasion?

Answer: Vineyards turned to briers and thorns, fit only for grazing

The aftermath is depopulation and reversion to wilderness: a man keeps a heifer and a pair of sheep, while the remnant lives on curds and honey, the fare of pasture land (7:21-22). Prized vineyards become scrubland, fit for hunting and grazing rather than cultivation (7:23-25). The scene echoes the judgment of the vineyard song (5:6) and anticipates the lament of 32:13.

  • Isaiah 7:21-25 (BSB)
    “On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep, and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briers and thorns will be found. Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. For fear of the briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.”
    The land after the Assyrian invasion.
  • Isaiah 5:6 (BSB)
    “I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.””
    The vineyard song had warned that God's vineyard would be overrun with thorns.
  • Isaiah 32:13 (BSB)
    “and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers—even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry.”
    Isaiah later mourns the land of his people overgrown with thorns and briers.

General

According to 7:8-9, what will happen to Ephraim before sixty-five years have passed?

Answer: It will be broken so badly it ceases to be a people

Isaiah exposes the true size of the threat: Aram is led by Damascus and Damascus only by Rezin; Ephraim is led by Samaria and Samaria only by Remaliah's son (7:8-9). These are mere men. Before sixty-five years have passed, Ephraim will be smashed so completely that it ceases to be a people (7:8). Scripture records that Assyria's king besieged and took Samaria and deported the Israelites into exile (2 Kings 17:5-6), and then settled people from other lands in its towns in their place (2 Kings 17:24).

  • Isaiah 7:8-9 (BSB)
    “For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’””
    God exposes the merely human leadership of Aram and Ephraim and announces Ephraim's end.
  • 2 Kings 17:5-6 (BSB)
    “Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”
    Scripture records Assyria's capture of Samaria and the exile of Israel.
  • 2 Kings 17:24 (BSB)
    “Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.”
    Assyria then settled foreign peoples in Samaria's towns in place of the Israelites.

Theological

What does 7:8-9 announce concerning Ephraim's future?

Answer: It will be broken so badly it ceases to be a people

The oracle reduces the enemy to its human heads: Damascus and Rezin, Samaria and Remaliah's son (7:8-9). Within the stated span of sixty-five years the northern kingdom will be smashed so as to cease being a people (7:8). The fall of Samaria and deportation of Israel (2 Kings 17:5-6), followed by Assyria's resettlement of foreigners in its towns (2 Kings 17:24), record the dissolution of the northern kingdom.

  • Isaiah 7:8-9 (BSB)
    “For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’””
    God exposes the merely human leadership of Aram and Ephraim and announces Ephraim's end.
  • 2 Kings 17:5-6 (BSB)
    “Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”
    Scripture records Assyria's capture of Samaria and the exile of Israel.
  • 2 Kings 17:24 (BSB)
    “Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.”
    Assyria then settled foreign peoples in Samaria's towns in place of the Israelites.

General

Where is Isaiah told to meet Ahaz, together with his son Shear-jashub (7:3)?

Answer: At the channel from the upper pool, near the Launderer's Field

The LORD sends Isaiah, accompanied by Shear-jashub his son, to find Ahaz where the water channel from the upper pool ends, near the Launderer's Field (7:3). The same spot appears again years later, when the Assyrian official called the Rabshakeh, sent by Assyria's king with a large force, halted there before King Hezekiah's Jerusalem (36:2; 2 Kings 18:17).

  • Isaiah 7:3 (BSB)
    “Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,”
    The LORD sends Isaiah and his son to meet Ahaz at a named place.
  • Isaiah 36:2 (BSB)
    “And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.”
    Years later the Assyrian Rabshakeh halted at the very same spot.
  • 2 Kings 18:17 (BSB)
    “Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.”
    The parallel account names the same place for the Assyrian officials' arrival.

Theological

Where does 7:3 locate Isaiah's meeting with Ahaz?

Answer: At the channel from the upper pool, near the Launderer's Field

Isaiah and Shear-jashub are sent to find Ahaz where the conduit from the upper pool ends, near the Launderer's Field (7:3). The location recurs in 36:2 and 2 Kings 18:17, where the Rabshakeh halts with Assyria's troops before Hezekiah's Jerusalem.

  • Isaiah 7:3 (BSB)
    “Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,”
    The LORD sends Isaiah and his son to meet Ahaz at a named place.
  • Isaiah 36:2 (BSB)
    “And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.”
    Years later the Assyrian Rabshakeh halted at the very same spot.
  • 2 Kings 18:17 (BSB)
    “Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.”
    The parallel account names the same place for the Assyrian officials' arrival.

General

What does the Lord GOD say about the plan of Aram and Ephraim to conquer Judah (7:5-7)?

Answer: Their scheme will fail and never come to pass

Aram and Ephraim had plotted to invade Judah, terrify it, carve it up between them, and set up a man called Tabeal's son as king in place of David's line (7:5-6). The Lord GOD's verdict is short: their plan will not stand or come about (7:7). Human plans cannot overturn God's purpose. The psalmist pictures kings plotting against God and His Anointed while He laughs from heaven (Psalm 2:1-4). Proverbs says many plans fill a person's heart, but the LORD's purpose is what prevails (Proverbs 19:21), and God swears that what He has planned and purposed will surely stand (14:24).

  • Isaiah 7:5-7 (BSB)
    “For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying: ‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’ But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen.”
    The enemy plot and the Lord GOD's verdict on it.
  • Psalm 2:1-4 (BSB)
    “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”
    Kings plot against the LORD and His Anointed, but He laughs from heaven.
  • Proverbs 19:21 (BSB)
    “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.”
    Human plans are many, but the LORD's purpose is what stands.
  • Isaiah 14:24 (BSB)
    “The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.”
    The LORD swears that what He has planned will surely happen.

Theological

What verdict does the Lord GOD pronounce in 7:7 on the scheme of Aram and Israel?

Answer: Their scheme will fail and never come to pass

The coalition's aim was to dismember Judah and enthrone Tabeal's son, displacing the Davidic house (7:5-6). The Lord GOD's answer is categorical: it will not stand and will not take place (7:7). The plot is set against God's sovereign purpose, which no coalition can overturn, as Psalm 2:1-4 shows of kings conspiring against the LORD's Anointed, Proverbs 19:21 states of every human plan, and 14:24 affirms by divine oath.

  • Isaiah 7:5-7 (BSB)
    “For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying: ‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’ But this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘It will not arise; it will not happen.”
    The enemy plot and the Lord GOD's verdict on it.
  • Psalm 2:1-4 (BSB)
    “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”
    Kings plot against the LORD and His Anointed, but He laughs from heaven.
  • Proverbs 19:21 (BSB)
    “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.”
    Human plans are many, but the LORD's purpose is what stands.
  • Isaiah 14:24 (BSB)
    “The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.”
    The LORD swears that what He has planned will surely happen.

General

According to 7:15-16, what will happen before the boy is old enough to know right from wrong?

Answer: Aram and Israel, whom Ahaz fears, will be left desolate

Isaiah ties the sign to Ahaz's own day: the child will be fed on curds and honey; before he is old enough to tell right from wrong, the lands of both kings Ahaz dreads will be deserted (7:15-16). In a short span of time, then, the threat would vanish. Second Kings records that the Assyrian king captured Damascus and Rezin was killed (2 Kings 16:9), and that Tiglath-pileser took Galilee and much of northern Israel before Pekah was assassinated (2 Kings 15:29-30). In the next chapter Isaiah gives a similar time sign with his own son: before the boy can call his father or mother, Assyria will plunder Damascus and Samaria (8:4).

  • Isaiah 7:15-16 (BSB)
    “By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey. For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”
    The sign's timetable for Ahaz's own day.
  • 2 Kings 16:9 (BSB)
    “So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.”
    Assyria captured Damascus and Rezin was killed.
  • 2 Kings 15:29-30 (BSB)
    “In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria. Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.”
    Assyria took much of northern Israel, and Pekah was assassinated.
  • Isaiah 8:4 (BSB)
    “For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.””
    Isaiah gives a similar time sign: Damascus and Samaria plundered before a child can talk.

Theological

What timetable does 7:15-16 attach to the sign for Ahaz?

Answer: Aram and Israel, whom Ahaz fears, will be left desolate

The sign carries a near horizon: before the child, fed on curds and honey, reaches the age of moral discernment, the territories of both kings Ahaz dreads will be abandoned (7:15-16). The threat that paralyzed Ahaz would pass quickly. Assyria's capture of Damascus with Rezin's death (2 Kings 16:9), the conquest of Israel's northern districts and Pekah's assassination (2 Kings 15:29-30), and the parallel sign of Isaiah's son in 8:4 confirm the short timetable.

  • Isaiah 7:15-16 (BSB)
    “By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey. For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”
    The sign's timetable for Ahaz's own day.
  • 2 Kings 16:9 (BSB)
    “So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.”
    Assyria captured Damascus and Rezin was killed.
  • 2 Kings 15:29-30 (BSB)
    “In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria. Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.”
    Assyria took much of northern Israel, and Pekah was assassinated.
  • Isaiah 8:4 (BSB)
    “For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.””
    Isaiah gives a similar time sign: Damascus and Samaria plundered before a child can talk.

General

What does God call Rezin and Remaliah's son in 7:4?

Answer: Two smoking stubs of firewood, nearly burned out

Isaiah's message to the king is to calm down, keep quiet, and not lose heart (7:4). The two kings who terrified him are only two smoking ends of firewood, all smoke and little fire, nearly burned out (7:4). Their anger looks fierce, but their power is almost spent. Scripture later records that the Assyrian king took Damascus and Rezin was killed (2 Kings 16:9), and Isaiah announces Damascus reduced to rubble (17:1).

  • Isaiah 7:4 (BSB)
    “and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.”
    God's message to the frightened king and His description of the two enemy kings.
  • 2 Kings 16:9 (BSB)
    “So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.”
    Scripture records that Assyria captured Damascus and Rezin was killed.
  • Isaiah 17:1 (BSB)
    “This is the burden against Damascus: “Behold, Damascus is no longer a city; it has become a heap of ruins.”
    Isaiah's later oracle announces Damascus reduced to ruins.

Theological

By what image does 7:4 diminish the threat posed by Rezin and Remaliah's son?

Answer: Two smoking stubs of firewood, nearly burned out

The prophetic word to Ahaz is a call to quiet composure: be calm, do not fear (7:4). The two kings are dismissed as smoking ends of firewood, smoke without lasting flame, their fierce anger the last of a dying fire (7:4). History bore out the image: Damascus fell to Assyria and Rezin was killed (2 Kings 16:9), and Isaiah's oracle against Damascus foresees its ruin (17:1).

  • Isaiah 7:4 (BSB)
    “and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.”
    God's message to the frightened king and His description of the two enemy kings.
  • 2 Kings 16:9 (BSB)
    “So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.”
    Scripture records that Assyria captured Damascus and Rezin was killed.
  • Isaiah 17:1 (BSB)
    “This is the burden against Damascus: “Behold, Damascus is no longer a city; it has become a heap of ruins.”
    Isaiah's later oracle announces Damascus reduced to ruins.

General

What warning closes Isaiah's message to Ahaz in 7:9?

Answer: Unless he trusts God, he will not be upheld

Isaiah closes his message with a challenge: if Ahaz will not trust the LORD with steady faith, he himself will not remain standing (7:9). Judah's safety depended not on alliances but on believing God's word. King Jehoshaphat had told Judah to trust the LORD their God and be upheld (2 Chronicles 20:20). Isaiah later promises that whoever trusts God's tested cornerstone will stand firm (28:16) and says that quiet trust was Israel's strength, though they would not have it (30:15). Hebrews teaches that no one can please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6).

  • Isaiah 7:9 (BSB)
    “The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’””
    Isaiah's message to Ahaz ends with a call to faith.
  • 2 Chronicles 20:20 (BSB)
    “Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.””
    Jehoshaphat told Judah that believing the LORD was the way to be upheld.
  • Isaiah 28:16 (BSB)
    “So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.”
    Isaiah later promises that the one who believes will never be shaken.
  • Isaiah 30:15 (BSB)
    “For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.””
    Isaiah says quiet trust was Israel's strength, though they refused it.
  • Hebrews 11:6 (BSB)
    “And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
    Hebrews teaches that pleasing God requires faith.

Theological

What condition does 7:9 attach to the security of Ahaz and David's royal line?

Answer: Unless he trusts God, he will not be upheld

The oracle ends with a conditional summons to faith: unless Ahaz is firm in believing, he will not be made firm (7:9). The survival of the Davidic house rests not on political maneuvering but on trust in the promise just spoken. The same principle governs Jehoshaphat's exhortation (2 Chronicles 20:20), Isaiah's later promise to those who trust the cornerstone (28:16) and his rebuke of a people who refused quiet trust (30:15), and Hebrews 11:6 makes faith the indispensable condition of pleasing God.

  • Isaiah 7:9 (BSB)
    “The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’””
    Isaiah's message to Ahaz ends with a call to faith.
  • 2 Chronicles 20:20 (BSB)
    “Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.””
    Jehoshaphat told Judah that believing the LORD was the way to be upheld.
  • Isaiah 28:16 (BSB)
    “So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.”
    Isaiah later promises that the one who believes will never be shaken.
  • Isaiah 30:15 (BSB)
    “For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.””
    Isaiah says quiet trust was Israel's strength, though they refused it.
  • Hebrews 11:6 (BSB)
    “And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
    Hebrews teaches that pleasing God requires faith.

General

What sign does the Lord Himself give in 7:14?

Answer: A virgin will conceive and bear a son named Immanuel

Because Ahaz refused, the Lord Himself gives a sign to David's royal house: a virgin will conceive and bear a son whose name is Immanuel, meaning God with us (7:14). Matthew says this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was born of Mary while she was still a virgin (Matthew 1:22-23). Luke records Mary asking how she could have a child since she was a virgin, and the angel answering that the Holy Spirit would come upon her (Luke 1:34-35). Jesus is truly Immanuel: God Himself come to be with His people as a man. Isaiah goes on to address the land as Immanuel's (8:8) and to announce a son given who is called Mighty God (9:6). The sign also spoke to Ahaz's own day (7:15-16), and interpreters differ on whether there was also a nearer fulfillment in Isaiah's time, but Matthew leaves no doubt that the prophecy is fulfilled in the virgin birth of Christ.

  • Isaiah 7:14 (BSB)
    “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”
    The sign the Lord Himself gives to the house of David.
  • Matthew 1:22-23 (BSB)
    “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).”
    Matthew states that Jesus' virgin birth fulfilled this prophecy and explains the name Immanuel.
  • Luke 1:34-35 (BSB)
    ““How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.”
    Luke records that Jesus was conceived in the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.
  • Isaiah 8:8 (BSB)
    “It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!”
    Isaiah addresses Immanuel as the one whose land the flood will cover.
  • Isaiah 9:6 (BSB)
    “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
    Isaiah later names the promised child Mighty God.

Theological

What sign does the Lord give David's royal house in 7:14?

Answer: A virgin will conceive and bear a son named Immanuel

Since Ahaz will not ask, the Lord gives the sign Himself: the virgin will conceive and bear a son and name Him Immanuel (7:14). Matthew 1:22-23 declares this fulfilled in the virginal conception and birth of Jesus and interprets the name as God with us; Luke 1:34-35 attributes the conception to the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. Immanuel is the incarnate Son, truly God dwelling with His people, in keeping with what Isaiah goes on to say: the land is addressed as Immanuel's (8:8), and the son given bears the name Mighty God (9:6). The sign also addressed Ahaz's day (7:15-16), and interpreters differ on whether there was a nearer fulfillment in Isaiah's time, but Matthew settles that its fulfillment is the virgin birth of Christ.

  • Isaiah 7:14 (BSB)
    “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”
    The sign the Lord Himself gives to the house of David.
  • Matthew 1:22-23 (BSB)
    “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).”
    Matthew states that Jesus' virgin birth fulfilled this prophecy and explains the name Immanuel.
  • Luke 1:34-35 (BSB)
    ““How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.”
    Luke records that Jesus was conceived in the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.
  • Isaiah 8:8 (BSB)
    “It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!”
    Isaiah addresses Immanuel as the one whose land the flood will cover.
  • Isaiah 9:6 (BSB)
    “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
    Isaiah later names the promised child Mighty God.