Bible Glide

Isaiah 7

Isaiah 7 Summary, Context, and Full Chapter

In Isaiah 7, Judah faces military threat and King Ahaz is shaken. God sends Isaiah with a message of calm, a promise that the enemy plans will fail, and a sign centered on Immanuel. The chapter also warns that relying on human power will still lead to judgment.

Read in ReaderShare Passage

What happens in Isaiah 7?

Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel threaten Jerusalem, and Ahaz and the people are afraid. God sends Isaiah to tell Ahaz not to fear these kings, because their plan will not succeed. Ahaz is invited to ask for a sign, but he refuses. Isaiah then announces a sign from the Lord: a child called Immanuel, whose coming will show that God is with His people and that the feared kings will soon fall. The chapter ends with a sobering warning that Assyria will become the instrument of Judah's judgment, leaving the land overgrown and desolate.

This chapter belongs to the section of Isaiah where Judah and Jerusalem are warned during a period of international threat and spiritual weakness. It follows Isaiah's call in chapter 6 and begins the prophet's direct dealings with King Ahaz. The message moves between comfort, sign, and judgment, showing both God's nearness and Judah's need to trust Him.

Themes to notice

  • Fear and trustGod calls Ahaz to stop trembling and to stand firm in faith instead of panic.
  • The sign of ImmanuelThe promised child points to God's presence and to the certainty of His word.
  • Judgment through AssyriaThe power Judah hoped to avoid becomes the means of God's discipline on the nation.

Questions for Isaiah 7

  • What does God say to Ahaz that would have changed how he faced the threat?
  • Why is Ahaz's refusal to ask for a sign important in this chapter?
  • How do the promises of deliverance and the warning of judgment fit together here?

Read the full text of Isaiah 7 below, then open it in the reader to highlight, take notes, or ask follow-up Bible questions. No account is required to read.

Isaiah 7

A Message to Ahaz

1Now 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.2When 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.

3Then 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,4and 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.5For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying:6‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it, and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of Tabeal over it as king.’

7But this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘It will not arise;

it will not happen.

8For the head of Aram is Damascus,

and the head of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years

Ephraim will be shattered as a people.

9The 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.’”

The Sign of Immanuel

10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying,11“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”

12But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.”

13Then 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?14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.15By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.16For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

Judgment to Come

17The 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.”

18On 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.

19And they will all come and settle

in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks,

in all the thornbushes and watering holes.

20On 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.

21On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,22and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.

23And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briers and thorns will be found.24Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.25For 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.

Keep studying

Save notes and ask about Isaiah 7

Create a free account to keep highlights and notes across devices, or open Bible Glide Chat with this passage already attached.

Create Free AccountAsk About This Passage