Isa. 7 Ahaz, afraid of Rezin and Pekah, is comforted by Isaiah Isa. 7:1–9; refusing to choose a sign, Christ is promised for one, Isa. 7:10–16; his judgment should come by Assyria, Isa. 7:17–25.

In the days of Ahaz, a most wicked king; yet no prophecies are more comfortable than those which were delivered in his time; God so ordering it, partly for the encouragement of the faithful that lived under his tyrannical and impious reign; and partly to manifest the riches and freeness of his…

The house of David; Ahaz, and his royal relations and courtiers. He calls them the house of David, to intimate that the following comfortable message was sent to Ahaz, not for his own sake, but only for the sake of his worthy progenitor, David, to whom God had promised an everlasting kingdom.

Go forth now to meet Ahaz, though he do not seek nor send to thee, as he ought. This is an eminent instance of preventing mercy. Shear-jashub; whose very name carried in it a sign and pledge of the promised deliverance.

Take heed, and be quiet; see that thou be quiet, abandon thy fears, and settle thy mind by the belief of that joyful message and promise which I am now to deliver thee from the Lord.

Let us make a breach therein; either, 1. Break and divide that country into two parts, one for time, and another for me; or rather, 2. Break their power and kingdom, and subdue it to ourselves: for, 1. The same word and phrase is so used 2 Chron. 32:1, where there was no such division intended. 2.

Their evil counsel, as it is called, Isa. 7:5.

Is Damascus; or rather, shall be Damascus; for the verb is not expressed in the Hebrew text, and therefore may be either way supplied. The sense is, Damascus shall still continue to be the capital and chief city of the kingdom of Syria; and therefore Jerusalem shall not be taken, nor become a part…

Is Samaria; or rather, shall be Samaria; and the sense is the same as in the foregoing verse, Samaria shall continue to be the chief city of the kingdom of Israel, and Pekah shall not conquer Jerusalem, as he hoped and designed to do.

Ask thee a sign of the Lord; I perceive thou dost not believe God’s word and message now delivered by me; yet God is so patient and merciful to thee, that he gives thee liberty to demand of him any signal or miraculous work, whereby thou mayst be assured of the truth and certainty of this promise.

I will not ask: this refusal proceeded not from the strength of his faith, but from his contempt of God, and total distrust and disregard of his word, and inward resolution to take another course; as is manifest both from the following words, and from the history of Ahaz, 2 Chron. 18:0.

House of David; of which see above, Isa. 7:2. He reproveth them all, because they were the king’s counsellors, and promoted the design of sending for the Assyrian succours.

Therefore; because you despise me, and the sign which I now offer to you, God of his own free grace will send you a more honourable messenger, and give you a nobler sign, to try whether that will cure you of your infidelity. Or, nevertheless, as this particle seems to be understood, Isa.

Butter and honey; the common food of children in that Country, where they were in great abundance, and of the best sort. He; the virgin’s Son last mentioned, who, though he be God blessed for ever, yet shall become man, and, to show the truth of his humanity, shall not only be conceived and brought…

For; or, yea; for so this particle is used by way of amplification or addition, Isa. 32:13, Jer. 14:5, Jer. 14:18. So the sense is, Not only this land of thine shall be preserved until the virgin’s Son be born, but thine enemy’s land shall be sorely scourged, and these two kings destroyed, within a…

The Lord shall bring; but although God will deliver you at this time for his own name’s sake, yet he will remember and requite all your present and following wickedness, and hath a dreadful judgment in store for you. Upon thee; for part of this Assyrian storm fell in Ahaz’s reign, 2 Chron. 28:20.

In that day; known to God, and appointed by him for the execution of these judgments. Shall hiss: See Poole “Isa. 5:26”. The fly; the flies. So he calls these enemies, to imply either their great numbers, or their speedy march, or their unavoidable assault.

They; the flies, and especially the bees. Shall rest all of them; they shall have an easy victory; few or none of them shall be slain in the attempt. The desolate valleys; either, 1. Such as were and had long been desolate.

Shave with a razor, i.e. utterly spoil and destroy, as shaving takes away all the hair, and leaves not any thing of it visible, as there is when the hair is only cut or polled. Hired; either, 1. By Ahaz, who did hire them, 2 Kings 16:7–8.

This and the following verse contain either, 1. A mitigation of the foregoing calamity, or some comfort for the remainders of the people, after the public devastation; or rather, 2.

For the abundance of milk that they shall give; because they shall have excellent and large pastures, by reason of the great scarcity of cattle; whereas formerly their lands were ofttimes overstocked with cattle. Butter and honey may be here mentioned, either, 1.

A thousand vines at a thousand silverings; or, pieces of silver, as the same word is commonly rendered. Whereby we may understand either, 1. So many pounds; a pound for each vineyard, to wit, for the annual rent. Or, 2.

With arrows and with bows; either to hunt, or to defend themselves from wild beasts, which commonly abide in such desolate and overgrown grounds.

That shall be digged; or, that were digged, to wit, formerly; that used to be digged and dressed for the planting of vines, or other choice fruit trees.