Isaiah 7 20

Isaiah 7:20 kjv

In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.

Isaiah 7:20 nkjv

In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, With those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, The head and the hair of the legs, And will also remove the beard.

Isaiah 7:20 niv

In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River?the king of Assyria?to shave your heads and private parts, and to cut off your beards also.

Isaiah 7:20 esv

In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River ? with the king of Assyria ? the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.

Isaiah 7:20 nlt

In that day the Lord will hire a "razor" from beyond the Euphrates River ? the king of Assyria ? and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.

Isaiah 7 verses

Isaiah 7 20 meaning

Isaiah 7:20 foretells a comprehensive and humiliating judgment upon Judah. Through the prophet, the Lord declares He will "hire" the king of Assyria, likening him to a razor that will shave clean Judah's head, leg hair, and beard. This imagery signifies a complete stripping away of honor, dignity, and power, leaving the people utterly exposed and disgraced, a consequence of their refusal to trust God and their reliance on foreign alliances.

Isaiah 7 20 Context

Isaiah chapter 7 primarily records a critical period in Judah's history: the Syro-Ephraimite War (around 734-732 BCE). King Ahaz of Judah faced an imminent threat from the allied forces of Rezin, King of Aram (Syria), and Pekah, King of Israel (Ephraim), who sought to depose Ahaz and install a puppet king. Amidst this terror, God, through the prophet Isaiah, repeatedly urges Ahaz to trust solely in Him and not to fear the hostile coalition. God offers Ahaz a sign of His assurance, but Ahaz defiantly refuses, masking his unbelief with a feigned piety. Instead of trusting God, Ahaz resolves to form an alliance with Tiglath-Pileser III, the powerful king of Assyria, inviting him to intervene against Aram and Israel. This act of distrust and political reliance on a foreign, pagan power seals Judah's fate. Verse 20 comes as part of God's stern warning immediately following Ahaz's rejection of God's sign. It explicitly declares that the very power Ahaz seeks for protection – Assyria – will become God's instrument for Judah's devastating judgment, symbolized by a complete, humiliating shaving, much worse than the initial threat Ahaz faced. The subsequent verses (Isa 7:21-25) continue the prophecy, detailing further economic desolation and reversion to a wild, uncultivated state, emphasizing the total destruction awaiting Judah due to its unfaithfulness.

Isaiah 7 20 Word analysis

• In that day (וַיְהִי֙ בַּיּוֹם֙ הַהוּא - vayhi bayom hahu): A common prophetic marker, signaling a future time of divine intervention, often judgment or salvation. Here, it signifies the certainty and definitiveness of the impending judgment.
• the Lord (אֲדֹנָ֥י - Adonai): Emphasizes God's sovereign authority and ownership of the impending actions. It is not fate or chance, but a deliberate act of the divine ruler.
• will shave (יְגַלַּ֤ח - yegal'lach): The Piel stem (intensive action) verb means "to shave off," "to make bare." It implies a complete and thorough depilation, not merely a trim. The act is painful, deliberate, and public.
• with a razor (בְּתַ֙עַר֙ - b'ta'ar): The instrument. A common razor (often a sharpened piece of flint or metal). Its presence highlights the violent and precise nature of the act.
• that is hired (הַשְּׂכִירָ֔ה - has'chira): This active participle is crucial. It directly describes the razor (and by extension, the king of Assyria) as "the hired one" or "that which is hired." It underscores that Assyria is not acting independently but as a tool in God's hand, operating according to His divine will, even if Assyria itself is unaware. God "pays" Assyria by giving them spoils, fulfilling His own purpose.
• from beyond the River (מֵעֵ֖בֶר הַנָּהָ֑ר - me'ever han'nahar): "The River" typically refers to the Euphrates in biblical geography. This phrase unequivocally points to Assyria, whose empire lay beyond this major river from Judah's perspective, emphasizing their foreign and formidable origin.
• by the king of Assyria (מֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר - melekh Ashur): Explicitly identifies the specific human agent of this divine judgment. God names the enemy, showing His knowledge and control over all nations.
• the head (אֶת־הָרֹ֤אשׁ - et ha'rosh): The highest, most honorable part of the body. Shaving the head symbolizes extreme shame, loss of dignity, and mourning in ancient Near Eastern cultures. It suggests Judah's leadership and highest pride will be attacked.
• and the hair of the legs (וְאֵת֙ שַׂ֣עַר הָרַגְלַ֔יִם - v'et se'ar ha'raglayim): This imagery signifies a thorough, complete shaving from head to toe. Hair on the legs, though less visible, represents every part of the body, implying no part of Judah will escape this humiliation or destruction. It conveys utter and complete stripping.
• and will also consume the beard (וְגַ֥ם אֶת־הַזָּקָ֖ן יִסְפֶּֽה - v'gam et ha'zaqan yispeh): The beard was a sacred symbol of a man's honor, masculinity, wisdom, and authority in ancient Israel. To have one's beard shaved or removed was the ultimate act of public humiliation, shame, and defilement (e.g., 2 Sam 10:4-5). "Consume" (יִסְפֶּֽה - yispeh, sometimes translated as "sweep away" or "destroy utterly") emphasizes the complete eradication of honor.

Words-group analysis:

• "The Lord will shave with a razor that is hired... by the king of Assyria": This entire phrase emphatically asserts God's ultimate sovereignty. Ahaz thinks he is "hiring" Assyria for protection, but God reveals He is hiring Assyria to accomplish His judgment. Assyria is a mere instrument, not an independent agent, operating under God's command.
• "The head and the hair of the legs and will also consume the beard": This triplicate phrasing ("head," "leg hair," "beard") powerfully conveys the idea of total, undeniable, and complete depilation, signifying utter and comprehensive humiliation. It means "everything from head to toe," leaving no aspect of honor, identity, or power untouched.

Isaiah 7 20 Bonus section

The act of shaving or depilation carried immense symbolic weight in the ancient Near East, going beyond mere hygiene. For a free Israelite male, an unshorn beard was a sign of dignity, maturity, and a mark of social standing. Priests, in particular, had specific regulations about their hair and beards (Lev 21:5). A full head of hair or beard could also signify a Nazarite vow (Num 6). Therefore, the forced removal of hair from the entire body by an invading foreign power was not just a physical act but a profound spiritual and social desecration, stripping the individual and nation of their very identity and status before God and other peoples. This type of humiliation was typically inflicted upon prisoners of war or slaves, underlining Judah's predicted state of subservience and degradation. The severity of the prophecy highlighted how grave Ahaz's rejection of God truly was, foreshadowing not just physical devastation but a deeply wounding spiritual and communal shame.

Isaiah 7 20 Commentary

Isaiah 7:20 delivers a powerful, stark prophecy of impending judgment, a direct consequence of King Ahaz's stubborn unbelief and reliance on political alliances over divine faithfulness. God, using vivid and culturally potent imagery of a "hired razor," declares that the very nation Ahaz sought for salvation – Assyria – will become the instrument of Judah's devastating humiliation. Shaving the head, leg hair, and especially the beard was the ultimate ancient act of disgrace, public shame, and loss of honor, equating to complete stripping of dignity and power. This prophetic warning emphasizes God's supreme sovereignty over all nations, even pagan empires like Assyria, whom He orchestrates to fulfill His righteous judgments. It serves as a dire reminder that forsaking God's trust for human alliances inevitably leads to ruin and deep disgrace.