Isaiah 7 21

Isaiah 7:21 kjv

And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;

Isaiah 7:21 nkjv

It shall be in that day That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;

Isaiah 7:21 niv

In that day, a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.

Isaiah 7:21 esv

In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep,

Isaiah 7:21 nlt

In that day a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep or goats left.

Isaiah 7 verses

Isaiah 7 21 meaning

Isaiah 7:21 depicts a future state of extreme desolation and scarcity in the land of Judah. It portrays a time when the population will be drastically reduced and the land largely overgrown, making extensive agriculture or large-scale livestock keeping impossible. The verse specifically illustrates that a man will be able to sustain only a single young cow and two sheep, representing a severe decline to a mere subsistence level, far from the previous prosperity and abundance. This imagery signifies the consequences of divine judgment brought upon the nation due to its unbelief and refusal to trust God.

Isaiah 7 21 Context

Isaiah 7 is set during the Syro-Ephraimitic War (around 734 BCE). King Ahaz of Judah is threatened by a coalition of King Rezin of Aram (Syria) and King Pekah of Israel (Ephraim). These northern kingdoms aim to depose Ahaz and install a puppet king, the "son of Tabeel." Amidst Ahaz's fear and plans to seek aid from Assyria (against God's command), the prophet Isaiah is sent by God to reassure Ahaz, urging him to trust in Yahweh. Isaiah offers Ahaz a sign of deliverance, but Ahaz refuses, citing a desire not to "test the Lord" – an excuse masking his true intention to rely on foreign alliances.

Because of Ahaz's unbelief and decision to trust in Assyria instead of God, Isaiah prophesies not just deliverance from Aram and Israel, but also that Assyria, the chosen ally, will become an instrument of God's judgment upon Judah itself. The chapter includes the famous "Immanuel" prophecy (Isa 7:14) as a sign of God's presence, despite the impending judgment. Verses 18-25 then describe the severity of this future judgment, illustrating that the land, once productive, will be devastated and reduced to wilderness by various agents (the "fly" from Egypt and the "bee" from Assyria). The prophecy uses vivid agricultural and pastoral imagery to describe a complete upheaval of life, with fertile fields reverting to briars and thorns. Verse 21, specifically, provides a picture of the economic reality of this future desolation, highlighting the stark conditions that will prevail after the invasions.

Isaiah 7 21 Word analysis

• And it shall come to pass in that day (וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, v'hayah bayom hahu)

  • And it shall come to pass: A very common prophetic formula, signaling a future event. It introduces a solemn pronouncement of what God will bring about. It implies certainty.
  • in that day: A frequently used phrase in prophetic literature, it refers to a specific, often divinely ordained, future period. It can be a near historical judgment or an eschatological time of the Lord. Here, it primarily points to the consequences of Assyrian invasion, which was imminent for Judah. It denotes a period of significant divine action and change.

• that a man (אִישׁ, ish)

  • a man: Singular, emphasizing individual experience. It underscores that this condition of scarcity will affect every person, not just a collective population. It strips away the grandeur of kings and the collective identity, focusing on personal struggle for survival.

• shall nourish (יְחַיֶּה, y'chayeh)

  • nourish: From the root חָיָה (ḥāyâ), meaning "to live," "to keep alive," "to sustain." The Piel conjugation intensifies the action, meaning "to cause to live," "to preserve life," or "to nourish carefully." This is not just having animals but actively keeping them alive under difficult circumstances, suggesting effort and scarcity. It speaks to a deep personal involvement in basic subsistence, a reversal of times of ease and plenty.

• a young cow (עֶגְלַת, ʿeglat)

  • a young cow: Specifically a heifer, a young female cow, typically kept for milk production, and eventually, calves. The singular emphasizes how little an individual will possess. This is a basic food source, a critical one in a time of shortage. The scarcity implied by 'a young cow' is stark when compared to herds typically owned by prosperous individuals or communities.

• and two sheep (וּשְׁתֵּי צֹאן, ush'tei tsōn)

  • and two: A small, specified number, highlighting extreme limitation. Not a flock, but merely two.
  • sheep: The Hebrew tsōn is a collective noun often translated as "flock" or "sheep" or "sheep and goats." Here, coupled with "two," it refers to only two individual animals of this category. These provide basic sustenance like milk, wool, and potential meat. The number is minuscule for any agricultural society and powerfully illustrates the economic collapse.

• Words-group by words-group analysis

  • "And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish...": This opening sets a somber, definitive tone. It's a prophetic declaration of future hardship, individually experienced. The "nourish" highlights active effort required, suggesting difficulty even in keeping these few animals alive, implying scarcity of fodder or constant vigilance in a wilder landscape.
  • "...a young cow, and two sheep": This precise and very small count stands in stark contrast to the typical biblical descriptions of prosperity, where a person might have numerous "flocks and herds" (e.g., Gen 13:2, 26:14). It points to an agricultural and pastoral economy reduced to bare survival. This represents a complete collapse from former abundance, implying vast swathes of land no longer suitable for large-scale grazing or cultivation due to depopulation, desolation, or an abundance of thorns and thistles (as indicated in Isa 7:23-25).

Isaiah 7 21 Bonus section

The specific numbers ("a young cow," "two sheep") are significant not just for their smallness but also for their symbolism. A young cow represents a source of daily milk, vital for family sustenance, while sheep provide both milk and wool, essential for clothing in an era without textile industries. The pair of sheep might also ensure reproduction for a continuous, albeit small, supply. This picture of minimal subsistence also resonates with other prophetic passages where national wealth and agricultural output are drastically reduced as a consequence of sin (e.g., Mic 6:14-15; Hag 1:6). The very smallness of the holdings serves as a powerful reminder of how far the nation has fallen from its covenantal blessings of fruitfulness and abundance due to its choice of reliance on human strength over divine faithfulness.

Isaiah 7 21 Commentary

Isaiah 7:21 is a striking image within a broader prophecy of divine judgment on Judah. Following Ahaz's refusal to trust God and his decision to rely on Assyria, Isaiah foretells a comprehensive desolation. This verse illustrates the economic aftermath: the once fertile and populated land will become so desolate and sparsely inhabited that large-scale farming and herding will cease. The survival of any individual will be reduced to sustaining merely a young cow and two sheep. This signifies an agricultural and pastoral society returning to an almost primeval, subsistence level. The "nourishing" implies personal, intensive effort to keep these few animals alive, contrasting with a time of abundance where animals thrived with less effort. This condition reflects the dire consequences of national disobedience and unbelief, transforming a land of plenty into one of hardship and basic survival, a stark reversal of God's blessings (Lev 26:26, Deut 28:38-40). The very limited number of livestock also implies a drastically reduced human population and vast tracts of land that have reverted to wilderness, fit only for minimal grazing.