Isaiah 7:10-14
Chapter 7
10
Second Warning: The Sign of Immanuel
Again the Lord addressed Ahaz:11
“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether it comes from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.”
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But Ahaz answered: “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord.”
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Then Isaiah said: “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied in testing the patience of people, and now you also test the patience of my God?
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Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The young woman is with child and bears a son and calls him Immanuel.
Commentaries
Second Warning: The Sign of Immanuel – Assyrian Invasion.
Ahaz is a very young king (cf. 2 Kgs 16:2). The political situation overwhelms him. The kings of Samaria and Syria declare war on him to depose him and replace him with another king, thus cutting off the Davidic dynasty. The prophecy that the king does not want to hear assures him that the Davidic line will remain on the throne. As for the child’s mother, she is a “virgin” (according to the Greek text) or a maiden ready for marriage, as in the case of Rebecca in Genesis 24:14-16. The evangelists Matthew and Luke draw on this tradition to interpret the birth of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah (cf. Mt 1:16, 18; Lk 1:26-34). This mysterious and anonymous woman is also mentioned by the prophet Micah in the same messianic context (Mi 5:2).
Verses 18-25 contain a series of four prophecies, each introduced by the phrase “in that day” or “in those days” (18, 20, 21, 23). Note that here, the ones involved in war are no longer the Syro-Ephraimites, but Egypt and the Southern Kingdom. The mention of milk and honey brings to mind the days of the desert once again. The desert is highly symbolic. Was it not in the desert that the Lord created a nation? Will it not be necessary to return to the desert for the people to reconnect with their source and renew their covenant with God? (cf. Hos 2:14ff).