Isaiah 7:11

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 7:10-16

Here, I. God, by the prophet, makes a gracious offer to Ahaz, to confirm the foregoing predictions, and his faith in them, by such sign or miracle as he should choose (Isa. 7:10, 11): Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; See here the divine faithfulness and veracity. God tells us nothing but what he is able and ready to prove. See his wonderful condescension to the children of men, in that he is so willing to show to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, Heb. 6:17. He considers... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 7:11

Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God ,.... For though Ahaz was a wicked man, yet the Lord was his God, as he was the God of the people of Israel in general, as a nation; and knowing his unbelief and diffidence of his word unto him, offers to confirm it by a sign or miracle: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above , in earth, or in heaven: so the Targum, "ask that a miracle may be done for thee upon earth, or that a sign may be shown thee in heaven;' either that the earth... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 7:11

In the depth "Go deep to the grave" - So Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, and the Vulgate. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:10-13

Sin and duty in regard to signs. The passage is interesting for this among other reasons, that Ahaz is charged with guilt for declining that course the resort to which became the national sin ( 1 Corinthians 1:22 ), and for using words which were afterwards employed by the Savior himself in repelling the attack of the evil one ( Matthew 4:7 ). We are, therefore, reminded— I. THAT THE WORTH OR UNWORTHINESS OF AN ACTION DEPENDS LARGELY ON ITS ATTENDANT ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:10-16

THE SIGN OF IMMANUEL . The supposition that there was a considerable interval between Isaiah 7:9 and Isaiah 7:10 (Cheyne) is quite gratuitous. Nothing in the text marks any such interval. God had sent Ahaz one message by his prophet ( Isaiah 7:4-9 ). It had apparently been received in silence, at any rate without acknowledgment. The faith had seemed to be lacking which should have embraced with gladness the promise given (see the last clause of Isaiah 7:9 ). God, however, will... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:10-17

Faith triumphing over doubt. Faith in the Eternal personified in the prophet, to whom all things desirable are to be hoped for, all things to be hoped for are possible; and distrust, the weakness of mere flesh and blood, represented in the timid Ahaz. Such is the illusion of appearances. The outwardly kingly man is the coward; the real king of men is the plain-looking prophet. I. THE CHALLENGE OF FAITH . In the Name of Jehovah, Isaiah bids the king ask a sign from above—a sign... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:11

Ask thee a sign . Asking for a sign is right or wrong, praiseworthy or blamable, according to the spirit in which the request is made. The Pharisees in our Lord's time "asked for a sign," but would not have believed any the more had they received the sign for which they asked. Gideon asked for a sign to strengthen his faith ( 6:37 , 6:39 ), and received it, and in the strength of it went forth boldly against the Midianites. When God himself proposed to give a sign, and allowed his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:11-14

Rightful and wrongful asking for signs. To ask for a sign is sometimes spoken of in Scripture as indicative of want of faith, and therefore as an offence to God: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign" ( Matthew 12:39 ), "This is an evil generation; they seek a sign" ( Luke 11:29 ). "Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given to this generation" ( Mark 8:12 ). "The Jews... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 7:11

Ask thee - Ask for “thyself;” ask a sign that shall be convincing to “thyself,” since thou dost not fully credit the words of the prophet. It is evident that the words of the prophet had made no impression on the mind of Ahaz. God, therefore, proposes to him to ask any “proof or demonstration” which he might select; anything that would be an indication of divine power that should put what the prophet had said beyond doubt. Had Ahaz put confidence in God, he would have believed what the prophet... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 7:10-12

Isaiah 7:10-12. The Lord spake again unto Ahaz Namely, by Isaiah. “From hence to Isaiah 7:16, we have the confirmation of the promise, by a sign to Ahaz, in the name of God; in which we have, first, the prophet’s address to Ahaz, exhorting him, by the divine command, to ask whatever sign he would, with the reply of Ahaz, Isaiah 7:10-12: and, secondly, a declaration of God’s good pleasure to give an illustrious sign, which he offers rather to the true believers than to a hypocritical and... read more

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