Lexical Summary Shear Yashub: A remnant will return Original Word: שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Shear-jashub From sh'ar and shuwb; a remnant will return; Shear-Jashub, the symbolic name of one of Isaiah's sons -- Shear-jashub. see HEBREW sh'ar see HEBREW shuwb NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shear and shub Definition "a remnant shall return," son of Isaiah NASB Translation Shear-jashub (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב proper name, masculine of Isaiah's son Isaiah 7:3 ( = a remnant shall return, compare Isaiah 10:21; ᵐ5 ὁ καταλειφθείς Ἰασουβ). Topical Lexicon Name and Narrative Setting Shear-jashub appears only once as a proper name, in Isaiah 7:3, where Isaiah is sent by the Lord to confront King Ahaz during the Syro-Ephraimite crisis. The boy’s presence, and especially his divinely given name, functions as a prophetic sign: “a remnant will return.” In Isaiah’s ministry his sons are living object lessons (compare Maher-shalal-hash-baz in Isaiah 8:3), their names encapsulating the Lord’s message to Judah. Historical Context Around 734 BC, the kingdoms of Aram (Syria) and Israel (Ephraim) formed an alliance against Assyria and tried to coerce Judah into joining. Ahaz, fearful, considered foreign help. Isaiah meets Ahaz at Jerusalem’s water supply—strategic in siege warfare—accompanied by Shear-jashub. The king is urged to trust the Lord rather than human alliances. The encounter situates the boy within a decisive political and theological moment, stressing that God, not political maneuvering, preserves His people. Prophetic Symbolism of the Remnant The compound message in the name (“remnant” and “return”) balances judgment and hope. Judah’s unbelief will invite devastation, yet God guarantees survival of a faithful core. Isaiah’s later oracle recasts the same wording in Isaiah 10:21-22: “A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.” The proper name in 7:3 thus anticipates later thematic development: exile will purify, but covenant promises remain intact. Theological Themes 1. Covenant Fidelity: The remnant motif confirms that the Abrahamic-Davidic covenants are irrevocable (Genesis 17:7; 2 Samuel 7:15-16). Connections within Scripture • Isaiah 10:20-22 expands Shear-jashub’s meaning to national scale. Christological Implications The Shear-jashub sign precedes the Immanuel sign (Isaiah 7:14). Together they frame a dual assurance: a surviving remnant and a coming child through whom God is “with us.” New Testament writers view Jesus Christ as the true embodiment of God-with-us and the guarantor that a remnant is preserved (Matthew 1:22-23; Romans 11:5). Thus the boy standing beside Isaiah foreshadows the greater Son who secures the return not merely from geographic exile but from sin and death. Ministry and Devotional Application • Encouragement amid Decline: Believers laboring in settings of widespread unbelief can take heart that God always reserves a remnant (1 Kings 19:18). Related Scripture Passages Isaiah 7:3; Isaiah 10:20-22; Isaiah 11:11-12; Micah 2:12; Zephaniah 3:12-13; Romans 9:27; Romans 11:5; Revelation 12:17. Forms and Transliterations יָשׁ֣וּב ישוב yā·šūḇ yaShuv yāšūḇLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 7:3 HEB: אַתָּ֕ה וּשְׁאָ֖ר יָשׁ֣וּב בְּנֶ֑ךָ אֶל־ NAS: you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end KJV: Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, INT: Ahaz you Shear-jashub and your son at |
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