Isaiah 7:16
New International Version
for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

New Living Translation
For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.

English Standard Version
For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

Berean Standard Bible
For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

King James Bible
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

New King James Version
For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

New American Standard Bible
For before the boy knows enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned.

NASB 1995
“For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

NASB 1977
“For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

Legacy Standard Bible
For before the boy will know to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

Amplified Bible
For before the child will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land (Canaan) whose two kings you dread will be deserted [both Ephraim and Aram].

Christian Standard Bible
For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned.

American Standard Version
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou abhorrest shall be forsaken.

English Revised Version
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou abhorrest shall be forsaken.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Indeed, before the boy knows how to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings who terrify you will be deserted.

Good News Translation
Even before that time comes, the lands of those two kings who terrify you will be deserted.

International Standard Version
However, before the youth knows enough to reject what's wrong and choose what's right, the land whose two kings you dread will be devastated."

Majority Standard Bible
For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

NET Bible
Here is why this will be so: Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land whose two kings you fear will be desolate.

New Heart English Bible
For before the child knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken.

Webster's Bible Translation
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken by both her kings.

World English Bible
For before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For before the youth knows "" To refuse evil, and to fix on good, "" The land you are distressed with is forsaken, because of her two kings.

Young's Literal Translation
For before the youth doth know To refuse evil, and to fix on good, Forsaken is the land thou art vexed with, because of her two kings.

Smith's Literal Translation
For before the boy shall know to reject in evil and to choose in good the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken from the face of its two kings.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For before the child know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good, the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of the face of her two kings.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But even before the boy knows to refuse evil and to choose good, the land that you detest will be abandoned by the face of her two kings.

New American Bible
for before the child learns to reject evil and choose good, the land of those two kings whom you dread shall be deserted.

New Revised Standard Version
For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are harassed shall be forsaken.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because before the boy will know to reject the evil and to choose the good, the land that you loathe shall be forsaken from before its two Kings
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Yea, before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou hast a horror of shall be forsaken.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For before the child shall know good or evil, he refuses evil, to choose the good; and the land shall be forsaken which thou art afraid of because of the two kings.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Sign of Immanuel
15By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey. 16For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

Cross References
Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

2 Kings 16:5-9
Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. / At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram, drove out the men of Judah, and sent the Edomites into Elath, where they live to this day. / So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.” ...

2 Kings 15:29-30
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria. / Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.

2 Kings 15:37
(In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.)

2 Kings 16:1-4
In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah. / Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God. / Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. ...

2 Kings 16:10-18
Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. On seeing the altar in Damascus, King Ahaz sent Uriah the priest a model of the altar and complete plans for its construction. / And Uriah the priest built the altar according to all the instructions King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, and he completed it before King Ahaz returned. / When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it. ...

2 Chronicles 28:5-8
So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. / For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. / Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, Azrikam the governor of the palace, and Elkanah the second to the king. ...

2 Chronicles 28:16-21
At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king of Assyria. / The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away captives. / The Philistines had also raided the cities of the foothills and the Negev of Judah, capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages. ...

2 Chronicles 28:22-25
In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. / He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But these gods were the downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel. / Then Ahaz gathered up the articles of the house of God, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of the house of the LORD, and set up altars of his own on every street corner in Jerusalem. ...

Isaiah 8:4
For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”

Isaiah 8:7-8
the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks. / It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!

Isaiah 9:1-2
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations: / The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

Isaiah 10:5-6
Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. / I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

Isaiah 10:9-11
“Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? / As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria, / and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”

Isaiah 11:1-5
Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. / The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. / And He will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not decide by what His ears hear, ...


Treasury of Scripture

For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that you abhor shall be forsaken of both her kings.

before

Deuteronomy 1:39
Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

Jonah 4:11
And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

the land

Isaiah 8:4
For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

Isaiah 9:11
Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;

Isaiah 17:1-3
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap…

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Abhor Abhorrest Boy Child Choose Decision Deserted Dread Enough Evil Fearest Fearing Fix Forsaken Good Horror Kings Laid Refuse Reject Right Vexed Waste Wrong Youth
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Abhor Abhorrest Boy Child Choose Decision Deserted Dread Enough Evil Fearest Fearing Fix Forsaken Good Horror Kings Laid Refuse Reject Right Vexed Waste Wrong Youth
Isaiah 7
1. Ahaz, being troubled with fear of Rezin and Pekah, is comforted by Isaiah
10. Ahaz, having liberty to choose a sign, and refusing it, has for a sign, Christ promised
17. His judgment is prophesied to come by Assyria














For before the boy knows enough to reject evil and choose good
This phrase speaks to the innocence and developmental stage of a child. In Hebrew, the word for "boy" is "na'ar," which often refers to a young child or youth. The concept of knowing to "reject evil and choose good" implies a moral awakening or the age of accountability. In the context of Isaiah, this is a prophetic sign given to King Ahaz, indicating a specific timeframe. Theologically, it underscores the belief in an inherent moral law written on the hearts of individuals, as echoed in Romans 2:15. This phrase also foreshadows the coming of the Messiah, who would perfectly embody the rejection of evil and the choice of good.

the land of the two kings you dread
This refers to the kingdoms of Aram (Syria) and Israel, whose kings were Rezin and Pekah, respectively. Historically, these two kingdoms had formed an alliance against Judah, causing fear and anxiety for King Ahaz and his people. The phrase "you dread" highlights the palpable fear and political tension of the time. Theologically, it serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty over nations and His ability to bring about His purposes despite human fear and opposition. It also reassures believers that God is aware of their fears and is actively working to address them.

will be laid waste
The Hebrew root for "laid waste" is "shamem," which means to be desolate or devastated. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Assyrian Empire conquered both Aram and Israel, leading to their downfall. This phrase serves as a powerful reminder of the transient nature of earthly powers and the ultimate authority of God over history. From a spiritual perspective, it encourages believers to place their trust in God rather than in human alliances or strength. It also points to the theme of divine justice, where God intervenes to bring about His righteous judgment on nations that oppose His will.

(16) For before the child shall know . . .--The words imply the age of approaching manhood, and predict the downfall of Pekah and Rezin, as the longer period of Isaiah 7:8 predicted the entire downfall and annihilation of one of the two kingdoms which they represented. The words "good and evil" are better taken of moral choice (Genesis 3:5; Deuteronomy 1:39) rather than (with some critics, who appeal to 2Samuel 19:35) of the child's discernment of food as pleasant or the reverse. (See Genesis 2:9; 1Kings 3:9.) . . . Verse 16. - The land, etc. Translate, The land shall be desolate, before whose two kings thou art afraid. The "land" must certainly be that of the two confederate kings, Rezin and Pekah, the Syro-Ephraim-itic land, or Syria and Samaria. "Desolate" may be used physically or politically. A land is "desolate" politically when it loses the last vestige of independence.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֠י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

before
בְּטֶ֨רֶם (bə·ṭe·rem)
Preposition-b | Adverb
Strong's 2962: Non-occurrence, not yet, before

the boy
הַנַּ֛עַר (han·na·‘ar)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

knows [enough]
יֵדַ֥ע (yê·ḏa‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

to reject
מָאֹ֥ס (mā·’ōs)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 3988: To spurn, to disappear

evil
בָּרָ֖ע (bā·rā‘)
Preposition-b, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

and choose
וּבָחֹ֣ר (ū·ḇā·ḥōr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 977: To try, select

good,
בַּטּ֑וֹב (baṭ·ṭō·wḇ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

the land
הָאֲדָמָה֙ (hā·’ă·ḏā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 127: Ground, land

of the two
שְׁנֵ֥י (šə·nê)
Number - mdc
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

kings
מְלָכֶֽיהָ׃ (mə·lā·ḵe·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

you
אַתָּ֣ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

dread
קָ֔ץ (qāṣ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6973: To feel a loathing, abhorrence, or sickening dread

will be laid waste.
תֵּעָזֵ֤ב (tê·‘ā·zêḇ)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 7:16 For before the child knows to refuse (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 7:15
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