Isaiah 7:21

“And it shall come to pass in that day, &c.] Not in the days of Hezekiah, after the destruction of Sennacherib’s army, when there followed great fruitfulness and plenty, (<233730>Isaiah 37:30,31) as Kimchi and Jarchi interpret it; but in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, after the destruction of Jerusalem, when some poor men were left in the land to till it, (<243910>Jeremiah 39:10) for of these, and not of rich men, are the following words to be understood: [that] a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep; this seems to denote both the scarcity of men and cattle, through the ravages of the army of the Chaldeans; that there should not be large herds and flocks, only a single cow, and two or…”

“THE COMING DESOLATE STATE OF THE LAND OWING TO THE ASSYRIANS AND EGYPTIANS. (Isa 7:21-25) nourish--that is, own. young cow--a heifer giving milk. Agriculture shall cease, and the land become one great pasturage.”

“In that day - In the time specified in the previous verses - in the judgments that should be brought upon the land by the Egyptians and Assyrians. A man shall nourish - Hebrew ‘Make to live:’ that is, he shall own, or feed. A young cow - The Hebrew denotes a heifer that gives milk. The state which is denoted by this is that of great poverty. Instead of being engaged in agriculture, of possessing great resources in that time, a man should depend, for the subsistence of himself and his family, on what a single cow and two sheep would yield. Probably this is intended also as a description of the general state of the nation, that it would be reduced to great poverty. And two sheep - Two here…”

“Sheep - They who formerly used to keep great herds of cattle, and many flocks of sheep, shall esteem it a happiness if they can keep but one cow and two sheep. Isaiah 7:22”

“a man: Isa 7:25, Isa 5:17, Isa 17:2, Isa 37:30; Jer 39:10 Isaiah 7:22”

“"And it will come to pass in that day, that a man will keep a small cow and a couple of sheep; and it comes to pass, for the abundance of the milk they give he will eat cream: for butter and honey will every one eat that is left within the land." The former prosperity would be reduced to the most miserable housekeeping. One man would keep a milch cow and two head of sheep (or goats) alive with the greatest care, the strongest and finest full-grown cattle having fallen into the hands of the foe (היּה, like החיה in other places: shtē, not shnē, because two female sheep or goats are meant). But this would be quite enough, for there would be only a few men left in the land; and as all the land…”