Isaiah 7:24

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 7:24 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “With arrows and with bow shall one come thither, because all the land shall be briers and thorns.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

With arrows and with bow shall one come thither, because all the land shall be briers and thorns.
Isaiah 7:24 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 7

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
24With arrows and with bow shall one come thither, because all the land shall be briers and thorns.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“With arrows and with bows shall [men] come thither, &c.] For fear of wild beasts, serpents, and scorpions, as Jarchi; or in order to hunt them, as others; or because of thieves and robbers, as Aben Ezra: because all the land shall become briers and thorns; among which such creatures, and such sort of men, would hide themselves.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“It shall become a vast hunting ground, abounding in wild beasts (compare Jer 49:19).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“With arrows and with bows ... - This is a continuation of the description of its desolation. So entirely would it be abandoned, so utterly desolate would it be, that it would become a vast hunting-ground. It would be covered with shrubs and trees that would afford a convenient covert for wild beasts; and would yield to its few inhabitants a subsistence, not by cultivation, but by the bow and the arrow. There can scarcely be a more striking description of utter desolation. But, perhaps, the long captivity of seventy years in Babylon literally fulfilled it. Judea was a land that, at all times, was subject to depredations from wild beasts. On the banks of the Jordan - in the marshes, and amid…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“With arrows - Either to hunt, or to defend themselves from wild beasts, which commonly abide in desolate grounds. Isaiah 7:25”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Gen 27:3 Isaiah 7:25”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification