English Standard Version
Isaiah 7:15
15He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
Isaiah 7:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
- New International Version (NIV)He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
- New Living Translation (NLT)By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey.
Context of Isaiah 7:15
13And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!"
Read all of Isaiah 7Isaiah 7:15 word by word
חֶמְאָ֥ה וּדְבַ֖שׁ יֹאכֵ֑ל לְדַעְתּ֛וֹ מָא֥וֹס בָּרָ֖ע וּבָח֥וֹר בַּטּֽוֹב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 7:15
- Isaiah 7:22and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey.
- Matthew 3:4Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
- Psalms 51:5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
- Amos 5:15Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
- Luke 1:35And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
- Luke 2:40And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
- Romans 12:9Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
- Philippians 1:9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
Commentaries on Isaiah 7:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15That he may know "When he shall know" - "Though so much has been written on this important passage, there is an obscurity and inconsequence which still attends it, in the general run of all the interpretations given to it by the most learned. And this obscure incoherence is given to it by the false rendering of a Hebrew particle, viz., ל le, in לדעתו ledato . This has been generally rendered, either 'that he may know,' or 'till he know.' It is capable of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Butter and honey - The word rendered “butter” (חמאה chem'âh ), denotes not butter, but thick and curdled milk. This was the common mode of using milk as an article of food in the East, and is still. In no passage in the Old Testament does butter seem to be meant by the word. Jarchi says, that this circumstance denotes a state of plenty, meaning that the land should yield its usual increase notwithstanding the threatened invasion. Eustatius on this place…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-16Verses 10-16 Secret disaffection to God is often disguised with the colour of respect to him; and those who are resolved that they will not trust God, yet pretend they will not tempt him. The prophet reproved Ahaz and his court, for the little value they had for Divine revelation. Nothing is more grievous to God than distrust, but the unbelief of man shall not make the promise of God of no effect; the Lord himself shall give a sign. How great soever your…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16By the time He knows enough: The crisis with the alliance of Syria and Israel against Judah occurred in 734 BC. By 732 BC, Damascus, the capital of Syria, was destroyed. Israel, the northern kingdom, was also defeated. to reject evil and choose good: This was to happen by age 12, when a child was considered an adult. In 722 BC, Israel went into exile. He will be eating curds and honey: The land would lose so many people that food would become easy to…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. Butter--rather, curdled milk, the acid of which is grateful in the heat of the East (Job 20:17). honey--abundant in Palestine (Jud 14:8; 1Sa 14:25; Mt 3:4). Physicians directed that the first food given to a child should be honey, the next milk [Barnabas, Epistle]. Horsley takes this as implying the real humanity of the Immanuel Jesus Christ, about to be fed as other infants (Lu 2:52). Is 7:22 shows that besides the fitness of milk and honey for…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 7:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries