New King James Version
Isaiah 7:4
4and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.
Isaiah 7:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
- New International Version (NIV)Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And say to him, 'Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah.
Context of Isaiah 7:4
2And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind. 3Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6“Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”—
Read all of Isaiah 7Isaiah 7:4 word by word
וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵ֠לָיו הִשָּׁמֵ֨ר וְהַשְׁקֵ֜ט אַל־תִּירָ֗א וּלְבָבְךָ֙ אַל־יֵרַ֔ךְ מִשְּׁנֵ֨י זַנְב֧וֹת הָאוּדִ֛ים הָעֲשֵׁנִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה בָּחֳרִי־אַ֛ף רְצִ֥ין וַאֲרָ֖ם וּבֶן־רְמַלְיָֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto him, Take heedשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: carefulH8104
- and be quietשָׁקַטshâqaţ · to quietH8252
- fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
- not, neither be faintheartedלֵבָבlêbâb · heartH3824
- not, neither be faintheartedרָכַךְrâkak · be tenderH7401
- for the twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- tailsזָנָבzânâb · tailH2180
- of these smokingעָשֵׁן‛âshên · smokingH6226
- firebrandsאוּד'ûd · firebrandH181
- for the fierceחֳרִיchŏrîy · burningH2750
- angerאַף'aph · face: angerH639
- of Rezinרְצִיןretsîyn · RezinH7526
- with Syriaאֲרָם'ărâm · SyriaH758
- and of the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of Remaliahרְמַלְיָ֜הוּremalyâhû · RemaliahH7425
Cross-references for Isaiah 7:4
- Isaiah 30:7For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab-Hem-Shebeth.
- Exodus 14:13And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.
- 2 Chronicles 20:17You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”
- Lamentations 3:26It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.
- Isaiah 8:11For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
- Isaiah 35:4Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”
- Isaiah 41:14“Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 51:12“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?
- Matthew 10:28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
- Matthew 24:6And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
- Deuteronomy 20:3And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them;
- 1 Samuel 17:32Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
- Isaiah 7:8For the head of Syria is Damascus, And the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, So that it will not be a people.
- Isaiah 8:4for before the child shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”
- 2 Kings 15:29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maachah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.
- Amos 4:11“I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord.
Commentaries on Isaiah 7:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The Syriac omits וארם vearam, "and Syria;" the Vulgate reads ארם מלך melech aram, "king of Syria:" one or the other seems to be the true reading. I prefer the former: or, instead of ובן וארם vearam uben, read בן ופקח vepekach ben, and pekah son, MS.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Take heed - Hebrew Keep thyself;‘ that is, from fear. Neither be fainthearted - Hebrew, Let not thy heart be tender;‘ that is, let it not be easily moved; be strong, fearless. For the tails - There is much beauty and force in this comparison. The “design” of Isaiah is to diminish the fear of Ahaz. Instead, therefore, of calling them “firebrands” - burning and setting on fire everything in their way - he calls them the “tails, that is, the ends,” or…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Do not be afraid: This was a “do not fear” prophecy, which appears often in Isaiah. In these messages, the Lord assures his people that he is with them and will carry out his plan. two smoldering stubs of firewood: This image shows that Rezin and Pekah were weak threats. If Ahaz had trusted God’s view, he would have seen that they were about to disappear.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Take heed, &c.--that is, See that thou be quiet (not seeking Assyrian aid in a fit of panic). tails--mere ends of firebrands, almost consumed themselves (about soon to fall before the Assyrians, Is 7:8), therefore harmless. smoking--as about to go out; not blazing. son of Remaliah--Pekah, a usurper (2Ki 15:25). The Easterners express contempt by designating one, not by his own name, but by his father's, especially when the father is but little known…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 7:4
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries