Isaiah 7:12

Isaiah 7:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”

Context of Isaiah 7:12

10Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: 11“Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.” But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.” 13Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? 14All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Isaiah 7:12 word by word

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָחָ֑ז לֹא־אֶשְׁאַ֥ל וְלֹֽא־אֲנַסֶּ֖ה אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But Ahazאָחָז'âchâz · AhazH271
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• I will not askשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
• neither will I temptאֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• neither will I temptנָסָהnâsâh · to testH5254
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for Isaiah 7:12

• 2 Kings 16:15He told Uriah the priest, “Use the new altar for the morning sacrifices of burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and grain offering, and the burnt offerings of all the people, as well as their grain offerings and liquid offerings. Sprinkle the blood from all the burnt offerings and sacrifices on the new altar. The bronze altar will be for my personal use only.”
• 2 Chronicles 28:22Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord.
• Ezekiel 33:31So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money.
• Deuteronomy 6:16You must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah.
• Malachi 3:15From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”
• Acts 5:9And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:9Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites.

Commentaries on Isaiah 7:12

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12I will not ask - In this case Ahaz assumed the appearance of piety, or respect for the command of God. In Deuteronomy 6:16, it is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God;‘ and Ahaz perhaps had this command in his eye. It was a professed reverence for God. But the true reason why he did not seek this sign was, that he had already entered into a negotiation with the king of Assyria to come and defend him; and that he was even stripping the temple of…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. 12I will not test the LORD: Ahaz’s answer sounded respectful and faithful (based on Deuteronomy 6:16. However, Ahaz was likely already speaking with the Assyrians. He had probably already decided to trust them for help in this war. His response sounded spiritual and proper, but his actions showed that he did not plan to trust the Lord.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. neither ... tempt--hypocritical pretext of keeping the law (De 6:16); "tempt," that is, put God to the proof, as in Mt 4:7, by seeking His miraculous interposition without warrant. But here there was the warrant of the prophet of God; to have asked a sign, when thus offered, would not have been a tempting of God. Ahaz' true reason for declining was his resolve not to do God's will, but to negotiate with Assyria, and persevere in his idolatry (2Ki…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 7:12

• Hypocrisy
• Isaiah
• Pekah
• Syria

In the dictionaries

• Ahaz
• Confederate
• Fainthearted
• Alliance
• Commentaries
• Damascus
• Divination
• Ezekiel
• Immanuel
• Isaiah

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