Revised Literal Translation
Isaiah 7:12
12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt Yhwh.
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
10Moreover Yhwh spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11Ask thee a sign of Yhwh thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt Yhwh. 13And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Read all of Isaiah 7Isaiah 7:12 word by word
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָחָ֑ז לֹא־אֶשְׁאַ֥ל וְלֹֽא־אֲנַסֶּ֖ה אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Isaiah 7:12
- 2 Kings 16:15And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.
- 2 Chronicles 28:22And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against Yhwh: this is that king Ahaz.
- Ezekiel 33:31And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
- Deuteronomy 6:16Ye shall not tempt Yhwh your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
- Malachi 3:15And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
- Acts 5:9Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
- 1 Corinthians 10:9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
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
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
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
Commentaries