Isaiah 7:3

7:3 So the Lord told Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub 1  and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 2 

Isaiah 7:16

7:16 Here is why this will be so: 3  Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land 4  whose two kings you fear will be desolate. 5 

1 tn The name means “a remnant will return.” Perhaps in this context, where the Lord is trying to encourage Ahaz, the name suggests that only a few of the enemy invaders will return home; the rest will be defeated.

2 tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “the Washerman’s Field.”

3 tn Heb “for, because.” The particle introduces the entire following context (vv. 16-25), which explains why Immanuel will be an appropriate name for the child, why he will eat sour milk and honey, and why experiencing such a diet will contribute to his moral development.

4 sn Since “two kings” are referred to later in the verse, the “land” must here refer to Syria-Israel.

5 tn Heb “the land will be abandoned, which you fear because of its two kings.” After the verb קוּץ (quts, “loathe, dread”) the phrase מִפְּנֵי (mipney, “from before”) introduces the cause of loathing/dread (see Gen 27:46; Exod 1:12; Num 22:3).