Isaiah 7:16 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

For; or, yea; for so this particle is used by way of amplification or addition, Isaiah 32:13 Jeremiah 14:5,18. So the sense is, Not only this land of thine shall be preserved until the virgin's Son be born, but thine enemy's land shall be sorely scourged, and these two kings destroyed, within a very little time. The child, Heb. this child; not the virgin's Son, but the prophet's child, Shear-jashub, whom in all probability the prophet, to prevent mistakes, pointed at, and who was brought hither by God's special command, Isaiah 7:3, and that for this very use; for otherwise his presence was wholly insignificant. The land; the lands, to wit, of Syria and Israel, as is evident from the next words. It is an enallage of the singular for the plural. That thou abhorrest, for its cruel designs and practices against time. Or, which vexeth or molesteth thee, as this word is used, Exodus 1:12 Numbers 22:3, &c. Shall be forsaken of both her kings; so far shall Pekah and Rezin be from conquering thy land, that they shall lose their own lands, and their lives too; which they did within two years after this time, being both slain by the king of Assyria, 2 Kings 15:29,30 2 Kings 16:9.

Isaiah 7:16

16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.