Bible Strands
Isaiah 7:24
Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah delivers this oracle to King Ahaz and the house of David during a military crisis, declaring that the promised territory will become unusable for agriculture. The prophecy addresses Judah’s reliance on political alliances rather than divine protection.
The words — שָׁמִיר (sha.Mir) = thorn[s] and שַׁיִת (Sha.yit) = bush[es] denote the invasive vegetation that will replace cultivated vines. These terms specify the physical mechanism of the land’s desolation.
The thread — The imagery of bow and arrow appears in Genesis 27:3 as hunting gear, contrasting with Isaiah’s depiction of weapons used in a ruined landscape. The progression of briers and thorns expands from Isaiah 7:23 to Isaiah 7:25, showing a complete shift from crop production to uncultivated pasture.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine judgment operates through tangible economic and agricultural collapse. Readers must accept that spiritual rebellion yields concrete ruin, requiring a reevaluation of security and a cessation of reliance on human alliances.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.
Cross-references
- Genesis 27:3 Take your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me.