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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Isaiah 7:12

The answer of Ahaz reveals his utter incapacity for the faith which Isaiah demanded. He evidently believes that the sign will happen if he asks it, yet he cannot trust the spiritual fact which lies behind it. He is afraid of being committed to a policy in which he has no confidence, and therefore, under a pretence of reverence, he declines the ordeal. He will not put Jehovah to the proof. To "put Jehovah to the proof" is a mark of unbelief (Exodus 17:7; Deuteronomy 6:16), but to refuse a proof which Jehovah Himself offers is an insult to the divine majesty which exhausts the patience of the Almighty.

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See also Isaiah 7:12 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    I 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...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 7 The Prophet before King Ahaz 1. _The king in trouble (Isaiah 7:1)_ 2. _Isaiah sent and his message (Isaiah 7:3)_ 3. _A sign offered and refused (Isaiah 7:10)_ 4. The sign: The virgin birth...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    ISAIAH GIVES AHAZ THE ENCOURAGING SIGN OF IMMANUEL WHEN HE IS DISMAYED BY THE ALLIANCE OF SYRIA AND EPHRAIM AGAINST HIM. For the historical circumstances see pp. 59, 70f. Apart from Isaiah 7:1, which...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    I WILL NOT ASK. He had already made up his mind to appeal to Assyria, and had probably sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings 16:7; 2 Chronicles 28:16). His self-hardening is masked by his appare...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    MOREOVER, THE LORD SPAKE, &C.— From the 10th to the 16th verse, we have the confirmation of the promise, by a sign to Ahaz in the name of God; in which we have, _first,_ the prophet's address to Ahaz,...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    THE CHRIST Isaiah 7:10-16 TEXT: Isaiah 7:10-16 10 And Jehovah spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of Jehovah thy God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above. 12 But Aha...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. I WILL NOT ASK, NEITHER WILL I TEMPT THE LORD - hypocritical pretext of keeping the law (). "Tempt," i.e., put God to the proof, as i...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    1-16. Isaiah assures Ahaz by a sign that Judah will be delivered from Syria and Israel....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    NEITHER WILL I TEMPT, etc.] Ahaz gives utterance to a sound principle (Deuteronomy 6:16). But Jehovah had offered a sign, and to refuse it showed distrust of God. Ahaz had already made up his mind to...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Ahaz refuses the *Lord’s offer. And he pretends to be very holy (see Deuteronomy 6:16). In fact, Ahaz has already decided what he will do. He prefers to trust the *Assyrians for help against Syria and...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    ISAIAH: GOD CONTROLS THE NATIONS ISAIAH DECLARES HOW GOD’S PEOPLE SHOULD BE LIVING ISAIAH CHAPTER S 1 TO 9 _NORMAN HILLYER_ CHAPTER 7 From now on in the Book of Isaiah, the names Israel and Eph...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    I WILL NOT ASK... — The king speaks as in the very accents of faith. He will not put Jehovah to any such test. Not, perhaps, without a sneer, he quotes almost the very formula of the Law: “Thou shalt...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יֹּ֖אמֶר אָחָ֑ז לֹא ־אֶשְׁאַ֥ל וְ לֹֽא

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CHAPTER V THE WORLD IN ISAIAH'S DAY AND ISRAEL'S GOD 735-730 B.C. UP to this point we have been acquainted with Isaiah as a prophet of general principles, preaching to his countrymen the elements of...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE SIGN OF IMMANUEL Isaiah 7:1-17 A new cycle of prophecy begins here, covering the reign of Ahaz. The complete history which illustrates these Chapter s is given in 2 Chronicles 28:5. The invasion...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Immediately following this new call of the prophet, we have the account of his encounter with Ahaz. Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel had entered into a confederacy against Judah, and a great fear po...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I (k) tempt the LORD. (k) Not to believe God's word without a sign, is to tempt God, but to refuse a sign when God offers it for the aid and help of our in...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Lord. He was afraid of being forced to relinquish his evil ways. (St. Jerome) --- Though an idolater, he knew he ought not to tempt God._...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Reader! do not forget again, in the perusal of this most blessed scripture, to observe how the Lord takes occasion from man's unworthiness to magnify the riches of his grace. So, indeed, the Lord hath...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _AN UNBELIEVING KING_ ‘Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above,’ etc. Isaiah 7:10 I. ISAIAH IS DESIR...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    12._And Ahaz said. _By a plausible excuse he refuses the sign which the Lord offered to him. That excuse is, that he is unwilling _to tempt the LORD_; for he pretends to believe the words of the Proph...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 7, 8, AND 9:1-7. But this requires further development; and it is given in a remarkable manner in the next prophecy, comprised in Chapter s 7, 8, 9 to the end...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    BUT AHAZ SAID, I WILL NOT ASK,.... That is, a sign or miracle to be wrought; being unwilling to take the advice to be still and quiet, and make no preparation for war, or seek out for help from the As...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. Ver. 12. _I will not ask._] All, lewd lowly! "I will not ask"; what a base answer was this of a bedlam Belialist! what a wretched enterta...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _The Lord spake again unto Ahaz_ Namely, by Isaiah. “From hence to Isaiah 7:16, we have the confirmation of the promise, by a sign to Ahaz, in the name of God; in which we have, first, the prophet's a...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE SON OF THE VIRGIN PROMISED...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    But Ahaz, in wicked unbelief and disgusting hypocrisy, SAID, I WILL NOT ASK, NEITHER WILL I TEMPT THE LORD. Having already decided upon enlisting Assyria's help, he rejected the offer of Jehovah with...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    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 reprov...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    I WILL NOT ASK: this refusal proceeded not from the strength of his faith, but from his contempt of God, and total distrust and disregard of his word, and inward resolution to take another course; as...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Isaiah 7:12 Ahaz H271 said H559 (H8799) ask H7592 (H8799) test H5254 (H8762) H853 LORD H

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    THE MISERABLE FAILURE OF AHAZ AND GOD'S JUDGMENT ON HIS HOUSE (ISAIAH 7:10). We must not underestimate this incident. In this total turnabout of history in Israel's most crucial time, for it would det...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Isaiah 7:10 I. Isaiah is desired to offer Ahaz a sign either in the depth or the height. That the Jewish economy was in some sense an economy of signs we all admit. The Jewish prophet was to call the...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Isaiah 7:1. And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jer...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Evil confederacy of Rezin and Jekah. The sign of the Virgin's Son. Prediction of impending invasion of Judah. CHARACTERS: God, Christ, Ahaz, Rezin, Pekah, Isaiah, Shear-jashub. CONCLUSION:...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Isaiah 7:1. _In the days of Ahaz,_ the second or the third year of his reign. Chapter s 5. and 6. are therefore out of place. Isaiah 7:6. _Let us go up against Judah and set a king in the midst of it,...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _But Ahaz said, I will not ask_ WHY DID AHAZ REFUSE TO ASK A SIGN? Ahaz who looked on Jehovah not as his God, but only (like any of his heathen neighbours) as the god of Judaea, and as such inferior...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 7:10 AHAZ, king of Judah, sees Syria and EPHRAIM (the northern kingdom) as a threat, even though the Lord has said Ahaz has nothing to fear from them. Though Ahaz is the heir of...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    MAN’S IMAGINED INDEPENDENCE OF GOD Isaiah 7:12. _But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord_. We are commanded to ask for all we need and desire (Matthew 7:7; Philippians 4:6). But...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    ISAIAH’S INTERVIEW WITH AHAZ Isaiah 7:3. _Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, &c._ In this interview of Isaiah with Ahaz we have an instance— I. OF GOD’S EFFORTS TO TURN MEN FROM RUINOUS COURSES. God is...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    SECTION IV. PROPHECIES CONNECTED WITH THE SYRO-ISRAELITE WAR (Isaiah 7-10:4). EXPOSITION ISAIAH 7:1 THE PROPHECY GIVEN TO AHAZ

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now Uzziah is dead and his grandson Ahaz is reigning. It came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, the king of Judah, that Rezin was the king of Syria, and Pekah was the...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Corinthians 10:9; 2 Chronicles 28:22; 2 Kings 16:15; Acts 5:9;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE BIRTH OF CHRIST IN ISAIAH Isaiah 7:5; _Isaiah 9:6_ INTRODUCTORY WORDS The Book of Revelation opens thus: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." "We see no reason why the whole Bible is not a "revelat...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    I will not — By asking a sign, as if I questioned the truth of his word: but this was deep hypocrisy....

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