< 2 Nephi 17 >
Immanuel
Isaiah 7 is the story of a frightened king offered divine assurance, who chooses politics over faith — yet God still promises the ultimate sign of hope: “Immanuel,” the God who will dwell among us.
Isaiah 7 is the story of a frightened king offered divine assurance, who chooses politics over faith — yet God still promises the ultimate sign of hope: “Immanuel,” the God who will dwell among us.
Section |
Verses |
Theme |
Message |
Crisis and Fear |
1–2 |
Political panic |
Rezin & Pekah threaten Jerusalem |
Isaiah’s Assurance |
3–9 |
Divine protection |
Trust God, not alliances |
Offer of a Sign |
10–12 |
God invites faith |
Ahaz refuses |
Sign of Immanuel |
13–17 |
Promise of divine presence |
Near-term deliverance; long-term messianic hope |
Coming Judgment |
18–25 |
Consequences of unbelief |
Assyria will devastate the land |
Historical Background — The Syro-Ephraimite Crisis (v. 1–2)
“In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah…”
Context:
“His heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.” (v. 2)
They’re terrified.
God’s Message of Reassurance (v. 3–9)
God sends Isaiah to meet Ahaz — not alone, but with his young son Shear-jashub, whose name means “A remnant shall return.”
Even Isaiah’s child is a living prophecy of hope.
Isaiah meets the king at the conduit of the upper pool (where Ahaz is inspecting Jerusalem’s water supply — the city’s lifeline in siege).
Isaiah tells him:
“Take heed, be quiet, fear not… for the two tails of these smoking firebrands…” (v. 4)
Meaning:
“If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” (v. 9)
Faith, not politics, will secure Judah.
The Offer of a Sign (v. 10–12)
God tells Ahaz:
“Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”
He can ask for anything — proof that God will protect him.
But Ahaz refuses:
“I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.”
It sounds pious, but it’s actually rebellious— Ahaz doesn’t want God’s confirmation because he’s already decided to rely on Assyria for help (2 Kings 16).
He’s rejecting God’s deliverance plan in favor of his own political strategy.
The Prophecy of Immanuel (v. 13–17)
Isaiah responds:
“Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?”
Since Ahaz won’t ask for a sign, God Himself will give one:
“Behold, a virgin [Heb. ʿalmāh, ‘young woman’] shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”(v. 14)
Two Layers of Meaning
1. Immediate (Historical) Fulfillment
The Child’s Early Years and the Coming Invasion (v. 15–17)
“Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” (v. 15)
This describes a time of simplicity and poverty — food from the land itself after war and devastation.
Judah will be humbled, but preserved.
Yet Isaiah warns Ahaz:
“The Lord shall bring upon thee… the king of Assyria.” (v. 17)
In other words:
Imagery of Judgment (v. 18–25)
The chapter ends with poetic warnings:
Spiritual Themes
“In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah…”
Context:
- King Ahaz rules Judah (southern kingdom).
- To the north, the kingdoms of Syria (Aram) under Rezin and Israel (Ephraim) under Pekah form an alliance against Assyria.
- They want Judah to join their coalition — but Ahaz refuses.
- So they march south to invade Judahand replace Ahaz with a puppet king (“the son of Tabeal,” v. 6).
“His heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.” (v. 2)
They’re terrified.
God’s Message of Reassurance (v. 3–9)
God sends Isaiah to meet Ahaz — not alone, but with his young son Shear-jashub, whose name means “A remnant shall return.”
Even Isaiah’s child is a living prophecy of hope.
Isaiah meets the king at the conduit of the upper pool (where Ahaz is inspecting Jerusalem’s water supply — the city’s lifeline in siege).
Isaiah tells him:
“Take heed, be quiet, fear not… for the two tails of these smoking firebrands…” (v. 4)
Meaning:
- These two kings (Rezin & Pekah) may look dangerous, but they’re only smoldering stumps — their fire is almost out.
- Their plan “shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.” (v. 7)
“If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” (v. 9)
Faith, not politics, will secure Judah.
The Offer of a Sign (v. 10–12)
God tells Ahaz:
“Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”
He can ask for anything — proof that God will protect him.
But Ahaz refuses:
“I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.”
It sounds pious, but it’s actually rebellious— Ahaz doesn’t want God’s confirmation because he’s already decided to rely on Assyria for help (2 Kings 16).
He’s rejecting God’s deliverance plan in favor of his own political strategy.
The Prophecy of Immanuel (v. 13–17)
Isaiah responds:
“Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?”
Since Ahaz won’t ask for a sign, God Himself will give one:
“Behold, a virgin [Heb. ʿalmāh, ‘young woman’] shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”(v. 14)
Two Layers of Meaning
1. Immediate (Historical) Fulfillment
- Within a few years, before the child (“Immanuel”) grows old enough to discern right from wrong,Syria and Israel will be destroyed (v. 16).
- This likely referred to a child born in Ahaz’s time — perhaps Isaiah’s own son (Maher-shalal-hash-baz, ch. 8) or a royal child symbolizing divine protection.
- The message: Judah will survive; your enemies will not.
- Matthew 1:22–23 quotes this verse directly, applying it to Jesus Christ:“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled…”
- “Immanuel” (“God with us”) becomes the perfect description of the Incarnation — God Himself dwelling among His people.
The Child’s Early Years and the Coming Invasion (v. 15–17)
“Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” (v. 15)
This describes a time of simplicity and poverty — food from the land itself after war and devastation.
Judah will be humbled, but preserved.
Yet Isaiah warns Ahaz:
“The Lord shall bring upon thee… the king of Assyria.” (v. 17)
In other words:
- You fear Syria and Israel — but the superpower you trust (Assyria) will one day be the real threat.
- The cure will be worse than the disease.
Imagery of Judgment (v. 18–25)
The chapter ends with poetic warnings:
- Flies and bees (v. 18) = swarming armies from Egypt and Assyria.
- Razor hired from beyond the river (v. 20) = Assyria, who will “shave” the land — humiliation and loss.
- Briers and thorns (vv. 23–25) = devastation of once-fertile land.
Spiritual Themes
- Faith vs. Fear: “If ye will not believe, ye shall not be established.”→ Stability comes from trust in God, not politics or power.
- God with Us: Even in faithless times, God provides His own sign — Immanuel.
- Judgment and Mercy: God saves His people even as He disciplines them.
- Prophecy in Layers: Isaiah’s words apply both now and in eternity — history becomes prophecy.
Fuller's FieldWhat a “Fuller” Is
A fuller in ancient Israel was a cloth cleaner or launderer — someone who cleansed, whitened, and thickenedwoolen cloth before it was dyed or woven into garments.
The name comes from the verb “to full”, meaning:
to scour or cleanse cloth to remove oils, dirt, and impurities.
So a fuller’s work was the ancient version of industrial laundry or textile processing.
What and Where Is the “Fuller’s Field”?
The Fuller’s Field was:
Biblical Mentions
The Location (in Today’s Terms)
Most scholars believe the Fuller’s Fieldwas located on the western or northwestern slope of ancient Jerusalem, near the Gihon Spring and the upper pool in the Kidron Valley.
This was a place outside the city wall, where:
A fuller in ancient Israel was a cloth cleaner or launderer — someone who cleansed, whitened, and thickenedwoolen cloth before it was dyed or woven into garments.
The name comes from the verb “to full”, meaning:
to scour or cleanse cloth to remove oils, dirt, and impurities.
So a fuller’s work was the ancient version of industrial laundry or textile processing.
What and Where Is the “Fuller’s Field”?
The Fuller’s Field was:
- an open area outside Jerusalem’s walls,
- near a water source (the conduit or aqueduct of the upper pool),
- used by fullers to wash and dry cloth.
Biblical Mentions
- Isaiah 7:3“Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.” God tells Isaiah to meet King Ahaz there during the Syro-Ephraimite crisis. The spot overlooks the city’s main water supply — a strategic and symbolic location.
- Isaiah 36:2“And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem… and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.” Years later, the Assyrian envoy stands in the same place, taunting King Hezekiah. It’s a deliberate echo of the earlier scene — both are tests of faith: Ahaz fails, Hezekiah succeeds.
The Location (in Today’s Terms)
Most scholars believe the Fuller’s Fieldwas located on the western or northwestern slope of ancient Jerusalem, near the Gihon Spring and the upper pool in the Kidron Valley.
This was a place outside the city wall, where:
- water was plentiful (needed for washing cloth),
- smells and waste could be carried away by runoff,
- and people could meet privately but visibly.