Isaiah 7:24 · Bible study
Isaiah 7:24 Commentary: The Land of Thorns and Hunter's Bow
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
This verse shows that God's judgment on Judah would turn cultivated land into a wilderness fit only for hunting, signifying utter desolation.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The land becomes so desolate that people only go there armed for hunting or self-defense.
- Key words: H2671 (chets, arrow), H7198 (qeshet, bow), H8068 (shamir, thorn), H7898 (shayit, thornbush).
- Main debate: Whether the bow indicates hunting specifically or general self-protection against wild animals/thieves.
- Theological theme: The reversal of covenant blessing; judgment as abandonment to the consequences of sin.
- Best use: To illustrate the severity of divine judgment and the seriousness of turning from God, while pointing to the need for restoration.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.
WEB World English Bible 2000
People will go there with arrows and with bow, because all the land will be briers and thorns.
KJV King James Version 1769
With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
With arrows and with bow shall one come thither, because all the land shall be briers and thorns.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
With arrows and with bow he cometh thither, Because all the land is brier and thorn.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
with arrows and with the bow shall they come thither, for the whole land shall become briars and thorns.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
With arrows and with bows they shall go in thither: for briers and thorns shall be in all the land.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Con saetas y arco irán allá; porque toda la tierra será espinos y cardos.
Que com arco e flechas ali entrarão; porque toda a terra será espinhos e cardos.
On y entrera avec les flèches et avec l’ arc,
daß man mit Pfeilen und Bogen dahingehen muß. Denn im ganzen Lande werden Dornen und Hecken sein,
Dat men met pijlen en met den boog aldaar zal moeten gaan; want het ganse land zal doornen en distelen zijn.
Vi s’entrerà con le freccie e con l’arco, perché tutto il paese non sarà che rovi e pruni.
Tedy z strzałami i z łukiem tam chodzić będą; bo ostem i cierniem zarośnie wszystka ziemia.
Со стрелами и луками будут ходить туда, ибо вся земля будет терновником и колючим кустарником.
人上那裡 去，必帶弓 箭，因為 遍 地 滿了 荊棘 和蒺藜。
Men will come there with bows and arrows, because all the land will be full of blackberries and thorns.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 7:24
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions read this verse as a stark picture of desolation. Barnes describes it as “a vast hunting-ground,” where the land is abandoned and overgrown, forcing the few inhabitants to live by the bow rather than by farming. Calvin agrees: “the richest cultivation formerly existed” will become “woods and thickets,” and the bow represents hunting, not husbandry. Keil and Delitzsch observe that the repetition of “briers and thorns” (the same phrase in verses 23, 25) is deliberately heavy and slow, suggesting a waste heath. Gill mentions that some ancient Jewish interpreters thought the bow and arrow were for protection against wild animals, thieves, or serpents. The core consensus is clear: this is not a land of safety and prosperity but one of danger and abandonment, where settled life has collapsed.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse portrays a land so overrun with thorns that people can only enter it armed with bows and arrows, indicating a complete collapse of normal agricultural and social life as a result of divine judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of the bow and arrow | They indicate the land is no longer safe for normal agricultural life and that people must go armed. | Whether this is primarily for hunting (Calvin, Barnes) or for defense against wild beasts and thieves (Gill, citing Jewish interpreters). |
| Literary style of 7:23-25 | The repetition of 'briers and thorns' is intentional and emphasizes desolation. | Keil and Delitzsch see it as 'heavy and slow' to create a mood; others treat it as straightforward prophetic announcement. |
| Historical fulfillment | The judgment was at least partially fulfilled in the Assyrian invasions and Babylonian exile. | Barnes specifies the 70-year captivity as literal fulfillment; others see a more general pattern of judgment throughout Israel's history. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 7 sits within the Syro-Ephraimite crisis (734, 732 BC), when the kingdom of Judah faced attack from Israel and Syria. King Ahaz, in fear, refused God’s sign and turned to Assyria for help. In response, the prophet Isaiah announces judgment: the same Assyria that Ahaz trusts will devastate the land (verses 17, 20). Verses 21, 25 describe the aftermath. The land, once rich in vineyards worth a thousand silver shekels (v. 23), becomes “briers and thorns.”
The mention of bows and arrows is significant. In ancient Judah, the bow was a weapon for war (2 Sam 1:22) and for hunting (Gen 27:3). Here, it signals that the land can no longer support normal agriculture. People do not go to plant or harvest; they go to hunt, or to defend themselves against the wild beasts that will overrun the empty fields. Barnes notes that the banks of the Jordan were already known for lions and tigers; a depopulated land would quickly revert to such conditions. Calvin emphasizes the “wretched change” from fertile fields to thickets. The Assyrian invasions of 701 BC, and later the Babylonian exile (586 BC), would bring this about literally. The land’s transformation from vineyard to wilderness is a physical sign of God’s judgment, reversing the blessings promised in the covenant for obedience (Deut 28:3, 5).
Keil and Delitzsch add that the description is “intentionally thoroughly tautological and pleonastic, heavy and slow in movement,” to convey the monotony of a dead landscape. This is not a temporary setback; it is a sustained collapse.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 7:24. The Hebrew text (Masoretic) is consistent across manuscripts, with the phrase “briers and thorns” (שָׁמִיר וָשַׁיִת) appearing identically in 7:23, 7:24, and 7:25. The singular verb יָ֣בוֹא (yabo, “he will come”) is used collectively in the English translations (e.g., WEB: “People will go”).
Reception History
Isaiah 7:24 has been read throughout church history as a severe warning against unbelief. Early Christian interpreters, including Jerome, saw the desolation as a figure for the judgment that comes when God’s people reject His guidance. Reformation commentators like Calvin and Luther used the verse to stress the practical consequences of sin: the land itself suffers because of human rebellion. Matthew Henry (1710) placed the verse within the larger narrative of God’s “terrible threatenings” against a degenerate king. In more recent centuries, the verse has been preached as a call to examine national and personal faithfulness, with the wilderness imagery reminding hearers that prosperity is a fragile gift. No major tradition has treated this verse as a central proof text; it functions more as a supporting image in sermons on judgment and hope.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The land of plenty becomes a land of thorns. This reversal is a direct result of rejecting God’s word. Where there were vines worth a fortune, there are now only thorns. Sin leads not to freedom but to barrenness.
- The bow and arrow replace the plow and hoe. Normal life, farming, family, commerce, is impossible. Survival shrinks to basic hunting and self-defense. Judgment strips away not just comfort but the structures of daily existence.
- God’s judgment is not an end in itself. The surrounding prophecies include promise (Immanuel, 7:14), and the book of Isaiah moves toward restoration. Desolation points to the seriousness of sin while pressing us to hope for renewal.
Five-point outline
- Reversal of blessing: The land that once flowed with milk and honey (Exod 3:8) now produces only briers.
- Fear as a constant companion: People need weapons to enter their own fields. Danger is everywhere.
- Isolation and scarcity: The population drops so low that the land returns to wilderness. Even basic community life vanishes.
- God’s hand in the ordinary: The Assyrian army was a human instrument, but Isaiah presents the desolation as the Lord’s direct work (7:20: “the Lord will shave”). Judgment is personal, not just historical accident.
- A warning that calls to repentance: This description is meant to shock Ahaz and later readers into seeing where disobedience leads. It is a road sign, not a final destination.
Illustration hooks
- An abandoned farm: Picture a once-productive farm now choked with blackberries and poison ivy. The barn is falling in, the fields are impossible to walk through. Nobody goes there unless they are armed with a machete. That is the image Isaiah paints.
- A city after disaster: Think of a neighborhood after a hurricane or war, where grocery stores are closed and people carry weapons just to walk to the water pump. Basic life becomes dangerous and limited. This verse captures that level of collapse.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Does God really bring suffering like this on people today?”
- “If this is judgment, what hope is there for us when we sin?”
- “How does a loving God allow land to become a wilderness?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse follows a long description of coming judgment on Judah. The land that was once fruitful will become so overgrown that people must carry weapons just to enter it. The image is one of total reversal: from vineyard to thorn patch, from safety to danger.
Discussion questions
- What details in this verse stand out to you? Why would the prophet include the bow and arrow?
- Read Isaiah 7:18, 25 together. How does the mood change from the earlier promise of Immanuel in verse 14?
- In what ways does this description connect to the covenant curses in Deuteronomy 28 (especially verses 38, 42)?
- Why do you think God chose to use the Assyrian empire to bring this judgment? What does that tell us about how God works in history?
- What does the land’s condition say about the heart of a nation that has turned away from God?
- This passage feels harsh. How does the broader story of Scripture, including the promise of a new creation, prevent us from seeing only judgment?
- Where do you see “briers and thorns” in your own life or community? How might God be inviting repentance or trust in Him through those difficult places?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 27:3 | Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and get me venison. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees the image of the land becoming a hunting ground as a uniquely vivid description of total desolation. He connects this specifically to the seventy-year Babylonian captivity, arguing that Judea, always prone to wild beasts, would quickly be overrun once abandoned, making the prophecy literally fulfilled.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin reads the bow and arrows not as weapons of war but as hunting gear. His distinctive point is that the land's devastation will be so complete that farmers will vanish and only hunters will roam where vineyards and fields once stood. The very activity on the land will change from cultivation to chasing wild beasts.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights that the Assyrian invasion will reverse even the most careful cultivation. The finest vineyards, which demand the most attentive care, will become overgrown with thorns. The mention of arrows and bows as hunter's weapons underscores that the land will turn into a wild hunting ground.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note observes that the land will become so overgrown and wild that anyone traveling through it will need to go armed with a bow and arrows like a hunter, simply to protect themselves from the beasts that will fill the briers and thorns.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the passage offers three possible reasons for coming armed: fear of wild animals, hunting, or guarding against robbers. He connects these to the land becoming overgrown with thorns, which provide cover for both dangerous creatures and criminals.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights that the once-inhabited place will be transformed into a desolate region teeming with wild animals, making it a vast hunting ground. The cross-reference to Jeremiah reinforces this image of abandonment and the dominance of untamed beasts.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues the "virgin" is a specific young, unmarried princess present in the royal court, already pregnant. This is a punitive sign for the house of David, exposing the family's sin. For Lange, Matthew's later application is typological, not a direct prediction of a supernatural birth.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that even after comforting promises to Ahaz, the warnings are real because he is a corrupted branch of David's house. God's covenant love for David's sake will not be entirely removed, but Ahaz's own sin will still bring harsh punishment.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that arrows served a dual purpose: they were used for hunting game and for defending against wild animals that commonly inhabit desolate, barren areas. This practical explanation emphasizes the harsh and dangerous environment in which people needed such weapons.