Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”
- BSB “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”
- NKJV “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
- NASB “Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
- NLT “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God invites Ahaz to ask for any sign he wishes, whether in the depths or the heights. It is a remarkable display of God's willingness to confirm His word.
Overview
The breadth of the offer, from Sheol below to heaven above, shows God placing no limit on the sign that would assure Ahaz. Such an offer reveals God's gracious eagerness to bolster faith. Ahaz's response to this generous invitation will expose the true condition of his heart.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 37:30And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.
- Isa 38:7–8And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;
- 2 Kgs 19:29And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such things as grow of themselves, and in the second year that which springeth of the same; and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.
- Isa 38:22Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?
- Judg 6:36–40And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
- 2 Kgs 20:8–11And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?
- Matt 12:38–40Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
- Jer 19:10Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,
- Jer 51:63–64And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:
- Jer 19:1Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter’s earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;
- Matt 16:1–4The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 7:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.