to war against it. This invasion is described in 2 Kings 16:1-6.

fuller's field. See note on 2 Kings 18:17.

Ephraim be broken. Isaiah here prophesied the coming Assyrian destruction and captivity of Ephraim and the whole northern kingdom.

be not a people. Ephraim and the northern tribes would never again be a viable national entity, thus refuting the modern notion of some that these “lost tribes” eventually became the British nation. Many members of the ten tribes, however, did eventually migrate back to become a part of Judah after its return from Babylonian exile.

a sign. The Lord was willing to give King Ahaz a sign involving any great miracle, but Ahaz was unwilling even to consider God's Word.

Lord himself. Since Ahaz refused the proffered sign, God would in due time give the whole “house of David” (Isaiah 7:13) a sign, a miracle unique in all history.

a virgin. This should read “the virgin,” indicating a very specific virgin, long awaited by the entire human race. This could be nothing less than the primeval promise of the coming “Seed of the Woman” (Genesis 3:15), who would someday defeat Satan and redeem not only the House of David but all mankind.

virgin. Many critics have argued that the Hebrew word means simply “young, unmarried woman,” rather than “virgin,” and some translations have translated it as such. This is nothing but a device to avoid the miracle of Christ's virgin birth. The word is used some six or more times in the Old Testament and in all instances the context favors (or at least does not preclude) its rendering as “virgin.” Conception by a “young unmarried woman” would hardly be a sign of anything except sin, for such events occur frequently. A virgin conception would require a mighty act of creation by God Himself! The quotation of this verse in the New Testament (Matthew 1:23) should remove any lingering doubt, for the Greek word used there (parthenos) can only mean “virgin.” See also Jeremiah 31:22.

Immanuel. “Immanuel” means “God with us”—that is, God incarnate in human flesh, the unique miracle implied by the Edenic promise of the conquering “Seed of the Woman” in Genesis 3:15. Men produce genetic seed naturally, but a woman could only generate a “seed” supernaturally. A true virgin conception has only occurred once in human history, leading to the birth of Christ, who as the God/man is the only one who could ever destroy the “old serpent, called the Devil” (Revelation 12:9; see also Micah 5:2 and John 1:14).

the king of Assyria. In addition to conquering the Northern Kingdom, the Assyrians would invade Judah and inflict great hardships on her people before finally being forced by God to retreat in the days of Hezekiah, son of Ahaz (Isaiah 37:33-38).