Isaiah 7:21
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;
American King James Version (AKJV)
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;
American Standard Version (ASV)
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two sheep;
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And it will be in that day that a man will give food to a young cow and two sheep;
Webster's Revision
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;
World English Bible
It shall happen in that day that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two sheep;
English Revised Version (ERV)
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep;
Barnes's Isaiah 7:21 Bible Commentary
In that day - In the time specified in the previous verses - in the judgments that should be brought upon the land by the Egyptians and Assyrians.
A man shall nourish - Hebrew 'Make to live:' that is, he shall own, or feed.
A young cow - The Hebrew denotes a heifer that gives milk. The state which is denoted by this is that of great poverty. Instead of being engaged in agriculture, of possessing great resources in that time, a man should depend, for the subsistence of himself and his family, on what a single cow and two sheep would yield. Probably this is intended also as a description of the general state of the nation, that it would be reduced to great poverty.
And two sheep - Two here seems to be used to denote a very small number. A man, that is, the generality of people, would be so reduced as to be able to purchase and keep no more.
Wesley's Isaiah 7:21 Bible Commentary
7:21 Sheep - They who formerly used to keep great herds of cattle, and many flocks of sheep, shall esteem it a happiness if they can keep but one cow and two sheep.