Isaiah 7:20

¹⁸ On that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria.

¹⁹ And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes and watering holes.

On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates —the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.

²¹ On that day a man will raise a young cow and two sheep,

²² and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates —the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.
KJV: In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.
WEB: In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.
ASV: In that day will the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, [even] with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.
DARBY: In that day will the Lord, with a razor which is hired beyond the river, with the king of Assyria, shave the head and the hair of the feet, yea, the beard also will it take away.
BLB: In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired—with those beyond the River, with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the legs and also the beard He will sweep away.

ÅB: På den tid skal Herren med en rakekniv[^7] som er leid på andre siden av elven[^8], med Assurs konge, rake av alt håret både på hodet og nedentil; endog skjegget skal den ta bort.
OTB: På den dagen skal Herren bruke en barberhøvel leid fra den andre siden av Eufrat—Assyrias konge—til å barbere hodet ditt og håret på beina dine, og til å fjerne skjegget ditt også.
B1930: På den tid skal Herren med en rakekniv som er leid på hin side elven, med Assurs konge, rake av alt håret både på hodet og nedentil; endog skjegget skal den ta bort. / < JES 10, 5.> / < Eufrat.>

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 8:7
the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates — the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks.
Read in context
Ezekiel 29:18
“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder made raw. But he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the labor they expended on it.
Read in context
Ezekiel 5:1–4
“As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.
Read in context
Isaiah 10:15
Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!
Read in context
Jeremiah 27:6–7
So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.
Read in context
Isaiah 24:1–2
Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—
Read in context
Isaiah 10:5–6
Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath.
Read in context
Isaiah 9:14–17
So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day.
Read in context