He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse's emphasis isn't on the child's diet, but on the timing of his nourishment relative to his moral development. It highlights that before this Immanuel can even distinguish between right and wrong, the threatening kings and their lands will be overthrown. This implies the "butter and honey" signifies a time of peace and plenty restored to the land by the time he's old enough to understand good from evil.
He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a sign to King Ahaz, who is fearful of an impending invasion by the kings of Israel and Syria. Isaiah assures Ahaz that God is with them and that the immediate threat will pass. This verse speaks of the Immanuel child, whose birth is foretold as a sign, and describes his early life, contrasting the coming desolation of the land with the sustenance this child will receive.
Butter and honey. Doesn't sound like scarcity, does it? Yet, in this verse, this seemingly delicate food points to a land facing invasion.
The prophecy in Isaiah 7:15 speaks of the child Immanuel eating "curdled milk and honey." While this might sound like a delicacy, scholars note it also represents the common food of children in that region, especially during times when other provisions might be scarce.
A Paradox of Plenty
When does a child truly understand right from wrong? This verse links the child's diet to a significant developmental milestone.
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The phrase 'when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good' is key to understanding the timeline and significance of this prophecy.
Milestones of Maturity
Understand the original words
ra' · Hebrew Noun
An ethical or moral framework of what is detrimental, wicked, or contrary to God's will; it stands in opposition to that which is righteous or pleasing to God.
towb · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
That which conforms to the standards of God, is morally upright, or fulfills His purposes; it represents the path of obedience and divine wisdom.
The promise of Immanuel's birth and the specific mention of 'curds and honey' highlight a dual meaning: immediate relief from the Syro-Ephraimite war and the eventual return of prosperity, alongside the long-term hope in the Messiah's future reign.
c. 734 BC
Syro-Ephraimite War Begins
Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel invade Judah, seeking to depose King Ahaz and install a pro-Syrian ruler. Judah is under severe threat.
c. 733 BC
Assyrian Intervention
King Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria responds to appeals from Ahaz and invades Israel, conquering northern territories. This marks the beginning of Assyrian dominance.
c. 732 BC
Fall of Damascus
Tiglath-Pileser III captures Damascus, the capital of Syria, and kills King Rezin. This significantly weakens Syria.
c. 732 BC
Israel's Northern Kingdom Devastated
The northern regions of the kingdom of Israel are annexed by Assyria, leading to a partial exile of its population.
c. 732 BC— this verse
Immanuel's Birth Predicted
Prophet Isaiah is sent to King Ahaz with a sign: a virgin will conceive and bear a son named Immanuel ('God with us'). This points to a future deliverance and the Messiah.
c. 730 BC
Destruction of Israel's Northern Kingdom
The Kingdom of Israel is fully conquered and absorbed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Shalmaneser V. This fulfills part of the prophecy that the enemies afflicting Judah would be destroyed.
This verse describes God's provision of plant-based foods for humanity's sustenance from the beginning, mirroring the Immanuel prophecy's focus on the natural nourishment of the child.
Deuteronomy 1:39This passage defines a child's lack of discernment between good and evil as a marker of their youth, paralleling the prophecy's indication of the child's age before the land's desolation.
Matthew 3:4John the Baptist's diet of locusts and wild honey in the wilderness highlights a sustenance that is both simple and divinely provided, similar to the Immanuel child's diet as a sign.
Luke 2:52This verse states that Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man, reflecting the developmental aspect of the Immanuel child growing and learning to discern good from evil.
barnesIsaiah 7:15: "Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good."
Butter and honey - The word rendered "butter" (חמאה chem'âh), denotes not butter, but thick and curdled milk. This was the common mode of using milk as an article of food in the East, and is still. In no passage in the Old Testament does butter seem to be meant by the word. Jarchi says, that this circumstance denotes a state of plenty, meaning that the land should yield its usual increase n…
jfbIsaiah 7:15: "Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good."
- Butter—rather, curdled milk, the acid of which is grateful in the heat of the East (Job 20:17).honey—abundant in Palestine (Jud 14:8; 1Sa 14:25; Mt 3:4). Physicians directed that the first food given to a child should be honey, the next milk [Barnabas, Epistle]. Horsley takes this as implying the real humanity of the Immanuel Jesus Christ, about to be fed as other infants (Lu 2:52). Isa 7…
The verse's emphasis isn't on the child's diet, but on the timing of his nourishment relative to his moral development. It highlights that before this Immanuel can even distinguish between right and wrong, the threatening kings and their lands will be overthrown. This implies the "butter and honey" signifies a time of peace and plenty restored to the land by the time he's old enough to understand good from evil.
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a sign to King Ahaz, who is fearful of an impending invasion by the kings of Israel and Syria. Isaiah assures Ahaz that God is with them and that the immediate threat will pass. This verse speaks of the Immanuel child, whose birth is foretold as a sign, and describes his early life, contrasting the coming desolation of the land with the sustenance this child will receive.
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a sign to King Ahaz, who is fearful of an impending invasion by the kings of Israel and Syria. Isaiah assures Ahaz that God is with them and that the immediate threat will pass. This verse speaks of the Immanuel child, whose birth is foretold as a sign, and describes his early life, contrasting the coming desolation of the land with the sustenance this child will receive.
"He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good." — The verse's emphasis isn't on the child's diet, but on the timing of his nourishment relative to his moral development. It highlights that before this Immanuel can even distinguish between right and…
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Last reviewed October 2026