Isaiah 7:11
New International Version
“Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

New Living Translation
“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.”

English Standard Version
“Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

Berean Standard Bible
“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”

King James Bible
Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

New King James Version
“Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”

New American Standard Bible
“Ask for a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

NASB 1995
“Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

NASB 1977
“Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

Legacy Standard Bible
“Ask a sign for yourself from Yahweh your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

Amplified Bible
“Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God [one that will convince you that God has spoken and will keep His word]; make your request as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

Christian Standard Bible
“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God—it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Ask for a sign from the LORD your God—from the depths of Sheol to the heights of heaven.”

American Standard Version
Ask thee a sign of Jehovah thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

Contemporary English Version
"Ask me for proof that my promise will come true. Ask for something to happen deep in the world of the dead or high in the heavens above."

English Revised Version
Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Ask the LORD your God for a sign. It can be anything you want."

Good News Translation
"Ask the LORD your God to give you a sign. It can be from deep in the world of the dead or from high up in heaven."

International Standard Version
"Ask a sign from the LORD your God. Make it as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven above."

Majority Standard Bible
?Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.?

NET Bible
"Ask for a confirming sign from the LORD your God. You can even ask for something miraculous."

New Heart English Bible
"Ask a sign of the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above."

Webster's Bible Translation
Ask thee a sign from the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the hight above.

World English Bible
“Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Ask for a sign from your God YHWH, "" Make the request deep, or make [it] high upwards.”

Young's Literal Translation
Ask for thee a sign from Jehovah thy God, Make deep the request, or make it high upwards.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Ask for thee a sign from Jehovah thy God; make deep the asking, or make high upwards.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, from the depths below, even to the heights above.

New American Bible
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as the sky!

New Revised Standard Version
Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Ask for yourself a sign of the LORD your God; ask something in the depth, or in the height above.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
”Ask for yourself a sign from LORD JEHOVAH your God. Ask, going deep, or lift up on high”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God: ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Ask for thyself a sign of the Lord thy God, in the depth or in the height.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Sign of Immanuel
10Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.” 12But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I will not test the LORD.”…

Cross References
Matthew 1:22-23
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: / “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

Luke 1:31-35
Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. / He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, / and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” ...

2 Kings 16:7-9
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are rising up against me.” / Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. / So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.

2 Chronicles 28:16-21
At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king of Assyria. / The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away captives. / The Philistines had also raided the cities of the foothills and the Negev of Judah, capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages. ...

Genesis 24:14
Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

Exodus 4:8-9
And the LORD said, “If they refuse to believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe that of the second. / But if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. Then the water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”

Judges 6:36-40
Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said, / then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” / And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. ...

1 Samuel 2:34
And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.

1 Kings 13:3-5
That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’” / Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back. / And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

2 Kings 20:8-11
Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” / And Isaiah had replied, “This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?” / “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back ten steps.” ...

Isaiah 38:7-8
This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: / I will make the sun’s shadow that falls on the stairway of Ahaz go back ten steps.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had descended.

Jeremiah 44:29-30
This will be a sign to you that I will punish you in this place, declares the LORD, so that you may know that My threats of harm against you will surely stand. / This is what the LORD says: Behold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who seek his life, just as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.”

Matthew 12:38-40
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” / Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. / For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

John 2:18-22
On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?” / Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” / “This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” ...

Acts 2:22
Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.


Treasury of Scripture

Ask you a sign of the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

a sign

Isaiah 37:30
And 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.

Isaiah 38:7,8,22
And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; …

Judges 6:36-40
And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, …

ask it either in the depth.

Jump to Previous
Deep Deepest Depth Depths Either Heaven Heavens Height Heights High Highest Hight Places Request Sheol Sign Underworld Upwards Whether
Jump to Next
Deep Deepest Depth Depths Either Heaven Heavens Height Heights High Highest Hight Places Request Sheol Sign Underworld Upwards Whether
Isaiah 7
1. Ahaz, being troubled with fear of Rezin and Pekah, is comforted by Isaiah
10. Ahaz, having liberty to choose a sign, and refusing it, has for a sign, Christ promised
17. His judgment is prophesied to come by Assyria














Ask for a sign from the LORD your God
This phrase is a direct invitation from God to King Ahaz through the prophet Isaiah. In the historical context, Ahaz was the king of Judah facing the threat of invasion from the combined forces of Israel and Syria. God, through Isaiah, offers Ahaz a sign to confirm His promise of deliverance. Theologically, this reflects God's willingness to provide assurance to His people, even when they are in doubt. The phrase "the LORD your God" emphasizes the covenant relationship between God and Judah, highlighting God's faithfulness despite Ahaz's lack of faith.

whether from the depths of Sheol
Sheol in ancient Hebrew thought is the realm of the dead, often depicted as a place of darkness and silence. By offering a sign from the depths of Sheol, God is essentially saying that no place is beyond His reach or power. This phrase underscores God's sovereignty over life and death, a theme echoed in other scriptures such as Psalm 139:8, where the psalmist acknowledges God's presence even in Sheol. It also foreshadows the New Testament revelation of Christ's victory over death and the grave.

or the heights of heaven
The "heights of heaven" refers to the celestial realm, often associated with God's dwelling place and the source of divine revelation. By including the heights of heaven, the offer encompasses the entire universe, indicating that God's power and authority extend over all creation. This phrase connects to other biblical passages that speak of God's majesty and omnipotence, such as Psalm 19:1, which declares the heavens as a testament to God's glory. It also prefigures the New Testament understanding of Jesus as the one who descended from heaven to fulfill God's redemptive plan.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is delivering God's message to King Ahaz in this passage. He is known for his prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah and the salvation of the Lord.

2. Ahaz
The King of Judah at the time, Ahaz is facing a military threat from the alliance of Syria and Israel. He is known for his lack of faith and reliance on foreign powers rather than God.

3. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, where Ahaz reigns. It is under threat from neighboring nations, which sets the context for this divine message.

4. Sheol
In Hebrew thought, Sheol is the realm of the dead, often depicted as a place of darkness and silence. It represents the depths from which Ahaz could ask for a sign.

5. Heaven
The dwelling place of God, representing the heights from which Ahaz could also request a sign. It symbolizes the divine authority and power of God.
Teaching Points
Faith Over Fear
Ahaz's situation teaches us the importance of trusting God over succumbing to fear and seeking human solutions. When faced with challenges, we should seek God's guidance and trust in His power.

God's Willingness to Confirm His Word
God offers signs to confirm His promises, showing His willingness to strengthen our faith. We should be open to seeing God's hand in our lives and recognize His confirmations.

The Depths and Heights of God's Sovereignty
The reference to Sheol and heaven underscores God's sovereignty over all creation. We can trust that nothing is beyond His reach or control.

The Danger of Rejecting God's Offer
Ahaz's refusal to ask for a sign reflects a lack of faith. We should be cautious not to reject God's offers of assurance and guidance in our lives.

The Ultimate Sign in Christ
The prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 points to Jesus as the ultimate sign of God's faithfulness. Our faith should be anchored in the fulfillment of God's promises through Christ.Verse 11. - Ask thee a sign. Asking for a sign is right or wrong, praiseworthy or blamable, according to the spirit in which the request is made. The Pharisees in our Lord's time "asked for a sign," but would not have believed any the more had they received the sign for which they asked. Gideon asked for a sign to strengthen his faith (Judges 6:37, 39), and received it, and in the strength of it went forth boldly against the Midianites. When God himself proposed to give a sign, and allowed his creature to choose what the sign should be, there could be no possible wrong-doing in a ready acceptance of the offer, which should have called forth gratitude and thanks. Ask it either in the depth, or in the height above; i.e. "Ask any sign thou wilt, either in hell or in heaven" - nothing shall be refused thee.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Ask for
שְׁאַל־ (šə·’al-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

a sign
א֔וֹת (’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 226: A signal, as a, flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence

from
מֵעִ֖ם (mê·‘im)
Preposition-m
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God,
אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

[whether] from the depths
הַעְמֵ֣ק (ha‘·mêq)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 6009: To be, deep

of Sheol
שְׁאָ֔לָה (šə·’ā·lāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7585: Underworld (place to which people descend at death)

or
א֖וֹ (’ōw)
Conjunction
Strong's 176: Desire, if

the heights
הַגְבֵּ֥הַּ (haḡ·bê·ah)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 1361: To soar, be lofty, to be haughty

of heaven.”
לְמָֽעְלָה׃ (lə·mā·‘ə·lāh)
Preposition-l | Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4605: The upper part, with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 7:11 Ask a sign of Yahweh your God (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 7:10
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