Isaiah 7:25All the hills that were cultivated with the hoe, you shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of sheep."
The setting
Terraced hillsides near Jerusalem, ~734 BC. Isaiah describes agricultural terraces carved into hills with hoes becoming grazing land for livestock - the only safe use left in areas of modern Israel's hill country.
The emotion here: grief over watching careful work become waste through stubbornness
The original word
ma'der (מַעְדֵּר) — hoe, symbol of careful cultivation and human investment
Why it matters
Hill terraces required generations to build - abandoning them meant losing centuries of family work
Read with care
What most readers miss in Isaiah 7:25
Only cattle and sheep are brave enough to go where humans once carefully farmed
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about natural land use, but it's about fear making humans abandon places they spent generations building.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Isaiah 7:25
Bible Genome reading
Isaiah 7:25 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Isaiah 7:25 comes from the book of Isaiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Isaiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include judgment, desolation. Notable phrases: fear of briers and thorns. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Isaiah 7:25 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "anxious"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.