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.
And this will be a sign to prove it to you: This year you will eat whatever grows wild on its own. In the second year, you'll eat what springs up from those same plants. But in the third year, you'll be able to plant your crops and harvest them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
God is giving King Hezekiah a three-year agricultural sign to prove that Jerusalem will survive the Assyrian siege and return to normal life.
📚 Historical Context
This prophecy was given during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem around 701 BC, when King Sennacherib's army surrounded the city. The people couldn't farm normally because of the military threat, so they would need to rely on volunteer crops. Isaiah was assuring King Hezekiah that not only would they survive, but within three years they'd return to normal agricultural life.
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