John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 7:22

"and it shall come to pass, that because of the abundance of milk which they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land." — Isaiah 7:22 (ASV)

On account of the abundance of milk. Some explain it this way: “There will hardly be enough milk obtained from one cow to feed a family, for those who raise cattle do not live on milk alone, but also make cheeses and have butter to sell.”

Therefore, when he says that out of all their abundance, nothing more would be produced than what was necessary for the family's use, those commentators believe it denotes poverty. Others think that this is a promise of fertility, meaning that however small the number of their cows and sheep, they will still have abundant means of support.

A third interpretation is preferable, for it seems as if the Prophet intended to show that the men will be so few in number that a small quantity of milk will be sufficient for all of them; and it is a far heavier affliction for a country to lack inhabitants than to have a small supply of herds and flocks.

In the preceding verse, Isaiah declared that Judea would be so impoverished that very few herds and flocks would be left, but now he adds that the men will be even fewer, because a very little milk will be sufficient for the inhabitants of the land.

I adopt this interpretation more readily because a promise would be inappropriate here. The former interpretation is forced, and he is not speaking only of those who raise cattle and had cows, but of all the inhabitants.

For he expressly says, Every one that shall be left, and by that expression, he again denotes the smallness of their number. His statement, therefore, is intended to show that the country will be so generally forsaken and so miserably wasted that no great supply of milk and butter will be needed, for when the devastation has taken place, there will be few men left.