Chapter 10

1 The woe of tyrants. 5 Assyria, the rod of hypocrites, for his pride shall be broken. 20 A remnant of Israel shall be saved. 24 Israel is comforted with promise of deliverance from Assyria.

1. Unrighteous decrees. The evil here denounced is one of which Israel and Judah were both guilty. It is the evil already denounced in Judah in chs. 1:23 and 5:23. The crime was one of injustice against the poor and needy, against widows and orphans, against the unfortunate and the oppressed. Men were thinking only of themselves and of their own interests. The weakness of the age was selfishness and greed, an evil that was gnawing at the very heart of the nation.

3. The day of visitation. Instead of pronouncing judgment against the oppressors of the poor, the Lord, in asking this question, calls upon them to pronounce judgment against themselves. These unjust judges knew enough about justice and equity to know that they were guilty and that in the day of divine visitation there would be no way of escape for them. Isaiah had earlier pointed out how in the day of the Lord the wicked would flee to the rocks and caves to hide from the glory of God “when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (ch. 2:19).

4. The prisoners. The Hebrew of the first part of v. 4 is not clear. However, the thought is that the unjust judges of vs. 1–3 will, in the day of the Lord’s visitation, find themselves among the prisoners, crouching down with them in terror before the Judge of the universe, and that they will meet the same doom—they will be numbered among the slain.

5. Rod of mine anger. Having enumerated the crimes for which His professed people were to be judged, the Lord now sets forth the means by which He will execute judgment against them. God has decreed the sentence, and Assyria is to be the means by which the sentence will be executed. Compare ch. 7:20, where Assyria is compared to a razor that has been hired.

6. An hypocritical nation. That is, Judah, for by this time Samaria has been subdued (v. 11).

Spoil … prey. Compare the name of Isaiah’s son Maher-shalal-hash-baz (ch. 8:3), which means “speed the spoil, hasten the prey.” The Lord had commissioned Assyria to execute judgment against Israel and Damascus (ch. 8:4) as well as against Judah.

7. He meaneth not so. This is an interesting revelation of the way the Lord works with nations. When certain powers needed to have judgment meted out against them, the Lord used Assyria as His rod for punishment. Assyria, however, had no idea that it was being used as a tool in the hands of the Lord. So far as Assyrian leaders were aware, their policies were determined entirely by their own selfish interests. In other words, it was not the Spirit of the Lord that influenced Assyria to go against Israel and Judah, but the spirit of the evil one. How, then, can it be said that Assyria was a tool in the hand of the Lord? God’s protecting hand was withdrawn from the power against whom judgment had been decreed, and Assyria was permitted to work out her selfish, evil will. It is thus that the Lord works out His sovereign will in a world that is in rebellion against Him. The purposes of men and demons are overruled to carry out the purposes of God (see on 2 Chron. 18:18; 22:8; Dan. 4:17).

8. My princes. The lords of Assyria were comparable in power and glory to the kings of other nations, so the Assyrians boasted. So great was their power and so glorious their majesty that the monarchs of neighboring nations were as nought before them. The rulers of Assyria were fond of giving long lists of vassal kings who paid tribute and did homage to them.

9. Calno as Carchemish. Calno (Calneh), the Assyrian Kullani, was a city taken by Assyria in 738. King Pisiris of Carchemish paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser at Arpad in 743. Carchemish was on the bend of the Euphrates, about 382 mi. (c. 615 km.) north-northwest of Jerusalem, and Kullani, about 47 mi. (75 km.) southwest of Carchemish.

Hamath as Arpad. Nineteen districts of Hamath were brought under Assyrian power in 743 or soon thereafter. Arpad played a leading role in the Assyrian campaigns of 743, 742, 741, and 740. Arpad was a few miles from Kullani, and Hamath on the Orontes was 118 mi. (190 km.) north by east from Damascus. Damascus was about 100 mi. (c. 160 km.) northeast of Samaria.

Samaria as Damascus. Tiglath-pileser’s campaigns of 733 and 732 were against Damascus, and in 727 there was still another campaign against that city. Samaria was besieged by Shalmaneser V and taken in 723/722 (see Vol. II, pp. 85, 160), and its citizens were then carried captive to Assyria. Most of the northern and eastern parts of the kingdom of Israel had, however, already been reduced by Tiglath-pileser by 732, some years before Samaria itself was forced to bow to Assyrian might.

10. The kingdoms. Assyria had dealt successfully with the important cities named in v. 9. Their gods had been powerless to protect them against Assyrian might. Assyria regarded her gods as supreme over all others, and believed that her extensive conquests confirmed this. To the Assyrian king, as to all ancient peoples, the greatness of a god was measured by the power of the nation that worshiped that god. The “gods” of Jerusalem and Samaria were thus regarded as inferior to those of many of the nations already conquered by Assyria.

11. Samaria and her idols. The Assyrians thought of the gods of other nations as being similar to their own gods. To them the God of Jerusalem was basically no different from the god of any other city. As the gods of Samaria had failed to save it, so the God of Jerusalem would not be able to save it from Assyrian might.

12. His whole work. God had a task to accomplish, one of bringing judgment upon Zion and Jerusalem. Assyria was to be the tool God used to perform that task. But when the work was done the Lord would, in turn, punish Assyria for its pride and arrogancy.

I will punish. Literally, “I will call to account.” Note the change from the third person in the first part of the verse to the first person here, probably for emphasis.

13. My hand. Compare Dan. 4:30. The analysis of Assyrian policy as set forth in Isa. 10:13 justifies God’s judgment upon that nation. At first glance it might appear that the Lord was unjust in using Assyria for the performance of a task and then punishing her for doing what He wanted done (see on Ex. 4:21; 9:16). So the reason is here clearly set forth. Assyria is thinking only of herself, not of God (see on Isa. 10:7). She is interested solely in plunder and conquest. When she has humbled Jerusalem she will regard herself and her gods as stronger than Jerusalem and its God.

What she does not know is that in carrying out her own designs she is being used by Jehovah for the accomplishment of His purposes, and that she would be able to do nothing whatsoever against Judah or any other nation except as the Lord should permit. Assyria needed to learn that there is a God in heaven interested in questions of right and wrong, a God who will see that all transgressors receive their just dues, even those who outwardly profess to worship Him. Assyria was guilty before God for her ruthless subjugation of the various countries of the East. Her crimes against man and God, her proud boasting, her arrogance and perversity, called for judgment, and for these reasons the Lord would punish her. For a discussion of the principles on which God deals with the nations, see Ed 173–184; see on Dan. 4:17.

The bounds of the people. That is, national boundaries. It was the purpose of Assyria to eliminate these boundaries and to forestall future revolts by a policy of wholesale deportations of peoples. It was in accord with this policy, initiated by Assyria, that the people of Israel were taken to various places in Mesopotamia and Media (2 Kings 17:6), and people from Babylon, Elam, and other distant nations were placed in the cities of Samaria (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:9, 10).

Robbed their treasures. See on v. 14. Assyria was proud of its depredations and its cruelty. Royal Assyrian inscriptions boast of booty taken and blood spilled. They list in detail the amount of silver and gold, of cattle and goods, carried away, of the number of bodies left impaled on stakes, of the pyramids of corpses left outside city walls, and of the rivers of blood with which they drenched the hills and plains. God knew all about this boasting, and here sets forth the reasons why it was necessary that Assyria be called to account.

Like a valiant man. Literally, “like a despot,” “like a tyrant.” The same Hebrew word is also translated “bull” or “bulls” (Ps. 50:13; Isa. 34:7), the attribute of strength being taken to designate an animal of exceptional strength. Assyria boasted incessantly of her might and of her ability to subdue and humiliate other powerful peoples of the earth.

14. As one gathereth eggs. See on v. 13. The treasures and possessions of the nations were regarded by Assyria as simply so much spoil to be taken away. In words very similar to the language of this text the Assyrian kings boasted of seizing the treasures of peoples near and far and carting them away. For instance, the famed library of Ashurbanipal contained, in large part, records and objects taken during the course of Assyrian conquests.

None that moved. Where the Assyrian armies had been, nothing but death and devastation remained. Assyrian kings describe beautiful regions they left without inhabitant and laid utterly waste and bare. Isaiah has given a vivid and accurate picture of the proud boasts of these Assyrian kings.

15. Shall the axe? Assyria was an instrument in the hands of the Lord, but she was boasting as if she were mightier than God. Little did the kings of Assyria know of Jehovah, who sat on the throne of the universe and guided the affairs of earth, setting up and taking down those whom He would (see Dan. 5:19). No earthly monarch can accomplish anything without the permission of God, and no nation can continue to exist in opposition to the divine will. Like all the other nations of earth, Assyria was as a mere “drop of a bucket” and as the “small dust of the balance” before the might of God (Isa. 40:15). Assyria needed to learn that the hand of God “is stretched out upon all the nations,” and that His hand can never be turned back by man (ch. 14:26, 27).

Shake itself. Literally, “make itself great.”

Them that lift it up. Literally, “Him who lifts it up,” that is, God.

16. Fat ones. For the symbolic use of the word translated “fat,” see on Gen. 49:20; Eze. 34:16-18. In Judges 3:29 the word is translated “lusty.” Obviously the “men of valour” there mentioned, that is, warriors, were not all literally “fat,” but rather, sturdy and vigorous. Here the “fat ones” are the well-fleshed rulers of Assyria, and, perhaps, the Assyrian army also. God will lay His hand upon them and leave them emaciated and gaunt. In other words, Assyrian power would vanish away.

Fire. God would set their glorious palaces afire and make them a heap of smoking ruins (see Amos 1:4). A century after Isaiah uttered this declaration the Assyrian Empire lay in ruins. Nineveh was a mass of ashes, and Asshur, Calah, and Dur Sharrukin were being covered by the desert sands.

17. The light of Israel. To sin and sinners the divine glory is a consuming fire (see Ex. 24:17; Deut. 4:24; 9:3; Isa. 33:14; Heb. 12:29). The Holy One, whose brightness is the glory and joy of the redeemed, is as a flame that consumes briers and thorns. “Briers” and “thorns” are favorite figures of Isaiah in describing the ruinous work of sin (see on Isa. 9:18). Ezekiel (ch. 2:6) also uses this figurative expression for the wicked, and Paul (Heb. 6:8) likewise speaks of briers and thorns as the cursed fruitage of evil, “whose end is to be burned.”

In one day. These words point to some speedy and sudden destruction that would befall the Assyrians. Isaiah here looks forward to such scenes as the destruction of 185,000 men of Sennacherib’s army in one night (ch. 37:36).

18. The glory of his forest. One day this Assyrian force was a thing of strength and glory; the next, it had vanished from the earth—like a vast and beautiful forest swept by flames. In the Bible, evil men and nations are compared to stately trees that will be shorn of their pride and beauty (Eze. 31:3–18; Dan. 4:10–26; cf. Isa. 30:27–33).

A standardbearer. Heb. noses, a participial form of the verb nasas, “to falter,” and meaning here, literally, “a falterer.” Some suggest the meaning “sick man.” The LXX reads “he that flees,” as does also the Vulgate. The Assyrians are seen advancing on every side, and it appears that nothing can halt their progress. The prophet, however, foresees the time when Assyria will take sick, as it were, and fall. She will “falter” and faint. This translation of nasas is more appropriate to the context of vs. 16–19, and particularly with the first part of v. 18.

19. The trees. That is, the people (see on v. 18). Reference may be made here to the loss of Sennacherib’s host before the gates of Jerusalem (ch. 37:36), inasmuch as Sennacherib and another part of his expeditionary forces succeeded in returning to Assyria (Isa. 37:37; see on 2 Kings 19:36). But after the “fire” (Isa. 10:16) had consumed the “forest” a very few “trees” remained—so few that a child could count them.

20. Remnant of Israel. After the prophet notes the fact that a few of the Assyrians would escape the judgment sent upon them, his mind goes out to those in Israel who would survive the Assyrian invasion. The work of destruction is seldom complete. Even in the northern nation there were a few who remained after the Assyrians had done their work, and in Judah the people of Jerusalem and a few others escaped the destruction resulting from Sennacherib’s invasion. The idea of the return, or survival, of a remnant, embodied in the name of Isaiah’s son Shear-jashub (ch. 7:3), is a thought to which the prophet constantly returns (chs. 10:21, 22; 11:11, l6; 46:3).

Shall no more. Ahaz placed his confidence in Assyria (2 Kings 16:7–9; 2 Chron. 28:16–21) rather than in God. Assyria, however, was no friend of Judah, or of any other nation for that matter; she was interested only in herself. God intended that after the terrible destruction wrought by Sennacherib in Judah the “remnant” should place their confidence in Him. He it was who gave them deliverance in response to Hezekiah’s earnest prayer (Isa. 37:14–36), and in Him the faithful remnant would now place their trust. At last they recognized in Assyria a cruel master rather than a friend and helper. Reliance upon God was demonstrated as the only way to safety and victory.

21. Remnant shall return. Heb. sheХar yashub. Isaiah had in mind his son Shear-jashub (see on ch. 7:3). The supreme lesson Isaiah bore to Israel, however, was the lesson of Immanuel, “God with us” (see on chs. 7:14; 8:8). When the people placed their confidence in the Lord and had God with them, the greatest powers of earth could not prevail against them. God permitted these trying experiences to come upon His people in order to bring them back to Him (see on ch. 10:13).

22. Sand of the sea. The promised return of the remnant was a message of hope, and also a message of doom. For those who refused to return to the Lord and continued in their hypocritical and worldly ways, the message of the “remnant” brought no hope. The promise of restoration and salvation was for the “remnant” only. All others were to be lost. The doers of evil and those who knew God only in name would find no way of escape from the judgments soon to overtake the land. Though the numbers of Israel were as the sands of the sea (see Gen. 22:17; 32:12), only the faithful remnant would be saved.

The consumption decreed. God would permit destruction to consume the land, but the result would be a higher level of righteousness. Though punitive, so far as the evildoers were concerned, the visitation would be primarily corrective. Judgment upon the wicked could not be averted, but a “remnant” would “return” to the Lord, and He would accomplish His work of righteousness in them. The apostle Paul applies this verse to the Lord’s great final work on earth (Rom. 9:27, 28; cf. 2 Peter 3:10–13).

23. A consumption. Literally, “a burning,” one that would consume everything (see ch. 28:22).

24. Be not afraid. This is the practical application of the lesson of Isaiah’s message (see on ch. 7:4, 7, 9). The Assyrians will come as a “rod” of judgment (see on ch. 10:5), but do not be afraid of them. They will smite, but they will not destroy. Remain faithful to God, put your confidence in Him, accept His presence with you, and you will be spared. Though many will be lost, a remnant will be saved. Be among that remnant, and “be not afraid.” God sends a similar message to us today.

The manner of Egypt. Pharaoh had exerted all his wrath against the Israelites in Egypt, but could not prevent the Exodus. The Assyrians are also powerful and cruel, but a remnant will escape their blows.

25. The indignation. That is, the Lord’s wrath against the wicked, both among those who professed to worship Him and among the heathen. The wicked would perish, and then the Lord’s indignation would cease. Again the destruction of the Assyrian hosts is foretold (see on v. 19).

26. The slaughter of Midian. In ch. 9:4 Isaiah had referred to the breaking of the rod of the “oppressor, as in the day of Midian.” Now he again likens the forthcoming destruction of the Assyrians to the blow delivered against the Midianites and their chieftains (Judges 7:19–25).

His rod. In Egypt, Pharaoh wielded a rod of oppression, but God wielded a rod of deliverance. When the Lord’s rod was stretched over the sea, the hosts of Egypt perished. As the Lord had prepared a scourge for the enemies of His people in ancient times, so the Lord would again smite the enemies who came against Zion in the days of Isaiah. And what the Lord did then, He will do again today. The faithful remnant, not the wicked, will triumph.

27. Because of the anointing. The meaning of this expression is not clear in this context. The word translated “anointing” means “fat,” or “oil.” The translation “anointing” is given because oil is used in the rite of anointing. The RSV reconstructs the Hebrew text to read, “He has gone up from Rimmon.”

28. He is come to Aiath. Here begins a poem that pictures an invader approaching from the north to the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem, striking terror to the hearts of the inhabitants. Whether it was intended as a prophecy of some particular Assyrian invasion, or is simply a poetic picture of the tide of invasion sweeping down upon the land of Judah (see on ch. 8:7, 8) is not clear. At the time of his first invasion (in the 14th year of Hezekiah) Sennacherib did not approach Jerusalem from the north. His armies reached the Mediterranean seacoast at Sidon, then marched southward to Philistia, and from there advanced inland toward the cities of Judah. It was to Lachish, southwest of Jerusalem, that Hezekiah sent his message promising tribute (2 Kings 18:14). But there seem to have been two invasions of Sennacherib (see Vol. II, p. 64). Isaiah’s poem here sets forth in a striking way the terror that would overwhelm the inhabitants of Jerusalem as the enemy force approached nearer and ever nearer the city, laying waste the country as they came.

Some have assumed that we find here a description of an actual advance on Jerusalem by some Assyrian army, perhaps that of Sargon, the record of which has been lost. That is possible but not probable. It may refer to the approach of the portion of Sennacherib’s army sent against Jerusalem while the other force headed toward Egypt. The purpose of this poem is to picture the fright of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the surrounding area as an enemy force draws near.

The cities named do not all lie on a route such as an approaching army would actually follow. Aiath is probably at Ai, 93/4 mi. (15.6 km.) north by east from Jerusalem. Moving southward to Migron and Michmash, 71/8 mi. (11.4 km.) north-northeast of Jerusalem, the army lays up its baggage. It is not known whether the modern road, which dates from Roman times, represents the route followed by the highway in more ancient times. It is possible that the ancient highway was closer to the towns here named.

29. The passage. From Michmash the route leads downward through a deep ravine and up a steep ascent to Geba, 53/4 mi. (9.2 km.) from Jerusalem. Ramah of Benjamin (15/8 mi., 2.6 km., west of Geba) and Gibeah, the city of Saul (21/8 mi., 3.4 km., south of Ramah), are on the direct road between Michmash and Jerusalem.

30. Gallim. Gallim has been identified with Khirbet KaФkuЖl, 11/4 mi. (2 km.) southeast of Gibeah of Saul (1 Sam. 25:44), and Laish was not far to the southeast. Anathoth, the home of Jeremiah, was 2 mi. (3.2 km.) southeast of Gibeah and 21/2 mi. (4 km.) northeast of Jerusalem.

31. Madmenah. Madmenah and Gebim have not been positively identified, but are thought to have been slightly to the north of Jerusalem.

32. Nob. Nob, the city of the priest Ahimelech and the site of the tabernacle in the days of Saul (1 Sam. 21:1), was possibly on Mt. Scopus, northeast of Jerusalem. Here the poem leaves the invader shaking his fist at the daughter of Zion, that is, at Jerusalem, a goal so near and yet so utterly beyond his reach. Compare the defiant words of the Rabshakeh standing just outside the walls of the city, but unable to enter (2 Kings 18:19–35).

33. The Lord of hosts. See Vol. I, p. 173. Isaiah now lifts his eyes from the terror-stricken inhabitants of Jerusalem and beholds the Lord of hosts seated upon the throne of the universe, keeping watch above His own. The Assyrian had boasted that he would cut down the cedars and the firs of Lebanon (2 Kings 19:23), but the Lord now makes it clear that He will hew down the “trees” (see on Isa. 10:19) of lofty stature and cut down the “thickets of the forest” (v. 34). This is a continuation of the figure of vs. 18, 19. Man proposes, but God disposes. Proud and boastful Assyria plans to cut down Judah as she has the other nations of the East, but Assyria must learn that there is a God who rules the nations of earth. See 2 Kings 19:20–34 for Isaiah’s encouraging word to Hezekiah concerning the manner in which the Lord would reveal His power against the hosts of Sennacherib and save Jerusalem.

34. And Lebanon shall fall.When the mighty Sennacherib came against Judah he “reproached the Lord” with his proud boast: “With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the forest of his Carmel” (2 Kings 19:23). These words can be understood both literally and figuratively. The Assyrians certainly planned to cut down the beautiful cedars of Lebanon for their own use. But they likewise planned to accomplish the ruin of nations symbolized by stately trees (see on Isa. 10:19). Israel had already been cut down, and Assyria planned that Judah should be next.

The Lord, however, makes it clear that what will be accomplished in this regard will be by His direction and will, not by the purpose or might of man. Israel had fallen only because God had removed His protecting hand. Eventually, Judah would also fall, as Isaiah himself had predicted (ch. 2:11–13). It was the Lord, however, who would lay low the majestic tree of Judah, not Assyria, as Sennacherib purposed. Isaiah has foretold the doom of proud and mighty Assyria, but without forgetting that the pride of Judah would likewise be humbled, that those once beautiful and stately “trees” would be cut down before the Lord.

Ellen G. White comments

1, 2 PK 306

5     PK 291, 349

10, 11  PK 352

18   8T 41

20   PK 299

24–27PK 350