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Isaiah 10

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Woe Against Unjust Rulers 1–4

1
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers that write perverseness; ​
2
to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! ​
3
And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? ​
4
They shall only bow down under the prisoners, and shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. ​

Assyria: The Rod of God's Anger 5–11

5
Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! ​
6
I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. ​
7
Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few. ​
8
For he saith, Are not my princes all of them kings?
9
Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? ​
10
As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
11
shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? ​

The Lord Will Punish Assyrian Pride 12–19

12
Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. ​
13
For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and like a valiant man I have brought down them that sit on thrones: ​
14
and my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the peoples; and as one gathereth eggs that are forsaken, have I gathered all the earth: and there was none that moved the wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped. ​
15
Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up him that is not wood. ​
16
Therefore will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory there shall be kindled a burning like the burning of fire. ​
17
And the light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. ​
18
And he will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and it shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth. ​
19
And the remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child may write them. ​

The Remnant Shall Return 20–23

20
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. ​
21
A remnant shall return, eventhe remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. ​
22
For though thy people, Israel, be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them shall return: a destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. ​
23
For a full end, and that determined, will the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, make in the midst of all the earth.

Comfort for Zion Against Assyria 24–27

24
Therefore thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian, though he smite thee with the rod, and lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. ​
25
For yet a very little while, and the indignation against thee shall be accomplished, and mine anger shall be directed to his destruction.
26
And Jehovah of hosts will stir up against him a scourge, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and his rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up after the manner of Egypt. ​
27
And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall depart from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed by reason of fatness. ​

Assyria's Advance and Destruction 28–34

28
He is come to Aiath, he is passed through Migron; at Michmash he layeth up his baggage; ​
29
they are gone over the pass; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah trembleth; Gibeah of Saul is fled.
30
Cry aloud with thy voice, O daughter of Gallim! hearken, O Laishah! O thou poor Anathoth! ​
31
Madmenah is a fugitive; the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32
This very day shall he halt at Nob: he shaketh his hand at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. ​
33
Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, will lop the boughs with terror: and the high of stature shall be hewn down, and the lofty shall be brought low. ​
34
And he will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Isaiah 10

Verse 1

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees — 'Woe' (hoy) is the cry that opens the woes of ch.5 (5:8, 11, 18, 20–22) and is turned on Assyria in v.5, where the KJV prints it 'O'. 'Decree' and 'decrees' are the verb and noun of one root (chaqaq), a statute cut or written; 'write' and 'prescribed' are one verb (katab) used twice.

Verse 2

widows may be their prey — The law said 'Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child' (Ex 22:22) and 'nor take a widow's raiment to pledge' (Deut 24:17). 'Prey' (shalal) and 'rob' (baz) are the two roots used in v.6 of what Assyria is sent to do, 'to take the spoil, and to take the prey'.

Verse 3

the day of visitation — 'Visitation' is pequddah, of the root that is 'punish' in v.12 (paqad). 'From far' picks up 5:26, where the LORD 'will lift up an ensign to the nations from far'. The question 'what will ye do?' recalls Job's, 'What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?' (Job 31:14).

Verse 4

his hand is stretched out still — The refrain 'For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still' ends 5:25, 9:12, 9:17 and 9:21, and this is its fifth and last appearance. 'Stretched out' is natah, the verb rendered 'turn aside' in v.2 of what the judges did to the needy.

Verse 5

O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger — 'O' is hoy, the 'Woe' of v.1, so the instrument is itself under woe. 'Rod' (shebet) and 'staff' (matteh) are the pair of 9:4, 'the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor', and they return in v.24, 'he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee'.

Verse 6

an hypocritical nation — 'Hypocritical' (chaneph) is the word of 9:17, 'every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer'. 'Send' (shalach) is the verb of 6:8, 'Whom shall I send?' 'Spoil' and 'prey' are the roots shalal and baz of v.2, and the 'mire of the streets' (chomer) is where the people are to be trodden down.

Verse 7

Howbeit he meaneth not so — 'Think' is chashab, the verb of Gen 50:20, 'ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good', where one word covers both purposes. Peter speaks of the cross the same way: 'the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God' and 'wicked hands' (Acts 2:23). Assyria's own purpose is 'to destroy and cut off nations not a few'.

Verse 9

Is not Calno as Carchemish? — The six cities are the Assyrian's conquests as he counts them. The king of Assyria 'went up against Damascus, and took it' (2 Kgs 16:9) and 'took Samaria' (17:6); Rabshakeh later asks 'Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad?' (18:34); Carchemish lay 'by Euphrates' (2 Chr 35:20).

Verse 11

Samaria and her idols — Rabshakeh argues the same way in 36:19, 'have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?' 'Idols' is two words: elil, a worthless thing, for Samaria's (also in 2:8, 'Their land also is full of idols'), and atsab for Jerusalem's. Hezekiah's reply is that the nations' gods 'were no gods, but the work of men's hands' (37:19).

Verse 12

when the Lord hath performed his whole work — The order is Zion first, then the king. 'I will punish' (paqad) is the root of 'visitation' in v.3. Isa 37:36–38 records it: the angel smote 'a hundred and fourscore and five thousand', and the king was killed by his sons in the house of Nisroch. The 'high looks' recall 2:11, 'The lofty looks of man shall be humbled'.

Verse 13

By the strength of my hand I have done it — The boast is answered in 37:26, 'Hast thou not heard long ago, how I have done it?' 'Prudent' (bin) shares its root with the 'understanding' that 11:2 pairs with 'wisdom' in the Spirit resting on the shoot of Jesse. Moses had named the same boast, 'My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth' (Deut 8:17).

Verse 14

as one gathereth eggs — The conquest is told as robbing a nest, gathering 'eggs that are left' (azab, forsaken), the verb of 'where will ye leave your glory?' in v.3. 'Peeped' (tsaphaph) is the verb used of the wizards who 'peep, and… mutter' (8:19). No wing moved and no mouth opened against him.

Verse 15

Shall the axe boast itself — The axe, saw, rod and staff are all tools in the hand that uses them; the rod and staff are those of v.5. The same argument from the maker and the thing made returns in 29:16 and 45:9, and Paul draws on it in Rom 9:20–21, 'Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?'

Verse 16

send among his fat ones leanness — 'Fat ones' (mishman) returns in 17:4, 'the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean', and 'leanness' (razon) in Ps 106:15, 'sent leanness into their soul'. 'Glory' (kabod) is the word of v.3, 'where will ye leave your glory?', and under it 'a burning like the burning of a fire' is kindled; v.17 says what that fire is.

Verse 17

the light of Israel shall be for a fire — 'The LORD is my light' (Ps 27:1), and here that light is a fire, and 'his Holy One' a flame. 'Thorns' (shayit) and 'briers' (shamir) are the pair of 9:18, 'wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns'. 'The LORD thy God is a consuming fire' (Deut 4:24).

Verse 18

the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field — 'Fruitful field' is karmel, orchard land, the word of 29:17, 'Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field'; the Assyrian himself speaks of 'the forest of his Carmel' (37:24). 'Soul and body' are nephesh and basar, flesh. 'Fainteth' is masas, to melt, the verb of 'our hearts did melt' (Josh 2:11).

Verse 19

that a child may write them — 'Rest' is she'ar, the word rendered 'remnant' in vv.20–22. Here it is the remnant of the Assyrian forest, so few that a 'child' (na'ar) can write them down; 'few' is literally 'number' (mispar). The remnant of Israel is the one that 'shall return' (v.21).

Verse 20

shall stay upon the LORD — 'Stay' is sha'an, to lean on: the verb of 'stay on horses' (31:1) and 'stay upon his God' (50:10). Ahaz had leaned on Assyria, whose king 'distressed him, but strengthened him not' (2 Chr 28:20). 'Escaped' (peletah) is the word of 4:2, 'them that are escaped of Israel'.

Verse 21

The remnant shall return — The words are the name of Isaiah's son Shearjashub, whom he took to meet Ahaz (7:3). 'The mighty God' (El gibbor) is the title given to the child in 9:6, 'The mighty God', so the return is to the one named there.

Verse 22

a remnant of them shall return — The 'sand of the sea' is the figure of the promise in Gen 32:12, 'make thy seed as the sand of the sea'. Paul quotes the verse in Rom 9:27–28, 'a remnant shall be saved'. 'Consumption' (kalayon) is an ending; the decreed end 'shall overflow' with 'righteousness' (tsedaqah), 'cut it short in righteousness' in Paul's words.

Verse 24

be not afraid of the Assyrian — 'After the manner of Egypt' joins the two oppressors, as 52:4 does: 'My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause'. 'Be not afraid of' is also the word to Hezekiah's servants, 'Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard' (37:6).

Verse 26

the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb — At 'the rock Oreb' a prince of Midian was slain (Judg 7:25) in the victory won by 'the three hundred men that lapped' (7:7); 9:4 has already named 'the day of Midian'. 'His rod was upon the sea' recalls Ex 14:16, 'lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea'.

Verse 27

the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing — 'Anointing' is literally 'oil' (shemen), the oil that made a king (1 Sam 10:1). 'Burden' and 'yoke' are the words of 9:4, 'the yoke of his burden… as in the day of Midian', and of 14:25, 'then shall his yoke depart from off them'. Christ takes up the language of anointing in Luke 4:18.

Verse 28

He is come to Aiath — Aiath is the Ai of Josh 7–8, and Neh 11:31 lists 'Michmash, and Aija, and Bethel' among Benjamin's villages; at Migron 'Saul tarried… under a pomegranate tree' (1 Sam 14:2). 'Laid up' is paqad, of the root of 'visitation' (v.3) and 'punish' (v.12); 'carriages' are kelim, baggage.

Verse 30

O poor Anathoth — Anathoth was a priests' city (Josh 21:18) and Jeremiah's home (Jer 1:1). 'Poor' (aniyah) is the form of the word in v.2, 'the poor of my people'. Gallim is the home of Phalti the son of Laish, to whom Saul gave Michal (1 Sam 25:44).

Verse 32

he shall shake his hand against the mount — 'Shake' (nuph) is the gesture of threat, used of the LORD himself in 19:16, 'the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts', and Zech 2:9, 'I will shake mine hand upon them'. Nob is 'the city of the priests' (1 Sam 22:19); the hill the Assyrian threatens is Jerusalem's.

Verse 33

the high ones of stature shall be hewn down — 'High ones' is ram, the 'high' of 6:1, 'high and lifted up', and 'humbled' (shaphel) is the verb of 2:11 and 2:17, 'the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day'. 'The Lord, the LORD of hosts' is the title of v.16. 2 Chr 32:21 records the angel that 'cut off all the mighty men of valour'.

Verse 34

Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one — 'The thickets of the forest' are the words of 9:18, where the fire 'shall kindle in the thickets of the forest'. The Assyrian king's own claim, 'I will cut down the tall cedars' (37:24), uses the same figure. 'Mighty one' (addir) is the word of Ps 93:4, 'The LORD on high is mightier'. Chapter 11 opens with 'a rod out of the stem of Jesse'.