Isaiah 10:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few;

NIV: But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations.

NASB: Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to eliminate many nations.

CSB: But this is not what he intends; this is not what he plans. It is his intent to destroy and to cut off many nations.

NLT: But the king of Assyria will not understand that he is my tool; his mind does not work that way. His plan is simply to destroy, to cut down nation after nation.

KJV: Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.

NKJV: Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations.

The Lord has declared that He is the one who commands the king of Assyria to crush His own people in Israel (Isaiah 10:5). The brutal, merciless Assyrian war machine is merely the weapon of the Lord's anger (Isaiah 10:6).

God clarifies that the king of Assyria doesn't know this. The Assyrians don't believe themselves to be the agent of the God of the Israelites. They have no interest in doing the Lord's bidding. The kings of the Assyrians have one motive. They seek to conquer the world, rule everyone and bring glory to themselves. The Assyrians kill for the Assyrians and nobody else. The Assyrian king believes himself to be a self-serving destroyer of many nations. He lacks the humility to believe himself merely a tool in the hand of the Lord God of Israel. The same could be said of most people on earth, believers or not.

Isaiah 10:5–19 describes Assyria as a weapon of the Lord's anger directed at His own people. The king of Assyria imagines himself to be the source of his own strength. He also images that he will keep conquering one nation after another. However, when the Lord has finished using Assyria, He will turn and judge the king for his arrogance. Does the axe boast over the one who uses it? Or does the staff lift the one who holds it? The Lord will consume Assyria as fire consumes a forest.

Isaiah declares woe on those in Israel and Judah who use the law to take advantage of the poor. These people will not escape the Lord's judgment. He next describes the Assyrians as the Lord's staff of judgment against the godless nation that is His people. When He is done punishing His people, the Lord will turn His anger on the Assyrians, nearly destroying them. Eventually, a remnant of Israelites will return to faith in the Lord. Destruction will come, but it will not consume everything. The Lord will triumph over Assyria.

Isaiah 10 follows prophecies about God's judgment on Israel for the nation's sins. It begins pronouncing sorrow for those who oppress the poor and needy. He also declares woe on the Assyrians, whom the Lord is using to judge His people Israel. Soon, the Lord will direct His anger against the Assyrians for the arrogance of their king. He will burn them down as a forest. A remnant of Israel will survive the Assyrian judgment and trust the Lord again. His anger will turn from Israel to Assyria. The Assyrian oppression of Israel will be ended.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 11/23/2024 10:52:42 AM