Isaiah 31:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor.

NIV: "Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor.

NASB: And the Assyrian will fall by a sword not wielded by a man, And a sword not of man will devour him. So he will not escape the sword, And his young men will become forced laborers.

CSB: Then Assyria will fall, but not by human sword; a sword will devour him, but not one made by man. He will flee from the sword; his young men will be put to forced labor.

NLT: 'The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by the swords of men. The sword of God will strike them, and they will panic and flee. The strong young Assyrians will be taken away as captives.

KJV: Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.

NKJV: “Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of mankind shall devour him. But he shall flee from the sword, And his young men shall become forced labor.

Isaiah declares "woe" on those in Judah who don't consult the Lord for help against the Assyrians. Instead, they turn to Egypt. They trust in earthly military resources instead of their own God. The Lord will bring disaster on both His sinful people Judah and their helpers the Egyptians. Both will fall. Then the Lord will come down to protect Jerusalem like a lion easily fending off multiple shepherds. Isaiah calls for the people to turn back to the Lord and prophecies that they will cast away their false idols. The Assyrians will be devoured and their king terrified and killed.

Isaiah 30 offers a shorter, poetic retelling of the previous chapter. This begins with a declaration of woe on the people of Judah. They rely on the horses and chariots of Egypt to save them from the Assyrians instead of consulting with the Lord. God will cause His sinful people Judah and their merely mortal helpers the Egyptians to fall together. Then He will protect Jerusalem from the Assyrians as a mother bird protects her nest. The following chapter continues to prophesy, looking ahead to Messiah's reign over the earth.

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).