Isaiah 10:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And in that day his burden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”

NIV: In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat.

NASB: So it will be on that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of fatness.

CSB: On that day his burden will fall from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck. The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.

NLT: In that day the Lord will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders.

KJV: And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

NKJV: It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

This judgment through the Assyrians (Isaiah 10:5–7) will end. Those who survive the Lord's anger through the weapon of the Assyrian nation are promised that His wrath will end. He will direct His anger, instead, at the Assyrians, using His supernatural power once more to save Israel from foreign oppression (Isaiah 10:25).

The Lord now promises that the Assyrian oppression will be removed. A "yoke" is a connecting tool put on the shoulders of livestock so they can work. It is a common symbol of effort or even slavery in Scripture (1 Kings 12:4; Isaiah 9:4; Matthew 11:29–30). Then the God notes that the yoke will be broken "because of the fat." Commentators are not certain of the meaning of this phrase. It may suggest that Israel will become so prosperous, that they will be like an ox that gets fat and becomes too big for its yoke, breaking free in the process.

The promise is clear. The Lord God who used the Assyrians to bring destruction to Israel will soon bring destruction to the Assyrians.

Isaiah 10:20–34 describes the remnant that will be saved in Israel and who will reestablish trust in the Lord. Only these few will be saved, and the Lord's destruction will come. The Lord, though, urges His people not to fear the Assyrians. His anger will soon turn from Israel to Assyria's direction. He will use His supernatural power to end Assyria's oppression over Israel. Even if a great Assyrian army marches all the way to the edge of Jerusalem, the Lord will cut them down as 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).