Isaiah 10

King James Version

Full text for Isaiah Chapter 10

1¶ Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness [which] they have prescribed;

2To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and [that] they may rob the fatherless!

3And 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?

4Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand [is] stretched out still.

5¶ O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6I will send him against an hypocritical 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.

7Howbeit 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.

8For he saith, [Are] not my princes altogether kings?

9[Is] not Calno as Carchemish? [is] not Hamath as Arpad? [is] not Samaria as Damascus?

10As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

11Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

12Wherefore 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.

13For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done [it], and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant [man]:

14And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs [that are] left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

15Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? [or] shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake [itself] against them that lift it up, [or] as if the staff should lift up [itself, as if it were] no wood.

16Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

17And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;

18And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.

19And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

20¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21The remnant shall return, [even] the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

22For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, [yet] a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

23For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.

24¶ Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.

25For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.

26And the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and [as] his rod [was] upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

27And 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.

28He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages:

29They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.

30Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.

31Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.

32As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand [against] the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

33Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature [shall be] hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

34And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Isaiah 10 begins with a woe against those who decree unrighteous laws, oppressing the vulnerable, and warns of inescapable divine judgment. God then declares Assyria to be His instrument of wrath against a hypocritical Israel, though Assyria, in its pride, believes its conquests are by its own might. However, after fulfilling God's purpose, Assyria's arrogance will be punished, and its power diminished. The chapter concludes with a promise of a remnant of Israel returning to the Lord and the ultimate destruction of the Assyrian oppressor.

Medium Summary

The chapter opens with a strong denunciation of those who decree unjust laws, exploiting the poor, widows, and fatherless, and warns of a coming day of reckoning from which there will be no refuge. The LORD then identifies Assyria as the "rod of mine anger," a tool to chastise a disobedient Israel. Despite being God's instrument, Assyria is filled with its own pride, boasting of its military might and conquests over numerous nations, even contemplating the subjugation of Jerusalem as it did Samaria. God declares that after Assyria has completed its divinely appointed task against Zion, He will humble its arrogant heart and diminish its glory, likening it to an axe boasting against its wielder. Amidst this judgment, a promise is given that a remnant of Israel will turn from their oppressors and cleave to the LORD, and the Assyrian yoke will ultimately be broken, as the enemy's advance towards Jerusalem is vividly described before its prophesied downfall.

Long Summary

Isaiah 10 commences with a severe "Woe" pronounced upon those who establish unrighteous decrees, thereby perverting justice and preying upon the needy, the poor, widows, and the fatherless. These unjust rulers are warned of an inevitable "day of visitation" and desolation, questioning where they will find help or refuge for their glory. The LORD then reveals His divine strategy, declaring Assyria to be the "rod of mine anger" and the "staff" of His indignation, purposed to be sent against a "hypocritical nation" (Israel) to take spoil and tread them down. However, the Assyrian king, unaware of his role as a mere instrument, intends only to destroy and cut off many nations, boasting of his princes as kings and comparing his conquests of cities like Calno, Hamath, and Samaria. He arrogantly presumes he can conquer Jerusalem just as he did Samaria and its idols. The LORD asserts that after He has fully accomplished His work upon Mount Zion and Jerusalem through Assyria, He will then punish the "stout heart" and "high looks" of the Assyrian king. Assyria's boast is that its victories are solely by its own strength, wisdom, and prudence, having removed boundaries and plundered treasures. God challenges this hubris, asking if the axe can boast against the one who wields it, or the saw against the one who moves it. Consequently, the LORD of hosts will send leanness among Assyria's "fat ones" and kindle a consuming fire, diminishing its glory and reducing its vast army to a mere few. Amidst these judgments, a promise of hope emerges: a remnant of Israel, those who have escaped, will no longer rely on their smiters but will turn in truth to the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. Though Israel's population is vast, only a remnant will return, as a divinely decreed "consumption" will overflow with righteousness. The LORD reassures His people in Zion not to fear Assyria, for its indignation will soon cease, and He will raise a scourge against it, reminiscent of the defeat of Midian and the deliverance from Egypt. The Assyrian burden and yoke will be removed from Israel due to "the anointing." The chapter concludes with a vivid, almost real-time description of Assyria's military advance through various towns towards Jerusalem, culminating in the LORD's promise to "lop the bough with terror," humbling the haughty and cutting down the mighty, signifying the ultimate and decisive destruction of the Assyrian power.

Core Concepts

  • Unrighteous DecreesThe chapter opens with a strong condemnation of rulers who establish unjust laws, leading to the oppression and exploitation of the poor, widows, and fatherless by perverting judgment.
  • Assyria as God's RodThe LORD declares Assyria to be His chosen instrument, the 'rod of mine anger,' used to chastise and bring judgment upon a disobedient and hypocritical Israel.
  • Assyrian Pride and HubrisThe Assyrian king's arrogance is highlighted as he boasts of his own strength and wisdom in conquering nations, failing to recognize himself as a mere tool in God's hand, and presuming to conquer Jerusalem as he did other cities.
  • Divine Retribution for PrideGod promises to punish the 'stout heart' and 'high looks' of the Assyrian king after he has fulfilled God's purpose, demonstrating that no instrument can boast against its Maker.
  • The Remnant of IsraelA significant prophecy that despite widespread judgment and destruction, a faithful portion of Israel, a 'remnant,' will survive and turn in truth to the LORD, no longer relying on their oppressors.
  • Deliverance from the YokeAn assurance that God will ultimately remove the oppressive burden and yoke of the Assyrian empire from His people, signifying a future liberation and protection for Zion.
  • Imminent Invasion and God's InterventionA vivid description of the Assyrian army's rapid advance through specific towns towards Jerusalem, immediately followed by the LORD's decisive promise to halt and destroy their power at the city's threshold.