Isaiah 10:13

13 He said, "By my own strength I have achieved it, and by my wisdom, since I'm so clever. I disregarded national boundaries; I raided their treasures; I knocked down their rulers like a bull.

Isaiah 10:13 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 10:13

For he saith, by the strength of my hand I have done [it],
&c.] Meaning either that by the power of his army, which was under his command, or by his own personal valour, he had subdued kings, taken their kingdoms and chief cities, and ascribes nothing to the power aud providence of God; and if such arrogance and haughtiness, in things of a civil nature, is an instance of vanity, and is resented by the Lord, then much more such conduct in things of a religious nature, when men ascribe regeneration, conversion, and salvation, to the power of their free will, and to the works of their hands, and not to the power and grace of God: and by my wisdom, for I am prudent;
attributing his conquests partly to his power, and partly to his skill and prudence in marshalling his army, making use of stratagems to decoy the enemy, and get an advantage of him; whereas strength and power, and so wisdom and prudence, are from the Lord; as he gives safety, victory, and salvation to kings, so he teaches their hands to war, and their fingers to fight; which they ought to acknowledge, and will, unless vain and proud: and I have removed the bounds of the people;
by subduing kingdoms, and adding them to his own, so that they were no more distinct governments; and by transplanting the inhabitants of them to other places, and making new colonies and settlements; and so the Targum,

``and I have removed the people from province to province:''

taking that to himself which belongs to God, who has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of men's habitations: and have robbed their treasures:
laid up in palaces, temples, sepulchres, and private houses, for time to come, which are usually plundered when cities and towns are taken; the Targum renders it,

``their laudable cities:''

and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant [man];
from their greatness, from their seats of honour and dignity; or I have put down many inhabitants, as Jarchi, and reduced great numbers to a low and mean estate. The Targum is,

``I have brought down with strength they that dwell in fortified places;''

and so Aben Ezra and Kimchi explain it, they that dwell in a strong place or palace.

Isaiah 10:13 In-Context

11 just as I did to Samaria and her false gods, won't I also do this to Jerusalem and her idols?

12 But when the Lord has finished all this work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will punish the Assyrian king's arrogant actions and the boasting of his haughty eyes.

13 He said, "By my own strength I have achieved it, and by my wisdom, since I'm so clever. I disregarded national boundaries; I raided their treasures; I knocked down their rulers like a bull.

14 My hand found the wealth of the peoples as if it were in a nest. Just as one gathers abandoned eggs, I have gathered the entire earth; no creature fluttered a wing or opened a mouth to chirp."

15 Will the ax glorify itself over the one who chops with it? Or will the saw magnify itself over its user? As if a rod could wave the one who lifts it! As if a staff could lift up the one not made of wood!