Isaiah 10:9

9 'I took over Calno just as I took Carchemish. I took over Hamath just as I did Arpad. I took Samaria just as I did Damascus.

Isaiah 10:9 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 10:9

[Is] not Calno as Carchemish?
&c.] Jarchi's note is,

``as the children of Carchemish are princes and rulers, so are the children of Calno;''

as if this was giving an instance of the grandeur of his subjects; but much better is the Targum,

``as Carchemish is subdued before me, shall not Calno be so?''

as I or my ancestors have conquered the one, it is as easy for me to conquer the other; or as sure as the one is subject to me, so sure shall the other be; for Carchemish was a city belonging to the Assyrians, situated upon the river Euphrates, ( 2 Chronicles 35:20 ) ( Jeremiah 46:2 ) called by Ammianus ^F11 Circusium; the Syriac version calls it Barchemosh; and Calno is the same with Calneh in the land of Shinar, a city built by Nimrod, ( Genesis 10:10 ) ( Amos 6:2 ) in the Septuagint version it is called Chalane, and it is added,

``where the tower was built;''

from whence the country, called by Pliny ^F12 Chalonitis, had its name, the chief city of which was Ctesiphon, thought to be the same with Calneh. [Is] not Hamath as Arphad?
Hamath and Arphad were both cities conquered by the Assyrians; see ( 2 Kings 18:34 ) and are both mentioned along with Damascus, ( Jeremiah 49:23 ) . [Is] not Samaria as Damascus?
Damascus was the metropolis of Syria, and was taken by the Assyrians; and Samaria was the metropolis of Ephraim, or the ten tribes; see ( Isaiah 7:8 Isaiah 7:9 ) and was as easy to be taken as Damascus was. The Targum is,

``as Arphad is delivered into my hands, shall not Hamath be so? As I have done to Damascus, so will I do to Samaria.''

---

FOOTNOTES:

F11 L. 23. c. 5. p. 360.
F12 Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 26. and 27.

Isaiah 10:9 In-Context

7 But that is not what the king of Assyria plans. It is not what he has in mind. His purpose is to destroy many nations. His purpose is to put an end to them.

8 'Aren't all of my commanders kings?' he says.

9 'I took over Calno just as I took Carchemish. I took over Hamath just as I did Arpad. I took Samaria just as I did Damascus.

10 My powerful hand grabbed hold of kingdoms whose people worship statues of gods. They had more gods than Jerusalem and Samaria did.

11 I took over Samaria and its statues of gods. In the same way, I will take Jerusalem and its gods.' "