Isaiah 10:12

12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.

Isaiah 10:12 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 10:12

Wherefore it shall come to pass
It shall surely be; what God has purposed in his heart, and published in his word, shall certainly be fulfilled: [that] when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion,
and on Jerusalem;
in correcting, chastising, and humbling the inhabitants thereof, by suffering them to be besieged by the Assyrian army. God sometimes makes use of wicked men to chastise his people; this is his work, and not theirs; and when he begins, he goes on, and finishes it; and when he has done, punishes the instruments he uses; after he has scourged his children, he takes the rod, and breaks it to pieces. I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria,
and the glory of his high looks;
that is, he would punish him for his wicked actions, which were the fruit of the haughtiness of his heart, and the pride of his eyes; or for that pride which filled his heart, and showed itself in his lofty looks. Kimchi joins this to the preceding clause, and makes the sense to be, that God would punish the Assyrian for his pride, in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; for there his army died, or near it, being smitten by the angel. The Targum is,

``and it shall be, when the Lord hath finished to do all that he hath said in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem.''

Isaiah 10:12 In-Context

10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Sama'ria,
11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Sama'ria and her images?"
12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride.
13 For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones.
14 My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples; and as men gather eggs that have been forsaken so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped."
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.