Isaiah 10 Study Notes

10:20 The remnant will turn their trust to God rather than a foreign power.

10:21-23 God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand of the sea (see Gn 22:17; 32:12; 41:49), but because of their punishment, only a remnant would survive and even that would be an act of God’s grace. Paul quotes vv. 22-23 in Rm 9:27-28.

10:24 The present Assyrian threat is compared to the bondage in Egypt. This comparison evokes memories of God’s deliverance of his people at the Red Sea (Ex 14-15).

10:25 God’s wrath against his covenant people is temporary, but his wrath against Assyria will end in their destruction.

10:26 Oreb was a Midianite leader who oppressed the Israelites during the period of the judges. He was defeated by the forces of Gideon and executed at a rock that was given his name, the rock of Oreb (Jdg 7:24-25). The reference to God’s staff in Egypt recalls the crossing of the Red Sea. Moses raised his staff, representing God’s presence. God caused the sea to divide, allowing the Israelites to escape the Egyptian army (Ex 14:21-31).

10:27 The yoke is an image of political domination frequently used by the prophets (14:25; 47:6; 58:6; Jr 27:11; 30:8; Ezk 30:18).

10:28-32 The pronouncement in these verses describes the march of the Assyrian army from the north to the very doorstep of Jerusalem. While some have suggested that this describes an actual attack on Jerusalem, it cannot be equated with the Assyrian advance that took place in 701 BC under Sennacherib because the army took a different route. This leads certain scholars to propose a second, later Assyrian campaign on Judah, but this is doubtful. The route described in these verses is unlikely to be one taken by an actual army since the terrain would be difficult to cross. The best understanding of these verses is as a visionary image of an attack, not a description of an actual attack. The route described is the most direct route “as the crow flies,” indicating that not even natural obstacles could slow down the army’s advance.

10:28 Aiath is likely identified with Ai (Jos 8), which was about thirty miles north of Jerusalem. But the Hebrew term Ai means “ruin” and Aiath is plural, “ruins,” so the name could be given to a number of different sites. Migron refers to the Wadi Swenit, a dry riverbed between Michmash and Geba.

10:29 Ramah and Gibeah were on the major central hill route north of Jerusalem.

10:30 Gallim . . . Laishah, and Anathoth (known as the hometown of the prophet Jeremiah; Jr 1:1) were small towns just north of Jerusalem.

10:31 Madmenah and Gebim are still not identified, but they were probably villages just north of Jerusalem.

10:32 Nob is typically associated with modern Mount Scopus, just northeast of Jerusalem. As a person stands on Nob, he has a commanding view of the city of Jerusalem. Nob was where David received sustenance and the sword of Goliath as he began his flight from Saul. King Saul repaid the priests at Nob by slaughtering them (1Sm 21:1-9; 22:11-23). Nob is also mentioned in Neh 11:32 as near Anathoth.

10:33-34 The pronouncement ends with a sudden reversal. Assyria marched on Jerusalem, but the army met with destruction. They will become trees (a cedar from Lebanon is implied by the final line) that will be felled by none other than God himself. The Assyrians had been the ax in God’s hand against his people (v. 15), but God will wield an ax against them.