Isaiah 10:9

9 ¹Is not ²Calno like ³Carchemish? Is not ⁴Hamath like ⁵Arpad? ⁶Is not ⁷Samaria like 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.''

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Isaiah 10:9 In-Context

7 But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few;

8 for he says: "Are not my commanders all kings?

9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?

10 As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

11 shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols as I have done to Samaria and her images?"

Cross References

• 1. 2 Kings 19:12, 13
• 2. [Genesis 10:10; Amos 6:2]
• 3. 2 Chronicles 35:20; Jeremiah 46:2
• 4. Isaiah 11:11; Amos 6:2; Zechariah 9:2
• 5. 2 Kings 18:34
• 6. [2 Kings 16:9; 2 Kings 17:6]
• 7. Isaiah 7:9