Isaiah 10:19

19 And the rest of the trees of his forest [are] few, And a youth doth write them.

Isaiah 10:19 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 10:19

And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few
Which were left unconsumed, that escaped this destruction, those of the Assyrian army that fled with Sennacherib their king; which, the Rabbins say ^F18, were no more than ten, as Jarchi and Kimchi observe; yea, some say there were but five left who escaped, and name them, Sennacherib and his two sons, Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuzaradan: that a child may write them;
count them, and take down their names; and it may be understood of a military muster, and the sense be, that the army should be reduced to so small a number by this stroke upon them, that there would be no need of an able muster master to take the account of them, a child would be equal to such a task. The Targum is,

``and the rest of his warriors shall fail, that the people shall be a small number, and shall be reckoned a weak kingdom.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 T. Bab. ib. fol. 95. 2. Praefat. Echa Rabbati, fol. 41. 1.

Isaiah 10:19 In-Context

17 And the light of Israel hath been for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame, And it hath burned, and devoured his thorn And his brier in one day.

18 And the honour of his forest, and his fruitful field, From soul even unto flesh He doth consume, And it hath been as the fainting of a standard-bearer.

19 And the rest of the trees of his forest [are] few, And a youth doth write them.

20 And it hath come to pass, in that day, The remnant of Israel, And the escaped of the house of Jacob, Do not add any more to lean on its smiter, And have leant on Jehovah, The Holy One of Israel, in truth.

21 A remnant returneth -- a remnant of Jacob, Unto the Mighty God.