“The Assyrian will fall by the sword, not of man; and the sword, not of mankind, shall devour him. He will flee from the sword, and his young men will become subject to forced labor.
Parallel Translations
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“The Assyrian will fall by the sword, not of man; and the sword, not of mankind, shall devour him. He will flee from the sword, and his young men will become subject to forced labor.
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Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.
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Then shall Asshur fall with the sword, not of man, and the sword, not of men, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become tributary.
Cross-references (12)
Passages linked to Isaiah 31:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 14:25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and tread him under foot on my mountains. Then his yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.
- Genesis 49:15 He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.
- 2 Kings 19:34-37 ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’ ” That night, Yahweh’s angel went out, and struck one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and lived at Nineveh. As he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.
- Isaiah 10:12 Therefore it will happen that when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his arrogant looks.
- Isaiah 10:16-19 Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire. The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. He will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints. The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.
- Isaiah 10:33-34 Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low. He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
- Isaiah 29:5 But the multitude of your foes will be like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones like chaff that blows away. Yes, it will be in an instant, suddenly.
- Isaiah 30:27-33 Behold, Yahweh’s name comes from far away, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke. His lips are full of indignation. His tongue is as a devouring fire. His breath is as an overflowing stream that reaches even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction. A bridle that leads to ruin will be in the jaws of the peoples. You will have a song, as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one goes with a flute to come to Yahweh’s mountain, to Israel’s Rock. Yahweh will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the descent of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast, storm, and hailstones. For through Yahweh’s voice the Assyrian will be dismayed. He will strike him with his rod. Every stroke of the rod of punishment, which Yahweh will lay on him, will be with the sound of tambourines and harps. He will fight with them in battles, brandishing weapons. For his burning place has long been ready. Yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made its pyre deep and large with fire and much wood. Yahweh’s breath, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
- Isaiah 37:7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him and he will hear news, and will return to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”
- Isaiah 37:35-38 ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’ ” Then Yahweh’s angel went out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, went away, returned to Nineveh, and stayed there. As he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.
- Hosea 1:7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by Yahweh their God, and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 Yahweh sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he had come into the house of his god, those who came out of his own body killed him there with the sword.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain When your repentance appeareth.
When your repentance appeareth.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Isa 31:8 Then shall the Assyrian fall with the…
Isa 31:8 Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.
Ver. 8. Then shall the Assyrian fall.] Fall in his forces, flee in his person; but evil shall hunt that violent man to destroy him. {Psa 140:11}
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Not of a mighty man.] Or, Of a mean man, but of an angel.
And his young men shall be discomfited.] Heb., Shall be unto melting; they shall melt away. {1Sa 14:16} Vide hic, saith A Lapide; see here how this world is nothing else but a perpetual ruin of all kinds and conditions of men.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Then; when you have cast away your idols, and…
Then; when you have cast away your idols, and seriously sought to me for help; both which things were performed by Hezekiah.
With the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man; by the sword, not of any man, either mean or mighty, but of an angel.
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From the sword; from, or for fear of, that plague which so strangely and suddenly destroyed his army.
His young men, Heb. his choice young men; his guards and valiant commanders and soldiers.
Shall be discomfited, Heb. shall melt away, a great part of them being destroyed by the angel; and the hearts of the rest melting for fear.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not…
Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man,.... That is, the Assyrian army under Sennacherib their king, which besieged Jerusalem in Hezekiah's time; which, as soon as the people were brought to a sense of their sin, and repentance for it, and cast away their idols as a proof of it, were utterly destroyed; but not in battle, not by the sword of Hezekiah, or any of his valiant generals:
and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him; neither the sword of a general, nor of a private soldier, nor indeed of any man, but of an angel; see Kg2 19:35,
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but he shall flee from the sword; from the drawn sword of the angel, who very probably appeared in such a form as in Ch1 21:16 which Sennacherib king of Assyria seeing, as well as the slaughter made in his army by him, fled from it; in the Hebrew text it is added, "for himself" (y); he fled for his life, for his own personal security; see Kg2 19:36,
and his young men shall be discomfited; his choice ones, the flower of his army: or "melt away" (z), through fear; or die by the stroke of the angel upon them: the sense of becoming "tributary" seems to have no foundation.
(y) "fugiet sibi", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius; "fuga consulet sibi", Junius & Tremellius. (z) "in liquefactionem, erunt", Vatablus; "colliquescent", Piscator.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The sword - Not of any man, but of…
The sword - Not of any man, but of an angel. Discomfited - Hebrew. shall melt away, a great part of them being destroyed by the angel; and the hearts of the rest melting for fear.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 8. Then shall the Assyrian fall, c.] Because…
Verse 8. Then shall the Assyrian fall, c.] Because he was to be discomfited by the angel of the Lord, destroying in his camp, in one night, upwards of one hundred and eighty thousand men and Sennacherib himself fell by the hands of the princes, his own sons. Not mighty men, for they were not soldiers; not mean men, for they were princes.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Isa 31:8-9. Then shall the Assyrian, &c. — When…
Isa 31:8-9. Then shall the Assyrian, &c. — When you have cast away your idols, and seriously sought unto God for help; both which things were performed by Hezekiah; fall by the sword, not of a mighty man, &c. — Not of any man, mean or mighty, but of an angel. But he shall flee from the sword — From, or for fear of, that plague, which so strangely and suddenly destroyed his army. And his young men — Hebrew, בחוריו, his choice young men, his guards, and valiant commanders, and soldiers, shall be discomfited — Hebrew, למס יהיו, shall be for melting, or shall melt away; a great part of them being destroyed by the angel, and the hearts of the rest melting for fear. And he shall pass to his stronghold — Sennacherib shall flee away with all speed from Jerusalem, to his strong city of Nineveh. Or, as it is in the margin, which see. And his princes shall be afraid of the ensign — Of the Lord’s ensign, which he hath lifted up against them. Or, as וחתו מנס, may be properly rendered, shall be struck with consternation at his flight. Saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion — That is, either, 1st, whose fire is continually burning upon the altar in Zion; a sign that his presence and residence are there. Or, rather, 2d, who is, and will appear to be, in Zion like a fire, to defend his people, and to consume their enemies. Thus God promises that he would be, unto Jerusalem, a wall of fire round about, Zec 2:5. See also Zec 12:6.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword -…
Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword - The sword is often used as an instrument of punishment. It is not meant here literally that the sword would be used, but it is employed to denote that complete destruction would come upon them.
Not of a mighty man - The idea here is, that the army should not fall by the valor of a distinguished warrior, but that it should be done by the direct interposition of God (see Isa 37:36).
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Of a mean man - Of a man of humble rank. His army shall not be slain by the hand of mortals.
But he shall flee - The Assyrian monarch escaped when his army was destroyed, and fled toward his own land; Isa 37:37.
From the sword - Margin, ‘For fear of.’ The Hebrew is ‘From the face of the sword;’ and the sense is, that he would flee in consequence of the destruction of his host, here represented as destroyed by the sword of Yahweh.
And his young men - The flower and strength of his army.
Shall be discomfited - Margin, ‘For melting;’ or ‘tribute,’ or ‘tributary.’ Septuagint, Εἰς ἥττημα Eis hēttēma - ‘For destruction.’ The Hebrew word (מס mas), derived probably from מסס mâsas, “to melt away, to dissolve”) is most usually employed to denote a levy, fine, or tax - so called, says Taylor, because it wastes or exhausts the substance and strength of a people. The word is often used to denote that people become tributary, or vassals, as in Gen 49:15; Deu 20:11; compare Jos 16:10; 2Sa 20:24; 1Ki 4:6; 1Ki 5:13; Est 10:1. Probably it does not here mean that the strength of the Assyrian army would become literally tributary to the Jews, but that they would be as if they had been placed under a levy to them; their vigor and strength would melt away; as property and numbers do under taxation and tribute.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Flee not. Hebrew, "flee to himself," lo. Septuagint and…
Flee not. Hebrew, "flee to himself," lo. Septuagint and Vulgate have read la, "not." The angel destroyed the army, and the king was slain at his return. --- Tributaries. Ninive being afterwards subject to the Chaldeans, &c. (Calmet) --- Hebrew, "shall melt." (Vatable)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Assyrian--Sennacherib, representative of some powerful head of the ungodly…
Assyrian--Sennacherib, representative of some powerful head of the ungodly in the latter ages [HORSLEY].
sword, not of . . . mighty . . . mean man--but by the unseen sword of God.
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flee--Sennacherib alone fled homewards after his army had been destroyed (Isa 37:37).
young men--the flower of his army.
discomfited--rather, "shall be subject to slavery"; literally, "shall be liable to tribute," that is, personal service (Deu 20:11; Jos 9:21) [MAURER]. Or, not so well, "shall melt away" [ROSENMULLER].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 8. not of a mighty man … mean man]…
8. not of a mighty man … mean man] R.V. not of man … men (see on ch. Isa_2:9). Lit. “of a Not-man … Not-mortal,” i.e. a superhuman sword.
shall be discomfited] R.V. shall become tributary, “be subjected to bond-service,” as 1Ki_9:21 f., &c.
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8, 9. The discomfiture of the Assyrians will be accomplished by Jehovah Himself. The connexion with what precedes is not very close.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (8) Not of a mighty man . . .—The…
(8) Not of a mighty man . . .—The Hebrew has no adjectives, but the nouns are those which are commonly opposed to each other in this way, as in Isa_2:9, like the Latin vir and homo. The thought expressed is, of course, that the whole work would be of God, and not of man. The “sword” was that of the Divine judgment (Deu_32:41), perhaps, as in 1Ch_21:16, of the destroying angel of the pestilence.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not…
Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; rather, and Assyria shall fall by the sword of one who is not a man Assyria"s destruction will not be by the visible swords of human enemies, but by the invisible sword of God. (comp. 2Ki_19:35) And the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him; rather, and the sword of one who is not a mortal shall detour him an instance of "synonymous parallelism." He shall flee; more literally, betake himself to flight. His young men shall be discomfited; rather, as in the margin, shall be for tribute. They shall become the vassals of a foreign power.
Vers. 8, 9. Fleeing away.
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Here is a prophetic vision of flight, which may suggest other kinds and instances of "fleeing away." Sennacherib comes up vain-gloriously against Jerusalem, confidently reckoning on complete success, thinking to swallow up Judah as a pleasant morsel; and, behold! he is found hurrying homewards as one that is pursued by overtaking legions, not staying at his first fortification, but, in his terror and humiliation, "passing on beyond his stronghold" for fear, his princes frightened away by the flags" of the enemy that was to have been so easily and so utterly subdued. Our thoughts may be directed to
I THE VANQUISHED FLEEING FROM THE VICTORIOUS. The annals of human history, which have hitherto been principally the record of human strife, are only too full of heart-rending illustrations (see, among others, Erckmann-Chatrian"s "Waterloo").
II CRIME FLEEING FROM THE FEET OF JUSTICE. Both fact and fiction will supply abundant illustrations of the intolerable wretchedness of those who, pursued by the officers of law, are dogged by apprehension and alarm at every step they take. "Let no man talk of murderers escaping justice, and hint that Providence must sleep: there were twenty score of violent deaths in one long minute of that agony of fear.
III WRONG FLEEING FROM REVENGE. See the vivid picture of Carker fleeing from Dombey (Dickens): "Shame, disappointment, and discomfiture gnawing at his heart, a constant apprehension of being overtaken: the same intolerable awe and dread that had come upon him in the night returned unweakened in the day... rolling on and on, always postponing thought, and always racked with thinking... pressing on ... change upon change... long roads and dread of night... and still the old monotony of bells and wheels and horses" feet, and no rest.
IV GUILT FLEEING FROM THE FACE OF GOD. Guilt fleeing:
1. Weakly and vainly. Long before Jonah, in the hour of self-reproach that followed his act of disobedience, "fled from the presence of the Lord," men had tried to put a distance between their sin and its rightful Judge. And long since then have they tried to escape his eye and his hand. Saddest of all vain endeavors is the thrice-guilty deed of the suicide, who acts as if, by entering another world, he could flee from the face of the Omnipresent One.
2. But there is a sense in which guilt flies away from the face of God really and most blessedly. When God"s conditions of penitence and faith have been fulfilled, then is our guilt "purged away," our transgressions are removed from us as far as the east is from the west," our sins are "hidden from his face," they are "cast into the depths of the sea". (Psa_65:3 Psa_103:12 Psa_51:9 Mic_7:19) Moreover, we look forward to the time when there shall be a glorious fulfillment of the Divine promises, and we shall have
V EVIL DISAPPEARING FROM THE FACE OF MAN; when sorrow and sighing shall flee away," when "death and hell shall be cast into the lake of fire," when "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying... for the former things are passed away". C. (Isa_35:10 Rev_20:14 Rev_21:4)
The surprise of the Lord"s deliverances.
No inhabitant of Jerusalem could have imagined how God intended to deliver the city from Sennacherib. God"s way is in the sea, his footsteps are not known; but he leads his people safely like a flock. The following points will recall familiar illustrations.
I GOD"S PROMISED DELIVERANCES ALWAYS DO COME. "If it tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not tarry." "No good thing has failed God"s people of all that he has promised." "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard, and saved him out of all his troubles.
II THEY COME WHEN WE DO NOT EXPECT THEM, And therefore we are constantly urged to keep watchful and expectant. Disraeli truly remarked that "the unexpected is the thing that happens.
III THEY COME IN WAYS THAT SEEM STRANGE. In some cases not seeming at all to be the deliverances which they really are.
IV THE SURPRISE THEY BRING IS USUALLY FULL OF GRATITUDE AND JOY. For in most cases it is manifestly better than our thought. Then let God save us and deliver us just in his own way and time. Enough for us to wait earnestly on him in our prayer, and wait patiently for him, trustingly sure that he always has his "set time in which to favor Zion. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Judah, referring to the Assyrians as though they are one person.
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Assyria will fall by the sword; a sword not wielded by man will consume him
"Sword" refers to military might. This can be stated in active form. AT: "God's sword, and not a man's sword, will destroy the Assyrian army" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)
He will flee
"The Assyrians will flee"
They will lose all confidence because of terror
The word "confidence" can be expressed with the adjective "confident." The word "terror" can be expressed with the adjective "terrified." AT: "They will no longer be confident because they are so terrified" (See: Abstract Nouns)
his young men will be forced to do hard labor
This can be stated in active form. AT: "enemies will capture their young men and force them to do hard labor" (See: Active or Passive)
his princes
"their leaders"
at the sight of Yahweh's battle flag
The word "sight" can be expressed with the verb "see." AT: "when they see the flag of Yahweh's army" (See: Abstract Nouns)
this is Yahweh's declaration
Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. Translate as in Isaiah 30:1. AT: "this is what Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, Yahweh, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
whose fire is in Zion and whose firepot is in Jerusalem
Both of these clauses mean the same thing and are used together for emphasis. Here God's presence and his power to judge and destroy are spoken of as if they were a fire. AT: "whose powerful presence is in Zion" (See: Parallelism and Metaphor)
translationWords
Assyria
sword
labor
confidence
terror
prince
fear
Yahweh
fire
Zion
Jerusalem
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.