Isaiah 10:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Let me clarify the phrase: when the Lord completes all things (Is. 10:12). Consider an artist who captivates an audience; he does not present himself at an inconvenient time but waits until all are gathered, seated in order, before revealing the strength of his craft. Similarly, God waits until all are assembled on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as if for a grand performance. At that moment, He declares, "I will attend to the high-mindedness." This prideful mindset is shown to be the most wretched, for how can one be proud if he lacks understanding that is clear even to children? Note that God does not say, "I will attend to a man," but "a mind lifted up by pride." He did not select a king from among them, but rather allowed one to reform in light of the calamities faced by others. When he failed to reform, returning instead to idolatry and indulging in unshakeable vices, God removed him from among the living (Isaiah 37:38) to compel others to reflection through the punishment he received. Thus, He reveals not a shift of circumstances but the outcome of such pride.

Additionally, He intends to show us another truth: the deliverance of the faithful and the downfall of the arrogant. God declares, "I will strengthen my arm," and with the wisdom of His mind, He will remove the barriers of language, eliminating kings or rulers universally. He will disrupt the cities inhabited by humanity and will lay waste to the cosmos with His hand, like a nest. Observe how far-reaching the cruel mindset of pride extends and how it manifests in threats. Notice the multitude of evils birthed from this pride. There is no one who can escape from Me or oppose Me. God unveils the fullness of this pride to demonstrate the nature of the adversary He has vanquished.

It is unwise for those who embrace virtue to elevate themselves and boast because the arrogant face divine retribution, as seen in the case of the Pharisee. If a single word and a solitary transgression could lead to the downfall of one who, through good works, countered the will of the devil, how much more severe is the fate of other boastful souls? If boasting is unacceptable for those who live rightly, how much more is it shameful for those who stray from the path of virtue?

However, He refers to him as a proud mind not as a compliment, but to reveal that such arrogance is detestable to God; for he envisioned something unnatural, transcending every created being. Therefore, he will elevate his gaze to a false sense of glory, as the focus is on the loftiness of his eyes rather than his thoughts or intentions. For, as previously noted, these are indeed lofty and arrogant.

It is due to this pride and the unreasonable elevation of his own stature that it is stated of him, 'He shall put a great mind upon the prince of Assyria, and upon the height of glory to his eyes.' One is inherently great, while the other is elevated by arrogance and the excess of what does not rightfully belong to him. True greatness of mind is found in those who contemplate profundities, capable of perceiving the Creative Laws and thus understanding the beauty of the wisdom of the Almighty Designer. A truly great mind penetrates the construction of all that God has fashioned and discerns His Providence, which encompasses even the smallest of creations, leading to an understanding of God's righteous judgments. A great mind perceives the King of Glory and the Lord of Hosts among Angels and Powers and all the majesty of creation. However, one who seeks to glorify and elevate himself is better described as a pretender to wisdom, rather than a genuinely great thinker. The Scripture often reflects a popular opinion in its descriptions, referring to him as great in mind, not to affirm his inherent greatness but to indicate that he has learned to appear great in the eyes of others. Thus, the Lord, addressing his arrogance and humbling his lofty thoughts, declares that He will bring low 'the great mind' of the Assyrian, even as He reproves the fickleness of his opinions, asserting that He will chastise 'the height of glory to his eyes.' The term glory, a word often interpreted in various ways, has been noted by others to denote an unstable opinion. Conversely, the phrase 'a great and wise mind' may imply 'a wicked mind.' For instance, it is written: 'The serpent is the most cunning of the beasts of the field' (Gen. 3:1), and ‘the craftsman of iniquity is deemed wise,’ as well as ‘the sons of this age are more astute than the sons of light in their generation’ (Luke 16:8). The Apostle sheds light on this concept in his letter to the Corinthians, where he cautions, ‘I fear lest, as the serpent deceived Eve, your minds should be corrupted’ (2 Cor. 11:3). He illustrates how history misattributes wisdom to the serpent, substituting 'wisdom' for 'wickedness.' Similarly, this great intellect is imputed, not as an endorsement, but erroneously. Whether due to self-delusion or through undeserved accolades from flatterers, it is referred to in Scripture under the same label. This great mind, aware that the truly wise individual holds ‘his eyes in his head’ (Ecclesiastes 2:14), takes pride in its sight, gazing not upon inferior matters or earthly concerns but longing for elevated truths and dwelling on what is high. Such was the pursuit of the Hellenic philosophers, whose lives, despite being ensnared by base carnal desires, sought wisdom in the study of celestial bodies and atmospheric phenomena, thus attributing a semblance of glory to their insight.

Yet, it was not the Lord God's desire to allow the Assyrian armies to achieve further victories, for at that time, the righteous Hezekiah ruled. Hezekiah had eradicated the idolatry that had flourished under his father Ahaz and reestablished Jerusalem and Zion as the focal point of true worship. The Lord God put Hezekiah's faith and trust in Him to the test by permitting Sennacherib's army to surround Jerusalem. Hezekiah honored this challenge, demonstrating profound humility before the Lord and relying on His assistance. With this context, the prophet announces that the Lord will conclude all endeavors in Mount Zion and Jerusalem, suggesting that He will no longer extend His support to them, thereby ceasing to afflict the capital of Judah and redirecting His anger toward the king of Assyria. The Lord will scrutinize the arrogance of this king, who prides himself on his intelligence, and the lofty ambitions reflected in his haughty gaze. The more he exalts himself in his dignity, wisdom, and might, the more he will come to realize that he is powerless without the will of God, serving solely as an instrument of divine retribution against the kingdoms and nations that stand guilty before Him.