Isaiah 10:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This will likewise happen to the foreign adversary, and this miraculous event will bring benefit to the Israelites, as well as to those who remained in Samaria—representative of Israel—and the offspring of Jacob, notably the two kings residing in Jerusalem, who will abandon their previous misguided ways and harmful thoughts, for they will cease to rely on those who have wronged them. Once the enemy falls, struck down by the angel’s hand, they will, with a clear understanding of the powerful right hand of the Redeemer, acknowledge Him as their Saviour and Deliverer, placing their complete trust in Him, away from those who had wronged them.

It is essential to specify how they had been offended. The Lord of all rescued the Israelites, governing and defending them, granting them triumph over their rebellious foes. When they began to resist Him—some creating golden calves, others worshipping Hamos and Beelphegor, and some serving the host of heaven—the Lord, in response to their defiance, occasionally surrendered them to the nations surrounding Judah, including the Idumeans, Moabites, and Elamites, as well as distant adversaries such as the Assyrians and Egyptians. Thus, amid the tumult of war exhausting the land, would it not have been wiser for the Israelites to seek reconciliation with the Almighty, whom they had offended, and escape His anger by turning to a righteous path? They ought to have cast aside the corrupt idols that plagued their midst and chosen Him as their Saviour and Deliverer. However, their understanding fell short. They sent envoys to seek assistance from the Egyptians and Assyrians, which, in my view, incited greater anger from God. Therefore, both Israel and Jacob were offended—not just by false gods, which summoned divine wrath upon them and led them to place their trust in those idols, offering them empty assistance through monetary means and gifts. Yet, when their multitude of enemies is annihilated in a single night, they will finally place their trust in God. Through this experience of His mighty right hand, they will no longer depend on those who have wronged them, but will trust in the Holy One of Israel in truth.

Thus, it is proclaimed concerning the repentant that those who endure and are saved ‘to this will not be added,’ and will not place their hope in ‘those who have wronged them, but will trust in the Holy One of Israel in truth.’ Blessed is the individual who has turned away from every worldly hope, making God his sole anchor. For as it is written, ‘cursed is the man who hopes in man’ (Jer. 17:5), so too is he blessed who puts his faith in the Lord. Let us not overlook the added words, ‘they that trust in the Holy God of Israel shall trust in truth.’ True trust in God admits no uncertainty, and the Lord is reluctant to extend His full aid to anyone who alternately trusts in wealth, human acclaim, and earthly authority, while acknowledging God as a mere afterthought.

This was after Ahaz had taken gold and silver from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the royal palace to present as gifts to the king of Assyria, who responded by coming to Damascus, conquering it, and executing its king. However, once liberated from this Assyrian tyrant—once an ally and later an adversary—the people will genuinely trust in the Lord of Hosts, not out of deceit as they had in previous reigns, but in sincerity. Historical accounts affirm that during Hezekiah’s rule, they abandoned idolatry and committed themselves to the service of God (4 Kings 18:1-5). Having declared that a remnant will be spared, the narrative transitions to future times, culminating in the complete salvation found in Christ. This is acknowledged by the Apostle Paul when he writes to the Romans: “Isaiah cries concerning Israel, ‘Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. And as Isaiah said, if the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed, we would have been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah’” (Rom. 9:28-29). Therefore, when the authority of such a husbandman arises, all other interpretations must submit to his guidance. In fact, examining Josephus (chap. 10:2) reveals the vast population of Jerusalem and Judea during the Lord’s passion, indicating that only a small number of Jews were spared through the apostles and those aligned with them. The concise and complete message is that of the Gospel, which, rather than following the complex regulations of the law, presents the simple commandment of love and faith: we should not do to others what we would not want done to ourselves. This is why the Lord proclaims in the Gospel: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Some interpret this passage as referring to the time of Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, and Jesus, the son of Josedech, under Ezra and Nehemiah, when some of the people returned to Judah. However, we contend that these interpretations lack historical order, particularly since what follows is directed not against the Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, but rather against Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.

Fortunately, they not only failed in this endeavor but also faced a significant defeat at Jerusalem’s walls, as the devout king Hezekiah sought help exclusively from the Lord God, rather than from men. From this experience, the people of Israel will learn to abandon their trust in humans, remembering past offenses, and instead place their faith in the Holy God of Israel—with sincere and unwavering belief in His powerful aid.