Isaiah 10:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You shall witness the plight of Egypt, which illustrates the folly of seeking aid from those who do not save, disregarding the Lord’s deliverance.”

During the reign of Hezekiah, when the Assyrian foe besieged Jerusalem, he did not seek assistance from Egypt. Conversely, Hosea the son of Elah, who ruled in Israel, did seek their help. The fourth book of Kings recounts: Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, succeeded in his reign and was laid to rest among his ancestors in the city of David. Following him, his son Hezekiah ascended the throne. In the summer of Ahaz's second decade, Hosea son of Eli ruled over Israel for nine years in Samaria, acting wickedly before the Lord, similarly to his predecessors. Then, Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, approached him, and Hosea became his vassal, paying tribute. However, the king of Assyria discovered dishonesty in Hosea, as he had sent messengers to the king of Egypt and failed to deliver tribute to the king of Assyria that same summer. Consequently, Shalmaneser besieged him and imprisoned him in the temple. The king of Assyria invaded the entire region, besieging Samaria for three years.

It is important to note that Ahaz, father to Hezekiah, had previously sought the assistance of Egypt when he was attacked by the king of Damascus, which greatly displeased God. Thus, God proclaimed, I will send a plague upon you to reveal the folly of your reliance on Egypt; yet, shortly, My anger shall abate, and My fervor against their plans will diminish. As stated, they fell due to divine retribution. Those who sought to capture Jerusalem itself were thwarted, for their schemes were rendered impossible as God transformed their intentions into the very opposite outcome.

Even though, in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18), Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, shall advance against all the fortified cities of Judah with the intent to conquer them, and he will send Rabsak to besiege Jerusalem and instill terror among its inhabitants; understand that he will not strike you with a sword but with a mere instrument; as he goes against Taraham, the king of Ethiopia, and the Egyptians, traveling toward the Red Sea on his way to Egypt, he will only raise a staff against you, and he will not have the power to harm you. After a brief period, when he returns from Egypt with a vast army intent on surrounding you, he will be immediately met with My fury, for I have prepared against him the same scourge I once unleashed upon the Midianites during Gideon’s time, who was also known as Jerobaal, when the leaders of Midian, Oribe and Zib, were slain upon a hard stone. This stone, called "sur" in Hebrew, gave its name to the place where Oribe fell. Thus, he shall raise his rod over the Red Sea against the Ethiopians, and he shall lift it when he comes back to you via Egypt; however, as soon as he exits Egypt, the burden and the power of his dominion shall be lifted off your shoulders, and you shall no longer serve him—the tyranny of Assyria shall decay by the mercy of God. The phrases, “He shall strike you with his rod and shall raise his staff on the way to Egypt,” and again, “And his rod upon the sea and shall lift it up on the way to Egypt,” may also imply that he will afflict many from the tribe of Judah and seize numerous cities near Jerusalem because they did not place their trust in God but rather in the Egyptians. Hence, Rabsak reproves them, saying, “Now you rely on this broken reed of Egypt, yet if anyone leans on it, it will pierce his hand: so Pharaoh is king of Egypt to all who put their hope in him” (2 Kings 18:21). The narrative regarding the Midianites is recorded in the book of Judges (Judges 7), and we read about how their leaders were put down, as seen in Psalm 82: “Put down their princes, as Oribe and Zibah and Zebeah and Salman” (Psalm 82:12). Therefore, those who claim this foretells the time when, according to the book of Numbers (Numbers 25), the Israelites defeated the Midianites from the wilderness of Sur to the mountain of Horeb are mistaken, as at that time they were not at Horeb but in the wilderness of Shittim. In a deeper sense, this serves as a command to the faithful within the Church not to fear the adversaries that are perpetually ready to confront them, having led many souls astray through their antagonistic actions. For they had managed to exert some influence over God’s people, not by striking them down with a sword but rather threatening them, since they walked in the ways of Egypt and failed to trust in the Lord. However, when the people turn back to God and abandon the path of Egypt, according to divine judgement, the scourge will be raised against their foes, for Midian signifies judgement, so by the spirit of His mouth and the oil of mercy, the yoke of the enemies shall be destroyed.