Isaiah 10:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He stated, If you claim, ‘In the Lord our God we have faith,’ is it in the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah destroyed, who commanded Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship at this altar alone in Jerusalem’? (2 Kings 18:22); the Lord instructed me, ‘Enter this land and lay waste to it’ (2 Kings 18:25). Thus, it becomes evident that they (the Assyrians) had prior knowledge of these matters; they claim Rabsak was among their ranks. Do you see the reason he speaks of these events beforehand? It is so that the Jews, witnessing their city under siege by a formidable army, would not lose heart. Therefore, God indicates that, although the Assyrians received strength from Him, they failed to acknowledge the One who granted them that strength. It is profound ignorance to recognize that victory over other nations is a blessing from God and yet attribute their triumph over the Jews to their own might, which is an immense folly. Just as in the days of Moses, He declares, I have placed the rod of indignation in your hand, that you may strike not My people, but the foreigners.

They fail to recognize that any perceived superiority over the punished stems not from their own power but from God's allowance for such suffering; they mistakenly believe they have outdone the One who seeks to save. Consequently, He directs His anger towards them, justly opposing the arrogant. By humbling their pride and subjecting them to appropriate consequences, He aims to instill in them the understanding that triumph over the punished arises from His authority, not from their strength.

This is illustrated in the case of the Assyrian king, who, after conquering Judea and laying waste to its cities, became conceited, thinking that he had seized the holy land against God's will, who both governs and promises its salvation. Thus, he foretells that the anger of God is not yet averted but will result in calamity for the Assyrians. Why does this happen? Because he declares, ‘the rod of my fury is given into their hands, signified by me, that they may strike those who are ungodly against me; for I have commanded my own people to be made lucre and captivity, and to trample down the cities, and to lay me in the dust.’ He believed that had he not withdrawn His saving hand and withheld His ever-present support, they would never have been taken captive and would have continuously been victors over their foes. However, the Assyrian king, in his prideful thoughts, assumed he would crush many nations easily, convinced that his might was insurmountable and that all resistance would be futile, thus securing dominion over all peoples.

Should a person of such insatiable ambition approach him, asking, ‘Are you the sole ruler, capable of claiming dominion over the entire earth? I will encompass all kingdoms, from Halan, where the ancient tower was erected, to the farthest reaches of the East, on the other side of Babylon.’ He boasted that he had established the limits of his kingdom from the easternmost territories, having taken Damascus and Samaria—where their gods offered no assistance—and would extend his conquests further. It’s worth noting that Rabsak, relaying the Assyrian king's messages to those on the city wall, urged them not to let Hezekiah mislead them with words unable to save. He questioned how the gods of the Gentiles could rescue anyone from the king of Assyria’s grasp, asking, ‘Where is the god of Emath and Arphath? And where is the god of the city of Seppharim? Is it possible to deliver Samaria out of my hand? Who among the gods of these nations can save their land from my power, as the God of Jerusalem will save Jerusalem from me?’ (Isaiah 36:14, 18-20). Therefore, God assures that He will punish the Assyrian for his arrogance and his insolence towards divine judgment. Likewise, we must truly detest the sin of pride; should it arise defiantly against the glory of God, then indeed those who dare to do so will rightly find themselves in peril.

If they declare to him, "You are a single ruler," he will reply, "I have not conquered the region above Babylon and Halaneh, where the tower stands; rather, I have subdued Arabia, Damascus, and Samaria: just as I have taken these lands, I will seize all kingdoms." Announce the idols in Jerusalem and Samaria; as I have dealt with Samaria and its images, so will I multiply my actions against Jerusalem and its idols.

It is important to point out that in the Hebrew text it is not Halaneh, but Halanno; the last letter is vav, not iod, with these letters differing only in form. The tower was erected in the land of Shinar, which included Arek, Akad, Halanneh, and Babylon, a name derived from the confusion of languages (Gen. 11). In the Hebrew, Arabia is not mentioned but rather Emath, a territory still referred to as Epiphaniah by the Syrians. They also included the mention of the idol in Jerusalem by their own initiative. The earlier statement, if they address the king of Assyria as "one prince," means that when captives declare, "You are sovereign over all," he will respond, "How can you call me a prince when I have only taken Arabia, Damascus, and Samaria, and have yet to bring the far-off nations beyond Babylon under my rule? Just as I have captured Arabia, Damascus, and Samaria, I will subjugate all kingdoms."

Now, let us turn to the Jewish perspective and briefly summarize what is evident to us. Woe to the Assyrian, specifically Sennacherib, for he serves as the rod and staff of My wrath; My indignation rests in his hands, and through him, I will strike down the most treacherous of peoples, who have consistently wavered between allegiance to Me and idolatry, and who have falsely claimed they will follow My commandments.

For instance, through the prophet Isaiah, God warns the wayward nation of Israel of impending ruin and the ravaging of their land by the Assyrians, declaring, ‘O Assur, the rod of my wrath, and the scourge in his hand is my indignation. I will send him against the people of the wicked and against the people of My wrath; I will give him a command to plunder with plunder and booty and trample on him like dirt in the streets. But he shall not so think, nor shall his heart so think; he shall have it in his heart to ravage and destroy many nations’ (Isaiah 10:5-7). Here, God unmistakably demonstrates that it is not the desire of the king of Assyria that prevails, but rather His divine purpose carried out through the Assyrians. He identifies them as the instruments of His anger and the scourge of His wrath against the transgressions of the Israelites, thereby attributing their punishment to Himself: ‘I sent them,’ He asserts, ‘to take their spoil and to subdue those who disobey Me and who have become greatly scornful in their hearts: for they have forsaken faith in the one true God and have honored the idols of the nations with foolish and brutal rites and sacrifices. Yet the Assyrian king, in fulfilling God’s will, will believe otherwise, thinking he acts out of his own volition and will remain unrepentant, committing atrocities against many nations; nevertheless, he will ultimately fulfill My intent. When I punish My people through the invasion of the Assyrians and bring about their restoration—oh! Woe to that rod, woe to the Assyrians, and I will cast them aside as useless instruments to be consumed by fire.

In this manner, we ought to regard other just punishments that God imposes upon us for our unrighteousness. The Roman Emperor Titus, during the siege of Jerusalem, personally traversed the city’s walls, observing the ditches teeming with the bodies of the dead and the rivers of blood from the mutilated and wounded. Overcome with sorrow, he lifted his eyes and hands toward heaven, exclaiming: ‘Good God! This is not my business!’