So shall it fall out: That I will destroy the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: and his yoke shall be taken away from them, and his burden shall be taken off their shoulder.
לִשְׁבֹּ֤ר אַשּׁוּר֙ בְּאַרְצִ֔י וְעַל־הָרַ֖י אֲבוּסֶ֑נּוּ וְסָ֤ר מֵֽעֲלֵיהֶם֙ עֻלּ֔וֹ וְסֻ֨בֳּל֔וֹ מֵעַ֥ל שִׁכְמ֖וֹ יָסֽוּר׃
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
He is referring either to the Babylonians or to others in a similar context. Babylon was overcome by the Assyrians, after which the Babylonians seized control of Assyria. It is possible that the Babylonians acquired the kingdom of Assyria not through military conquest, but rather through dominion by political means, ultimately facing destruction at the hands of the Medes. This should be understood as pertaining to the Babylonians rather than the Assyrians.
The prophet blessed Isaiah delivered his messages during the reigns of Hosea, Jehoiakim, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Notably, it appears that his specific prophecy regarding Babylon, or concerning all of Assyria, was proclaimed while King Ozias, also known as Azariah, was still ruling. During Hezekiah's reign, the Assyrian king Sennacherib waged war against Judah, capturing numerous cities in Samaria. When he laid siege to Jerusalem, he faced disgrace at the hands of God, as in one night, the angel of the Lord struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers. This was to ensure that nothing declared by God for the comfort of Israel would remain unfulfilled.
Thus, He proclaims that what He has decreed will indeed come to pass: Babylon shall become a desolate wasteland, remaining so indefinitely. He asserts that my will, which I have established through my judgment, to bring ruin upon the Assyrians in my land and on my mountains, will be accomplished; they shall be trampled, their power shall be taken from them, and their honor will vanish. Sennacherib dispatched Rabshekah from Lachish to Jerusalem, surrounding the city with Assyrian forces, mocking God and making threats unworthy of anyone but a barbarian, saying, "Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying, Your God will deliver you from the hand of the Assyrians" (Isaiah 36:18). However, when he attempted to impose servitude on those who had been free from the start and claimed glory for himself and his king, he was met with an unforeseen disaster; for upon rising early the next morning, he found all the soldiers dead (2 Kings 19:35). In this way, he realized firsthand that the Leader of the faithful is all-powerful, and nothing can stand against His divine will.
Earthly Israel interprets the Prophet as referring to the physical land they believe to be God’s, particularly the tangible hills of sensual Judah, and that the Israelites will capture the Assyrians, imposing upon them a burden of servitude. However, we, who have been 'raised with Christ' and have committed ourselves to 'seek the things above' (Colossians 3:1), regard the good heart as the land itself, in accordance with the teachings of the Lord, who stated: ‘But what is sown on the good ground, behold, he who hears the word and understands.... bears fruit and yields one hundred, sixty, or thirty times’ (Matthew 13:23).
Likewise, the mountain of God, where the Assyrians ‘shall be trampled down,’ symbolizes one who has excelled in righteous deeds and has ascended in knowledge and discourse; in such a person, the adversaries shall be subdued. God will remove every burden imposed by the Assyrians. They held themselves in high regard, placing burdens upon those chosen by God and leading astray those ensnared by sin, treating them as their subordinates. Thus, with the assurance that our foes will be brought to ruin in God's territory and subdued on the holy mountains, let us strive to dismantle their rule entirely! For if we embody the mountains of God, the ‘foundations’ of God (Psalm 86:2) will dwell within us, since the word of truth shall serve as the base of our hearts, and righteous actions will be built upon faith. Yet, we must fully distance ourselves from sin, enabling our liberation from the yoke of the Assyrians, as we come under the protection of Christ. We cannot serve two masters—the burden of the Lord and the yoke of Assyria: ‘What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?’ (2 Cor. 6:14).
The Almighty has declared, saying, "Will it not be as I have envisioned, and will it not occur as I have decreed in My heart, to bring down the Assyrian within My territory and to stamp him down on My hills? His yoke shall be taken away from them, and his burden shall be lifted from their shoulders." When the hedgehog will inhabit the forsaken Babylon, covering the desolate landscape where once there were fertile fields, nothing will remain of the past prosperity of Babylon. Then shall the Lord's promise be realized, and what He has resolved in His heart will indeed transpire, to vanquish the Assyrian in his own land and to overpower him in My mountains.
For a sudden adversary rushes to claim not only the land of the Lord and all the lowlands but also those who have excelled in virtue through their service to God, likened to lofty mountains. It is said of them, "His foundations are upon the mountains of the saints" (Psalm 86:1). Notice this distinctive aspect: on earth, the enemy is subdued, while on God's mountains, he is trampled by the Lord Himself. When all foes shall be placed under the feet of Christ, leading to the ultimate destruction of death, the oppressive yoke of the Assyrian, which once burdened the saints, will be lifted. The burden, or as the Septuagint translates it, the glory that they carried within them, will be taken away so that upon the removal of the Assyrian’s yoke, they may behold how delightful the rest is and how abundant the land. They will bow under the yoke of Christ to work and cultivate the earth. Thus, Issachar, meaning reward, derives his name from virtuous deeds. The prophet tells us, "There is a reward for those who serve the Lord" (Jeremiah 31:16), and in another passage, "Behold, the Lord comes with His reward" (Isaiah 40:10), who will render to everyone according to their deeds. Furthermore, the promise that the Assyrians will be crushed and defeated, representing opposing forces, is echoed in the Gospel: "Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." The Apostle also affirms, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20).
The Lord predicts the invasion of Judah by the Assyrians, who will seize its mountainous regions. However, their victory will be fleeting. The Lord has resolved to vanquish the Assyrians in His land and in His hills. They will be crushed by those they sought to overpower with their great numbers. Their stronghold will be stripped away from them, meaning the dominance of the Assyrians in the territories they initially occupied will be dismantled, and their splendor will be taken from their holdings. This burden, which weighed heavily on the defeated, will be lifted from their seats.
This prophecy concerning the downfall and dishonor of the Assyrians was realized during the reign of Hezekiah when the vast Assyrian army of 180,000, which had besieged Jerusalem, was destroyed in a single night by the hand of the angel (Isaiah 32:18, 19).
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS