Isaiah 37:28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet, when he remarked that your wrath, with which you are incensed, and your sorrow have befallen me, it was as though he conveyed, you will not escape judgment for your blasphemy; for I shall eternally remember the cunning and malice of your wickedness; but as if I am brought low by your rage, I shall impose upon you a retribution befitting your offenses.

This revelation is to be understood as a proclamation from God in response to the blasphemies of the Assyrian, asserting that I decreed this to be done, and commanded it through you. Therefore, what I had previously ordained has now been accomplished. The hills, signifying the leaders who once contended against each other, and the fortified cities will fall when I withdraw My support. They will tremble and perish, not akin to the olive tree or the vine, nor like fruitful trees, but rather like the hay and the shoots of roof grass, which obstruct growth and decay before maturity. I was already aware of your residence, your movements, and the madness that drove your rage against Me, as I had declared through the prophets that you would one day boast: I will rise into the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit upon a mountain in the assembly of the divine in the far north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13-14). Thus, your fury and your arrogance have reached My ears, and I will no longer tolerate you, making it clear that what you accomplished was only possible by My will, not by your own strength. For corrupt nations and barren trees deserve to be cut down and fall by your hand, as if by My axe and saw. Hence, I will place a bridle in your nostrils to restrain your blasphemous tongue, preventing you from daring to speak in such a manner again; I will control your proud speech and return you to Assyria. The Scriptures also reflect this imagery in the Psalms against the wicked: With reins and bridles thou shalt girdle their jaws, they that come not near thee (Psalm 31:9).