Isaiah 31:8

Isaiah 31:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.
• New International Version (NIV)“Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of mankind shall devour him. But he shall flee from the sword, And his young men shall become forced labor.

Context of Isaiah 31:8

6Israelite people, you have turned completely against the Lord. Now turn back to him! 7The time will come when everyone must throw away their gold and silver idols. It was a sin for you to make them for yourselves. The Assyrian soldiers will die in battle. But humans did not make the sword that will kill them. It is God's sword that will destroy them. The Assyrians will run away from that sword. But their strong young men will have to do hard work as slaves. 9Their strongest soldiers will run away because they are afraid. The officers of their army will be afraid when they see the Lord's battle flag.’ That is what the Lord says. His fire is in Zion. Yes, his hot oven is in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 31:8 word by word

וְנָפַ֤ל אַשּׁוּר֙ בְּחֶ֣רֶב לֹא־אִ֔ישׁ וְחֶ֥רֶב לֹֽא־אָדָ֖ם תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֑נּוּ וְנָ֥ס לוֹ֙ מִפְּנֵי־חֶ֔רֶב וּבַחוּרָ֖יו לָמַ֥ס יִהְיֽוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then shall the Assyrianאַשּׁוּר'ashshûr 'ashshûr · AssyriaH804
• fallנָפַלnâphal · to fall: killH5307
• with the swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
• not of a mighty manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• not of a mean manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• shall devourאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• him: but he shall fleeנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
• fromפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• and his young menבָּחוּרbâchûr bâchûr · youthH970
• shall be discomfitedמַסmas mis · taskworkerH4522

Cross-references for Isaiah 31:8

• Isaiah 10:16So the Lord, the Almighty Lord, will punish Assyria's soldiers. They are now fat and healthy, but they will become thin! It will be like a fire that burns them, with all their proud strength.
• Isaiah 14:25I will destroy the Assyrians who are in my land. I will knock them down on my mountains. They will no longer be cruel to my people. My people will not be their slaves any more.
• Isaiah 29:5Your enemies will be like an army of dust. The wind will blow away that crowd of cruel men as if they are chaff. That will all happen very suddenly!
• Isaiah 30:27Look! The Lord is coming with his great power from a place that is far away. He is very angry. Thick clouds of smoke are all round him. He speaks angry words that destroy like fire.
• Isaiah 37:35“I will make this city safe and I will rescue it. I will do that to show that I am great. I promised my servant David that I would do it. So I will do it.” ’
• 2 Kings 19:34“I will make this city safe and I will rescue it. I will do that to show that I am great. I promised my servant David that I would do it. So I will do it.” ’
• 2 Chronicles 32:21The Lord God sent an angel to destroy Assyria's army. The angel killed all the soldiers and the army officers in their camp. So the king of Assyria had to return home to his own country. He was very ashamed. He went into the temple of his god. There some of his own sons used their swords to kill him.
• Hosea 1:7But I will continue to love the people of Judah. I will save them from the power of their enemies. I will not use weapons to do this in a battle. I will not use an army, or horses, or chariots. Instead, it will be the power of the Lord their God that saves them.’
• Isaiah 37:37So King Sennacherib of Assyria took his army away. He returned to Assyria and he lived in Nineveh.

Commentaries on Isaiah 31:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Then shall the Assyrian fall, etc. - Because he was to be discomfited by the angel of the Lord, destroying in his camp, in one night, upwards of one hundred and eighty thousand men; and Sennacherib himself fell by the hands of the princes, his own sons. Not mighty men, for they were not soldiers; not mean men, for they were princes.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword - The sword is often used as an instrument of punishment. It is not meant here literally that the sword would be used, but it is employed to denote that complete destruction would come upon them. Not of a mighty man - The idea here is, that the army should not fall by the valor of a distinguished warrior, but that it should be done by the direct interposition of God (see Isaiah 37:36). Of a mean man - Of a man…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-9Verses 6-9 They have been backsliding children, yet children; let them return, and their backslidings shall be healed, though they have sunk deep into misery, and cannot easily recover. Many make an idol of their silver and gold, and by the love of that are drawn from God; but those who turn to God, will be ready to part with it. Then, when they have cast away their idols, shall the Assyrian fall by the sword of an angel, who strikes more strongly than a…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-9This prophecy concerned God’s protection of Jerusalem and its rescue from the Assyrians.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Assyrian--Sennacherib, representative of some powerful head of the ungodly in the latter ages [Horsley]. sword, not of ... mighty ... mean man--but by the unseen sword of God. flee--Sennacherib alone fled homewards after his army had been destroyed (Is 37:37). young men--the flower of his army. discomfited--rather, "shall be subject to slavery"; literally, "shall be liable to tribute," that is, personal service (De 20:11; Jos 9:21) [Maurer]. Or, not so…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 31:8

• Assyria

In the dictionaries

• Assyria, Assyrian, Assyrian Empire
• Fail
• Hezekiah
• Revolt
• Discomfit; Discomfiture
• Isaiah
• Mean

Commentaries on Isaiah 31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings