English Standard Version
Isaiah 31:8
8"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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“The Assyrians will be destroyed, but not by the swords of men. The sword of God will strike them, and they will panic and flee. The strong young Assyrians will be taken away as captives.
Context of Isaiah 31:8
6Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 7For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. "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. 9His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic," declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Read all of Isaiah 31Isaiah 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 10:16Therefore the Lord God of hosts will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.
- Isaiah 14:25that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder."
- Isaiah 29:5But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly,
- Isaiah 30:27Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
- Isaiah 37:35For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David."
- 2 Kings 19:34For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David."
- 2 Chronicles 32:21And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword.
- Hosea 1:7But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen."
- Isaiah 37:37Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at 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
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries