However he doesn’t mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations.
Parallel translations
- KJV Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
- BSB But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.
- NKJV Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations.
- NASB Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy And to eliminate many nations.
- NLT But the king of Assyria will not understand that he is my tool; his mind does not work that way. His plan is simply to destroy, to cut down nation after nation.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Assyria does not realize it is God's instrument; in its heart it intends only conquest and destruction.
Overview
Though God uses Assyria, the empire's own motive is sheer ambition to destroy many nations. This distinction is crucial: God's sovereign purpose and Assyria's sinful intent run side by side. It illustrates how God can accomplish his righteous ends through the free, wicked choices of others, who remain fully responsible.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Gen 50:20As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is today, to save many people alive.
- Mic 4:11–12Now many nations have assembled against you, that say, “Let her be defiled, and let our eye gloat over Zion.”
- Acts 2:23him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed;
- Acts 13:27–30For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they didn’t know him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
- Isa 36:18–20Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “Yahweh will deliver us.” Have any of the gods of the nations delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria?
- Isa 37:11–13Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 10:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.