“Are not all my commanders kings?” he says.
Parallel translations
- WEB For he says, “Aren’t all of my princes kings?
- KJV For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?
- NKJV For he says, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings?
- NASB For it says, “Are not my officers all kings?
- NLT He will say, ‘Each of my princes will soon be a king.
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
The Assyrian king boasts that even his commanders are as powerful as kings.
Overview
His arrogance is captured in the boast that his princes are themselves kings, reflecting Assyria's vast power. This pride is precisely what God will later judge (verse 12). The verse begins a portrait of human arrogance that forgets it is only a tool in God's hand.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Kgs 18:24For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
- 2 Kgs 19:10“Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
- Dan 2:37You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength, and glory.
- Isa 36:8Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!
- Ezek 26:7For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company of troops.
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 10:8 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.