Isaiah 10:17

"Therefore the Lord, GOD of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire."

Key Reflection

Isaiah 10:17 envisions a dramatic judgment where God's fury will consume the Assyrian Empire, which was then a formidable and prosperous nation (referred to as "his fat ones"). The verse describes this judgment not just with physical destruction ("leanness"), but also through spiritual affliction ("under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire"). This imagery highlights both the material weakening of the empire and the internal turmoil that would follow, reflecting God's ultimate sovereignty over even the most powerful nations.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

And the light of Israel -That is, Yahweh. The word “light” here,אור'ôr, is used also to denote a “fire,” or that which causes light and heat; seeEzekiel 5:2;Isaiah 44:16;Isaiah 47:14. Here it is used in the same sense, denoting that Yahweh would be “the fire”אור'ôrthat would cause the “flame” (אשׁ'êsh) which would consume the Assyrian. Jehovah is often compared to a burning flame, or fire;Deuteronomy 4:24;Deuteronomy 9:3;Hebrews 12:29. Shall be for a fire -By his power and his judgment he shall destroy them. His Holy One -Israel’s Holy One; that is, Yahweh - often called in the Scriptures the Holy One of Israel.

More from Isaiah 10

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