The Meaning of Isaiah 10:33 Explained

Isaiah 10:33

KJV: Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.

YLT: Lo, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is lopping a branch with violence, And the high of stature are cut down, And the lofty are become low,

Darby: Behold the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, shall lop the boughs with violence; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be brought low;

ASV: Behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, will lop the boughs with terror: and the high of stature shall be hewn down, and the lofty shall be brought low.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, the Lord,  the LORD  of hosts,  shall lop  the bough  with terror:  and the high ones  of stature  [shall be] hewn down,  and the haughty  shall be humbled. 

What does Isaiah 10:33 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 10:33-34 - The Kingdom Of The Messiah
The advance of the Assyrian along the great north road is graphically described. It was marked by raided villages and towns. The night sky was lurid with flames. But his collapse would be as sudden and irretrievable as the felling of forest timber. As the one chapter closes we can almost hear the crash of the Assyrian tree to the ground, and there is no sprout from his roots. But in the next the prophet descries a fair and healthy branch uprising from the trunk of Jesse's line. The vision of the King is then presented, who can be none other than the divine Redeemer on whom rests the sevenfold Spirit of God. The second verse defines the work of the Comforter, and is evidently the model of that royal hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus. But remember that He on whom this divine unction rested longs to share the pentecostal gift with the least of His disciples, 1 John 2:27. Note that as man's sin brought travail and groaning on all creation, so will His redemption deliver it, Romans 8:19-25. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 10

1  The woe of tyrants
5  Assyria, the rod of hypocrites, for its pride shall be broken
20  A remnant of Israel shall be saved
23  Judah is comforted with promise of deliverance from Assyria

What do the individual words in Isaiah 10:33 mean?

Behold the Lord Yahweh of hosts will lop off the bough with terror and Those of high stature [will be] hewn down and the high [ones] will be humbled
הִנֵּ֤ה הָאָדוֹן֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת מְסָעֵ֥ף פֻּארָ֖ה בְּמַעֲרָצָ֑ה וְרָמֵ֤י הַקּוֹמָה֙ גְּדוּעִ֔ים וְהַגְּבֹהִ֖ים יִשְׁפָּֽלוּ

הִנֵּ֤ה  Behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
הָאָדוֹן֙  the  Lord 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֔וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
מְסָעֵ֥ף  will  lop  off 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: סָעַף  
Sense: (Piel) to cut off, lop off boughs.
פֻּארָ֖ה  the  bough 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: פֹּארָה 
Sense: bough, branch, shoot.
בְּמַעֲרָצָ֑ה  with  terror 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מַעֲרָצָה  
Sense: awful shock, crash, terror.
וְרָמֵ֤י  and  Those  of  high 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יָרוּם 
Sense: to rise, rise up, be high, be lofty, be exalted.
הַקּוֹמָה֙  stature 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֹומָה  
Sense: height.
גְּדוּעִ֔ים  [will  be]  hewn  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine plural
Root: גָּדַע  
Sense: to cut, hew, chop, cut down, hew down, hew off, cut off, cut in two, shave off.
וְהַגְּבֹהִ֖ים  and  the  high  [ones] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: גָּבֹהַּ  
Sense: high, exalted.
יִשְׁפָּֽלוּ  will  be  humbled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁפֵל  
Sense: to be or become low, sink, be humbled, be abased.