The Meaning of Isaiah 10:12 Explained

Isaiah 10:12

KJV: Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

YLT: And it hath come to pass, When the Lord doth fulfil all His work In mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I see concerning the fruit of the greatness Of the heart of the king of Asshur. And concerning the glory of the height of his eyes.

Darby: And it shall come to pass, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stoutness of heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

ASV: Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Wherefore it shall come to pass, [that] when the Lord  hath performed  his whole work  upon mount  Zion  and on Jerusalem,  I will punish  the fruit  of the stout  heart  of the king  of Assyria,  and the glory  of his high  looks. 

What does Isaiah 10:12 Mean?

Study Notes

that when
A permanent method in the divine government of the earth. Israel is always the centre of the divine counsels earthward Deuteronomy 32:8 . The Gentile nations are permitted to afflict Israel in chastisement for her national sins, but invariably and inevitably retribution falls upon them. See; Genesis 15:13 ; Genesis 15:14 ; Deuteronomy 30:5-7 ; Isaiah 14:1 ; Micah 5:7-95 ; Joel 3:1-8 ; 1713578723_52 ; Matthew 25:31-40 .

Verse Meaning

When God finished using Assyria as His rod to punish Mt. Zion and Jerusalem, He would punish Assyria, too, for her arrogance and haughtiness. The prose form of this verse, which serves as a climax in a long section of poetry, makes this major point stand out all the more clearly.
"God"s sovereignty and man"s responsibility are always in perfect balance in the Word of God. Even though we are not able to reconcile these paradoxical facts, we can believe both because the Bible teaches both. God is sovereign in His universe; and at the same time man is fully accountable to God for all his acts." [1]

Context Summary

Isaiah 10:5-19 - The Mighty Laid Low
This question is addressed to the Assyrian invader, described as God's staff and rod. He was the means of inflicting deserved penalty on the world of that age, and especially on the Chosen People. He had no thought of this, but considered himself free to wreak his will without reference to that Higher Power whose agent he was. But the ruthless manner in which he carried out his work was destined to come under the divine judgment, Isaiah 10:12-15.
The capture of Jerusalem seemed as sure as the taking of a nest of eggs. The strongest barriers that the nations could oppose to his arms had fallen before the Assyrian king; and surely the Hebrew city should not escape. But God had yet to be reckoned with, Isaiah 10:16-19. The conception here is borrowed from a forest fire, which begins among the brushwood and presently consumes the loftiest and stoutest trees; so would the fire of destruction be kindled during the attack on the Holy City, which finally would involve the whole Assyrian empire. Let us not fear the wrath of man. God makes some portion of it to praise Him, and He restrains the remainder. [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 10:12 mean?

therefore it shall come to pass when has performed Yahweh - all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem [that He will say] I will punish on the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of haughty His looks
וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־ יְבַצַּ֤ע אֲדֹנָי֙ אֶת־ כָּל־ מַֽעֲשֵׂ֔הוּ בְּהַ֥ר צִיּ֖וֹן וּבִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם אֶפְקֹ֗ד עַל־ פְּרִי־ גֹ֙דֶל֙ לְבַ֣ב מֶֽלֶךְ־ אַשּׁ֔וּר וְעַל־ תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת ר֥וּם עֵינָֽיו

וְהָיָ֗ה  therefore  it  shall  come  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
יְבַצַּ֤ע  has  performed 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּצַע  
Sense: to cut off, break off, gain by unrighteous violence, get, finish, be covetous, be greedy.
אֲדֹנָי֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
מַֽעֲשֵׂ֔הוּ  his  work 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
בְּהַ֥ר  on  Mount 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
צִיּ֖וֹן  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
וּבִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  and  on  Jerusalem 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
אֶפְקֹ֗ד  [that  He  will  say]  I  will  punish 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
פְּרִי־  the  fruit 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פְּרִי  
Sense: fruit.
גֹ֙דֶל֙  of  the  arrogant 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: גֹּדֶל  
Sense: greatness.
לְבַ֣ב  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  of  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אַשּׁ֔וּר  of  Assyria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַשּׁוּר  
Sense: the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians.
תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת  the  glory 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תִּפְאֶרֶת  
Sense: beauty, splendour, glory.
ר֥וּם  of  haughty 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רוּם  
Sense: haughtiness, height, elevation.
עֵינָֽיו  His  looks 
Parse: Noun, cdc, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.