The Meaning of Isaiah 31:8 Explained

Isaiah 31:8

KJV: Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.

YLT: And fallen hath Asshur by sword, not of the high, Yea, a sword -- not of the low, doth consume him, And he hath fled for himself from the face of a sword, And his young men become tributary.

Darby: And Asshur shall fall by the sword, not of a great man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become tributary;

ASV: And the Assyrian shall fall by the sword, not of man; and the sword, not of men, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become subject to taskwork.

Discover Isaiah 31:8

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Isaiah 31:8?

MEANING: What does Isaiah 31:8 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Isaiah 31:8 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Isaiah 31:8?

What is the context of Isaiah 31:8?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.

What does Isaiah 31:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The immediate situation also called for Judah to repent. Since the Lord promised to defeat Assyria Himself, His people needed to get into a right relationship with Him. To say that the Assyrian young men would become forced laborers was to say that Assyria would herself be overcome.

Context Summary

Isaiah 31:1-9 - A Nobler Future For The Nation

Isaiah continues to denounce the contemplated alliance with Egypt. His compatriots put their trust in horses and chariots, and refused the help of their fathers' God. Yet was He not so wise as the Egyptians, and equally as strong! And were they not running a fearful risk in rejecting One who would not recall His words of threatened punishment to those who refused His help? At best, the Egyptians were men, and not God, and their cavalry, flesh. If only they would trust Him, God would defy their foes, as a lion defies a company of unarmed shepherds, Isaiah 31:4. The mother-bird hovers over her brood to protect it from the kestrel; so would He spread His covering wing over Jerusalem, Isaiah 31:5. We may have deeply revolted, yet we may turn back to God with the certainty that He will receive and rescue us, Isaiah 31:6.

Sennacherib fell by the sword of his sons. Compare Isaiah 32:8 with 2 Kings 19:36-37. How different is our glorious King, whose many-sided nature meets all our needs! Isaiah 32:2. Before Him all men are unveiled in their true characters. Only those who are royal in heart shall stand before Him, Isaiah 31:8. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 31

¹ The prophet shows the folly and danger of trusting Egypt, and forsaking God
⁶ He exhorts to conversion
⁸ He shows the fall of Assyria

What do the individual words in Isaiah 31:8 mean?

And shall fall Assyria by a sword not of man and a sword not of mankind shall devour him but shall flee he from the sword and his young men forced labor shall become

וְנָפַ֤ל אַשּׁוּר֙ בְּחֶ֣רֶב לֹא־ אִ֔ישׁ וְחֶ֥רֶב לֹֽא־ אָדָ֖ם תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֑נּוּ וְנָ֥ס לוֹ֙ מִפְּנֵי־ חֶ֔רֶב וּבַחוּרָ֖יו לָמַ֥ס יִהְיֽוּ

וְנָפַ֤ל	And shall fall
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular Root: נָפַל Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
אַשּׁוּר֙	Assyria
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular Root: אַשּׁוּר Sense: the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians.
בְּחֶ֣רֶב	by a sword
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular Root: חֶרֶב Sense: sword, knife.
אִ֔ישׁ	of man
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: אִישׁ Sense: man.
וְחֶ֥רֶב	and a sword
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular Root: חֶרֶב Sense: sword, knife.
אָדָ֖ם	of mankind
Parse: Noun, masculine singular Root: אָדָם Sense: man, mankind.
תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֑נּוּ	shall devour him
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular, third person masculine singular Root: אָכַל Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וְנָ֥ס	but shall flee
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular Root: נוּס Sense: to flee, escape.
חֶ֔רֶב	the sword
Parse: Noun, feminine singular Root: חֶרֶב Sense: sword, knife.
וּבַחוּרָ֖יו	and his young men
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular Root: בָּחוּר Sense: youth, young man.
לָמַ֥ס	forced labor
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular Root: מַס Sense: gang or body of forced labourers, task-workers, labour band or gang, forced service, task-work, serfdom, tributary, tribute, levy, taskmasters, discomfited.
יִהְיֽוּ	shall become
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural Root: אֶהְיֶה Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 31:8?

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Similar Scriptures for Isaiah 31:8

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