Isaiah 10:7 kjv
Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
Isaiah 10:7 nkjv
Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations.
Isaiah 10:7 niv
But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations.
Isaiah 10:7 esv
But he does not so intend, and his heart does not so think; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few;
Isaiah 10:7 nlt
But the king of Assyria will not understand that he is my tool;
his mind does not work that way.
His plan is simply to destroy,
to cut down nation after nation.
Isaiah 10 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 10:6 | I will send him against a hypocritical nation... | Polemic against his own people |
| Isaiah 10:7 | Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is his heart to destroy... | Divine sovereignty in judgment |
| Jeremiah 25:9 | I will call for all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD: and I will bring them against this land... | Nebuchadnezzar as God's servant |
| Jeremiah 51:11 | Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device against Babylon... | God stirring up nations |
| Jeremiah 51:20 | Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations... | God using instruments of judgment |
| Ezekiel 29:18 | Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre... | Nebuchadnezzar's ambition for Tyre |
| Habakkuk 1:11 | Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. | Human pride and self-reliance |
| Romans 11:33-36 | O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments... | God's inscrutable plan |
| Acts 4:27-28 | For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. | Humans acting according to God's foreknowledge |
| Proverbs 16:4 | The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. | God's ultimate control |
| Psalm 17:14 | From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life... | Wicked motivated by earthly gain |
| Isaiah 14:12-15 | How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!... | Pride and self-exaltation |
| Deuteronomy 32:36 | For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself concerning his servants... | God's justice and mercy |
| Jeremiah 50:24 | I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. | Judgment on those who oppose God |
| Isaiah 47:6-7 | I was wroth with my people, I have stained mine inheritance... thou saidst, I shall be a princess for ever... | God's anger and human pride |
| 2 Chronicles 28:6-8 | For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day... for the LORD God of your fathers brought them into his hand. | Divine deliverance to adversaries |
| Psalm 76:10 | Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of the wrath shalt thou restrain. | God restraining human wrath |
| Revelation 17:17 | For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to do his will, and to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. | Nations fulfilling God's purpose |
| Genesis 50:20 | But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. | Joseph's brothers' evil intentions, God's good plan |
| Romans 8:28 | And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. | God working all things for good |
Isaiah 10 verses
Isaiah 10 7 Meaning
This verse signifies that the Assyrian king, though unknowingly, acted as an instrument of God's wrath against a sinful and deserving people, fulfilling divine judgment. His ultimate motivation, however, was personal ambition and a desire for conquest, not a genuine alignment with God's will.
Isaiah 10 7 Context
This verse is found within Isaiah's prophecy concerning the judgment against the Assyrian empire and specifically its king. In the preceding verses, God declares his intention to use Assyria as an instrument to punish his own people, Israel and Judah, for their sins and idolatry. This passage is set against the backdrop of the northern kingdom of Israel's destruction and the threat posed by the Assyrian army to the southern kingdom of Judah. The chapter highlights God's sovereignty over human actions, even those of wicked rulers, demonstrating that He can use any nation or person to accomplish His purposes.
Isaiah 10 7 Word Analysis
"Howbeit" (Hebrew: אַ֫ךְ -
ak): This word signifies "nevertheless," "truly," or "only." It introduces a contrast or a qualification to the preceding statement. It emphasizes that despite God's use of the Assyrian king, the king's inner motivations were entirely different from God's ultimate purpose."he meaneth not so" (Hebrew: לֹא־כֵן יַחְשַׁב הוּא -
lo-ken yachashav hu): This phrase translates to "it is not so that he thinks" or "he does not intend so." It directly addresses the king's lack of divine intent or understanding. His plans are solely human-centered."neither doth his heart think so": This reinforces the previous statement, emphasizing the inner disposition and personal motivation of the king. His heart (often representing the core of his being, his desires, and intentions) is not aligned with God's plan or righteousness.
"but it is his heart to destroy": This phrase ("כִּי־לְהַשְׁחִית לִבּוֹ -
ki-l'hashḥith libbo) states the king's true objective. The emphasis is on the desire and intent to "destroy" or "ruin." This highlights the king's violent and self-serving nature."and to cut off nations not a few": This extends the king's destructive ambition. It indicates his overarching goal of conquest and the eradication of numerous peoples. The phrase "not a few" underscores the extensive scale of his intended devastation.
Words Group Analysis: The juxtaposition of "meaneth not so" and "heart to destroy" is crucial. It frames the theological concept of divine sovereignty over human actions. God’s purposes can be achieved even through the selfish and wicked intentions of men. This doesn't condone the actions of the wicked, but rather reveals God's ultimate control over history, using all of creation, including human sinfulness, to fulfill His ultimate redemptive and judicial plans.
Isaiah 10 7 Bonus Section
The concept presented here is sometimes referred to as "mediate sovereignty" or God working through second causes. While the king possessed free will and made his choices based on his own desires, God’s foreknowledge and power ensured that these choices, even when self-serving and destructive, ultimately contributed to God’s divine plan for judgment and restoration. This also touches on the attribute of God’s omnipotence, where He can bring good out of evil and direct all affairs, as demonstrated by Joseph's testimony to his brothers in Genesis 50:20. The prophet Isaiah's message was meant to both warn Judah of impending judgment and assure them that God remained in control, even amidst the terror of the Assyrian advance.
Isaiah 10 7 Commentary
The Assyrian king, a powerful and ruthless conqueror, believed he was acting purely out of his own strength and ambition to expand his empire and subjugate peoples. He intended destruction for his own glory and gain. However, God, in His sovereignty, declared that the king's actions, though driven by malevolent intent, would paradoxically serve divine justice. The king would become an unintended instrument of God’s judgment upon those nations, including His own unfaithful people, whom God had determined to punish. This principle is a recurring theme in Scripture: God uses human actions, even wicked ones, to achieve His righteous purposes, demonstrating His supreme authority over all events and individuals.