What does Isaiah 10:10 mean?

The Lord is quoting the attitude of Sargon II, king of the Assyrians (Isaiah 10:8–11). Sargon has been boasting about his Assyrian war machine. What could ever stop it? It has already rolled through numerous cities and city-states. What will keep the next nations from being like those who have come before?

Now Sargon describes the religious beliefs of the people he has conquered. Especially in this era, when one nation conquered another, it was believed that the god of the victorious nation had defeated the god of those who had been destroyed. Sargon essentially says, that he and his armies have defeated the famous, powerful gods known as Hadad, Marduk, Baal, and El. He claims this by defeating the people who worship and serve those gods. Now he asks, in outright arrogance, why will the "carved images" of the people of Jerusalem and Samaria be any different?

Two things are happening here. First, the people of both Israel and Judah and their cities of Samaria and Jerusalem did have many carved images that they worshipped (Exodus 20:4–5). One of the things the Lord was going to show them in His judgment is that these idols could not save them. Their false gods had no power. Sargon was right that he would easily overpower these nonexistent deities.

Sargon was wrong about one thing, though. The true God of the Israelites in Samaria and Judah was not to be found in any carved idol in Israel or Judah. Yahweh did not allow carved images to be made of Himself. Assyria's mighty armies were just a tool in His hand. This tool would not be able to crush His city of Jerusalem when He did not to allow it.