Verse

Isaiah 10:20

ESV In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
NIV In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
NASB Now on that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will no longer rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
CSB On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who struck them, but they will faithfully depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
NLT In that day the remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
KJV And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

What does Isaiah 10:20 mean?

The chapter continues to move between descriptions of God's judgment on His people Israel and His mercy. On the one hand, the Lord will soon make use of the Assyrians to bring terrible judgment upon Israel and Judah. On the other hand, the Lord will not wipe His people out. He will preserve a remnant. And those left will finally trust in Him to take care of them.

There are two events, then in the future when Isaiah wrote, to which he may be referring. In 701 BC, the Assyrians will have Jerusalem in a siege. Things will look hopeless for the survivors of the Lord's people locked inside the gates of the City of David. The Lord will save them. by sending the angel of the Lord to strike 185,000 Assyrians dead in one night (2 Kings 19:35). Much later, a remnant of God's people will return to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon.

Isaiah writes that the house of Jacob will no longer rely on the one who "struck them." He may be referring to the fact that King Ahaz attempted to make an alliance with Assyria to find safety from his other enemies (2 Kings 16:7–10). Hosea describes Ephraim's foolishness in trying to rely on foreign nations, like Egypt and Assyria, to protect Israel instead of the Lord (Hosea 7:11).

The other possible event in mind may be the return of Israel from exile, as described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. A further event, future to both Isaiah and ourselves, is when the remnant of Israel will once again lean on the Holy One of Israel. This is a reference to the end times. Though few will remain in this time, God's people will once more trust Him and Him alone. Isaiah adds the words "in truth" to show that this trust in the Lord will not be meaningless ritual, but true faith.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: