Isaiah 22:10
ESV
and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.
NIV
You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses to strengthen the wall.
NASB
Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem And tore down houses to fortify the wall.
CSB
You counted the houses of Jerusalem so that you could tear them down to fortify the wall.
NLT
You survey the houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls.
KJV
And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.
NKJV
You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall.
What does Isaiah 22:10 mean?
Jerusalem had begun their preparations against an outside siege. This meant securing and distributing the weapons from their armory (Isaiah 22:8). Water had been redirected from springs outside the walls into the city to keep the enemy from depriving them of essential drinking water (Isaiah 22:9).Also, breaches in the walls were identified and patched with building material from houses that were torn down. It's possible these houses were removed from between the inner and outer walls of the city. This removal of the houses could have had two purposes. First, for the safety of the citizens, and secondly to flood that space as an extra obstacle to the enemy.
