Isaiah 10:6
I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Original Language Analysis
בְּג֤וֹי
nation
H1471
בְּג֤וֹי
nation
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
1 of 15
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
אֲשַׁלְּחֶ֔נּוּ
I will send
H7971
אֲשַׁלְּחֶ֔נּוּ
I will send
Strong's:
H7971
Word #:
3 of 15
to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
וְעַל
H5921
וְעַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
4 of 15
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
עַ֥ם
and against the people
H5971
עַ֥ם
and against the people
Strong's:
H5971
Word #:
5 of 15
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
אֲצַוֶּ֑נּוּ
will I give him a charge
H6680
אֲצַוֶּ֑נּוּ
will I give him a charge
Strong's:
H6680
Word #:
7 of 15
(intensively) to constitute, enjoin
וּלְשׂיּמ֥וֹ
and to tread them down
H7760
וּלְשׂיּמ֥וֹ
and to tread them down
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
12 of 15
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
Cross References
Isaiah 9:17Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.Isaiah 19:17And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.Jeremiah 25:9Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.Jeremiah 34:22Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.Zechariah 10:5And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.
Historical Context
Despite maintaining temple worship, sacrifices, and religious festivals, Israel and Judah had abandoned genuine covenant faithfulness (Isaiah 1:10-17). Ritual continued while hearts were far from God—textbook hypocrisy. God commissioned Assyria to punish this empty religion. Sennacherib's invasion of Judah (701 BC) and Assyria's earlier conquest of Israel (722 BC) fulfilled this commission precisely.
Questions for Reflection
- What is the difference between religious activity and genuine relationship with God?
- How does hypocrisy—maintaining religious forms while rejecting God's heart—provoke divine judgment?
- In what ways might our own religious practices be hypocritical rather than heartfelt?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
God commissions Assyria against 'an hypocritical nation' (Israel/Judah)—people who maintain religious forms but lack genuine faith. The three imperatives—'take the spoil,' 'take the prey,' 'tread them down'—demonstrate God's sovereign command over Assyria's actions. The phrase 'tread them down like the mire of the streets' emphasizes complete humiliation. God uses Assyria to punish covenant unfaithfulness. This shows that profession without possession, religion without reality, incurs severe judgment.