Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled (הוֹי שׁוֹדֵד וְאַתָּה לֹא שָׁדוּד, hoy shoded ve'atah lo shadud)—woe to the שׁוֹדֵד (shoded, spoiler, plunderer, devastator) who wasn't שָׁדַד (shadad, spoiled, plundered). And dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee (וּבוֹגֵד וְלֹא־בָגְדוּ בוֹ, uvoged velo-vagedu vo)—who acts treacherously (בָּגַד, bagad) though none was treacherous to you. When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee (כַּהֲתִמְךָ שׁוֹדֵד תּוּשַּׁד כַּנְּלֹתְךָ לִבְגֹּד יִבְגְּדוּ־בָךְ, kahatiṁka shoded tushad kanelotka livgod yivgedu-vakh).
The eighth and final woe targets the treacherous destroyer—most likely Assyria, though applicable to any oppressor. The poetic justice is precise: lex talionis applied by divine hand. The spoiler will be spoiled; the betrayer will be betrayed. Assyria's empire, built on brutality and covenant-breaking, will experience the same. Revelation 13:10 states: 'He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.' Judgment matches crime. Habakkuk 2:8 declares similar principle: 'Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee.'
Historical Context
Assyria conquered through terror—impaling captives, flaying alive, mass deportations, burning cities. They broke treaties routinely, invaded former allies. Isaiah prophesies divine reversal: Assyria will experience its own medicine. In 612 BC, Babylon and Medes destroyed Nineveh brutally—the spoiler spoiled. Sennacherib's assassination by his own sons (681 BC, Isaiah 37:38) exemplifies treachery repaid. God ensures moral justice even when delayed.
Questions for Reflection
How does this principle—spoilers being spoiled, betrayers betrayed—reveal God's moral governance?
When have you seen oppressors eventually experience the oppression they inflicted?
How should certainty of divine justice affect our response to current injustice and persecution?
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Analysis & Commentary
Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled (הוֹי שׁוֹדֵד וְאַתָּה לֹא שָׁדוּד, hoy shoded ve'atah lo shadud)—woe to the שׁוֹדֵד (shoded, spoiler, plunderer, devastator) who wasn't שָׁדַד (shadad, spoiled, plundered). And dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee (וּבוֹגֵד וְלֹא־בָגְדוּ בוֹ, uvoged velo-vagedu vo)—who acts treacherously (בָּגַד, bagad) though none was treacherous to you. When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee (כַּהֲתִמְךָ שׁוֹדֵד תּוּשַּׁד כַּנְּלֹתְךָ לִבְגֹּד יִבְגְּדוּ־בָךְ, kahatiṁka shoded tushad kanelotka livgod yivgedu-vakh).
The eighth and final woe targets the treacherous destroyer—most likely Assyria, though applicable to any oppressor. The poetic justice is precise: lex talionis applied by divine hand. The spoiler will be spoiled; the betrayer will be betrayed. Assyria's empire, built on brutality and covenant-breaking, will experience the same. Revelation 13:10 states: 'He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.' Judgment matches crime. Habakkuk 2:8 declares similar principle: 'Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee.'