What is the meaning of Isaiah 37:27? Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power • God is describing the people of the fortified cities that Assyria has overrun. Though their walls once looked strong, the residents themselves “had no power” to resist (cf. 2 Kings 19:26, the historical parallel). • The statement exposes a spiritual truth: any nation that trusts its own might instead of the LORD will find its strength evaporate (Psalm 127:1; Isaiah 40:23). • It also comforts Judah—Assyria’s current swagger will prove just as empty when God turns the tables. Are dismayed and ashamed • Terror and humiliation follow when human self-reliance collapses (Exodus 15:15; Psalm 35:4). • The LORD pictures the conquered peoples’ morale as shattered. If proud Assyria produced this despair in others, imagine how much greater their own disgrace will be when God judges them (Isaiah 19:16). They are like plants in the field • The comparison shifts from military imagery to agriculture, underscoring frailty. “All flesh is grass” (Isaiah 40:6-8; Psalm 103:15-16). • Armies may seem imposing, yet before God they are as perishable as roadside weeds. Tender green shoots • Newly sprouted vegetation looks vibrant but has no depth of root or resilience (Job 8:12). • Assyria’s early victories were impressive, but—like immature seedlings—they could not withstand heat once God’s judgment blazed. Grass on the rooftops • Flat Near-Eastern roofs collected a thin layer of dust where seed could sprout, but the soil was too shallow to sustain growth (Psalm 129:6). • So the Assyrian victories, however widespread, lacked lasting substance; they sprung up quickly and would wither just as fast. Scorched before it is grown • Without moisture or root, rooftop grass “withers before it can grow” (cf. Mark 4:6). • The picture forecasts Assyria’s sudden decline: the empire will be burned up by the heat of divine wrath before its ambitions reach full maturity (Isaiah 37:36-38 records the start of that downfall). Summary Isaiah 37:27 piles image upon image to expose the ultimate impotence of every power that defies God. The verse reassures Judah—and believers today—that the LORD sees proud oppressors, measures their fleeting strength, and can overturn them in a moment. Human might is grass; God’s word and purpose endure forever. |
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