Isaiah 10:5-15 seems to be organized in a chiastic order.
A. Rod and staff, v 5
B. Plunder, v. 6
C. Boast of Assyria, vv. 8-11
D. Yahweh’s response, limiting Assyria’s power, v. 12
C’/B’. Assyria’s boast/plunder, vv. 13-14
A’. Axe, Saw, Rod, Staff, v. 15
This structure helps solve the question of where the break comes in these verses. In earlier chapters, Isaiah has given a series of woes, followed by a “therefore” (5:8-17, 18-25). Here again, he gives a woe against the Assyrians (10:5-15), followed by a double “therefore” (vv. 16, 24).
Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War
What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times…
How the State Failed Noelia Castillo
On March 26, Noelia Castillo, a twenty-five-year-old Spanish woman, was killed by her doctors at her own…
The Mind’s Profane and Sacred Loves
The teachers you have make all the difference in your life. That they happened to come into…