Category Archives: Assyria our enemy

Isaiah 61:11

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Isaiah 61 is known by many Christians because Jesus quoted it to start His ministry. This Chapter begins with ‘the Spirit (ruah) of the Sovereign Lord’ (verse 1), but it also ends with ‘the Sovereign Lord’ (verse 11), or Adonay YHWH. In between you will notice the word ‘will’ used many times in connection with what was in store for Israel. I believe there are three sections or ‘words’ in this chapter: verses 1-7; 8+9; and an Isaiah praise break in 10-11. Yes, verses 1-3 could be another commission for Isaiah and it does talk to Jesus’ ministry. After some housekeeping I will look at verse 11.

  • God bless translators, that is not an easy ministry/job.
  • I appreciate the work of Langton and Estienne in creating chapters and verses, they did the best they could.
  • Our concordances work around the root words in the Hebrew language. There are variations of these words that can aid translators and academics in their work, but would make a printed volume very LARGE. (Think jots and tittles with prefixes and suffixes.)  Bible Hub text analysis gives a better look into these Hebrew words by grouping similar variations together. It can add a new level to your studies.
  • Commentaries may not be text analysis. Mounce New Testament Version in Bible Gateway does give a list of verses and word variations.
  • I believe Isaiah will make more sense if you read about the history in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles; cross check the king list in Isaiah 1:1. I also believe our Book of Isaiah is not chronological.
  • Assyria is the ‘forgotten enemy’ as we tend to focus on Egypt and Babylon. They were not nice to anyone in the Levant. Two different kings are named in attacks on the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.

 Isaiah 61:11 For just as the earth brings forth its plants, or a garden makes its plants spring up, so Adonai, God, will cause victory and glory to spring up before all nations. (Complete Jewish Bible, CJB)

Isaiah 61:11 For as Eretz bringeth forth her tzemach, and as the gan (garden) the things that are sown in it tatzmiach (causes [them] to spring forth); so Adonoi Hashem will tzedakah (righteousness) and tehillah (praise) yatzmiach (cause [them] to spring forth) before kol HaGoyim. (OJB, Orthodox Jewish Bible)

  • as the earth – H776, kaares is used twice. See Isaiah 51:23; here it is referring to the practice of Assyrian kings to walk on and over their defeated foes as they lay on the ground.
  • brings forth – H3318, towsi is used a total of eight times, here are a few. Exodus 12:46, they could not bring any of the lamb out of the house after the first Passover. Deuteronomy 14:28, they are to bring all of the tithe. Psalm 143:11, David is asking God to bring him out of trouble.
  • Its sprout – H 6780, simhah is used four times. Psalm 65:10, David is thanking God for the rain that helps the crops to grow. Ezekiel 17:9+10 has a vine growing sprouts; it is part of a parable about Babylon carrying away the people and king of Jerusalem.
  • and as the garden – H1593, ukegannah is used twice. Isaiah 1:30 is a garden with no water; it is referring to people who forsake the Lord. Gardens (gan), plants, trees, crops, and vineyards are used throughout Isaiah to teach lessons and represent things. 61:3 refers to ‘oaks of righteousness as a planting of the Lord’, and verse 5 where foreigners will tend Israel’s crops.
  • Sown in it – H2221, zerueha is used only here. The other form of this word is used in Leviticus 11:37 where it is concerned with a purity law of not sowing different seeds together.
  • makes sprout – H6779, tasmiah is used four times. Genesis 3:18 is the thorns and thistles as part of the curse after the Garden of Eden. Deuteronomy 29:23 is the land of Israelite who chooses to not obey God; it will be like Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah 45:8 is part of the prophecy about Cyrus and this calls for righteousness and salvation to spring up and grow after it rains righteousness.
  • will make sprout – H6779, yasmiah is used twice. 2 Samuel 23:5, David knows he is right before God who will make salvation to grow for him.
  • Righteousness – H6666, sedaqah is used thirty times. The first one is Genesis 15:6 where Abram believes God and is credited with righteousness. (See Psalm 60 with Abraham) There are other Zedek words for righteousness. The last time this one is used is in Malachi 4:2 where the sun of righteousness will rise. It is also the robe in verse 10. Isaiah uses this form nine times.
  • and praise – H8416, utehillah is used three times; once before Isaiah and once after. 2 Chronicles 20:22 when Jehoshaphat had the people praise their way into battle. Nehemiah 9:5 is when the people repented of mixed marriages and other sins, so they had a praise fest.
  • Before – H5048, neged is used fifty-two times.
  • The nations – H1417, haggowyim is used 180 times and appears in Isaiah eighteen times.
  • Isaiah 61:11 Hebrew Text Analysis

The words I highlighted connect with many important events, themes, and people. As I read Isaiah 61:11, I thought of the first Garden in Genesis and the last Garden in Revelation. The picture in my mind is how it could have been and how it will be.

Highway of Holiness

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My Reading Road and Study Street of 2026 is simple; Psalms, Isaiah, the New Testament, and A Year with C. S. Lewis. As a mile marker, I am on my second lap for the first three. What does that have to do with the title of this post, nothing. I just needed to remind myself as I go on this excursion of Isaiah 35:8.

Chapters and Verses in the Bible are helpful, but our Cardinal and printer could have started this section with Isaiah 34:8 and gone to 35:10. Rabbit-trails are fun but I will try and stay on the path today.

Isaiah 35:8 has several words that refer to roads or places of travel, and I think it offers a contrast to something that the Assyrian Empire built. Some of these words/ideas are specific to Isaiah and this verse. (Isaiah has many verses where he writes about roads, paths, and ways to travel.) Rome, for some reason is given a lot of credit for their road system, and it was good and allowed for Paul and others to spread the Gospel better. History, however, should call them copycats of the Assyrians and Persians (who built on and copied Assyria). How Advanced Was the Assyrian Road System? | OT in Context The Assyrian roadway was used for oppression and rule of the kingdoms/peoples they conquered. The Highway of Holiness will let the feeble, fearful, blind, deaf, lame, mute, and the simple walk on it in peace as they enter Zion singing praises to the Lord. Yes, the redeemed and ransomed have a safe WAY to travel to the Father. (See Bend in the Road and Paths and Ways)

On Study Street 2026, I have noticed the Hebrew and Greek words that were used in the original text. Our concordances actually list just the root words. This Highway of Holiness verse is one that has single or limited-use words. (Yes, some deal with grammar that is beyond my Hebrew and Greek.) To go further in this study just click the links below.

I liked the 1599 Geneva Bible. You can compare these.

If you open the text analysis link, be sure to look at the word holiness and compare the unclean person with the simple fool.

My focus was the “Highway” that brings captives back to Zion. (By the time Isaiah wrote this many people of the Twelve Tribes of Israel had been carried off by the Assyrians. So, the road of oppression could have been the path back to Jerusalem and joy and gladness.)

Hebrew Concordance: ḇə·ḏe·reḵ — 19 Occurrences

The directions these nineteen words took made me slow down and take a rest stop to muse awhile. The two in Job may not make sense right away, but lightning actually follows a path laid out in front of it and is complex and happens faster than we can see. Many of these references are for people who are on the wrong highway or are trying to get you off of the highway. Several are only a part of the whole idea and need to be read with the other part, which may also have a “path” word in it.

My simple conclusion is this; these are not little walking paths or hard to follow hiking trails. As someone who lives in a large city, these “dereks” have curbs and shoulders, lines painted on them and posted signs to tell you important things. The Father thought this Highway of Holiness was so important that He had a Book written about it and sent His Son to show us the Way.

Barren Woman – Isaiah 54:1

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Barren woman, sing for joy because your husband is your Maker and Redeemer, from Isaiah 54:1-5. What song was she to sing? Was she to sing with someone? Were the musical bars this barren woman was to sing new or old? Is there a time frame for this song? If you get the feeling I may be all over place with this one you could be right. Now for my verse 1.

Father God has been singing a Song of Salvation since the Garden, not many wanted to hear it. Abram heard the tune and danced with God to Cannan. This brings in another singer for the song, Sarai. She was ‘ă·qā·rāh or barren and is the first one to sing that part of this song. That word describes five women and is used in Isaiah 54:1. Hebrew Concordance: ‘ă·qā·rāh — 8 Occurrences  Strong’s Hebrew: 6135. עָקָר (aqar) — barren, barren one, barren womanzzz Sarai was the first, but others joined her:

  • Sarai – Genesis 11:30
  • Rebekah – Genesis 25:21
  • Rachael – Genesis 29:31
  • Samson’s mother – Judges 13:2
  • Hannah, Samuel’s mother, in her prayer – 1 Samuel 2:5

Notable “covers” were given by the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:14 and John the Baptist’s mother, Elizabeth – Luke 1:7.

I would like to add a personal note about this part of the Song. I have read Isaiah 54 many times, but the scale of how important this ‘ă·qā·rāh woman singing has alluded me until now. Eve was the first to hear about this Song, her descendants Sarai and Rebekah started singing their part to bring salvation into our world.

The attention getter in Isaiah 54 is it being address to a barren woman. Verse 11 refers to the afflicted city, which may put this around the time of Hezekiah and the Assyrian conquest of Judah. There are many references to Daughter Zion or Virgin Daughter Jerusalem and other daughters in Isaiah. So, this introduction seems very important. Isaiah also refers to other barren things in his lines, mostly geographic areas. Father God’s measured verses here are the anacrusis to Isaiah 60 and 61. I need to point out that our translators use the word “will” many times in this part of the Song.

When Isaiah contributed his lines to the Song, he did not write in chapters and verses, but that is our lot in life. As I have read this part of Isaiah, I have wondered about how his words bridged his time over the kings of Judah and when they were penned. Our Chapters 54, 55, and 56 talk about a barren woman, those who are thirsty, foreigners, and Rest Keepers. He composed his lines for then and for us and for a time we have not yet seen. That chorus of chapters sounds like the Song of the Kingdom to my ear.

Paul repeated 54:1 in Galatians 4:27 and draws a comparison of earthly Jerusalem (Hagar a slave) to heavenly Jerusalem (Sarah a free woman). He wrote this letter to get the Galatian Church back into the rhythm of the Song after they heard men who were out of tune with Jesus sing their own song. Paul highlighted the part of the Song about being a slave to sin and being free in Jesus. Yes, I do see that in Isaiah’s words in Chapters 54, 55, and 56, and beyond.

Being barren was a curse under the Law, yet ‘ă·qā·rāh are still a part of the song. God composed His Song to include members of His Body that were overlooked and mistreated (1 Corinthians 12:23). There was a lot in this study. The links below are some areas that harmonize with Isaiah 54:1.

Assyria Our Forgotten Enemy and the Foolish Woman

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Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. (NIV) When I read this, recently, I thought of how the kings and people of Israel have acted from the time of King Solomon to the days of the Prophet Ezra (Malachi).

  1. Fact #1 – The Father loves the Land He gave to Jacob’s descendants.
  2. Fact #2 – The Father loves Jacob’s descendants, who are the children of Abraham.
  3. Fact #3 – The Father loves children of Abraham who live with the faith of Abraham.

The Bible is the Father’s letter to His People, Jews and Gentiles. This letter is filled with His saving love for His people. The Holy Spirit crafted our letter to contain history, science, social norms, and how we are to find Him in a righteous relationship.

The cruelization of Assyria has had my attention for a while now. From 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles up to Haggai and Zachariah Israel lived in the shadow and fear of this bully nation. Yes, Babylon and Persia were also casting shade on Israel/Judah in the Bible. But God; used them for His purposes. Many terms and adjectives have been used to describe these judgments by those nations, but simply put, they removed most of the people from the land. Sin was the problem; the Israelites loved the sins of the nations around them and the nations God had removed from His land. When Assyria started strutting around, Israel became enamored with them. King Ahaz (2 Kings 16) even changed the Temple of God to mimic and appease Tiglath-Pileser. Daughter Zion was acting like a foolish woman.

Were there kings who tried to follow in the footsteps of David? Yes, I will use Hezekiah and Josiah as examples; they opened the Temple for worship and held Passover and directed the people to follow God. As much good as these two kings did, they were followed by Manasseh, Ammon, and Zedekiah. (2 Chronicles 33:10-17 and other verses)

From my prospective the sin was turning away from Jehovah and worshipping other gods. When they left Jehovah, they got into some vile behaviors and demonic practices. Those high places and sacred groves were not just for offering prayers, incense, and pouring out drink offerings; sex with males and females and burning babies were some of the practices associated with those demon gods and was part of their worship. Manasseh was one of the kings of Judah that brought those practices into Jerusalem.

Tools of Judgment

The exodus from Egypt and Joshua’s conquest of Canaan is tied to the fact that the sin of the Canaanites had reached its peak. God cleaned them from His land. Melchizedek had been a ruler in His land, so there had been good there to start with.

Assyria and Babylon were the tools that was used to clear His land. The Father had sent plenty of prophets. We have written records from Hosea and Isaiah through Jeremiah, Ezekial, and Daniel. It sounds like He had sent even more than these, they did not write things down; or those scrolls did not survive.

 Micah 1:13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. (KJV) Lachish was a fortified town and possibly the second most important city in Judah.

Micah started his ministry at the time of Pul/Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 28:16, Isaiah 6-10). Shalmaneser is the Assyrian king (2 Kings 17 and 18) who deported Israel/Samaria. Sennacherib is the king who destroyed Lachish. Assyria was interested in the Foolish Woman.

Lessons

Christians, you who are the Church and are being refined to be the Bride of Christ, how are we doing? I see bright spots that are following the path of the righteous (Proverbs 4:18). We have 2,000 years of the Gospels, the Letters of Paul and John and the other Disciples, and the Holy Spirit leading us; what would a short history lesson of us sound like?

Samuel in 1 Samuel 8:8 was having to deal with Israel wanting a flesh-and-bone king. In Chapter 12 is his final speech; he quotes history with a lesson on leaders. Deuteronomy 17:17 -19 covered this topic of kings. It may have happened but there is no record of any king writing his own copy of the Law.

In Acts 7, Stephen is on trial and he gives a master lesson on Israel’s history of not following the Law or the Holy Spirit. Read 7:51 it struck home and they struck him.

Solomon was loved by God, given great opportunities, and built the first temple in Jerusalem. He also broke the rules in Deuteronomy 17. He wrote in Proverbs 3 an amazing lesson on how to stay in that right relationship that the Father wants. Solomon ended with the warning in verses 31 – 35; pretty much what Israel did to fall away with the Assyrians and Babylonians. His chosen heir, Rehoboam, did not do well and kept Judah down a bad road.  

Zechariah, Haggai, Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah all came after the Persian released the Jews to go back to Judah and Jerusalem. Even with these men setting Godly examples the Foolish Woman did not learn her lesson. If I may, Zechariah 7:8-14 and 8:16 are things that God told the people they were to be doing, which hints at what they were not doing.

Please, go and reread the three facts I gave. The Father has a plan and a purpose. Assyria came and carried out their purpose, but our El Shaddy had Zechariah write Chapter 10. Father will hold people accountable, but He will have Daughter Zion and the Church become the Bride of Christ.

Assyria, Our Forgotten Enemy – Cruelization

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Well, I will start by contrasting Cruelization and Civilization. (Yes, I made up a word.) As I have studied the ancient empires of the Hittites, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon then added in Persia, Greece, and Rome I really had to think about our modern term “civil”.

Yes, these empires have contributed to modern society. But have we put on rose-colored glasses because of these contributions and ignored why they were able to pass these contributions on? They were not “civil” in their “ization” of their contemporaries. Archaeology has found evidence of trade and the exchange of ideas and information in the Levant before the Assyrians. That is when Egypt and the Hittites were battling each other. Bullies, however, will be bullies and it was not limited to major empires; Abram faced that problem when he rescued Lot in Genesis 14. Elam is specifically mentioned in the bully group.

These empires not only battled each other; they learned from each other. (Who you listen to or read may spin things slightly different.) Egypt and the Hittites along with the lower Tigris and Euphrates River region seem to be the first major players in building societies. An unknown group referred to as the Sea People showed up from the west and plunged the Levant into a dark age; cities were destroyed, trade ended, and art-work stopped. Assyria rose up to fill the vacuum; they used iron/steel to make weapons (from the Hittites) and rose to great power. They also started a full-time army that did not have to go and gather crops. Add in writing on tablets, efficient routes of communication within the empire, and a consistent administration of the kingdom, Assyria forced themselves on the region. They took what they wanted by demanding tribute or they just wiped cities and people groups off of the map. They also practiced wholesale movement of conquered peoples to new areas, that type of slavery wiped out national identity. Besides taking what they wanted from you it also gave them control of trade from the east to the Mediterranean.

My Point of View

God made this world for His purposes. Adam and Eve messed that up. Even with our freewill, God has directed HIStory for His purpose. He gave us the Hebrew/Jewish people and His Word to give us insight into that plan. The rise and fall of these great empires should be proof of that and His timing.

Most of the experts I have watched or read acknowledge parts of the Bible and use it when it suits their purpose. The Prophets that reference these empires and especially Assyria are noted and sometimes agreed with on their historical facts. Many experts love to try and find things to disprove the Bible that is being sighted as fact. The timeline seems to be a favorite attack point; assign different dates that make it seem that the prophets are not telling what is to come but what has happened. Ground Number 2 in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13) seems to fit many of them.

A Case in Point

Sennacherib (2 Chronicles 32, 2 Kings 18,19,20:20, and Isaiah 36+37, his Nineveh is also in Jonah) is a good study. He would have made a good poster child for socialist dictators. He built up his three major cities, even diverting a river to water his gardens and lake, with high walls and giant palaces. If he did not get what he wanted he went and took it. On one such excursion to Sidon and Tyre he kept going to Israel. His first stop was Lachish. He was so proud of the destruction it went on his palace walls in Nineveh. That relief shows whole families being carted off and people impaled on stakes. Archaeology attest to the devastation from the siege. (A moment of comparison. Vlad the Impaler/Dracula also put people on stakes, but Sennacherib has a better reputation. In Romania, Vlad is a national hero.)

The rescue of Jerusalem is documented by non-Bible sources, so his attitude and boasting did not help when he insulted God. It took several years but his sons did kill him. When the Assyrian Empire fell to the Medes it was not pretty or nice; bodies were left (and found) at the city gates were the warriors fell. No one moved them or buried them, no one was left, sand storms and time did the work.

Micah 1:13 is about Lachish. She was a source of sin for Daughter Zion. She is also mentioned again when Babylon invaded Judah.

God Used Assyria

It may seem strange to say Assyria was enemy of Israel and that God used them. God wanted a righteous relationship with Israel and still does. When you read through the “Prophets” it is easy to see that many in Israel was not following the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They would obey the call to follow God for awhile and then go back to worshipping the demon gods of the countries they interacted with. The northern Tribes had even made their own gods and priest. You have to wonder if they kept any part of the Law of Moses. God sent many prophets to warn them and bring them back. When they refused, He had Assyria take them away from His Land and out of His sight (Isaiah 8). Sennacherib did some of this in the attack of Judah, especially Lachish. Isaiah 10:5-19 talks about Assyria and their punishment for going overboard on attacking nations.

Much of the “sin” Judah did was in the time of Assyria. These sins had finally reached the breakpoint under Babylon. Babylon beat Assyria and Egypt and inherited Judah; they carried out the punishment on them when Jerusalem was destroyed. Christians, we need to wake up and not do what ancient Judah did, God wants us to have a righteous relationship with Him.

-ization suffix – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com