Isaiah 31:8 - Exposition

Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man ; rather, and Assyria shall fall by the sword of one who is not a man Assyria's destruction will not be by the visible swords of human enemies, but by the invisible sword of God. And the sword , not of a mean man, shall devour him ; rather, and the sword of one who is not a mortal shall detour him—an instance of "synonymous parallelism." He shall flee ; more literally, betake himself to flight . His young men shall be discomfited ; rather, as in the margin, shall be for tribute . They shall become the vassals of a foreign power.