ישעיהו, פרק י׳, פסוק כ״ה

Facing the terrifying might of the Assyrian army, the people of Judah receive a powerful message of comfort. God promises that the looming threat is only temporary, and the situation is about to reverse entirely. The transition from deep distress to complete redemption will happen with astonishing speed. The commentators agree that the timeframe points to an incredibly brief moment [רד״ק, מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא], a mere fraction of a fraction of time before salvation arrives [מלבי״ם].

At that moment, the fierce storm of divine rage will finally calm and subside [שד״ל]. The primary approach among commentators is that Assyria never held independent power; the empire merely served as a rod of anger, a tool in God's hands to punish other nations. As soon as God's anger toward Israel comes to an end, Assyria will immediately lose its strength and its historical purpose [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].

However, God's wrath does not simply vanish. Instead, it changes direction. There are three ways to understand how this anger redirects. One approach views this shift as a response to moral decay. God's anger will strike Assyria as a direct punishment for their disgraceful acts, specifically the insults and blasphemies they hurled against Him [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, שטיינזלץ]. A second perspective focuses on total physical ruin, explaining that God's wrath will strike the Assyrian camp until the army is entirely destroyed and brought to a final, absolute end [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, אברבנאל]. Taking a different path, a third view suggests that because Assyria humiliated and destroyed so many kingdoms, God's anger upon the entire world will now cease. The destructive tool that is Assyria will simply be broken and cast aside [שד״ל].