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Isaiah 22:10

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 22:10 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall;
Isaiah 22:10 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 22

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
7And it came to pass, that thy choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate.
8And he took away the covering of Judah; and thou didst look in that day to the armor in the house of the forest.
9And ye saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many; and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool;
10and ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall;
11ye made also a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But ye looked not unto him that had done this, neither had ye respect unto him that purposed it long ago.
12And in that day did the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:
13and behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.
← Isaiah 22:9Isaiah 22:11 →
← Full Chapter 22 Isaiah Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, &c.] To know what number of men were in them, and how many could be spared to do duty, either as watchmen or soldiers; or to know how to levy the tax, and what money they would be able to raise, to defray the charge of the defence of the city; or to see what provisions they had, and so make a computation how long they could hold out the siege; or else to observe what houses might be annoyed by the enemy, and what stood in the way of the repair of the walls, or were proper to pull down, that with the stones and timber of them they might make up the breaches of the wall, and that the stronger, as follows: and the houses have ye broken down to…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“numbered--rather, "ye shall number," namely, in order to see which of them may be pulled down with the least loss to the city, and with most advantage for the repair of the walls and rearing of towers (Ch2 32:5). have ye broken down--rather, "ye shall break down."”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem - That is, you have taken an estimate of their number so as to ascertain how many can be spared to be pulled down to repair the walls; or you have made an estimate of the amount of materials for repairing the walls, which would be furnished by pulling down the houses in Jerusalem. To fortify the wall - The houses in Jerusalem were built of stone, and therefore they would furnish appropriate materials for repairing the walls of the city. In 2 Chronicles 32:5, it is said that Hezekiah not only repaired the broken walls of the city on the approach of Sennacherib, but ‘raised up the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Numbered - That they might exactly know their own strength. The houses - Which stood upon or without the walls, and so gave their enemies advantage, and hindered the fortifying the city. Isaiah 22:11”
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Related study paths

Read Isaiah 22 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification