Isaiah 10:28

He is come to Aiath. Here begins a poem that pictures an invader approaching from the north to the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem, striking terror to the hearts of the inhabitants. Whether it was intended as a prophecy of some particular Assyrian invasion, or is simply a poetic picture of the tide of invasion sweeping down upon the land of Judah (see on ch. 8:7, 8) is not clear. At the time of his first invasion (in the 14th year of Hezekiah) Sennacherib did not approach Jerusalem from the north. His armies reached the Mediterranean seacoast at Sidon, then marched southward to Philistia, and from there advanced inland toward the cities of Judah. It was to Lachish, southwest of Jerusalem, that Hezekiah sent his message promising tribute (2 Kings 18:14). But there seem to have been two invasions of Sennacherib (see Vol. II, p. 64). Isaiah’s poem here sets forth in a striking way the terror that would overwhelm the inhabitants of Jerusalem as the enemy force approached nearer and ever nearer the city, laying waste the country as they came.

Some have assumed that we find here a description of an actual advance on Jerusalem by some Assyrian army, perhaps that of Sargon, the record of which has been lost. That is possible but not probable. It may refer to the approach of the portion of Sennacherib’s army sent against Jerusalem while the other force headed toward Egypt. The purpose of this poem is to picture the fright of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the surrounding area as an enemy force draws near.

The cities named do not all lie on a route such as an approaching army would actually follow. Aiath is probably at Ai, 9 3/4 mi. (15.6 km.) north by east from Jerusalem.

Moving southward to Migron and Michmash, 7 1/8 mi. (11.4 km.) north-northeast of Jerusalem, the army lays up its baggage. It is not known whether the modern road, which dates from Roman times, represents the route followed by the highway in more ancient times. It is possible that the ancient highway was closer to the towns here named.