Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.
Haven't you heard that I planned this long ago? From ancient times I decided it would happen. Now I have made it come to pass, allowing you to destroy fortified cities and turn them into piles of ruins.
God is telling the Assyrian king that his military conquests were actually part of God's ancient plan, not just his own doing.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of God's message through the prophet Isaiah to King Hezekiah during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem around 701 BC. The Assyrian king Sennacherib had been boasting about his military conquests, but God reveals that these victories were actually part of His sovereign plan from ancient times. God was using Assyria as His instrument of judgment against unfaithful nations, including the northern kingdom of Israel.
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