Isaiah 9:10 (DRB)

Passage

The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with square stones: they have cut down the sycamores, but we will change them for cedars.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 9:8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

Isaiah 9:9 And all the people of Ephraim shall know, and the inhabitants of Samaria that say in the pride and haughtiness of their heart:

Isaiah 9:10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with square stones: they have cut down the sycamores, but we will change them for cedars.

Isaiah 9:11 And the Lord shall set up the enemies of Rasin over him, and shall bring on his enemies in a crowd:

Isaiah 9:12 The Syrians from the east, and, the Philistines from the west: and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his indignation is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bricks", "fallen", "down", "build", "square", "stones", and "sycamores". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bricks" and "fallen", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "And all the people of Ephraim shall..." into verse 11's "And the Lord shall set up the...", so "bricks" and "fallen" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "bricks" and "fallen" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.