“Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord God of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.
Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.” The Lord of hosts will arouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the sea and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt. So it will be in that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of fatness.”
Isaiah 10:20-27 NASB1995
A great promise to Israel is made in this passage in Isaiah. This is apparently an example of a double reference or a double fulfillment of prophecy. Precept Austin has a long section describing this concept. Not all Biblical scholars advocate double references. I want to include some of the commentary so that we can examine this idea:
One of the foremost scholars of Bible prophecy Dr John Walvoord (now with the Lord) explains that...
Prophecies sometimes have more than one fulfillment. This is referred to as the law of double reference. It is not unusual in Scripture for a prophecy to be partially fulfilled early and then later have a complete fulfillment. Accordingly, what seems to be a partial fulfillment of a prophecy should not be assumed to be the final answer as the future may record a more complete fulfillment. (The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook All the Prophecies of Scripture Explained in One Volume) (Bolding added)
Comment [from Precept Austin]: Some writings use the term “double fulfillment” rather than “double reference”. In fairness, it should also be clearly stated that not all Biblical scholars (Milton Terry in Biblical Hermeneutics, Puritan John Owen, Bishop J C Ryle), espouse this principle in the interpretation of Scripture. These notes are not going to resolve this debate. Suffice it to say, this website does believe that some passages have a near and future fulfillment.
David Jeremiah has a well done article in which he summarizes the main points of the “law of double reference”...
1. In double reference prophecy, the first fulfillment of the prophecy usually is found in a person or event close in time to the prophetic utterance.
2. In double reference prophecy, the first fulfillment is usually only a partial fulfillment of the total prophetic message.
3. In double reference prophecy, the ultimate fulfillment is usually found in the person of Christ or the affairs of His kingdom.
Double fulfillment is particularly true of the predictions…concerning the Babylonian Captivity, the event of the day of the Lord, the return from Babylon, the world-wide dispersion of Israel, and their future regathering from all the corners of the earth… (Charles Feinberg)
4. In double reference prophecy, the first fulfillment is usually temporal, whereas, the ultimate fulfillment may be spiritual or eternal.
5. In double reference prophecy, part of the prophetic message may be fulfilled close at hand, and that fulfillment in turn becomes another prophecy. A. J. Gordon says, “Prophecy has no sooner become history, than history in turn becomes prophecy.”
6. In double reference prophecy, two or more prophecies may be grouped together in one area of vision, although they are really at different distances in fulfillment.
7. In double reference prophecy, observations 5 and 6 are usually found to be working in the same passage.
There are many other terms beside “double reference” which are used by various writers and theologians to describe what has been set forth in the seven observations we have just discussed. In most cases, the following terms are used interchangeably with “double reference” and may be understood to stand for any or all of the parts of the law: Near and Far View, Double Sense, Multiple Fulfillment, Gap Prophecy, Foreshortening, and several others.
There are two terms which need special mention here. “Compenetration” is a term used by Catholic writers to define what they understand by this law of double reference. “In an Old Testament passage, the near meaning and the remote meaning for the New Testament so compenetrate that the passage at the same time and in the same word refers to the near and the remote New Testament meaning.”...
A double fulfillment prophecy loses not one bit of its literalness when it is fulfilled the second or third time. This would violate our basic system of hermeneutics. “Double fulfillment is literal fulfillment and therefore consistent with basic rules of interpretation.”
The law of double reference is not the Pandora’s Box of Biblical Hermeneutics as some opponents would claim. It is the failure of many to distinguish application from interpretation that has caused such an accusation to be leveled at the principle. To accept the law of double reference as a legitimate tool for interpretation of prophecy is not to open the door to all kinds of fanciful notions as to the hidden and allegorical meanings that might be alluded to in a prophetic passage.
To speak of the law of double reference is to speak of interpretation, not application. Double reference is not one interpretation and manifold applications. It is one message for two audiences separated in time....
How can you tell if a prophetic statement has more than one fulfillment? These suggestions may help:
1. Determine if the prophecy has been fulfilled in its literal and complete meaning. Elsa Raud makes the following comment: “We can know whether or not the law of double reference applies to the prophecy we are reading by ascertaining whether it has been fulfilled completely and literally. Genesis 12:3 says that “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” All the families of the earth have not yet experienced the blessing in Christ which the promise declares…. Only a comparatively few Jews and Gentiles have thus been blessed in Him. The prophecy in Genesis 12:3 will be fulfilled for all the families of the earth in the Day of the Lord.”
2. If the prophecy seems to have a double or wider meaning, examine that meaning only after you have carefully worked out the primary interpretation of the prophecy. What you understand by the first fulfillment will color your understanding of the second or ultimate fulfillment.
3. Look for some interpretive comment from the New Testament writers to aid your interpretation of the secondary or ultimate meaning.
4. If the understanding you get from the ultimate fulfillment is not completely in accord with that which is directly revealed concerning the person or event, reject it. Start over! In no case does our knowledge of a future event or person depend solely on the information contained in a double reference prophecy. (The Principle of Double Fulfillment in Interpreting Prophecy).
Some key takeaways of a double reference or fulfillment:
The first prophecy is very near-term, in this case of this passage addressing the wrath that the Lord will turn from the people of Judah to the Assyrians.
The first prophecy is only partially fulfilled.
The ultimate fulfillment of a double reference prophecy is in Christ and His Kingdom.
The first fulfillment is usually temporal, but the second may be spiritual or eternal.
The fulfillment of the near-term prophecy may, in turn, create another prophecy.
The second fulfillment is literal, just like the first.
A double reference is one message for two groups of people separated in time.
Look to New Testament writers to aid in interpretation of the second fulfillment.
By looking at a prophecy, can we know with certainty if it has been fulfilled completely or if there is still a fulfillment to come? The example from Genesis 12:3 in the definitions by David Jeremiah is a good one.
This concept does NOT allow for “finding” fanciful notions and hidden or allegorical meanings in Scripture (pay attention, “progressive” churches!).
This is truly a process that should involve well-trained experts in Bible hermeneutics who use a traditional, literal viewpoint of scripture; they would use exegesis to apply the principles of hermeneutics, carefully reading and interpreting scripture. But even rank amateurs like myself can learn these principles and try to honor them in learning scripture.
What is hermeneutics? Here’s an overview from Gotquestions.org:
Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles and methods of interpreting the text of the Bible. Second Timothy 2:15 commands believers to be involved in hermeneutics: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who . . . correctly handles the word of truth.” The purpose of biblical hermeneutics is to help us to know how to properly interpret, understand, and apply the Bible.
The most important law of biblical hermeneutics is that the Bible should be interpreted literally. We are to understand the Bible in its normal or plain meaning, unless the passage is obviously intended to be symbolic or if figures of speech are employed. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. For example, when Jesus speaks of having fed “the five thousand” in Mark 8:19, the law of hermeneutics says we should understand five thousand literally—there was a crowd of hungry people that numbered five thousand who were fed with real bread and fish by a miracle-working Savior. Any attempt to “spiritualize” the number or to deny a literal miracle is to do injustice to the text and ignore the purpose of language, which is to communicate. Some interpreters make the mistake of trying to read between the lines of Scripture to come up with esoteric meanings that are not truly in the text, as if every passage has a hidden spiritual truth that we should seek to decrypt. Biblical hermeneutics keeps us faithful to the intended meaning of Scripture and away from allegorizing Bible verses that should be understood literally.
A second crucial law of biblical hermeneutics is that passages must be interpreted historically, grammatically, and contextually. Interpreting a passage historically means we must seek to understand the culture, background, and situation that prompted the text. For example, in order to fully understand Jonah’s flight in Jonah 1:1–3, we should research the history of the Assyrians as related to Israel. Interpreting a passage grammatically requires one to follow the rules of grammar and recognize the nuances of Hebrew and Greek. For example, when Paul writes of “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” in Titus 2:13, the rules of grammar state that Godand Savior are parallel terms and they are both in apposition to Jesus Christ—in other words, Paul clearly calls Jesus “our great God.” Interpreting a passage contextually involves considering the context of a verse or passage when trying to determine the meaning. The context includes the verses immediately preceding and following, the chapter, the book, and, most broadly, the entire Bible. For example, many puzzling statements in Ecclesiastes become clearer when kept in context—the book of Ecclesiastes is written from the earthly perspective “under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:3). In fact, the phrase under the sun is repeated about thirty times in the book, establishing the context for all that is “vanity” in this world.
A third law of biblical hermeneutics is that Scripture is always the best interpreter of Scripture. For this reason, we always compare Scripture with Scripture when trying to determine the meaning of a passage. For example, Isaiah’s condemnation of Judah’s desire to seek Egypt’s help and their reliance on a strong cavalry (Isaiah 31:1) was motivated, in part, by God’s explicit command that His people not go to Egypt to seek horses (Deuteronomy 17:16).
We have to be cautious with the principle of double references when studying prophecy, which is why I usually refer to more than one source of commentary and solid hermeneutics. It is interesting to note that there are some scholars who believe “the Assyrian” is also a double reference (I believe I talked about that in a previous devotional). “The Assyrian” may be referring to not just the 7th century B.C. Assyrian empire but also the coming Anti-Christ.
Here is what Paul said in Romans, which relates to this prophecy in Isaiah, showing how this could be defined as a double reference:
“I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
…
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION,
HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”
“THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM,
WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.””
Romans 11:1-6, 25-27 NASB1995
Another fascinating take on this passage in Isaiah is from Enduring Word, which seems to be almost completely focused on the near-term temporal fulfillment of the prophecy:
a. It shall come to pass in that day: The LORD told Judah to not trust in Assyria as their deliverer when the threat from Syria and Israel came (Isaiah 7). The LORD promised that He would deliver them from Syria and Israel and that they did not have to trust in Assyria. But Ahaz, king of Judah, did not take God’s counsel and trusted in Assyria. The LORD would then use Assyria to defeat Syria and Israel as He had promised, but He would also use Assyria to judge Judah. Now, the LORD wants to prepare Judah for the attack from Assyria, reminding them that He is still in charge and they can still trust Him.
i. This shows the remarkable grace and longsuffering of God. We would not criticize the LORD if He said, “You want to trust in the Assyrians and not in Me? Fine. You are now on your own. Good luck.” But even in the midst of the judgment they deserved, brought through the Assyrians, God wants to comfort His people and bring them hope.
b. The remnant of Israel…will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the LORD. The LORD promises His people, “You are going through this now because you will not trust Me. But I am going to change you so that you trust Me again, and you will once again depend on the LORD.”
c. A remnant of them will return: The suffering of God’s people at the hands of the Assyrians and others would make them feel as if they would certainly be destroyed. God assures them that this is not the case. He will always preserve His remnant.
d. The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness: When God allows destruction – whether in outright judgment or loving correction – it is always righteous, and never unfair. In fact, His judgment overflows with righteousness.
e. For the Lord GOD of hosts will make a determined end: An end of what? An end of Judah’s trust in nations like Assyria. They will never again depend on him who defeated him.
f. Therefore…do not be afraid of the Assyrian: The LORD is telling His people, “Judgment and correction are coming, and it will hurt. But I have a plan, so don’t be afraid.” This is a hard word to believe because judgment and correction, by their very nature, hurt! Yet we can decide to not be afraid and trust in the LORD, even when it hurts.
i. He shall strike you with a rod, yet do not be afraid. He will lift up his staff against you, but do not be afraid. Why shouldn’t they fear? Because the Assyrians are not in charge, the LORD is. In a very little while…the indignation will cease, as will My anger. We can always be comforted by the fact that God will never leave His people to the mercy of their enemies. Even when He uses the Assyrians to bring judgment and correction, He is still in charge.
g. And the LORD of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian: Judah should trust the LORD because He will indeed take care of the Assyrians. He will take care of them like He took care of Midian at the rock of Oreb. The LORD will strike Assyria as His rod was upon the sea.
i. Judges 7:25 describes Gideon’s victory over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb. As miraculous and complete as Gideon’s victory was, that is how miraculous and complete God’s judgment on Assyria would be. As it happened, this was exactly the case. 2 Kings 19:35 describes how God simply sent the angel of the LORD and killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. When the people woke up, there were 185,000 dead Assyrian soldiers.
ii. Exodus 14:16 describes how the LORD used the rod of Moses to divide the Red Sea. In the same way, He would do something totally miraculous against Assyria.
iii. The LORD even took care of the king of the Assyrians according to His justice. 2 Kings 19:36-37 describes that when the king of the Assyrians returned home after attacking Judah, he was murdered by his own sons as he worshipped in the temple of Nisroch his god.
h. It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck: Assyria would indeed trouble and oppress Judah, but not forever. Instead, the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. Because of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit among Judah (represented by the anointing oil), the yoke of bondage would be destroyed.
i. Bultema thinks that because of the anointing oil should really be seen as because of the Anointed One, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He is the source of our victory and freedom from the yoke of bondage.
I think I learned a lot studying this passage, especially about good traditional Biblical analyses. I can walk away with a great confidence in the partial near-term prophecy of the remnant and the long-term fulfillment that comes through Christ.
My next devotional examines Isaiah 10:28-34 - A prophecy about the arrival of the Assyrians and the humbling of the proud in Judah.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank you for showing me some of the essential tools for studying prophecy and scripture and how the threads of the tapestry of the Bible are all related. Amen.
Citations and Credits:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 10/29/2026 to review commentary for Isaiah 10:20-27.
Biblehub.org was accessed on 10/29/2026 to review commentary for Isaiah 10:20-27.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. At the link referenced, the bibliography used by David Guzik can be accessed.
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 10/29/2026 to answer the question, What is biblical hermeneutics?© COPYRIGHT 2002-2026 GOT QUESTIONS MINISTRIES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.