Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? (Isa. 10:5–7, 12, 15) Assyria was the superpower of the day. We must not belittle that power simply because their weapons seem so primitive compared with the savage weapons of destruction that are the childish pride of nations today. The Assyrians had developed the most advanced war machine of their time; they were dreaded for their seemingly invincible capacity for total war. However, says Isaiah,