And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.
His breath, as an overflowing stream - (Isaiah 11:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:8.)
Shall reach to the midst of the neck - the most extreme danger. Yet as the head or capital of Judah was to he spared (Isaiah 8:8), so the head or sovereign of Assyria, Sennacherib, should escape.
Sieve of vanity - the winnowing fan of destruction (Lowth). (Isaiah 41:16.) A bridle in the jaws of the people - as prisoners are represented in the Assyrian inscriptions (Isaiah 37:29).
Causing (them) to err - (Isaiah 63:17.) "People" - Hebrew, peoples; namely, the various races composing the Assyrian armies (Isaiah 5:26).