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Isaiah 31

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Woe to Those Who Trust in Egypt 1–3

1
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD! ​
2
Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity. ​
3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together. ​

The Lord Will Defend Zion 4–5

4
For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. ​
5
As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. ​

A Call to Repentance 6–7

6
Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted. ​
7
For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. ​

The Downfall of Assyria 8–9

8
Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited. ​
9
And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Isaiah 31

Verse 1

go down to Egypt for help — 'Help' is ezrah, and it returns in v.2 for the ally that falls; v.3 uses its verb, azar. The law forbade a king to 'multiply horses' or send the people back to Egypt (Deut 17:16), and Isa 30:2 describes the same errand, 'to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth'. Ps 20:7 states the other trust: 'we will remember the name of the LORD our God'.

Verse 2

Yet he also is wise — The verse answers the diplomats' wisdom with the LORD's own: he 'will bring evil' (ra, calamity; cf. Isa 45:7) and 'will not call back his words', literally 'turn aside' (sur) his davar, his word. 'Hath he said, and shall he not do it?' (Num 23:19). The calamity falls on 'the help of them that work iniquity', the Egyptian ally (ezrah).

Verse 3

men, and not God — Two contrasts: adam against el, and basar, flesh, against ruach, spirit. Jer 17:5 states the consequence, 'Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm'. When the LORD 'shall stretch out his hand' (as in Ex 7:5), 'he that helpeth' and 'he that is holpen' are the same verb, azar, and they 'fail together'.

Verse 4

the lion and the young lion roaring — Ari and kephir are two names for the lion, and hagah, 'roaring', is a murmur or growl over its prey. Judah 'goes down' (yarad) to Egypt in v.1; here the LORD of hosts 'shall come down' (yarad) to fight for Zion. Amos 3:8, 'The lion hath roared, who will not fear?', is the same figure in judgment.

Verse 5

As birds flying — After the lion, the opposite picture: tsippor, a small bird, and uph, to fly over, as the eagle 'fluttereth over her young' (Deut 32:11). 'Defend' (ganan) is to hedge about, the verb of Isa 37:35, 'I will defend this city to save it'. 'Passing over' is pasach, the verb of the Passover (Ex 12:13, 23, 27), here said of the LORD sparing Jerusalem.

Verse 6

deeply revolted — The Hebrew joins amaq, to make deep, with sarah, turning aside, or rebellion. The remedy is shuv, to turn back, the verb of Jer 3:22, 'Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings'. Isa 30:15 gives the same call, 'In returning and rest shall ye be saved'.

Verse 7

his idols of silver, and his idols of gold — Elil means worthless, a nothing, and is the word of Ps 96:5, 'all the gods of the nations are idols'. The verse repeats Isa 2:20, 'In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold'. Made by 'your own hands… for a sin', the images are themselves the offence.

Verse 8

not of a mighty man — The sword that devours Assyria is neither an ish, a man of standing, nor an adam, a common man. Isa 37:36 records it: 'the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand'. 'Discomfited' is literally for mas, forced labour, said of the young men.

Verse 9

whose fire is in Zion — 'Strong hold' is literally 'his rock' (sela), and his princes 'shall be afraid of the ensign' (nes, a banner); compare Deut 32:31, 'their rock is not as our Rock'. The LORD has 'fire' (ur) in Zion and a 'furnace' (tannur) in Jerusalem, the oven of Mal 4:1 and the 'smoking furnace' of Gen 15:17.