Isaiah31

Isaiah 31 pronounces a woe upon those who seek help from Egypt, trusting in their military might rather than the Lord. The prophet declares that Egypt is merely human and will fail, while God, who is wise, will bring judgment upon evildoers. Nevertheless, the Lord promises to defend Jerusalem like a lion and flying birds, ultimately calling Israel to turn from their idolatry.

Woe to Those Who Trust in Egypt

1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they don’t look to the Holy One of Israel, and they don’t seek the LORD! ​
2
Yet he also is wise, and will bring disaster, and will not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of those who work iniquity. ​
3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, both he who helps shall stumble, and he who is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together. ​

The Lord Will Defend Zion

4
For thus says the LORD to me, “As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds is called together against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for their noise, so the LORD of Hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its heights. ​
5
As birds hovering, so the LORD of Hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it. He will pass over and preserve it.” ​

A Call to Repentance

6
Return to him from whom you have deeply revolted, children of Israel. ​
7
For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—sin which your own hands have made for you. ​

The Downfall of Assyria

8
“The Assyrian will fall by the sword, not of man; and the sword, not of mankind, shall devour him. He will flee from the sword, and his young men will become subject to forced labor. ​
9
His rock will pass away by reason of terror, and his princes will be afraid of the banner,” says the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem. ​

Study Notes for Isaiah 31

Verse 1

This 'woe' oracle condemns Judah's desperate political policy of seeking military alliance with Egypt, relying on their famed chariots and cavalry instead of trusting the covenant-keeping God of Israel.

Verse 2

God’s wisdom is contrasted with human folly; He knows their treacherous plans and will not withdraw the promised judgment against both the evildoers in Judah and their ungodly allies.

Verse 3

This verse provides the theological core of the critique: Egypt is merely human ('men, not God'), and their power is finite ('flesh, not spirit'), establishing the fundamental error of relying on creaturely strength.

Verse 4

The imagery of the lion roaring over its prey signifies God’s fierce, non-negotiable determination to fight for Jerusalem (Mount Zion) against overwhelming enemy forces, regardless of the noise or multitude of the opposition.

Verse 5

The metaphor of birds hovering and defending suggests swift, comprehensive, and protective care. The phrase 'passing over' echoes the Exodus narrative (Passover), where God protected Israel by sparing those under His divine shield.

Verse 6

The divine promise of protection (Vv. 4-5) is followed by a direct appeal for the people to repent and return to Yahweh, acknowledging their deep history of spiritual rebellion.

Verse 7

The assurance that 'in that day' every man shall cast away his idols indicates that God's deliverance will result in genuine, widespread spiritual renewal and purification from the sin of idolatry.

Verse 8

The defeat of Assyria is guaranteed to be supernatural, achieved by God directly ('not of a mighty man'), reinforcing the message that salvation comes solely through divine intervention, not human military prowess.

Verse 9

The description of the Assyrian flight emphasizes their terror and discomfiture. The final phrase, 'whose fire is in Zion,' refers to God's holy, purifying, and protective presence established in Jerusalem.

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