Isaiah 31:3-9

3 But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.
4 This is what the LORD says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey— and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor— so the LORD Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
5 Like birds hovering overhead, the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
6 Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against.
7 For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made.
8 “Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor.
9 Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 31:3-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 31

This chapter denounces woe to those that trusted in the Egyptians; assures the Jews of God's care and protection of them; calls them to repentance, and foretells the destruction of the Assyrian army. The sin of those that trusted in Egypt, with the reasons of their trust, and not looking to the Lord, and seeking him, is declared in Isa 31:1 and their folly exposed in so doing; since the Lord is wise, powerful, and unchangeable, and the Egyptians frail and weak; so that the helper and the helped must fall before him, Isa 31:2,3 whereas protection might be expected from the Lord, as is promised, whose power is like that of the lion, and whose tender care is like that of birds to defend their young, Isa 31:4,5 wherefore the Jews are called upon to return to the Lord by repentance, from whom they had revolted; which would be shown by their detestation of idolatry, the sin they had been guilty of, Isa 31:6,7 and the chapter is closed with a prophecy of the ruin of the Assyrian army, and the flight of their king, Isa 31:8,9.

Cross References 27

  • 1. Isaiah 20:5; Isaiah 36:9
  • 2. S Psalms 9:20; Ezekiel 28:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:4
  • 3. S Isaiah 30:16
  • 4. Nehemiah 1:10; S Job 30:21; Isaiah 9:17,21; Jeremiah 51:25; Ezekiel 20:34
  • 5. Isaiah 10:3; Isaiah 30:5-7
  • 6. S Isaiah 20:6; Jeremiah 17:5
  • 7. Numbers 24:9; S 1 Samuel 17:34; Hosea 11:10; Amos 3:8
  • 8. Jeremiah 3:15; Jeremiah 23:4; Ezekiel 34:23; Nahum 3:18
  • 9. Psalms 74:23
  • 10. Isaiah 42:13
  • 11. S Genesis 1:2; S Matthew 23:37
  • 12. S Psalms 91:4; S Isaiah 5:2; S Zechariah 9:15
  • 13. S Psalms 34:7; Isaiah 37:35; Isaiah 38:6
  • 14. S Exodus 12:23
  • 15. S Job 22:23; S Isaiah 1:27
  • 16. S Isaiah 1:5
  • 17. Isaiah 29:18
  • 18. S Isaiah 2:20; Isaiah 30:22
  • 19. S Psalms 135:15
  • 20. S Isaiah 10:12
  • 21. S Exodus 12:12; Isaiah 10:12; Isaiah 14:25; S Isaiah 27:1; Isaiah 33:1; Isaiah 37:7; Jeremiah 25:12; Habakkuk 2:8
  • 22. S Genesis 49:15; S Deuteronomy 20:11
  • 23. Deuteronomy 32:31,37
  • 24. S Isaiah 18:3; S Jeremiah 4:6
  • 25. Jeremiah 51:9; Nahum 3:7
  • 26. S Isaiah 10:17
  • 27. Psalms 21:9; Malachi 4:1
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