Isaiah 31
31
Israel Should Depend on God’s Power
1Look at the people going down to Egypt for help. They think the horses they get will save them. They hope the many chariots and powerful soldiers will protect them. But the people don’t trust the Holy One of Israel. They didn’t ask the Lord for help. 2But he is the wise one who is bringing the disaster. And they will not be able to stop what he commanded. The Lord will attack those who are evil and all who try to help them.
3The Egyptians are only human, not God. The horses from Egypt are only animals, not spirit. The Lord will stretch out his arm, and the helper will be defeated. And those who wanted help will fall. They will all be destroyed together.
4The Lord told me: “When a lion or its cub catches an animal to eat, the lion stands over the dead animal and roars, and nothing can frighten it away. If men come and yell at the lion, the lion will not be afraid. They might make a lot of noise, but the lion will not run away.”
In the same way, the Lord All-Powerful will come down to Mount Zion. He will fight on that hill. 5Just as birds fly over their nest to protect it, so the Lord All-Powerful will defend#31:5 defend Literally, “fight on” or “fight against.” Jerusalem. He will save her. He will “pass over” and save Jerusalem.
6People of Israel, you should come back to the God you turned away from. 7That is because when those things happen, people will reject the gold and silver idols you made when you sinned against me.
8It is true that Assyria will be defeated with a sword, but it will not be a human sword that defeats him. Assyria will be destroyed, but that destruction will not come from a man’s sword. Assyria will run away from God’s sword, but the young men will be caught and made slaves. 9Their place of safety will be destroyed. Their leaders will be defeated, and they will abandon their flag.
The Lord, whose fireplace is on Zion and whose oven#31:9 fireplace … oven That is, the altar in the Temple. is in Jerusalem, is the one who said this.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Isaiah 31
31
Egypt Will Disappoint
1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead,#tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”
those who rely on war horses,
and trust in Egypt’s many chariots#tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”
and in their many, many horsemen.#tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”
But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel#sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
and do not seek help from the Lord.
2 Yet he too is wise#sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts. and he will bring disaster;
he does not retract his decree.#tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”
He will attack the wicked nation,#tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”
and the nation that helps#sn That is, Egypt. those who commit sin.#tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”
3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;
their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.
The Lord will strike with#tn Heb “will extend”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV “stretch out.” his hand;
the one who helps will stumble
and the one being helped will fall.
Together they will perish.#tn Heb “together all of them will come to an end.”
The Lord Will Defend Zion
4 Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me:
“The Lord will be like a growling lion,
like a young lion growling over its prey.#tn Heb “As a lion growls, a young lion over its prey.” In the Hebrew text the opening comparison is completed later in the verse (“so the Lord will come down…”), after a parenthesis describing how fearless the lion is. The present translation divides the verse into three sentences for English stylistic reasons.
Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it,
it is not afraid of their shouts
or intimidated by their yelling.#tn Heb “Though there is summoned against it fullness of shepherds, by their voice it is not terrified, and to their noise it does not respond.”
In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend
to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill.#tn Some prefer to translate the phrase לִצְבֹּא עַל (litsbo’ ’al) as “fight against,” but the following context pictures the Lord defending, not attacking, Zion.
5 Just as birds hover over a nest,#tn Heb “just as birds fly.” The words “over a nest” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem.#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
He will protect and deliver it;
as he passes over#tn The only other occurrence of this verb is in Exod 12:13, 23, 27, where the Lord “passes over” (i.e., “spares”) the Israelite households as he comes to judge their Egyptian oppressors. The noun פֶּסַח (pesakh, “Passover”) is derived from the verb. The use of the verb in Isa 31:5 is probably an intentional echo of the Exodus event. As in the days of Moses the Lord will spare his people as he comes to judge their enemies. he will rescue it.
6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled!#tn Heb “Return to the one [against] whom the sons of Israel made deep rebellion.” The syntax is awkward here. A preposition is omitted by ellipsis after the verb (see GKC 446 §138.f, n. 2), and there is a shift from direct address (note the second plural imperative “return”) to the third person (note “they made deep”). For other examples of abrupt shifts in person in poetic style, see GKC 462 §144.p. 7 For at that time#tn Or “in that day” (KJV). everyone will get rid of#tn Heb “reject” (so NIV); NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT “throw away.” the silver and gold idols your hands sinfully made.#tn Heb “the idols of their idols of silver and their idols of gold which your hands made for yourselves [in] sin.” חָטָא (khata’, “sin”) is understood as an adverbial accusative of manner. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:573, n. 4.
8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made;#tn Heb “Assyria will fall by a sword, not of a man.”
a sword not made by humankind will destroy them.#tn Heb “and a sword not of humankind will devour him.”
They will run away from this sword#tn Heb “he will flee for himself from before a sword.”
and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.
9 They will surrender their stronghold#tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security. because of fear;#tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”
their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.”#tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”
This is what the Lord says –
the one whose fire is in Zion,
whose firepot is in Jerusalem.#sn The “fire” and “firepot” here symbolize divine judgment, which is heating up like a fire in Jerusalem, waiting to be used against the Assyrians when they attack the city.
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