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Isaiah 31

KJV · Chapter 31/66

1Woe 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!

2Yet 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.

3Now 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.

4For 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.

5As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.

6Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.

7For 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.

8Then 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.

9And 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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Another warning against trusting in Egypt and its war horses instead of seeking the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah promises that God himself will defend Jerusalem like a bird protecting its nest, and that Assyria will fall without a human sword.

Explanation

This chapter continues the previous theme, reinforcing that the Egyptians 'are men, and not God,' and their horses 'flesh, and not spirit' — a direct way of saying that human military power is limited compared to God's power. The image of God as a bird protecting its nest is a tender, protective metaphor, contrasting with the harsher language of judgment found in other chapters. The prophecy was historically fulfilled when the Assyrian army, besieging Jerusalem in 701 BC, was suddenly destroyed (recorded in 2 Kings 19:35) without Judah fighting a direct battle. The application today is that relying excessively on human resources and alliances, when we should be seeking spiritual direction, is a recurring mistake in moments of fear.

Fun facts

  • The sudden collapse of the Assyrian army outside Jerusalem in 701 BC, without a direct battle, is recorded both in the Bible (2 Kings 19:35) and referenced indirectly in the records of the Assyrian king Sennacherib himself, who never claims to have conquered the city — a historically notable silence.
  • The comparison of God to 'birds flying' protecting their young is an image that reappears in Psalm 91:4 and Matthew 23:37, when Jesus laments over Jerusalem.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Isaiah 31:1Trusting in horses and chariots from Egypt was the standard military strategy of the day, since Egyptian war chariots were advanced and costly. But the chapter condemns this specific alliance for trading trust in God for foreign military power.
  2. Isaiah 31:2But God is also wise and will bring the judgment He announced: He Himself will rise up against the house of the evildoers and against those who help practice wickedness — trusting in Egypt does not free the people from judgment for their injustice.
  3. Isaiah 31:3Saying that the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses flesh and not spirit, sums up the chapter's argument. It contrasts limited human power with what the text sees as unlimited divine power, without going into any theory about what that spirit itself would be.
  4. Isaiah 31:4God compares His own strength to that of a lion roaring over its prey, unshaken even by a band of shepherds trying to scare it off — so He will come down to fight for Jerusalem, unintimidated by the Assyrian threat.
  5. Isaiah 31:5Like birds flying protectively over the nest, so the Lord will defend, deliver, and save Jerusalem — an image of careful, constant protection.
  6. Isaiah 31:6A direct call to conversion: let the people turn back to the One against whom they have so deeply rebelled, after all the misplaced trust they put in Egypt.
  7. Isaiah 31:7As a sign of this conversion, on that day everyone will cast away their own idols of silver and gold, the very ones their own hands made for sin.
  8. Isaiah 31:8Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of a man — suggesting a supernatural defeat, likely a reference to the episode in which the Assyrian army was destroyed without direct battle, recounted in 2 Kings 19.
  9. Isaiah 31:9The fire in Zion and the furnace in Jerusalem, at the end of the chapter, recall the altar of the temple. It is used as an image of God's presence protecting the city in the very place where He is worshiped.

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