311 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 do not look to the Holy One of Israel , nor seek the Lord ! 2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster And does not retract His words , But will arise against the house of evildoers And against the help of the workers of iniquity . 3 Now the Egyptians are men and not God , And their horses are flesh and not spirit ; So the Lord will stretch out His hand , And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall , And all of them will come to an end together . 4 For thus says the Lord to me, "As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey , Against which a band of shepherds is called out, And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise , So will the Lord of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill ." 5 Like flying birds so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem . He will protect and deliver it; He will pass over and rescue it.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 31:1-5
Commentary on Isaiah 31:1-5
(Read Isaiah 31:1-5)
God will oppose the help sought from workers of iniquity. Sinners may be convicted of folly by plain and self-evident truths, which they cannot deny, but will not believe. There is no escaping the judgments of God; and evil pursues sinners. The Lord of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion. The Lion of the tribe of Judah will appear for the defence of his church. And as birds hovering over their young ones to protect them, with such compassion and affection will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. He will so defend it, as to secure its safety.