Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 31

Woe – (see the note at Isaiah 30:1).

To them that go down to Egypt – (see the note at Isaiah 30:2).

And stay on horses – (see the note at Isaiah 30:16).

And trust in chariots – (see the note at Isaiah 21:7). That they were often used in war is apparent from the following places: Joshua 11:4; Judges 1:19; 1 Samuel 13:5; 2 Samuel 8:4.

Because they are many – Because they hope to secure the aid of many. See the references above. It is evident that their confidence in them would be in proportion to the number which they could bring into the field.

But they look not … – (see the note at Isaiah 30:1).

Yet he also is wise- God is wise. It is in vain to attempt to deceive him, or to accomplish such purposes without his knowledge.

And will bring evil- The punishment which is due to such want of confidence in him.

But will arise against the house of the evil-doers- This is a general proposition, and it is evidently just as true now as it was in the time of Isaiah.

Now the Egyptians are men - They are nothing but people; they have no power but such as other people possess. The idea here is that the case for which they sought aid was one in which divine help was indispensable, and therefore, they relied on the aid of the Egyptians in vain.

And their horses flesh, and not spirit - There is need, not merely of physical strength, but of wisdom and intelligence, and it is in vain to look for that in mere brutes.

Both he that helpeth - Egypt, whose aid is sought.

And he that is holpen - Judah, that had sought the aid of Egypt. Neither of them would be able to stand against the wrath of God.

For thus has the Lord spoken - The design of this verse and the following is to assure the Jews of the certain protection of Yahweh, and thus to induce them to put their trust in him rather than to seek the alliance with Egypt. To do this the prophet makes use of two striking illustrations, the first of which is, that Yahweh would be no more alarmed at the number and power of their enemies than a fierce lion would be that was intent on his prey, and could not be frightened from it by any number of men that should come against him. The point of this comparison is, that as the lion that was intent on his purpose could not be frightened from it by numbers, so it would be with Yahweh, who was equally intent on his purpose - the defense of the city of Jerusalem.

It does not mean, of course, that the purpose of God and of the lion resembled each other, but merely that there was similar intensity of purpose, and similar adherence to it notwithstanding all opposition. The figure is one that denotes the highest vigilance, firmness, steadiness, and a determination on the part of Yahweh that Jerusalem should not fall into the hands of the Assyrians.

Like the lion - The divine nature and purposes are often represented in the Scriptures by metaphors, allegories, and comparisons taken from animals, and especially from the lion (Job 10:16; Psalms 7:2; Hosea 11:10).

And the young lion - The vigorous, strong, fierce lion. The use of the two here, gives intensity and strength to the comparison. It is observable that the lion is seldom mentioned alone in the Scriptures.

Roaring on his prey - Roaring as he seizes on his prey. This is the moment of the greatest intensity of purpose in the lion, and it is therefore used by Isaiah to denote the intense purpose of Yahweh to defend Jerusalem, and not to be deterred by any number of enemies.

When a multitude of shepherds is called forth - When the neighborhood is alarmed, and all the inhabitants turn out to destroy him. This comparison is almost exactly in the spirit and language of Homer (Iliad 12:209 and following):

So pressed with hunger from the mountain’s brow,
Descends a lion on the flocks below;
So stalks the lordly savage o’er the plain,
In sullen majesty and stern disdain:
In vain loud mastiffs bay him from afar,
And shepherds gall him with an iron war;
Regardless, furious, he pursues his way;
He foams, he roars, he rends the panting prey.
Pope

So also :

- But checked he turns; repulsed attacks again.
With fiercer shouts his lingering troops he fires
Nor yields a step, nor from his post retires;
So watchful shepherds strive to force in vain,
The hungry lion from the carcass slain.
Pope

He will not be afraid - He will be so intent on his prey that he will not heed their shouting.

Nor abase himself - That is, he will not be frightened, or disheartened.

So shall the Lord of hosts - That is, with the same intensity of purpose; with the same fixedness of design. He will be as little dismayed and diverted from his purpose by the number, the designs, and the war shout of the Assyrian armies.

As birds flying - This is another comparison indicating substantially the same thing as the former: that Yahweh would protect Jerusalem. The idea here is that He would do it in the same manner as birds defend their young: by hovering over them, securing them under their wings, and leaping forward if they are suddenly attacked, to defend them.

Our Saviour has used a similar figure to indicate His readiness to have defended and saved the same city (Matthew 23:27), and it is possible that He may have had this passage in mind. The phrase ‘birds flying,’ may denote the rapidity with which birds fly to defend their young, and therefore, the rapidity with which God would come to defend Jerusalem; or it may refer to the fact that birds, when their young are attacked, fly or flutter around them to defend them; they will not leave them.

And passing over - פסוח pâsoach. Lowth renders this, ‘Leaping forward.’ This word, which is usually applied in some of its forms to the Passover (Exodus 12:13, 23, 27; Numbers 9:4; Joshua 5:11; 2 Chronicles 30:18), properly means, as a verb, to pass over, and therefore, to preserve or spare. The idea in the passage is that Yahweh would protect Jerusalem, as a bird defends its young.