Amplified Bible
Isaiah 31:3
3Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; And the Lord will stretch out His hand, And he (Egypt) who helps will stumble, And he (Judah) who is helped will fall, And all of them will perish together.
Isaiah 31:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now 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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together.
Context of Isaiah 31:3
1Woe (judgment is coming) to those who go down to Egypt for help, Who 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 and consult the Lord! 2Yet He is also wise and will bring disaster, And does not retract His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers And against the helpers of those who do evil. Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; And the Lord will stretch out His hand, And he (Egypt) who helps will stumble, And he (Judah) who is helped will fall, And all of them will perish together. 4For so the Lord says to me, “As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey, And though a large group of shepherds is called out against him He will not be terrified at their voice nor cringe at their noise, So the Lord of hosts will come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.” 5Like flying birds, so will the Lord of hosts protect Jerusalem; He will protect and save it, He will pass over and rescue it.
Read all of Isaiah 31Isaiah 31:3 word by word
וּמִצְרַ֤יִם אָדָם֙ וְֽלֹא־אֵ֔ל וְסוּסֵיהֶ֥ם בָּשָׂ֖ר וְלֹא־ר֑וּחַ וַֽיהוָ֞ה יַטֶּ֣ה יָד֗וֹ וְכָשַׁ֤ל עוֹזֵר֙ וְנָפַ֣ל עָזֻ֔ר וְיַחְדָּ֖ו כֻּלָּ֥ם יִכְלָיֽוּן׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now the Egyptiansמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
- menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- and not Godאֵל'êl · GodH410
- and their horsesסוּסsûs sûs · horseH5483
- fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
- and not spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
- When the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- shall stretch outנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
- his handיָדyâd · handH3027
- both he that helpethעָזַר‛âzar · to helpH5826
- shall fallכָּשַׁלkâshal · to stumbleH3782
- shall fall downנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
- and they all shall failכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: destroyH3615
- togetherיָחְדָּוyachad · togetherH3162
Cross-references for Isaiah 31:3
- Isaiah 36:6Listen carefully, you rely on the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.
- Deuteronomy 32:30How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had given them up?
- Psalms 9:20Put them in [reverent] fear of You, O Lord, So that the nations may know they are but [frail and mortal] men. Selah.
- Psalms 146:3Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation (help).
- Ezekiel 28:9Will you still say, “I am a god,” In the presence of him who kills you? But you are [only] a man [made of earth] and not God, In the hands of those who wound and profane you.
- Acts 12:22The assembled people kept shouting, “It is the voice of a god and not of a man!”
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4who opposes and exalts himself [so proudly and so insolently] above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he [actually enters and] takes his seat in the temple of God, publicly proclaiming that he himself is God.
- Psalms 33:17A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
- Isaiah 9:17Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, Nor does He have compassion on their fatherless or their widows; For every one of them is godless and an evildoer, And every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, God’s anger does not turn away But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].
- Jeremiah 15:6You have abandoned (rejected) Me,” says the Lord. “You keep going backward. Therefore I shall stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am tired of delaying [your punishment]!
- Ezekiel 20:33“As I live,” says the Lord God, “most certainly with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be King over you.
- Jeremiah 37:7“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘This is what you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, will return to Egypt, to their own land.
Commentaries on Isaiah 31:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3He that helpeth (the Egyptians) shall fall and he that is holpen (the Israelites) shall fall down-together.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Now 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 in reference to which they sought aid was one in which “divine” help was indispensable, and that, 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3Isaiah delivered another vision regarding Judah’s negotiations with Egypt, which probably took place in 705–701 BC. During that time, the conquering Assyrians were on the move, threatening Judah. At first, Hezekiah tried political and military means to avert being totally conquered (see 2 Kings 18:13–16).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. not spirit--not of divine power (Psa 56:4; 146:3, 5; Zec 4:6). he that helpeth--Egypt. holpen--Judah.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 31:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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