New Living Translation
Isaiah 31:2
2In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster; he will not change his mind. He will rise against the wicked and against their helpers.
Isaiah 31:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Yet 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.
- New International Version (NIV)Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity.
Context of Isaiah 31:2
1What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster; he will not change his mind. He will rise against the wicked and against their helpers. 3For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord raises his fist against them, those who help will stumble, and those being helped will fall. They will all fall down and die together. 4But this is what the Lord has told me: “When a strong young lion stands growling over a sheep it has killed, it is not frightened by the shouts and noise of a whole crowd of shepherds. In the same way, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will come down and fight on Mount Zion.
Read all of Isaiah 31Isaiah 31:2 word by word
וְגַם־ה֤וּא חָכָם֙ וַיָּ֣בֵא רָ֔ע וְאֶת־דְּבָרָ֖יו לֹ֣א הֵסִ֑יר וְקָם֙ עַל־בֵּ֣ית מְרֵעִ֔ים וְעַל־עֶזְרַ֖ת פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- wiseחָכָםchâkâm · wiseH2450
- and will bringבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- and will not call backסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: turn asideH5493
- his wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- but will ariseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
- against the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- of the evildoersרָעַעrâ‛a‛ · be evilH7489
- and against the helpעֶזְרָה‛ezrâh ‛ezrâth · helpH5833
- of them that workפָּעַלpâ‛al · to workH6466
- iniquityאָ֫וֶן'âven · evil: wickednessH205
Cross-references for Isaiah 31:2
- 1 Samuel 2:3“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions.
- Job 5:13He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted.
- Jeremiah 10:7Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you.
- 1 Corinthians 1:21Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.
- Jude 1:25All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
- Isaiah 30:13calamity will come upon you suddenly— like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down.
- Isaiah 45:7I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.
- Joshua 23:15But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely destroy you from this good land he has given you.
- Amos 3:6When the ram’s horn blows a warning, shouldn’t the people be alarmed? Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has planned it?
- Numbers 23:19God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
- Jeremiah 36:32So Jeremiah took another scroll and dictated again to his secretary, Baruch. He wrote everything that had been on the scroll King Jehoiakim had burned in the fire. Only this time he added much more!
- Jeremiah 44:29“‘And this is the proof I give you,’ says the Lord, ‘that all I have threatened will happen to you and that I will punish you here.’
- Zechariah 1:6But everything I said through my servants the prophets happened to your ancestors, just as I said. As a result, they repented and said, ‘We have received what we deserved from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He has done what he said he would do.’”
- Matthew 24:35Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
- Isaiah 28:21The Lord will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange thing; he will come to do an unusual deed:
- Isaiah 63:4For the time has come for me to avenge my people, to ransom them from their oppressors.
Commentaries on Isaiah 31:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2His words "His word" - דברו debaro, singular, without י yod, two MSS. of Dr. Kennicott's the Septuagint, and Targ. Hieros. דרכיו derachaiv, his ways, is found in one MS.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Yet 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.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. 22. he also is wise--as well as the Egyptian priests, so famed for wisdom (Ac 7:22), but who are "fools" before Him (Is 19:11). He not only devises, but executes what He devises without "calling back His words" (Nu 23:19). home--the whole race. help--the Egyptian succor sought by the Jews.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 31:2
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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