Isaiah 31:3
in Isaiah 31But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit: and when Jehovah shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together.
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.
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This verse in Isaiah 31
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
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 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 in mere brutes. Both he that helpeth - Egypt, whose aid is sought.
This site's exposition
go down to Egypt for help
on Isaiah 31:1-3
The woe names its cause: they "rely on horses", yet "They do not look to the Holy One of Israel". The LORD "too is wise and brings disaster". Its center is one line, "the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit", so helper and helped fall.
This site's exposition
the helper will stumble
The helper who will stumble is Egypt, and the one he helps is Judah. Matthew Henry ties their common fall to the burden of Egypt in chapter 19, where judgment had already been pronounced on the helper. Both perish under one hand.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter 31, verses 1 onwards) Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord. Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against the wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, against trust in human help, he sets out their weakness: Egypt is man: whereas you are a man, and not God, in the hand of them that slay you (Ezek 28:9–10); and he adds the punishment: and the helper shall fall: they that dwell …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The Egyptians were shortly to be reckoned with, as appears by the burden of Egypt ( ch. xix. ), and then those who fled to them for shelter and succour should fall with them; for there is no escaping the judgments of God. Evil pursues sinners, and it is just with God to make that creature a scourge to us which we make an idol of.
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God,....
Every one knows this, that the Egyptians are not God and their horses are not spirit; but those that seek to them for help do not consider it, else they would not put such confidence in them. Sinners may be convicted of folly by the plainest and most self-evident truths, which they cannot deny, but will not believe.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He that helpeth (the Egyptians) shall fall and he that is holpen (the Israelites) shall fall down-together.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
shall turn His hand For the Holy One, blessed be He, supports everything with His hand, and when He turns it, they will fall, like one who holds something in his hand, and when he inclines his hand, it falls. So is the Midrash Aggadah (Mechilta, Exodus:12).
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
and His words He did not retract What He said, “And the Lord shall take you back to Egypt in ships” (Deut.:68). This is payment in kind, for I said to you, “You shall no longer see it (ibid.),” and you went there of your own free will.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּמִצְרַ֤יִם | umitzrayim | and Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| אָדָם֙ | ʾadam | [is] humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| וְֽלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אֵ֔ל | ʾel | God | H410 → | 241 times |
| וְסוּסֵיהֶ֥ם | vesuseihem | and horses their | H5483 → | 140 times |
| בָּשָׂ֖ר | basar | [are] flesh | H1320 → | 270 times |
| וְלֹא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| ר֑וּחַ | ruach | spirit | H7307 → | 378 times |
| וַֽיהוָ֞ה | vayahweh | and Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יַטֶּ֣ה | yateh | he will stretch out | H5186 → | 214 times |
| יָד֗וֹ | yado | hand his | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וְכָשַׁ֤ל | vekhashal | and he will stumble | H3782 → | 62 times |
| עוֹזֵר֙ | ozer | [one who] helps | H5826 → | 81 times |
| וְנָפַ֣ל | venafal | and he will fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| עָזֻ֔ר | ʾazur | [one who] is helped | H5826 → | 81 times |
| וְיַחְדָּ֖ו | veyachdav | and together | H3162 → | 141 times |
| כֻּלָּ֥ם | kulam | all of them | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יִכְלָיֽוּן׃ ס | yikhlayun | they will come to an end ! | H3615 → | 208 times |
וּמִצְרַ֤יִםand Egypt
umitzrayimH4714 →641 times
אָדָם֙[is] humankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
וְֽלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
אֵ֔לGod
ʾelH410 →241 times
וְסוּסֵיהֶ֥םand horses their
vesuseihemH5483 →140 times
בָּשָׂ֖ר[are] flesh
basarH1320 →270 times
וְלֹא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
ר֑וּחַspirit
ruachH7307 →378 times
וַֽיהוָ֞הand Yahweh
vayahwehH3068 →6520 times
יַטֶּ֣הhe will stretch out
yatehH5186 →214 times
יָד֗וֹhand his
yadoH3027 →1618 times
וְכָשַׁ֤לand he will stumble
vekhashalH3782 →62 times
עוֹזֵר֙[one who] helps
ozerH5826 →81 times
וְנָפַ֣לand he will fall
venafalH5307 →435 times
עָזֻ֔ר[one who] is helped
ʾazurH5826 →81 times
וְיַחְדָּ֖וand together
veyachdavH3162 →141 times
כֻּלָּ֥םall of them
kulamH3605 →5413 times
יִכְלָיֽוּן׃ סthey will come to an end !
yikhlayunH3615 →208 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 15:6You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing compassion.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 7:24
Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
- Zephaniah 1:4
“I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests—
- Jeremiah 7:24
Through
Isaiah 30:7Egypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still.
it leads to
- Isaiah 2:22
Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?
- Hosea 5:13
When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.
- Isaiah 31:1–5
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy…
- Psalms 118:8–9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
- Isaiah 7:4
and say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of…
- Isaiah 2:22
Through
Isaiah 9:17Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite…
it leads to
- Isaiah 10:6
I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the…
- Isaiah 10:6
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.