Isaiah 31:9
in Isaiah 31Their rock will pass away for fear, and their princes will panic at the sight of the battle standard,” declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And his rock shall pass away by reason of terror, and his princes shall be dismayed at the ensign, saith Jehovah, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
KJV
And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
⋯
This verse in Isaiah 31
Commentary
14 notes on this verseOf this love that is begun here to be perfected from the sight of the Lord in the eternal kingdom Isaiah rightly speaks, saying, "The Lord lives, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem." It is, however, greater to be a furnace than a fire because a fire can also be small, but a larger flame is kindled in a furnace. Zion truly is said to be speculation but Jerusalem the vision of peace. Truly we sometimes catch a glimpse of our peace here in order there later to see it fully.
This site's exposition
Then Assyria will fall
on Isaiah 31:8-9
Assyria will fall "not by the sword of man", the same deliverance the histories record when Sennacherib’s army was struck in one night. Their "princes will panic at the sight of the battle standard", says the LORD, "whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem".
This site's exposition
Their rock will pass away for fear
Their rock is the stronghold the Assyrian king trusted, and Albert Barnes reads it as the fortresses along his march toward Judah. The rock itself passes away in fear. His princes panic at the battle standard of the LORD, whose fire is in Zion.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 6 onwards) Return, as you have deeply strayed, O children of Israel. For on that day a man will cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made for yourselves to sin. And Assur will fall by the sword, not of a man; and a sword, not of a human, will devour him. He will flee not from the face of the sword, and his young men will become forced labor.
The Medieval Church4 voices
If the breads of the furnace that were baked in secret signify the interior devotion of the mind of the faithful confirmed by the fire of charity, breads which were also commanded by the law to be offered in the sacrifice of the Lord, it …
The prescription of the law must be taken in the more spiritual sense. For there is a spiritual seed which through charity and the fear of God is conceived in the womb of the soul, which in turn travails and brings forth the spirit of salvation. It is in this sense that the passage is to be taken which reads, "Blessed is he who has seed in Zion and kindred in Jerusalem." What, indeed! Even though one is a fornicator, a drunkard or an idolater, will he be blessed, provided only that he has seed in Zion and kindred in Jerusalem? No one in his right mind would say that.
A commentator
BonaventureItinerarium Mentis in Deum, Chapter 7 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
But if you ask how these things come about, ask grace, not doctrine; desire, not understanding; the groaning of prayer, not the study of reading; the Bridegroom, not the master; God, not man; darkness, not clarity; not light, but the fire that wholly inflames and …
697. Third, he sets out the strengthening of both: the Lord has said it, whose fire, burning the Assyrians, above: the light of Israel shall be as a fire, and the Holy One thereof as a flame (Isa 10:17); or the fire on the altar …
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear,.... This is said of the king of Assyria, departing in haste from the siege of Jerusalem, to some strong hold in his own country, particularly his strong city Nineveh, for fear of the angel, and destruction following him; nor could he think himself safe, until he had got there.
(3.) Who has his altar there, on which the holy fire is continually kept burning and sacrifices are daily offered to his honour, and with which he is well pleased; and therefore he will defend this city, especially having an eye to the great sacrifice which was there also to be offered, of which all the sacrifices were types.
5 As birds flying, so will the L ORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. This is the last of four chapters together that begin with woe; and they are all woes to the sinners that were found among the professing people of God, to the drunkards of Ephraim ( ch. xxviii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
He - Sennacherib shall flee away, from Jerusalem, to his strong city of Nineveh. The ensign - Of the Lord's ensign, which he hath lifted up against them. Whose fire - Who is, and will appear to be in Zion, like a fire to defend his people, and to consume their enemies.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And he shall pass over - Margin, ‘His rock shall pass away for fear.’ The Hebrew would bear this, but it does not convey a clear idea. The sense seems to be this. The word rendered ‘stronghold’ (Hebrew, ‘His rock’) denotes his fortifications, or the places of strength in which he trusted. Probably the Assyrian monarch had many such places which he regarded as perfectly secure, both in the limits of his own kingdom, and on the line of his march toward Judea.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Rather, "shall pass beyond his strongholds"; he Shall not stop to take refuge in it through fear (Jud 20:47; Jer 48:28) [GESENIUS]. ensign--the banner of Jehovah protecting the Jews [MAURER]. fire . . . furnace--"light" and "fire," namely, of Jehovah's altar at Jerusalem (Isa 29:1).
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְסַלְעוֹ֙ | vesalo | and rock its | H5553 → | 58 times |
| מִמָּג֣וֹר | mimagor | from terror | H4032 → | |
| יַֽעֲב֔וֹר | yaavor | it will pass away | H5674 → | 556 times |
| וְחַתּ֥וּ | vechatu | and they will be dismayed | H2865 → | 52 times |
| מִנֵּ֖ס | mines | from a standard | H5251 → | 21 times |
| שָׂרָ֑יו | sarav | commanders its | H8269 → | 421 times |
| נְאֻם־ | neum- | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| א֥וּר | ʾur | fire | H217 → | 6 times |
| לוֹ֙ | lo | [belongs] to him | ||
| בְּצִיּ֔וֹן | betziyon | in Zion | H6726 → | 154 times |
| וְתַנּ֥וּר | vetanur | and an oven | H8574 → | |
| ל֖וֹ | lo | [belongs] to him | ||
| בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ ס | birushalim | in Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
וְסַלְעוֹ֙and rock its
vesaloH5553 →58 times
מִמָּג֣וֹרfrom terror
mimagorH4032 →
יַֽעֲב֔וֹרit will pass away
yaavorH5674 →556 times
וְחַתּ֥וּand they will be dismayed
vechatuH2865 →52 times
מִנֵּ֖סfrom a standard
minesH5251 →21 times
שָׂרָ֑יוcommanders its
saravH8269 →421 times
נְאֻם־[the] utterance of
neum-H5002 →376 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֲשֶׁר־who
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
א֥וּרfire
ʾurH217 →6 times
לוֹ֙[belongs] to him
lo
בְּצִיּ֔וֹןin Zion
betziyonH6726 →154 times
וְתַנּ֥וּרand an oven
vetanurH8574 →
ל֖וֹ[belongs] to him
lo
בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ סin Jerusalem
birushalimH3389 →643 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
Malachi 4:1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of…
it leads to
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8
in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- 2 Peter 3:7
And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
- Malachi 3:2
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8
Through
Zechariah 2:5For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”
it leads to
- Isaiah 4:5
Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there…
- Psalms 3:3
But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
- Zechariah 9:8
But I will camp around My house because of an army, because of those who march to and fro, and never again will an oppressor overrun My people, for now I keep watch with…
- Isaiah 60:18–19
No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
- Revelation 21:23
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
- Isaiah 4:5
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PlaceJerusalemZionThe eastern ridge David took from the Jebusites and made his stronghold, the name the Psalms and the prophets give the city the LO…
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah 3; Bonaventure, Itinerarium Mentis in Deum, Chapter 7; Gregory the Dialogist, Homilies on Ezekiel 2.9.10; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Damascene, ORTHODOX FAITH 4:24; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.