Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!
to bind fast · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
look
שָׁעוּ֙sha.'U
H8159
to gaze at or about (properly · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
One
קְד֣וֹשׁke.Do.osh
H6918
sacred (ceremonially or morally) · adjective, masculine singular construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
seek
דָרָֽשׁוּda.Ra.shu
H1875
properly · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
LORD
יְהוָ֖הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Deuteronomy 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch a…
Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, t…
Isaiah 36:9 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for h…
Psalms 33:16-17 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
Isaiah 30:16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue y…
Daniel 9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 31:1-5
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 (Isa 28:1), to Ariel (Isa 29:1), to the rebellious children (Isa 30:1), and here to those that go down to Egypt for help; for men's relation to the church will not secure them from divine woes if they live in contempt of divine laws. Observe,
I. What the sin was that is here reproved, Isa 31:1. 1. Idolizing the Egyptians, and making court to them, as if happy were the people that had the Egyptians for their friends and allies. They go down to Egypt for help in every exigence, as if the worshippers of false gods ha…
Wo to them that go down to Egypt - This is a reproof to the Israelites for forming an alliance with the Egyptians, and not trusting in the Lord.
And stay on horses "Who trust in horses" - For ועל veal, and upon, first twenty MSS. of Kennicott's, thirty of De Rossi's, one of my own, and the Septuagint, Arabic, and Vulgate, read על al, upon, without the conjunction, which disturbs the sense.
John Gill on Isaiah 31:1
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help,.... Or, "O ye that go down", &c.; what poor foolish creatures are you! And in the end what miserable and wretched ones will ye be! Such were the Jewish rulers and people, who either went themselves, or sent ambassadors to the king of Egypt, to supply them with men and horses against the king of Assyria, contrary to the express command of God, which forbid them returning to Egypt; and which showed their unmindfulness of deliverance from thence, and their not having a due sense of that mercy upon them; as well as their so doing exposed them to the danger of being drawn into the superstitions and idolatries of that people:
and stay on horses, and tru…
Woe to them that go down to Egypt. He again returns to the subject which he had handled at the beginning of the former chapter; for he still cries loudly against the Jews, whose ordinary custom it was, in seasons of danger, to resort, not to the Lord, but to the Egyptians. We have formerly explained why this was so highly displeasing to God. To state the matter briefly, there are two reasons why the Prophet reproves this crime so severely. The first is, because it is impossible for us to place confidence for our salvation in creatures, and at the same time in God; for our eyes must be withdrawn from him as soon as they are directed to them. The second reason is, God had expressly forbidden t…
The Church Fathers
Let our course take us to regions above, because it is better to ascend. Finally, as was read today, "Woe to them that go down to Egypt." Surely it is not wrong to go to Egypt, but to change to the ways of the Egyptians, to change to the violence of their treachery and to the ugliness of their wantonness—this is wrong. He that changes in this way descends, and one who descends falls. Let us keep away, then, from the Egyptian who is a man, but [let us] not [keep away] from God. Even the king of Egypt himself fell under the dominion of his own vices and in comparison with him Moses was accounted a god, ruling over kingdoms and subjecting powers to himself. So we read that it was said to Moses: "I shall make you a god to Pharaoh."
(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. Egypt is a man and not a God: and their horses are flesh, not spirit: and the Lord shall lay his hand upon them that help, and the helper shall fall down, and he that is helped shall fall, and they shall all be consumed together. After the burden of the beasts of the south, and the treasures of their riches for the people of Egypt shall exhaust their aid, which shall be of no profit to them, but for a shame and a reproach. Look now towards the land of the north wherein is the king of Babylon: where is now the old king of Assyria? Where are their gods in whom they trusted? Who is the king of Hamath, and of Arphad, and of the city of Sepharvaim, of Ana, and of Ava? And as for Hamath it had the beginning from Samaria: but Samaria and Jerusalem shall receive the reward of their trusting in him. For their God is with them and they glory in their king. With their horses and chariots they shall go up, and with their horsemen and their troops they shall come down, and they shall cover the land as a sea. And they shall pass through it unharmed: and they shall fall into captivity. And they that shall be gathered together against them, shall be confounded: and all the beasts of the field, and all the fowls of the air, and the birds of the sea shall be gathered together upon them: and the Lord will for them carry on a war, and will afflict them. Their strength shall be consumed with famine: and their birds shall be devoured with a burning heat, and with most grievous destruction: because they have despised the words of the Lord, and have depised the counsel of the holy one of Israel. And this is both the present and the past, where it is prescribed that the Jews should not go down to Egypt; here, because they have despised the Lord's command, it is prophesied that they will go down, and that both Israel and the Egyptians, both the fugitives and the helpers, will be slain by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Jeremiah speaks at length about this (Jeremiah 42). Woe…
Dictionary and topics
Chariot — A vehicle generally used for warlike purposes. Sometimes, though but rarely, it is spoken of as used for peaceful purposes. The first mention of the chariot is when Joseph, as a mark of distinction,…
Hezekiah — Whom Jehovah has strengthened. (1.) Son of Ahaz (2 Kings 18:1; 2 Chr. 29:1), whom he succeeded on the throne of the kingdom of Judah. He reigned twenty-nine years (B.C. 726-697). The history of this…
Alliances · 7:2; — 7:2;
Cavalry · 8:6;9:25;12:3; — 8:6;9:25;12:3;
Chariots · The Jews condemned for: Trusting to — The Jews condemned for: Trusting to
Godlessness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Horse · Egypt famous for — Egypt famous for
Jealousy · Attributed to Go — Attributed to Go
Seeking God · They who neglect denounced — They who neglect denounced
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Isaiah 31:1 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 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 Kgs 18:13-16).
31:1 What sorrow: This is the fifth of the six woes (see study note on 28:1–33:24). • Looking to the Lord implies seeking his guidance with a worshipful attitude (see Deut 4:29; Ps 105:3-4).
Rashi on Isaiah 31:1
Woe Concerning Hoshea and the ten tribes who went down to Egypt for aid, who sent emissaries to So, king of Egypt (II Kings 17).
on horses that come from there, for they are swift runners.
rely (יִשָּׁעֵנוּ) and they did not rely on the Holy One of Israel as Hezekiah did, concerning whom it is written: (II Kings 18:5,7): “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel...and he rebelled against the king of Assyria.”
