Isaiah 31:3

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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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Egyptians	וּמִצְרַ֤יִם u.mitz.Ra.yim	H4714	Mitsrajim · conjunction + proper noun, a place name
men	אָדָם֙ 'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · noun, common masculine singular absolute
God	אֵ֔ל 'El	H410	strength · noun, common masculine singular absolute
horses	וְסוּסֵיהֶ֥ם ve.su.sei.Hem	H5483	a horse (as leaping) · conjunction + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
flesh	בָּשָׂ֖ר ba.Sar	H1320	flesh (from its freshness) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
spirit	ר֑וּחַ Ru.ach	H7307	wind · noun, common feminine singular absolute
LORD	וַֽיהוָ֞ה va.Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · conjunction + proper noun, a title
out	יַטֶּ֣ה ya.Teh	H5186	to stretch or spread out · verb, hiphil imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
hand	יָד֗וֹ ya.Do	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
helpeth	עוֹזֵר֙ o.Zer	H5826	to surround · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
fall	וְכָשַׁ֤ל ve.kha.Shal	H3782	to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
holpen	עָזֻ֔ר 'a.Zur	H5826	to surround · verb, qal passive participle, masculine singular absolute
down	וְנָפַ֣ל ve.na.Fal	H5307	to fall · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
fail	יִכְלָיֽוּן yikh.la.Yun	H3615	to end · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + paragogic nun
together	וְיַחְדָּ֖ו ve.yach.Dav	H3162	properly · conjunction + adverb

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

Isaiah 9:17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocr…
Ezekiel 20:33-34 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
Psalms 9:20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
Psalms 33:17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Isaiah 30:7 For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.
Jeremiah 15:6 Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am wea…
Ezekiel 28:9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.
Deuteronomy 32:30-31 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?

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…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 31:3

not spirit--not of divine power (Psa 56:4; Psa 146:3, Psa 146:5; Zac 4:6). he that helpeth--Egypt. holpen--Judah.

Adam Clarke on Isaiah 31:3

He that helpeth (the Egyptians) shall fall and he that is holpen (the Israelites) shall fall down-together.

John Gill on Isaiah 31:3

Now the Egyptians are men, and not God,.... Be it that they are mighty, they are not mighty, as God is; and indeed they are but frail, feeble, mortal, and mutable men, and therefore not to be trusted in, and depended on; or to be put upon an equality with God, and even to be preferred to him, as they were by the Jews; and of what use and service could they be unto them, seeing God was against them? and their horses flesh, and not spirit; only flesh, without an immortal soul or spirit, which man has; and therefore a foolish thing in man to trust in them, who must be entirely guided and directed by them; and much less angelic spirits, or like them, which are incorporeal, invisible, and exceed…

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John Calvin

Dictionary and topics

Flesh — In the Old Testament denotes (1) a particular part of the body of man and animals (Gen. 2:21; 41:2; Ps. 102:5, marg.); (2) the whole body (Ps. 16:9); (3) all living things having flesh, and…
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…
Confidence · FALSE — FALSE
False Confidence · 11:28; — 11:28;
Horse, The · The Jews: Condemned for trusting to — The Jews: Condemned for trusting to
Jealousy · Attributed to Go — Attributed to Go

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 31:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Isaiah 31:1-5

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 31:3

Adam Clarke on Isaiah 31:3

John Gill on Isaiah 31:3

John Calvin

Dictionary and topics

Isaiah 31:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Isaiah 31:1-5

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 31:3

Adam Clarke on Isaiah 31:3

John Gill on Isaiah 31:3

John Calvin

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Isaiah 31:1-3

Rashi on Isaiah 31:3