Isaiah 31:5

As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
birds	כְּצִפֳּרִ֣ים ke.tzi.po.Rim	H6833	a little bird (as hopping) · preposition + noun, common both genders plural absolute
flying	עָפ֔וֹת a.Fot	H5774	to fly · verb, qal active participle, feminine plural absolute
LORD	יְהוָ֥ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
hosts	צְבָא֖וֹת tze.va.'ot	H6635	a mass of persons (or figuratively · noun, common feminine plural absolute
defend	יָגֵ֛ן ya.Gen	H1598	to hedge about · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Jerusalem	יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם ye.ru.sha.Lim	H3389	Jerushalaim or Jerushalem · proper noun, a place name
defending	גָּנ֥וֹן ga.Non	H1598	to hedge about · verb, qal infinitive absolute
deliver	וְהִצִּ֖יל ve.hi.Tzil	H5337	to snatch away · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
over	פָּסֹ֥חַ pa.So.ach	H6452	to hop · verb, qal infinitive absolute
preserve	וְהִמְלִֽיט ve.him.Lit	H4422	properly · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular

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 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Psalms 37:40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
Isaiah 37:35 For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
Isaiah 38:6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
Exodus 19:4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
Psalms 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
Isaiah 10:14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there…

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 31:5

As in the image of "the lion," the point of comparison is the fearless might of Jehovah; so in that of the birds, it is His solicitous affection (Deu 32:11; Psa 91:4; Mat 23:37). flying--Rather, "which defend" their young with their wings; "to fly" is a secondary meaning of the Hebrew word [MAURER]. "Hovering over" to protect their young [G. V. SMITH]. passing over--as the destroying angel passing over, so as to spare the blood-marked houses of the Israelites on the first passover (Exo 12:13, Exo 12:23, Exo 12:27). He passed, or leaped forward [LOWTH], to destroy the enemy and to spare His people.

Adam Clarke on Isaiah 31:5

Passing over "Leaping forward" - The generality of interpreters observe in this place an allusion to the deliverance which God vouchsafed to his people when he destroyed the first-born of the Egyptians, and exempted those of the Israelites sojourning among them by a peculiar interposition. The same word is made use of here which is used upon that occasion, and which gave the name to the feast which was instituted in commemoration of that deliverance, פסח pesach. But the difficulty is to reconcile the commonly received meaning of that word with the circumstances of the similitude here used to illustrate the deliverance represented as parallel to the deliverance in Egypt. "As the mother birds…

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Dictionary and topics

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…
Birds · Rapid flight of, alluded to — Rapid flight of, alluded to
Jerusalem · Protected by God — Protected by God
Protection · Illustrated — Illustrated
Providence Of God, The · Is exercised in: Delivering saints — Is exercised in: Delivering saints

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 31:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Isaiah 31:1-5

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 31:5

Adam Clarke on Isaiah 31:5

Dictionary and topics

Isaiah 31:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Isaiah 31:1-5

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 31:5

Adam Clarke on Isaiah 31:5

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Isaiah 31:5

John Calvin on Isaiah 31:5

Keil & Delitzsch on Isaiah 31:5

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Isaiah 31:4-9

Rashi on Isaiah 31:5