Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 31:4
For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, [he] will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
4. The verse reads: As the lion growls, and the young lion over his prey, against whom the whole band of shepherds has been called out he is not terrified by their cry, nor dismayed at their shouting so Jehovah of Hosts will come down, &c. Compare with this truly Homeric simile Il. 18:161 f., 12:299 ff. It is unfortunate that so graphic an image should be thought capable of two diametrically opposite interpretations. According to many commentators it expresses Jehovah’s determination to defend Jerusalem against the Assyrians. But the figure would certainly be “ill-chosen” if the lion were represented as protecting his prey and the shepherds as anxious to destroy it. The only natural construction is that Jehovah (through the Assyrians, as in Isa 29:3-4) will hold Jerusalem helpless in His power as the lion holds his prey; though the noisy crowd of shepherds (the Egyptians) try to scare him away. The only advantage of the other view is that the transition from threatening to promise would be somewhat less abrupt at the beginning of Isa 31:4 than at the beginning of Isa 31:5; but that is not a sufficient reason for straining the figure in the way proposed.
to fight for mount Zion, and for ] Render: to fight against and against, as in every other case where the phrase occurs (ch. Isa 29:7-8; Num 31:7; Zec 14:12). The translation “upon mount Zion and upon” is only adopted in order to maintain the favourable construction of the verse.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For thus hath the Lord spoken – The design of this verse and the following is to assure the Jews of the certain protection of Yahweh, and thus to induce them to put their trust in him rather than to seek the alliance with Egypt. To do this the prophet makes use of two striking illustrations, the first of which is, that Yahweh would be no more alarmed at the number and power of their enemies than a fierce lion would be that was intent on his prey, and could not be frightened from it by any number of men that should come against him. The point of this comparison is, that as the lion that was intent on his purpose could not be frightened from it by numbers, so it would be with Yahweh, who was equally intent on his purpose – the defense of the city of Jerusalem. It does not mean, of course, that the purpose of God and of the lion resembled each other, but merely that there was similar intensity of purpose, and similar adherence to it notwithstanding all opposition. The figure is one that denotes the highest vigilance, firmness, steadiness, and a determination on the part of Yahweh that Jerusalem should not fall into the hands of the Assyrians.
Like as the lion – The divine nature and purposes are often represented in the Scriptures by metaphors, allegories, and comparisons taken from animals, and especially from the lion (see Deu 33:20; Job 10:16; Psa 7:2; Hos 11:10).
And the young lion – The vigorous, strong, fierce lion. The use of the two here, gives intensity and strength to the comparison. It is observable that the lion is seldom mentioned alone in the Scriptures.
Roaring on his prey – Roaring as he seizes on his prey. This is the moment of the greatest intensity of purpose in the lion, and it is therefore used by Isaiah to denote the intense purpose of Yahweh to defend Jerusalem, and not to be deterred by any number of enemies.
When a multitude of shepherds is called forth – When the neighborhood is alarmed, and all the inhabitants turn out to destroy him. This comparison is almost exactly in the spirit and language of Homer, Il. xii. 209, following:
So pressed with hunger from the mountains brow,
Descends a lion on the flocks below;
So stalks the lordly savage oer the plain,
In sullen majesty and stern disdain:
In vain loud mastiffs bay him from afar,
And shepherds gall him with an iron war;
Regardless, furious, he pursues his way;
He foams, he roars, he rends the panting prey.
Pope
So also Il. xviii. 161, 162:
– But checked he turns; repulsed attacks again.
With fiercer shouts his lingering troops he fires
Nor yields a step, nor from his post retires;
So watchful shepherds strive to force in vain,
The hungry lion from the carcass slain.
Pope
He will not be afraid – He will be so intent on his prey that he will not heed their shouting.
Nor abase himself – That is, he will not be frightened, or disheartened.
So shall the Lord of hosts – That is, with the same intensity of purpose; with the same fixedness of design. He will be as little dismayed and diverted from his purpose by the number, the designs, and the war shout of the Assyrian armies.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 31:4
Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey
A Homeric passage
There is no passage in Isaiah which is so Homeric in ring as this; cf.
Iliad, 18.161 f., 12.299 ft. (F. Delitzsch.)
The lion and the shepherds
Is it an unworthy figure of the Divine Claimant for this city, who kept unceasing hold upon her after His own manner, mysterious and lionlike to men, undisturbed by the screams, formulas, and prayers of her mob of politicians and treaty-mongers? For these are the shepherds Isaiah means–sham shepherds, the shrieking crew of politicians, with their treaties and military display. God will save and carry Jerusalem His own way, paying no heed to such. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)
The lionlike mercies of God
If it is God who is the lion, then it is for the best. For though He slay me, yet will I trust Him; and, after all, it is safer to rely on the mercies of God, lionlike though they be, than on the weak benevolenees and officious pities of the best of human advisers. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 4. Like as the lion] This comparison is exactly in the spirit and manner, and very nearly approaching to the expression, of Homer.
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Iliad xii. 299.
As the bold lion, mountain-bred, now long
Famished, with courage and with hunger stung
Attempts the thronged fold: him nought appals,
Though dogs and armed shepherds stand in guard
Collected; he nathless undaunted springs
O’er the high fence, and rends the trembling prey;
Or, rushing onward, in his breast receives
The well-aimed spear.
Of metaphors, allegories, and comparisons of the Hebrew poets, in which the Divine nature and attributes are represented under images taken from brutes and other low objects; of their effect, their sublimity, and the causes of it; see De Sac. Poes. Heb., Praelect. xvi. sub. fin.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For; or, but; or, nevertheless, as this particle is elsewhere used, as hath been proved before. Although you have done evil in sending to Egypt for help, and they shall not be able to help you; yet the Lord himself will, of his own grace, and for the glory of his own name, give you that help and deliverance which you do not deserve, and have no reason to expect from him. And therefore desist from those evil courtels and courses, as those which are both unnecessary and pernicious.
Roaring on his prey; when he is ready to seize upon it, and devour it.
He will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself: it hath been observed of lions, that when they are pursued, they do not run away with all speed, as other creatures do, but march away slowly, and make an honourable retreat. For: although this Hebrew particle might be rendered against, and so this place might be understood of Gods fighting against the Jews and Egyptians, of which he speaks Isa 31:3; yet it is better rendered for, as it is taken in many other places, as is manifest from the following similitude and verse.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. (Isa 42:13;Hos 11:10).
roaring on“growlingover” his prey.
abase himselfbedisheartened or frightened.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me,…. The prophet Isaiah, who had heard and received what follows from the Lord, and therefore it might be depended upon; and they are words of grace and mercy, promising preservation and deliverance; and therefore it was a foolish thing to send to Egypt for help:
Like as the lion, and the young lion roaring on his prey; or “muttering”, or “growling over his prey” r; for the lion roars when he is hungry, and wants a prey, and not when he has got one; but when he has one, and is tearing it in pieces, and feeding upon it, he makes a lower noise, a growling one, especially when he apprehends anyone near to disturb him:
when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him; or, “a fulness of shepherds” s; the whole posse of them, all that are in the towns and villages, or fields adjacent: who, when a lion has got a lamb or sheep out of the flock, are alarmed and called together, to deliver it, if possible, out of his hands; one not daring to venture, or being not sufficient to disturb him, or drive him away: or, “when a multitude of shepherds meet him” t; with the prey in his jaws; or rather “call to him”, make a noise, in hopes to frighten him, and cause him to drop his prey, that being all they can do, not daring to go near him; which sense is confirmed by what follows:
[he] will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them; he will not leave and lose his prey, or flee from it or them, for the yell and confused noise they make; nor move at all the faster for them, not being in the least intimidated by them:
so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion, and for the hill thereof; that is, he shall come down from heaven by his angel, or in the display of his mighty power, and fight against the Assyrian army, in favour of his people, the inhabitants of Zion or Jerusalem, and deliver them; and there will be no more withstanding him, or putting him off from his purpose, or preventing his good designs and resolutions, than the shepherds are able to divert a lion from his prey. The simile is expressive of the power of God, and of his certain accomplishment of his purposes and promises.
r “ab” , “mussitare.” s “plenitudo pastorum”, Montanus, De Dieu, Cocceius. A collection of them, as Ben Melech. t “quando in occursum illius venit”, Munster.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And things of this kind would occur. “For thus hath Jehovah spoken to me, As the lion growls, and the young lion over its prey, against which a whole crowd of shepherds is called together; he is not alarmed at their cry, and does not surrender at their noise; so will Jehovah of hosts descend to the campaign against the mountain of Zion, and against their hill.” There is no other passage in the book of Isaiah which sounds so Homeric as this (vid., Il. xviii. 161, 162, xii. 299ff.). It has been misunderstood by Knobel, Umbreit, Drechsler, and others, who suppose to refer to Jehovah’s purpose to fight for Jerusalem: Jehovah, who would no more allow His city to be taken from Him, than a lion would give up a lamb that it had taken as its prey. But how could Jerusalem be compared to a lamb which a lion holds in its claws as tereph ? (Isa 5:29). We may see, even from Isa 29:7, what construction is meant to be put upon . Those sinners and their protectors would first of all perish; for like a fierce indomitable lion would Jehovah advance against Jerusalem, and take it as His prey, without suffering Himself to be thwarted by the Judaeans and Egyptians, who set themselves in opposition to His army (The Assyrians). The mountain of Zion was the citadel and temple; the hill of Zion the city of Jerusalem (Isa 10:32). They would both be given up to the judgment of Jehovah, without any possibility of escape. The commentators have been misled by the fact, that a simile of a promising character follows immediately afterwards, without anything to connect the one with the other. But this abrupt was intended as a surprise, and was a true picture of the actual fulfilment of the prophecy; for in the moment of the greatest distress, when the actual existence of Jerusalem was in question (cf., Isa 10:33-34), the fate of Ariel took suddenly and miraculously a totally different turn (Isa 29:2). In this sense, a pleasant picture is placed side by side with the terrible one (compare Mic 5:6-7).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 4-5: THE FAITHFUL LORD WILL DELIVER HIS PEOPLE
1. The prophets repeatedly speak of God’s love and care for Mt Zion – the place of His “memorial name”, and the very throne-room of His kingdom, (Exo 3:15; Psa 30:4; Psa 102:12; Psa 132:13-16; Isa 6:1-5; Isa 14:32; Isa 28:16; etc.).
2. Isaiah here uses two illustrative figures of the Lord’s faithful, fearless defense of His beloved people and city.
a. First, He is likened unto a lion, the King of beasts, (vs. 4).
1) Though a host of shepherds come out against him, with shouts and noise, He is not terrified; but stands boldly and roars in defense of his prey.
2) So, the Lord of hosts will come down to fight upon, and in defense of, Mt Zion – His holy hill, (Isa 42:13; Hos 11:10; Joe 3:16; Amo 1:2; Amo 3:8).
3) After all, he is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”: (Rev 5:5; cf. Gen 49:9-10).
b. Again, the Lord is likened unto hovering birds who flutter their wings in defense of their young, (vs. 5; Deu 32:11; Psa 91:1; Psa 91:4; Zec 12:8) – protecting, delivering and. preserving the Holy City, (Isa 37:35; Isa 38:6; Isa 41:11-14).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
4. For thus hath Jehovah said to me. The Prophet adds this verse, that it may not be thought that the Lord leaves us destitute of necessary means; for if, while he forbids us to place our confidence in creatures, he did not promise us any assistance, we might complain that he gave ground for despair, and not for consolation; as we saw, a little before, that men are more careful and attentive than they ought to be, because they think that they will be deficient in thoughtfulness, if they rest satisfied with God alone, and abstain from forbidden means. He therefore takes away every excuse, when he promises that he will be a faithful guardian to us; for what pretense can be left, if we despise the salvation which he offers to us of his own accord? It is therefore as if he had said, “The Lord assists, and will assist; he forbids you to ask assistance from the Egyptians.” By comparing himself to a lion, a very powerful animal and keenly bent on prey, he employs a very appropriate comparison, to shew that he is in the highest degree both able and willing to defend us.
In the second part of the comparison, the Prophet dwells largely on the great eagerness with which the Lord takes hold of his people, keeps them near himself, preserves them from being carried off, and defends them against all dangers; while he also points out that strength and power which no arms and no forces can resist. Now, it is impossible that comparisons should hold on every point, nor is it necessary, but they ought to be suitable to the subject which is handled. Since therefore we know that the Lord loves us so much and takes such care of us, must we not be worse than mad if we despise him, and seek other aids, which will not only be useless but destructive to us?
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) Like as the lion . . .The similitude is note worthy, as for its fulness and vividness, so also for the fact that the lion is made the symbol, not of destruction, but protection. As the king of beasts stands haughtily defiant over the prey which he has made his own against the shepherds who seek to rob him of it, so will Jehovah, in His character as the Lord of hosts, refuse to surrender Jerusalem, His peculiar possession, to the armies of the Assyrians. (Comp. Homer, Il., 18:161.)
To fight for Mount Zion.The preposition has been differently rendered as for, on, against. The lion in the last case is claiming the sheep as his own prey, and will not suffer interference from without. Jehovah, using the Assyrian armies as His instruments, will fight against Jerusalem, and will not allow the Egyptian allies to interfere with His chastisements. (Comp. Isa. 29:7-8.) The second clause simply marks Jerusalem as the scene of the conflict, but agrees in substance with the first. Looking to the verse that follows, the idea of protection seems more natural than that of hostility. The thought of supreme ownership, however, includes both; Jerusalem belonged to Jehovah to protect or to chastise.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4, 5. The prophet, as if from a new assurance from Heaven, reasserts Jehovah as their only protector. He illustrates by two comparisons worthy of Homer. (See HOMER’S Iliad, 18: 161, 162.) In quite close rendering Isaiah says: “As a lion growls, and a young lion, over his prey, against whom a multitude of shepherds is called forth, at their cry is not frightened, and at their noise is not humbled, so will Jehovah of hosts come down to fight upon (or over, or in behalf of) Mount Zion, and upon his hill.” Just so cool and unconcerned will Jehovah be at the loud threats and dashing movements of the approaching Assyrian army upon Mount Zion. Another kind of protection is implied in the other simile: “Like fluttering birds, so will Jehovah of hosts screen Jerusalem, screening and delivering, sparing and setting free.” The weak bird defends its young with courage to the death ere surrendering them. How infinitely more will God defend his people.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
In The End It Is Yahweh Who Will Deliver His People ( Isa 31:4-9 ).
Isaiah points out that God is not afraid of the rantings of Assyria. Rather He will come to act on behalf of His people as He did at the Exodus when the angel of death slew the Egyptian firstborn. For like a giant bird He is hovering over His people to protect them, and they will therefore be delivered, but not by a human agency.
Analysis.
a For thus says Yahweh to me, “Just as when the lion growls, and the mature young lion over his prey, if a large group of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself because of their noise (Isa 31:4 a)
b So will Yahweh of hosts come down to fight, on Mount Zion and on its hill. As birds flying, so will Yahweh of hosts protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it, He will pass over and preserve it (Isa 31:4-5).
c Turn to him from whom you have deeply revolted, O children of Israel (Isa 31:6).
c For in that day they will cast away every man his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made for you for a sin (Isa 31:7).
b Then will the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of man, and the sword not of men will devour him. And he will flee from the sword, and his young men will become tributary (Isa 31:8).
a And his rock will pass away by reason of terror, and his princes will be dismayed at the banner, Says Yahweh, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem (Isa 31:9).
.
In ‘a’ Yahweh is like a powerful lion who is not frightened of a group of shepherds, however large, He will not be dismayed or afraid, while in the parallel Assyria will be dismayed and afraid, because of Yahweh, Whose fire and furnace is in Jerusalem. In ‘b’ Yahweh will come down to fight for His people, and in the parallel the Assyrians will flee to their own land, smitten by a sword which is not human. In ‘c’ Israel is to turn to Yahweh from whom they have so deeply revolted, and in the parallel are to cast away the idols which they themselves have made, which they have preferred to Yahweh.
Isa 31:4
‘For thus says Yahweh to me,
“Just as when the lion growls,
And the mature young lion over his prey,
If a large group of shepherds is called forth against him,
He will not be dismayed at their voice,
Nor abase himself because of their noise.
So will Yahweh of hosts come down to fight,
On Mount Zion and on its hill.’
However, in contrast to the Egyptians who will flee before Assyria God will rise like a young strong lion on behalf of His people, undismayed by the size and boasting of the enemy. Note the stress on the noise they make and compare the speeches of the Assyrian leaders (36-37), they are like shepherds making a loud noise to frighten the lion off, but they will not succeed, for the Lion is Yahweh. And Yahweh will be fighting on Mount Zion. This is not so much Jerusalem that is in mind as Mount Zion His earthly dwellingplace with its heavenly connections, and all that it means and signifies. That is where He will take His stance as He protects Jerusalem, and is one reason why He does so.
Isa 31:5
‘As birds flying,
So will Yahweh of hosts protect Jerusalem,
He will protect and deliver it,
He will pass over and preserve it.’
The picture now moves on to that of birds fiercely aroused to protect their nest, taking off from Mount Zion and protecting Jerusalem. The king of Assyria had boasted that he collected the riches of the nations like an egg collector collected eggs, without the helpless parent birds protesting (Isa 10:14), but now he will discover that there is one Parent Bird Who will protect His young, and will succeed in delivering them. He will not allow Jerusalem to be robbed of its eggs. He will ‘pass over’ Jerusalem and preserve it. The idea behind ‘pass over’ is unquestionably intended to remind the reader of the previous time when God ‘passed over’ His people in deliverance and Egypt was left to bewail its dead (Exodus 12). Now it will be Assyria’s turn to bewail their dead because of their treatment of His people. The twin double verbs, ‘protect and deliver’, ‘pass over and preserve’, making four in all, stress that what will happen is a double twofold witness to God’s delivering power.
Isa 31:6-8
‘Turn to him from whom you have deeply revolted, O children of Israel, for in that day they will cast away every man his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made for you for a sin, then will the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of man, and the sword not of men will devour him. And he will flee from the sword, and his young men will become tributary.’
Their deliverance must, however, go in parallel with their repentance and turning. When His people look to him and cast from them their idols of silver and gold which they have made for themselves so that they can sin with them (note the sarcasm, they have made them with their own hands for themselves; and the description of what idolatry achieves, it makes them sin), then He will reach out and smite the Assyrians without the aid of a human sword. The sword He will use will be His own strong sword (Isa 27:1), and it will devour the Assyrian. And it will not stop there. For it will also make the Assyrian flee and in the end result in their young men becoming enslaved to another nation. In the end the empire of Assyria will be overthrown by the sword of Yahweh.
Note how Judah are called ‘the children of Israel’. As far as the prophets were concerned there was only one Israel, the combined tribes. (Which is why it is sometimes difficult to know which is in mind when the term ‘Israel’ is used).
‘In that day.’ Here this means in the day when they cease to trust Egypt and turn to trust in Him (Isa 37:1-4). It must always be interpreted in context. It means basically in a day when God brings about His particular purpose.
Isa 31:9
‘And his rock will pass away by reason of terror,
And his princes will be dismayed at the banner,
Says Yahweh, whose fire is in Zion,
And his furnace in Jerusalem.’
‘His rock’ is the rock ‘of the Assyrian’, that is, their king. Unlike the strong rock of Judah (Isa 26:4; Isa 30:29), their rock will be terrified and depart for Assyria. While Yahweh will ‘pass over’, their rock will ‘pass away’. As will their princes. Both will be dismayed at the One Who is Israel’s banner (compare Isa 11:10; Exo 17:15 – ‘Yahweh my Banner’). Or it may well be that the Davidic banner is in mind (Isa 11:10), with Hezekiah seen as Yahweh’s representative and as a predecessor to the coming king, for we move immediately on to a description of that coming king (Isa 32:1-2).
‘Says Yahweh, Whose fire is in Zion and His furnace in Jerusalem.’ The Assyrians had approached Jerusalem with confidence. It was but another city to fall before their onslaught. What they did not appreciate was that the God of Sinai was there. The fire of Yahweh was in Zion and His furnace in Jerusalem. He was the fire that was to both destroy them and purify Israel (Isa 10:16-19; Isa 4:4), the furnace prepared for their king (Isa 30:33). He will totally burn up both them and him, and purify His people.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 31:4. For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, &c. For thus hath Jehovah spoken by me, &c. Isa 31:5. As birds hovering [over their young], so will the Lord of Hosts defend Jerusalem, defending and delivering it, protecting and rescuing it. Men of a carnal worldly mind, who understood not the secret ways of God, often inferred against his promises delivered by the prophets, that, in certain cases, they waited in vain for the divine help: groaning under the Assyrian yoke, they had not experienced the present aid of God, no more than in many of their wars against the Syrians. Reason, therefore, required that they should seek their aid from more powerful people; in which pretence they dissembled the truth, which was, that they were wanting to God, not God to them; as they proudly rejected that condition of repentance and faith which the prophets joined to all their promises of grace. But that Isaiah might entirely beat down this exception, he here places before their eyes an example of the defence and deliverance which God would undoubtedly perform for his people in Sion, publicly to shew that neither power nor affection was wanting in God to protect those who truly repented and trusted only in him. This he illustrates by two similes: the first referring to strength and undaunted resolution, taken from a lion roaring over his prey, and unappalled by any opposition: so, he says, would God fight for mount Sion, and for the hill thereof; that is to say, for Moriah, upon which the temple was built. The other simile refers to his affection and care, and is taken from the care, solicitude, and affection of birds defending their young. The meaning of it is, that God would not only protect his people, as birds do their young by brooding over them, but also would keep them free from all danger, would deliver and avenge them; which is more than birds are able to perform. There is no need to refer to the history, as it has been done so often already. See Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 905
GOD THE PROTECTOR OF HIS PEOPLE
Isa 31:4-5. Thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for Mount Zion, and for the hill thereof. As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.
THE first of the commandments is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. And that is directly violated, when we alienate from God the confidence that is due to him alone, and place it on any creature in preference to him. This was the sin which the prophet reproved, both in this and the whole foregoing chapter. Sennacherib, King of Assyria, had come against Jerusalem with a powerful, and, humanly speaking, irresistible army. Many of the Jews, instead of looking to Jehovah for his gracious and merciful protection, applied to Egypt for help, and carried their wealth to Egypt, in order to obtain it. God, offended with this want of confidence in him, sent them word, that the Egyptians should help in vain, and to no purpose; and that their real strength was, to sit still, and to rely on God alone [Note: Cite Isa 30:1-7; and compare it with ver. 13.] If they would with real penitence and faith rely on him, He would afford them speedy and effectual deliverance. This assurance God delivered to them under the different images which are contained in my text; which shew, not only what God would be to them, but what he will be to his Church and people in all ages of the world.
Let me, with a special view to these images, point out to you,
I.
The protection which God will afford to his people
We are told, that, as the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever: and that they who trust in him shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever [Note: Psa 125:1-2.]. But, as the emergency that existed at the time the prophet uttered my text was extremely urgent, so the images by which he was directed to encourage their affiance in him were precisely such as were suited to the occasion. God promised to protect them
With the firmness of a lion
[A lion, growling over his prey, regards not the shouts of a multitude of shepherds: unmoved himself, he infuses terror into them; and would soon make them repent of their temerity, if they dared to approach him. And who shall prevail on Jehovah to relinquish his defence of Jerusalem? in reference to the Assyrian army, which God was determined to destroy, the prophet says, The Lord of Hosts hath purposed; and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out; and who shall turn it back [Note: Isa 14:24-27.]? The same also we may say in reference to the weakest of all his saints: If God be for you, who can be against you [Note: Rom 8:31.]? Who is he that shall harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good [Note: 1Pe 3:13.]? God is not only a tower of defence to his people to preserve them, but a wall of fire round about them, that shall devour their assailants [Note: Zec 2:5.]. He may indeed suffer the enemies of his people to prevail for a season; and they may vaunt, as the Assyrians did, of all their conquests: but they are only as a rod in Jehovahs hands; and all which they effect is only as the axe or saw that accomplishes the will of him who uses it: but when they have effected his purpose, they themselves, who sought nothing but to gratify their own ambition, shall be made monuments of his righteous indignation: The light of Israel will be to them for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day [Note: Isa 10:5-7; Isa 10:12-17.]. Yes, verily, Gods counsel shall stand, and he will do all his will [Note: Isa 46:10.]: and when He works, who shall let it [Note: Isa 43:13.]? The Lion of the tribe of Judah [Note: Rev 5:5.] shall assuredly prevail, though all the powers of earth and hell were combined against him.]
2.
With the tenderness of a parent bird
[A bird, though utterly unable to cope with a bird of prey which it sees hovering over its nest, will fly to protect its young; and, insensible to its own danger, will intercept its potent adversary, and rather perish itself than give up its offspring to the devourer. And, for our miseries is Jehovah grieved [Note: Jdg 10:16.]; yea, in all our afflictions, too, our God himself is afflicted [Note: Isa 63:9.]: and whosoever toucheth us, toucheth the apple of his eye [Note: Zec 2:8.]. When Pharaoh had overtaken the Hebrews at the Red Sea, the pillar of fire, which had hitherto led the fugitives, went and stood between the Egyptian camp and them; so that they came not near to his people all the night, during which period an opening was made for their escape [Note: Exo 14:19-21.]. And in ten thousand instances has God interposed for his people in every age; nor is there any one, who, if he could review all the dealings of God towards him, might not find, in his own experience, some interpositions fully answerable to the image that is before us.]
3.
With the success of the attendant angel
[At the destruction of the Egyptian first-born, Jehovah, the Angel of the Covenant, accompanied the destroying angel; and, wherever he saw the blood of the paschal lamb sprinkled on the door-posts, immediately interposed, and constrained the destroyer to pass over that house: in remembrance of which marvellous deliverance, a feast was instituted, and was called The Feast of the Lords Passover [Note: Exo 12:23; Exo 12:27.]. To that the prophet, in my text, refers; saying, that Jehovah, passing over Jerusalem, will preserve it. Now, so effectual was the Lords intervention in that instance, that, whilst in every other house, throughout all the land of Egypt, the first-born both of man and beast was slain, in the houses of the Hebrews died not so much as one [Note: Exo 12:29-30.]. And, when was so much as one true believer ever left to perish? We are expressly told, that it is not the will of our Father that one of his little ones should perish [Note: Mat 18:14.]. No: however sifted his people be, not the smallest grain shall ever full upon the earth [Note: Amo 9:9.]. Behold the Apostle Paul: no less than forty persons had bound themselves, by an oath, to murder him: and so well were their plans laid, that there did not appear the slightest chance for his escape. But God so ordered it, that Pauls own nephew overheard the plot, and, by a timely mention of it to the governor, defeated it: and thus was that valuable life preserved [Note: Act 23:12-24.]. Peter too, according to all human appearance, was consigned to death, there being only a few hours to elapse before he was to be brought forth from prison for execution. But with irresistible power did God cause the irons, with which his servant was bound, to fall off; and the prison doors to open, as it were of their own accord: and thus was the stroke averted in the very instant that it was about to fall [Note: Act 12:6-11.]. What dangers have awaited us, we shall never know till we stand before our God in judgment: but then it will be found, that God has been our shield from numberless assaults; and that, through the agency of his holy angels, we have been kept, on ten thousands of occasions, from dashing our foot against a stone [Note: Psa 91:11-12.].]
Such being the security promised to us, let us consider,
II.
Our duty resulting from it
This merciful care, which God vouchsafes to us, doubtless calls for corresponding feelings on our part. If he affords us such marvellous protection, we ought to surrender up ourselves to him in a way of,
1.
Affiance
[The fault of the Hebrews was, that they leaned on an arm of flesh, instead of relying solely upon God. And we must be on our guard against this sad propensity. We are not to say, A confederacy, A confederacy, with them that say, A confederacy; but to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, and to make Him our fear and Him our dread [Note: Isa 8:12-13.]. The language of David should, under any emergency whatever, be the language of our hearts: Shall I lift up mine eyes unto the hills (to any earthly powers)? From whence then cometh our help? Our help cometh from the Lord, who (is not only above them all, but made them all, yea,) made heaven and earth [Note: Psa 121:1-2. Bishop Hornes translation.]. It is not possible for our confidence in God to be too strong, provided we leave to God the time and manner of fulfilling his promises. He may, as he did in the case of Jerusalem, suffer matters to proceed to the greatest extremity: but the vision will come at its appointed time [Note: Hab 2:3.]: and, in a full assurance that it shall not tarry beyond that time, we should say, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him [Note: Job 13:15.]. The well-known boast of the Apostle should be ours [Note: Rom 8:35-39.] And in dependence upon God, we should hurl defiance on all our enemies, even as Hezekiah was taught to do in the very depth of his extremity [Note: Isa 37:22.].]
2.
Gratitude
[If the Lord had not been on our side, now may Israel f the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us, they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul [Note: Psa 124:1-4.]. Never, till all the wonders of Gods love shall be revealed, shall we have any idea of the deliverances that have been vouchsafed unto us, and of our obligation to God on account of them. Satan, that subtle adversary, who beguiled our first parents in Paradise, has, on thousands of occasions, sought to draw our minds from the simplicity that is in Christ [Note: 2Co 11:3.]: yea, as a roaring lion, also, he has been seeking to devour us [Note: 1Pe 5:8.]. And is it owing to our own wisdom or strength that we have not fallen a prey unto his teeth? No: the Lord has interposed to screen us from his fiery darts; and has again and again rescued us from the snares which he had laid for our feet. See how David was kept from shedding blood [Note: 1Sa 25:32-33.], and Peter from utter apostasy [Note: Luk 22:31-32.]! and who can tell what evils you might have perpetrated, and what your state might have at this moment been, if God had not kept you as the apple of his eye, and borne you, as on eagles wings, throughout this dreary wilderness [Note: Deu 32:10-11.]? I tell you, Brethren, that his visible interpositions for his people of old have been only shadows of what he has invisibly done, and is at this moment doing, for you, if only you place your trust in him: and that Davids acknowledgment is that which it becomes every one of you to make: The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him [Note: Psa 37:39-40.].]
3.
Fidelity
[Believing in God, we have nothing to fear, and nothing even to think of, but how we may best serve and honour him. St. Paul, when in daily expectation of a cruel death, said, None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto me, so that I may but finish my course with joy, and fulfil the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus [Note: Act 20:24.]. And I would ask, of all who believe the declarations in my text, Should not such love constrain you to live unto your God [Note: 2Co 5:14.]? Realize the determination which he formed from all eternity, and from which not all the wickedness of our ruined world has ever been able to divert him, to save our souls from death by the sacrifice of his only dear Son in our stead. Realize the merciful interposition of the Lord Jesus Christ between us and the wrath of our offended God, and his actually becoming a curse for us. Realize his dying in our place and stead, and by his own obedience unto death effecting a reconciliation for us, and purchasing for us all the glory of heaven. Realize, I say, the deliverances shadowed forth by those vouchsafed to Jerusalem, and spiritually fulfilled in you; and what, think you, will be your feelings on the occasion, or your expression of them? Will there be any bounds to your love, any limits to your obedience, any intermission to your songs of praise? No: you will be ready either to be bound or to die for His sake, who has so loved you, and given himself for you; and you will be satisfied with no attainment, till you shall awake up after the likeness of his perfect righteousness [Note: Psa 17:15.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Here the Lord condescends to make use of two beautiful similitudes, to point out his watchfulness over his people. The strength of the lion, and the solicitude of the bird, are brought in view in proof of it. Will the lion, hungry, and seeking for prey, be dashed with the appearance of poor timid shepherds, how many soever they are, who are anxious to save their lambs? Or will the birds, in their flying over their young, defend their lives at the hazard of their own; and shall not he that gave strength to the one, and tenderness to the other, abound both with strength and affection towards his people? Reader! seek grace to preserve alive in the soul that well founded confidence, which rests wholly upon Jehovah’s own free, sovereign love and grace, and mercy towards his redeemed in Christ. Isa 49:15-16 ; Mat 23:37 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 31:4 For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, [he] will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
Ver. 4. Like as the lion and the young lion. ] That they may trust in God, and not in the arm of flesh, the prophet setteth before them under two fit similitudes, the power of God, Isa 31:4 and the mercy of God. Isa 31:5 These are the Jakin and the Boaz, the two main pillars and supports of trust in God. Procopius here noteth that the lion, when he preyeth, first roareth so terribly, that he thereby amazeth both the cattle and their keepers, and then he falleth upon them and teareth them in pieces; so doth God first roar, that is, threaten by his prophets, and then he destroyeth such as obstinate themselves in a sinful course.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 31:4-5
4For thus says the LORD to me,
As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey,
Against which a band of shepherds is called out,
And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise,
So will the LORD of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.
5Like flying birds so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem.
He will protect and deliver it;
He will pass over and rescue it.
Isa 31:4 the lion This metaphor seems to describe God as powerful and tenacious over His own special place (i.e., temple). If so, it is a reversal of the first strophe (Isa 31:1-3).
the LORD of hosts come down This VERB (BDB 432, KB 434, Qal IMPERFECT) means to come down, to go down, to descend. It is used several times of YHWH leaving His abode in the heavens and coming to earth
1. to see and respond to the actions of humans, Gen 11:5; Gen 11:7; Gen 18:21
2. to reveal Himself to humans, Exo 3:8; Exo 19:11; Exo 19:18; Exo 19:20; Num 11:17; Num 11:25; Num 12:5 (two special places where His attributes are listed are Exo 34:5-7; Neh 9:13; Neh 9:17)
3. to characterize YWWH in several psalms, 2Sa 22:10; Psa 18:9; Psa 144:5
4. for judgment, Mic 1:3 (like #1)
This VERB is spacial (i.e., down), but it is metaphorical when referring to the relationship between heaven and earth (cf. Act 1:2; Act 1:9).
Judah went down to Egypt (Isa 31:1, same VERB), YHWH comes down to defend Jerusalem even amidst their unbelief. Isaiah uniquely asserts the inviolability of Jerusalem! However, later prophets do not share his optimism of Judah’s ability to repent and trust in YHWH (cf. Jer 26:18; Mic 3:11-12; Mic 5:5-8).
Isa 31:5 Like flying birds This is a reference to God as tender and loyal like a mother bird (will protect, BDB 170, KB 199, both Hiphil IMPERFECT and Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE of the same root to denote intensity). Often times in the Bible, God is described by feminine metaphors (cf. Gen 1:2; Deu 32:11; Isa 40:31; Hos 11:4; Mat 23:37; Luk 13:24).
Notice the things YHWH will do for His people in Isa 31:5.
1. will protect, BDB 170, KB 199 Hiphil IMPERFECT
2. will protect, BDB 170, KB 199, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE
3. will deliver, BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil PERFECT
4. will pass over, BDB 820, KB 947, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE
5. will rescue, BDB 572, KB 589, Hiphil PERFECT
He will pass over This VERB (BDB 820, KB 947, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE, cf. Exo 12:11-27) refers to God’s protection against human forces. There seems to be an allusion to the Passover event of the Book of Exodus where God, against all human odds, protected and delivered His people.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
prey = live prey.
multitude = crowd.
the LORD of hosts. See note on Isa 1:9 and 1Sa 1:3.
for: or, over.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 31:4-9
Isa 31:4
“For thus saith Jehovah unto me, As the Lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds be called forth against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so will Jehovah of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof.”
Many scholars have had trouble in deciding whether this verse is a threat to Jerusalem, or a promise of deliverance. “The words in the Hebrew here always mean to fight against”; and, since mount Zion is the object here, a great deal of perplexity has resulted; but Hailey explained it perfectly:
“The shepherds making the loud noise do not represent Assyria … but represent the politicians of Judah and the Egyptians. The picture is clear: the lion is Jehovah, his prey is Jerusalem; and the loud but ineffectual shepherds are the politicians and the Egyptians.
Zechariah also spoke of “false shepherds” who misled the flock of God; but some scholars have even resorted to “emending” (that means presumptuously changing) the text in order to remove the prospect of God’s fighting Jerusalem,! which is a “No, No” indeed for some scholars. However that part of Jerusalem which God is here represented as “fighting against” certainly deserved it. Peake commented on such efforts to pervert the text through emendation, thus: “If we keep the text as it stands (which, of course, we should do), the meaning seems to be that Jehovah will rest Jerusalem from its present rulers.” Yes! That is exactly what Jehovah did when he defeated the false shepherds who were advising Hezekiah to accept that alliance with Egypt. That defeat of the false shepherds led to the discarding of the idols in Isa 31:7, below.
“As birds hovering, so will Jehovah of hosts protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it, he will pass over and deliver it. Turn ye unto him from whom ye have deeply revolted, O children of Israel.”
This is a renewal of God’s promise to protect and preserve Jerusalem from the Assyrians. “Just as the lion will not give up his prey, so Jehovah will not allow the Assyrians to rob him of Jerusalem. Jerusalem would indeed be severely punished, but God had reserved Babylon as the rod he would use for that punishment, not Assyria, which would also be destroyed by Babylon.
Note the use of the words `pass over’ in Isa 31:5. Gleason assures us that this expression comes from the same Hebrew root as Passover, which memorialized another spectacular deliverance of God’s people upon the occasion of the Exodus (Exo 12:13 ff).
Speaking of the many figures and metaphors used by the sacred writers to tell us of God’s love, Johnson stated that:
“Every ideal of lion-hearted hero, of father strong, yet tender, of all-brooding mother, of living creatures inspired by mighty and mysterious instincts of love, helps to bring into momentary clearness some feature of the nature of God whose being is only dark from excess of light. His voice pleads with youth and innocence, `Come!’ and with the sinner and the sophist, `Return.’
Isa 31:7-8
“For in that day they shall cast away every man his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which their own hands have made unto you for a sin. And the Assyrian shall fall by the sword, not of man; and the sword, not of men, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become subject to taskwork.”
“In that day …” (Isa 31:7). This normally refers to the “last days,” or to the times of Messiah’s kingdom, or to the eschatalogical affairs of the “end time”; but the typical nature of the deliverance about to come to Jerusalem also justifies the understanding of the words here as “a reference to the times of the invasion of Sennacherib.
The promise that Assyria would not fall by the sword of “man,” nor the sword of “men,” was most remarkably fulfilled in two instances, not only the destruction of Sennacherib’s army by the instant death of 185,000 men on a single night, but also by the overthrow of Assyria itself on the very night when they were celebrating their victory, by means of a sudden and untimely flood of the rivers that destroyed the defenses of the city. The destruction in both instances was by, “The direct interposition of God
Isa 31:9
“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 is in Jerusalem.”
Cheyne was of the opinion that word “rock” as it appears here must mean “a person. Banes seemed to be just as confident that it referred to certain fortifications by which Sennacherib had protected his line of March (and return) from Egypt, writing: “Perhaps 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 march to Judaea. Hailey preferred the view that “the rock” was the king of Assyria, or the pagan gods of Assyria. We think it makes little or no difference what it was; the big point is that: whatever the Assyrians relied upon, it was of no avail whatever, when the lightning stroke of God’s judgment fell upon them.
The reference to furnace and fire in the last part of Isa 31:9, “Suggests that any nation that dares attack Jerusalem will perish in the Lord’s fiery furnace.
Isa 31:4-9 FEROCITY OF GOD: The power of God is as awesome as that of a lion devouring a sheep. Call all the shepherds of the land and have them shout at the lion-he will show no fright. Let the Assyrians surround Jerusalem (as they did in Isaiah 36-39) and let them shout at the Lion of the Tribe of Judah-He will show no fright nor will he be cowed by them. In fact, He will pounce upon the taunting Assyrians and devour them (185,000 of them in one night).
The power of God to destroy His enemies will, at the same time, protect and deliver those who put their trust in Him (instead of putting it in Egypt). God will hover over them like a bird hovers over its young. Jesus said He would have gathered Jerusalem under His wings as a hen gathers her chicks, but Jerusalem would not! (cf. Mat 23:37-39). God is going to protect Jerusalem every way possible. He will protect, deliver, pass over and preserve it. There is no way the Assyrians are going to overrun Jerusalem, if Judah will repent of its haughty and rebellious determination to seek Egypts help. It seems from the historical record (2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36-39) that Hezekiah probably decided initially to seek Egypts help but then he, and others of Judah, repented and Jerusalem was saved.
But Judah, Gods Israel (chosen), must turn back to Him from whom they had so completely departed (Heb. saroh). The Hebrew word translated deeply is aemiyq and sometimes means to conspire. The combination of words aemiyq saroh emphasizes the deliberate, almost premeditated, nature of Judahs rebellion against God. The prophet continues by informing the people that the evidence of true repentance will be total renunciation of their idols. These idols were not borrowed or forced upon them by someone else-they were made with their own hands! They are images of the rebellion that is really in their heart. This would be costly, since the images were of gold and silver. Repentance and discipleship unto the Lord which does not cost is not true!
When they repent, the Lord will cause the Assyrian to fall. He is going to fall, not from some military action of man, but from some mysterious, non-human power, (cf. Isa 37:36). Yet in the latter half of Isa 31:8, the Assyrian is said to flee from the sword. This is probably the sword of Babylon, a hundred years later (612 B.C.), when Assyria was destroyed at the battle of Carchemish and Assyrias young men were probably captured and sold as slaves as was customary in those days. Even the defeat of Assyria by Babylon was permitted by God (cf. Jer 27:1-11). Isaiah predicts that the mighty Assyrian, whose very name struck terror into the hearts of all men of that day, would some day be terror stricken himself. The rock of Isa 31:9 probably refers to the cruel, bloodthirsty, destructive army upon which the Assyrian empire was built. It fled in terror from the Babylonian attack upon Nineveh (cf. Nahum). The beginning of its downfall was when it attacked Zion, the penitent people of God. The remnant of God was protected and delivered from what seemed an invincible enemy. God has been delivering His church from its enemy for centuries (cf. Revelation). And some glorious day the struggle will be over, for God is going to banish His arch enemy, the devil, to eternal death in the lake of fire and brimstone.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Like as: Num 24:8, Num 24:9, Jer 50:44, Hos 11:10, Amo 3:8, Rev 5:5
noise: or, multitude
so shall: Isa 10:16, Isa 12:6, Isa 37:35, Isa 37:36, Isa 42:13, 2Ch 20:15, Psa 125:1, Psa 125:2, Zec 2:5, Zec 9:8, Zec 9:15, Zec 12:8, Zec 14:3
Reciprocal: Exo 14:14 – the Lord Num 23:24 – as a great 2Ch 32:22 – Lord Job 39:7 – scorneth Psa 58:6 – young Psa 104:21 – The young Isa 4:5 – all the glory Isa 5:29 – roaring Isa 10:25 – For yet Isa 38:6 – General Jer 12:6 – yea Amo 3:12 – As the Nah 2:11 – none Rev 10:3 – loud
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 31:4-5. For, or but or, nevertheless, thus hath the Lord spoken That is, although you have done evil in sending to Egypt for help, and they will not be able to help you, yet the Lord will of his own grace, and for the glory of his own name, give you that help and deliverance which you do not deserve, and had no reason to expect from him. Like as the lion roaring on his prey When he is ready to seize upon and devour it; he will not be afraid, nor abase himself So as to be in the least moved, either to quit his prey, or to make any more haste than otherwise he would do in seizing it. So shall the Lord of hosts fight for mount Zion With such an unshaken and undaunted resolution, not to be moved by any opposition: and he will as easily and irresistibly destroy the Assyrian army, as a lion tears a lamb in pieces. As birds flying, &c. Which come from above, and so cannot be kept off; which fly swiftly, and engage themselves readily and resolutely, when they perceive their young ones are in danger. Bishop Lowth renders the clause, As the mother birds hovering over their young; so shall Jehovah, God of hosts, protect Jerusalem With such care and compassion, such swiftness and resolution. Defending also he will deliver it That is, he will so defend it as to secure the continuance of its safety, and not suffer it to fall into the enemys hand. And passing over he will preserve it The word , here rendered passing over, is the word constantly used of the destroying angels passing over the houses of the Israelites, when he slew all the firstborn of the Egyptians, (Exodus 12.,) to which history the prophet seems here to refer. The destroying angel was to pass over Jerusalem, and leave it untouched, although it deserved to be destroyed, and was only to smite the Assyrian army. The besiegers were to be slain by the pestilence, but none of the besieged were to take the infection.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
31:4 For thus hath the LORD spoken to me, As the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, [he] will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come {e} down to fight for mount Zion, and for its hill.
(e) He shows the Jews that if they would put their trust in him, he is so able, that no one can resist his power and so care over them, as a bird over her young, which ever flies about them for their defence: which similitude the scripture uses in various places, as in De 32:11, Mat 23:37 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Lord had told Isaiah that He would be as a lion and as a bird to Judah. As a lion attacks its prey with focused purposefulness, He would decimate the Judahites, and the shouts of the Egyptian shepherds that the Judahites had hired to protect them would not scare Him off. As a bird that protects its young from other animals, the Lord would protect Judah from its predator, Assyria (cf. Exodus 12).
"He who protects is He who is strong as a lion to accomplish His purposes." [Note: Young, 2:379.]