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Contemporary English Version
Isaiah 31:4
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For this is what the Lord said to me:
For thus says the LORD to me, As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds are called forth against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so will the LORD of Hosts come down to fight on Mount Tziyon, and on the hill of it.
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.
For thus the Lord said to me, "As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.
For this is what the LORD says 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 armies come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill."
The Lord says this to me: "When a lion or a lion's cub kills an animal to eat, it stands over the dead animal and roars. A band of shepherds may be assembled against it, but the lion will not be afraid of their yelling or upset by their noise. So the Lord All-Powerful will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.
For so the LORD says to me, "As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey, And though a large group of shepherds is called out against him He will not be terrified at their voice nor cringe at their noise, So the LORD of hosts will come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill."
For thus says Yahweh to me, As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds are called forth against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so will Yahweh of Hosts come down to fight on Mount Zion, and on the hill of it.
For thus hath the Lord spoken vnto me, As the lyon or lyons whelpe roareth vpon his praye, against whom if a multitude of shepheards be called, hee will not be afraide at their voyce, neither will humble him selfe at their noise: so shall the Lord of hostes come downe to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
For thus says Yahweh to me,"As the lion or the young lion growls over its prey,Against which a multitude of shepherds is called out,And it will not be dismayed at their voice nor afflicted at their noise,So will Yahweh of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill."
For this is what the LORD has said to me: "Like a lion roaring or a young lion over its prey-and though a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or subdued by their clamor-so the LORD of Hosts will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and its heights.
For here is what Adonai says to me: "As a lion or lion cub growls at its prey and isn't frightened away by the shouts of hordes of shepherds called out against him — their voices do not upset him — so likewise Adonai -Tzva'ot will descend to fight on Mount Tziyon, on its hill.
For thus hath Jehovah said unto me: Like as the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, is not afraid of their voice, nor giveth way before the multitude of them; so will Jehovah of hosts come down to war upon mount Zion, and on the hill thereof.
The Lord told me: "When a lion or its cub catches an animal to eat, the lion stands over the dead animal and roars, and nothing can frighten it away. If men come and yell at the lion, the lion will not be afraid. They might make a lot of noise, but the lion will not run away." In the same way, the Lord All-Powerful will come down to Mount Zion. He will fight on that hill.
For thus has the LORD spoken to me: As the lion, even the young lion, roars over his prey when a multitude of shepherds shout against him, is not afraid of their voice nor terrified by their multitude; so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion and for the hill thereof.
The Lord said to me, "No matter how shepherds yell and shout, they can't scare away a lion from an animal that it has killed; in the same way, there is nothing that can keep me, the Lord Almighty, from protecting Mount Zion.
For Yahweh said this to me: "As which a lion growls and a young lion over its prey when a full group of shepherds is called against him, it is not terrified by their voice, and to their noise it does not respond, so Yahweh of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon its hill.
For so Jehovah has said to me: As the lion roars, even the young lion on his prey when the multitude of shepherds are gathered against him, he will not fear their voice, nor fret himself because of their noise. So Jehovah of Hosts shall go down to fight on Mount Zion, and on its hill.
For thus hath the LORDE spoke vnto me: Like as the Lyon or lyos whelpe roareth vpon the pray that he hath gotten, and is not afrayde, though ye multitude of shepardes crie out vpon him, nether abashed for all the heape of them: So shal the LORDE of hoostes come downe from the mount Sion, and defende his hill.
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.
For the Lord has said to me, As a lion, or a young lion, makes an angry noise over his food, and if a band of herdsmen come out against him, he will not be in fear of their voices, or give up his food for their noise: so the Lord of armies will come down to make war against Mount Zion and its hill.
For thus saith the LORD unto me: Like as the lion, or the young lion, growling over his prey, though 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 the LORD of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof.
For thus hath the Lord spoken vnto me; Like as the lyon and the yong lyon roaring on his pray, when a multitude of shepheards is called foorth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himselfe for the noyse of them: so shall the Lord of hostes come downe to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
For thus hath the Lorde spoken vnto me: Lyke as the lion and lions whelpe roareth vpon the pray that he hath gotten, and is not afraide though the multitude of shepheardes crye out vpon him, neither be abashed for all the heape of them: so shall the Lorde of hoastes come downe to fight for mount Sion, and defende his hyll.
For thus said the Lord to me, As a lion would roar, or a lion’s whelp over prey which he has taken, and cry over it, until the mountains are filled with his voice, and the animals are awe-struck and tremble at the fierceness of his wrath: so the Lord of hosts shall descend to fight upon the mount Sion, even upon her mountains.
For thus saith the LORD unto me, Like as when the lion growleth and the young lion over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds be called forth against him, he will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof.
For whi the Lord seith these thingis to me, If a lioun rorith, and a whelp of a lioun on his prey, whanne the multitude of schipherdis cometh ayens hym, he schal not drede of the vois of hem, and he schal not drede of the multitude of hem; so the Lord of oostis schal come doun, for to fiyte on the mounteyn of Sion, and on the litil hil therof.
For thus says Yahweh to me, As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds are called forth against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so will Yahweh of hosts come down to fight on mount Zion, and on the hill thereof.
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 will the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me: "The Lord will be like a growling lion, like a young lion growling over its prey. Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it, it is not afraid of their shouts or intimidated by their yelling. In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill.
For thus the LORD has spoken to me: "As a lion roars, And a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice Nor be disturbed by their noise), So the LORD of hosts will come down To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
But this is what the Lord has told me: "When a strong young lion stands growling over a sheep it has killed, it is not frightened by the shouts and noise of a whole crowd of shepherds. In the same way, the Lord of Heaven's Armies will come down and fight on Mount Zion.
For the Lord has said to me, "As the lion or the young lion makes noise over the food he has killed, and when a group of shepherds go against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, or troubled by their noise. In the same way, the Lord of All will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill."
For thus the Lord said to me, As a lion or a young lion growls over its prey, and—when a band of shepherds is called out against it— is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon its hill.
For Thus, hath Yahweh said unto me - Like as a lion or a young lion growleth over his prey. Who - though there be called out against him a multitude of shepherds - Will not at their voice, be dismayed, Nor, at their noise, be daunted, So, will Yahweh of hosts come down, to make war over Mount Zion, and over the hill thereof.
For thus saith the Lord to me: Like as the lion roareth, and the lions whelp upon his prey, and when a multitude of shepherds shall come against him, he will not fear at their voice, nor be afraid of their multitude: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight upon mount Sion, and upon the hill thereof.
For thus the LORD said to me, As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called forth against him is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon its hill.
For thus said Jehovah unto me: `As growl doth the lion and the young lion over his prey, Called against whom is a multitude of shepherds, From their voice he is not affrighted, And from their noise he is not humbled; So come down doth Jehovah of Hosts To war on mount Zion, and on her height.
This is what God told me: "Like a lion, king of the beasts, that gnaws and chews and worries its prey, Not fazed in the least by a bunch of shepherds who arrive to chase it off, So God -of-the-Angel-Armies comes down to fight on Mount Zion, to make war from its heights. And like a huge eagle hovering in the sky, God -of-the-Angel-Armies protects Jerusalem. I'll protect and rescue it. Yes, I'll hover and deliver."
For 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."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Like as: Numbers 24:8, Numbers 24:9, Jeremiah 50:44, Hosea 11:10, Amos 3:8, Revelation 5:5
noise: or, multitude
so shall: Isaiah 10:16, Isaiah 12:6, Isaiah 37:35, Isaiah 37:36, Isaiah 42:13, 2 Chronicles 20:15, Psalms 125:1, Psalms 125:2, Zechariah 2:5, Zechariah 9:8, Zechariah 9:15, Zechariah 12:8, Zechariah 14:3
Reciprocal: Exodus 14:14 - the Lord Numbers 23:24 - as a great 2 Chronicles 32:22 - Lord Job 39:7 - scorneth Psalms 58:6 - young Psalms 104:21 - The young Isaiah 4:5 - all the glory Isaiah 5:29 - roaring Isaiah 10:25 - For yet Isaiah 38:6 - General Jeremiah 12:6 - yea Amos 3:12 - As the Nahum 2:11 - none Revelation 10:3 - loud
Gill's Notes on the 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 יהגה על טרפו "ab" הגה, "mussitare." s מלא רועים "plenitudo pastorum", Montanus, De Dieu, Cocceius. A collection of them, as Ben Melech. t אשר יקרא עליו "quando in occursum illius venit", Munster.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
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 Deuteronomy 33:20; Job 10:16; Psalms 7:2; Hosea 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 mountain’s brow,
Descends a lion on the flocks below;
So stalks the lordly savage o’er 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.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Isaiah 31:4. Like as the lion — This comparison is exactly in the spirit and manner, and very nearly approaching to the expression, of Homer.
Βη ρ' ιμεν, ὡστε λεων ορεσιτροφος, ὁστ' επιδευης
Δηρον εῃ κρειων, κελεται δε ἑ θυμος αγηνωρ,
Μηλων πειρησοντα, και ες πυκινον δομον ελθειν·
Ειπερ γαρ χ' εὑρῃσι παρ' αυτοψι βωτορας ανδρας
Συν κυσι και δουρεσσι φυλασσοντας περι μηλα,
Ου ρα τ' απειρητος μεμονε σταθμοιο διεσθαι.
Αλλ' ὁγ' αῥ η ἡρπαξε μεταλμενος, ηε και αυτος
Εβλητ' εν πρωτοισι θοης απο χειρος ακοντι.
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.
