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New Living Translation

Isaiah 31:3

For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord raises his fist against them, those who help will stumble, and those being helped will fall. They will all fall down and die together.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Confidence;   False Confidence;   God Continued...;   Isaiah;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Jealousy;   Thompson Chain Reference - False;   Man;   Security-Insecurity;   Trust in Man;   The Topic Concordance - Help;   Seeking;   Trust;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Horse, the;   Trust;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Horses;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Hezekiah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Flesh;   Hope;   Religion;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Flesh;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jacob;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Body;   Charger(s);   Hope;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Flesh;   Horse;   Isaiah;   Isaiah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Holy Spirit (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Egypt;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Horse;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Flesh;   Holy Spirit;   Omnipotence;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Flesh;   Government;   Horse;   Hoshea;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Egyptians are men, not God;their horses are flesh, not spirit.When the Lord raises his hand to strike,the helper will stumbleand the one who is helped will fall;both will perish together.
Hebrew Names Version
Now the Mitzrim are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit: and when the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he who helps shall stumble, and he who is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.
New American Standard Bible
Now the Egyptians are human and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand, And any helper will stumble, And one who is helped will fall. And all of them will come to an end together.
New Century Version
The Egyptians are only people and are not God. Their horses are only animals and are not spirit. The Lord will stretch out his arm, and the one who helps will stumble, and the people who wanted help will fall. All of them will be destroyed together.
Amplified Bible
Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; And the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he (Egypt) who helps will stumble, And he (Judah) who is helped will fall, And all of them will perish together.
World English Bible
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit: and when Yahweh shall stretch out his hand, both he who helps shall stumble, and he who is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh and not spirite: and when the Lorde shall stretch out his hand, the helper shall fall, and hee that is holpen shal fall, and they shall altogether faile.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now the Egyptians are men and not God,And their horses are flesh and not spirit;So Yahweh will stretch out His hand,And he who helps will stumble,And he who is helped will fall,And all of them will come to an end together.
Berean Standard Bible
But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble and the one he helps will fall; both will perish together.
Contemporary English Version
The Egyptians are mere humans. They aren't God. Their horses are made of flesh; they can't live forever. When the Lord shows his power, he will destroy the Egyptians and all who depend on them. Together they will fall.
Complete Jewish Bible
Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses flesh and not spirit. So when Adonai stretches out his hand, both he who helps will stumble, and he who is helped will fall; both will perish together.
Darby Translation
And the Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh, and not spirit; and Jehovah shall stretch forth his hand, and he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall perish together.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Egyptians are only human, not God. The horses from Egypt are only animals, not spirit. The Lord will stretch out his arm, and the helper will be defeated. And those who wanted help will fall. They will all be destroyed together.
George Lamsa Translation
Now the Egyptians are men and not God; and their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both the helper shall be overthrown, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall be annihilated together.
Good News Translation
The Egyptians are not gods—they are only human. Their horses are not supernatural. When the Lord acts, the strong nation will crumble, and the weak nation it helped will fall. Both of them will be destroyed.
Lexham English Bible
And the Egyptians are human and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit. And Yahweh stretches out his hand, and the helper will stumble, and the one being helped will fall, and together all of them will come to an end.
Literal Translation
And Egypt is a man, and not God. And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. And Jehovah stretches out His hand, and both he who helps shall fall, and he who is helped shall fall; and they shall all cease together.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now the Egiptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh and not sprete. And as soone as the LORDE stretcheth out his honde, then shal the helper fall, and he that shulde haue bene helped, and shal altogether be destroyed.
American Standard Version
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit: and when Jehovah shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together.
Bible in Basic English
For the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit: and when the Lord's hand is stretched out, the helper and he who is helped will come down together.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God, and their horses flesh, and not spirit; so when the LORD shall stretch out His hand, both he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall perish together.
King James Version (1611)
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 hee that is holpen shall fall downe, and they all shall faile together.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses fleshe, and not spirite: And assoone as the Lord stretcheth out his hande, then shall the helper fall and he that shoulde haue ben helped, and they shall altogether be destroyed.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
even an Egyptian, a man, and not God; the flesh of horses, and there is no help in them: but the Lord shall bring his hand upon them, and the helpers shall fail, and all shall perish together.
English Revised Version
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit: and when the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall stumble, and he that is holpen shall fall, and they all shall fail together.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Egipt is a man, and not God; and the horsis of hem ben fleisch, and not spirit; and the Lord schal bowe doun his hond, and the helpere schal falle doun, and he schal falle, to whom help is youun, and alle schulen be wastid togidere.
Update Bible Version
Now Egypt is man, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit: and when Yahweh shall stretch out his hand, both he that helps shall stumble, and he that is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together.
Webster's Bible Translation
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 helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
New English Translation
The Egyptians are mere humans, not God; their horses are made of flesh, not spirit. The Lord will strike with his hand; the one who helps will stumble and the one being helped will fall. Together they will perish.
New King James Version
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together.
New Life Bible
The Egyptians are men, and not God. Their horses are flesh and not spirit. The Lord puts out His hand, and the helper and the one who is helped will fall. All of them will be destroyed together.
New Revised Standard
The Egyptians are human, and not God; their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and the one helped will fall, and they will all perish together.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, the Egyptians, are, men, and not, GOD, And their horses, flesh, and not, spirit; When, Yahweh, shall stretch out his hand, Then I he that is giving help, shall stumble And I he that is receiving help shall fall, And together, shall all of them vanish!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Egypt is man, and not God: and their horses, flesh, and not spirit: and the Lord shall put down his hand, and the helper shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall, and they shall all be confounded together.
Revised Standard Version
The Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.
Young's Literal Translation
And the Egyptians [are men], and not God, And their horses [are] flesh, and not spirit, And Jehovah stretcheth out His hand, And stumbled hath the helper, And fallen hath the helped one, And together all of them are consumed.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he who helps will stumble And he who is helped will fall, And all of them will come to an end together.

Contextual Overview

1 What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord , the Holy One of Israel. 2 In his wisdom, the Lord will send great disaster; he will not change his mind. He will rise against the wicked and against their helpers. 3 For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord raises his fist against them, those who help will stumble, and those being helped will fall. They will all fall down and die together. 4 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. 5 The Lord of Heaven's Armies will hover over Jerusalem and protect it like a bird protecting its nest. He will defend and save the city; he will pass over it and rescue it."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Egyptians: Isaiah 36:6, Deuteronomy 32:30, Deuteronomy 32:31, Psalms 9:20, Psalms 146:3-5, Ezekiel 28:9, Acts 12:22, Acts 12:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:4-8

their horses: Psalms 33:17

stretch: Isaiah 9:17, Jeremiah 15:6, Ezekiel 20:33, Ezekiel 20:34

both: Jeremiah 37:7-10

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 8:5 - came 2 Kings 18:24 - thy trust Job 9:13 - the proud helpers Psalms 56:4 - in God I have Psalms 60:11 - vain Psalms 108:12 - for vain Isaiah 29:5 - the multitude Isaiah 31:2 - against the help Jeremiah 17:5 - flesh Jeremiah 46:17 - Pharaoh Ezekiel 22:14 - Thine heart Ezekiel 28:2 - yet Ezekiel 30:6 - They also Hosea 14:3 - we will not

Cross-References

Genesis 13:15
I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.
Genesis 21:22
About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. "God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do," Abimelech said.
Genesis 26:24
where the Lord appeared to him on the night of his arrival. "I am the God of your father, Abraham," he said. "Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will multiply your descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant."
Genesis 28:4
May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this land where you are now living as a foreigner, for God gave this land to Abraham."
Genesis 28:13
At the top of the stairway stood the Lord , and he said, "I am the Lord , the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants.
Genesis 30:25
Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Please release me so I can go home to my own country.
Genesis 31:2
And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban's attitude toward him.
Genesis 31:3
Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you."
Genesis 31:5
He said to them, "I have noticed that your father's attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me.
Genesis 31:13
I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.'"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 exceedingly mighty and powerful, which excel all creatures in strength, and are called the mighty angels; these are God's cavalry, his horses and chariots; see Psalms 68:17 Habakkuk 3:8 and what mighty things have been done by them, even by a single one? Witness the destruction of the Assyrian army, in one night, by one of them; wherefore the Egyptian cavalry was not to be named with them q:

When the Lord shall stretch out his hand; as soon as he does it, before he strikes, and when he does this in order to it:

both he that helpeth shall fall; or "stumble", take a false step; meaning the Egyptians, sent for and come forth to help the Jews; but, stumbling and falling themselves, would be but poor assistants to them. Aben Ezra interprets this of the king of Assyria destroying the Egyptians, when he came to Jerusalem:

and he that is holpen shall fall down; the Jews, helped by the Egyptians, who should fall, and be destroyed, though not now; yet hereafter by the Chaldeans, as they were:

and they all shall fail together; both the Egyptians and the Jews.

q So Ben Melech interprets "spirit" of an angel, as he does the word "God" in the preceding clause.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Now the Egyptians are men - They are nothing but people; they have no power but such as other people possess. The idea here is, that the case in reference to which they sought aid was one in which “divine” help was indispensable, and that, therefore, they relied on the aid of the Egyptians in vain.

And their horses flesh, and not spirit - There is need, not merely of “physical” strength, but of wisdom, and intelligence, and it is in vain to look for that in mere brutes.

Both he that helpeth - Egypt, whose aid is sought.

And he that is holpen - Judah, that had sought the aid of Egypt. Neither of them would be able to stand against the wrath of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 31:3. He that helpeth (the Egyptians) shall fall and he that is holpen (the Israelites) shall fall down - together.


 
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