Like birds hovering overhead, so the LORD of Hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will shield it and deliver it; He will pass over it and preserve it." Like birds hovering overheadThe imagery of birds hovering overhead evokes a sense of vigilant protection and care. In the Hebrew context, the word for "hovering" (Hebrew: "עָפָה" - 'aphah) can imply a gentle yet watchful presence, much like a mother bird guarding her nest. This metaphor suggests God's constant and attentive oversight over Jerusalem, emphasizing His readiness to intervene and shield His people from harm. Historically, this reflects the divine assurance given to Israel amidst threats from surrounding nations, reminding believers of God's unwavering guardianship. so will the LORD of Hosts
The title "LORD of Hosts" (Hebrew: "יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת" - Yahweh Tseva'ot) underscores God's supreme authority and command over the heavenly armies. This designation is a powerful reminder of His omnipotence and sovereignty. In the context of Isaiah, it reassures the Israelites that their protector is not just a local deity but the Almighty God who commands the forces of heaven. This title inspires confidence in God's ability to defend and uphold His covenant people against any adversary. protect Jerusalem
The word "protect" (Hebrew: "גָּנַן" - ganan) conveys the idea of surrounding or covering, akin to a shield. Jerusalem, the city of David and the spiritual heart of Israel, holds significant theological and historical importance. God's promise to protect Jerusalem is not merely about physical safety but also about preserving the spiritual heritage and promises associated with the city. This assurance is a testament to God's faithfulness to His covenant and His commitment to His chosen people. He will protect and deliver it
The repetition of "protect" alongside "deliver" (Hebrew: "נָצַל" - natsal) emphasizes a dual action of safeguarding and rescuing. "Deliver" implies an active intervention to save from danger or oppression. This phrase highlights God's proactive role in not only defending Jerusalem but also ensuring its liberation from any form of captivity or threat. It serves as a powerful reminder of God's redemptive power and His ability to bring about salvation for His people. He will pass over and preserve it
The phrase "pass over" (Hebrew: "פָּסַח" - pasach) is reminiscent of the Passover event in Exodus, where God spared the Israelites from the plague of the firstborn. This allusion to the Passover signifies divine mercy and protection, reinforcing the idea of God sparing His people from judgment or destruction. "Preserve" (Hebrew: "מָלַט" - malat) suggests a careful maintenance and safeguarding of what is valuable. Together, these actions affirm God's commitment to maintaining the integrity and continuity of Jerusalem, ensuring its survival and prosperity in accordance with His divine plan. Persons / Places / Events 1. The LORD of HostsThis title emphasizes God's supreme authority and power over all heavenly armies. It reflects His ability to protect and deliver His people. 2. JerusalemThe capital city of Israel, often representing the people of God. In this context, it symbolizes God's chosen place and people whom He promises to protect. 3. Birds Hovering OverheadThis imagery suggests a protective and vigilant presence, akin to a bird watching over its nest, ready to defend it from any threat. 4. Protection and DeliveranceThese are key actions of God in this verse, highlighting His role as a savior and guardian of His people. 5. Pass Over and PreserveThis language echoes the Passover event in Exodus, where God spared the Israelites from the plague, signifying His ongoing commitment to their safety and preservation. Teaching Points God's Vigilant ProtectionJust as birds are constantly aware of their surroundings, God is ever-watchful over His people. We can trust in His constant vigilance and care. Divine DeliveranceGod's promise to deliver and preserve is not just historical but applicable today. Believers can rely on His power to save them from spiritual and physical dangers. Covenant FaithfulnessThe imagery of "passing over" reminds us of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises. He remains committed to His people, offering protection and preservation. Trust in God's SovereigntyIn times of uncertainty, we are called to trust in God's sovereign plan and His ability to protect us, just as He protected Jerusalem. Call to Repentance and FaithUnderstanding God's protective nature should lead us to repentance and a deeper faith, recognizing our need for His deliverance and preservation. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the imagery of "birds hovering overhead" enhance your understanding of God's protection in your life? 2. In what ways can the historical event of the Passover deepen your appreciation for God's deliverance today? 3. How can you apply the promise of God's protection in Isaiah 31:5 to a current situation you are facing? 4. What other biblical examples of God's protection and deliverance can you think of, and how do they encourage your faith? 5. How does understanding God's covenant faithfulness in Isaiah 31:5 inspire you to live a life of trust and obedience? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 12The concept of "passing over" directly connects to the Passover event, where God protected the Israelites from the final plague in Egypt. Psalm 91This psalm speaks of God's protection over those who trust in Him, using similar imagery of shelter and deliverance. Matthew 23:37Jesus laments over Jerusalem, expressing a desire to gather and protect its people like a hen gathers her chicks, which parallels the protective imagery in Isaiah 31:5. People Egyptians, Isaiah, Israelites, JeremiahPlaces Egypt, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, ZionTopics Almighty, Armies, Birds, Causing, Cover, Covering, Danger, Defend, Defending, Deliver, Delivering, Escape, Flying, Hosts, Hovering, Jerusalem, Outstretched, Overhead, Pass, Passeth, Passing, Preserve, Protect, Protecteth, Rescue, Salvation, Shield, Spare, WingsDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 31:5 4690 wings
5292 defence, divine
5330 guard
5527 shield
7145 remnant Library Three Pictures of one Reality
'As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it; and passing over He will preserve it'--ISAIAH xxxi. 5. The immediate occasion of this very remarkable promise is, of course, the peril in which Jerusalem was placed by Sennacherib's invasion; and the fulfilment of the promise was the destruction of his army before its gates. But the promise here, like all God's promises, is eternal in substance, and applies to a community only because it applies to each …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Lord's Furnace
'The Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.'-- ISAIAH xxxi. 9. This very remarkable characterisation of God stands here as a kind of seal, set upon the preceding prophecy. It is the reason why that will certainly be fulfilled. And what precedes is mainly a promise of a deliverance for Israel, which was to be a destruction for Israel's enemies. It is put in very graphic and remarkable metaphors: 'Like as a lion roareth on his prey when a multitude of shepherds is called forth …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture What God Is
John iv. 24.--"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." We have here something of the nature of God pointed out to us, and something of our duty towards him. "God is a Spirit," that is his nature, and "man must worship him," that is his duty, and that "in spirit and in truth," that is the right manner of the duty. If these three were well pondered till they did sink into the bottom of our spirits, they would make us indeed Christians, not in the letter, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Of Conversion
Of Conversion "Be ye truly converted unto that God from whom ye have so deeply revolted" (Isa. xxxi. 6). To be truly converted is to avert wholly from the creature, and turn wholly unto God. For the attainment of salvation it is absolutely necessary that we should forsake outward sin and turn unto righteousness: but this alone is not perfect conversion, which consists in a total change of the whole man from an outward to an inward life. When the soul is once turned to God a wonderful facility is …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer Of Perfect Conversion, which is an Effect of this Method of Prayer --Two of Its Aids, the Attraction of God, and the Central Inclination of The
"Turn ye unto Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted" (Isa. xxxi. 6). Conversion is nothing else but a turning from the creature to God. Conversion is not perfect, though it is necessary for salvation, when it is merely a turning from sin to grace. To be complete, it must be a turning from without to within. The soul, being turned in the direction of God, has a great facility for remaining converted to Him. The longer it is converted, the nearer it approaches to God, and attaches …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents That it is not Lawful for the Well Affected Subjects to Concur in Such an Engagement in War, and Associate with the Malignant Party.
That It Is Not Lawful For The Well Affected Subjects To Concur In Such An Engagement In War, And Associate With The Malignant Party. Some convinced of the unlawfulness of the public resolutions and proceedings, in reference to the employing of the malignant party, yet do not find such clearness and satisfaction in their own consciences as to forbid the subjects to concur in this war, and associate with the army so constituted. Therefore it is needful to speak something to this point, That it is …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning But Though Prayer is Properly Confined to Vows and Supplications...
But though prayer is properly confined to vows and supplications, yet so strong is the affinity between petition and thanksgiving, that both may be conveniently comprehended under one name. For the forms which Paul enumerates (1 Tim. 2:1) fall under the first member of this division. By prayer and supplication we pour out our desires before God, asking as well those things which tend to promote his glory and display his name, as the benefits which contribute to our advantage. By thanksgiving we duly …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of Faith Scriptures Showing the Sin and Danger of Joining with Wicked and Ungodly Men.
Scriptures Showing The Sin And Danger Of Joining With Wicked And Ungodly Men. When the Lord is punishing such a people against whom he hath a controversy, and a notable controversy, every one that is found shall be thrust through: and every one joined with them shall fall, Isa. xiii. 15. They partake in their judgment, not only because in a common calamity all shares, (as in Ezek. xxi. 3.) but chiefly because joined with and partakers with these whom God is pursuing; even as the strangers that join …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Sennacherib (705-681 B. C. )
The struggle of Sennacherib with Judaea and Egypt--Destruction of Babylon. Sennacherib either failed to inherit his father's good fortune, or lacked his ability.* He was not deficient in military genius, nor in the energy necessary to withstand the various enemies who rose against him at widely removed points of his frontier, but he had neither the adaptability of character nor the delicate tact required to manage successfully the heterogeneous elements combined under his sway. * The two principal …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 Exposition of Chap. Iii. (ii. 28-32. )
Ver. 1. "And it shall come to pass, afterwards, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." The communication of the Spirit of God was the constant prerogative of the Covenant-people. Indeed, the very idea of such a people necessarily requires it. For the Spirit of God is the only inward bond betwixt Him and that which is created; a Covenant-people, therefore, without such an inward …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 31:5 NIVIsaiah 31:5 NLTIsaiah 31:5 ESVIsaiah 31:5 NASBIsaiah 31:5 KJV
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