Isaiah 10:17

10:17 The light of Israel ¹  will become a fire,

their Holy One ²  will become a flame;

it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s ³  briers

and his thorns in one day.

Isaiah 31:9

31:9 They will surrender their stronghold ⁴  because of fear; ⁵ 

their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” ⁶ 

This is what the Lord says –

the one whose fire is in Zion,

whose firepot is in Jerusalem. ⁷ 

Micah 5:8

5:8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples.

They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,

like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

which attacks when it passes through;

it rips its prey ⁸  and there is no one to stop it. ⁹ 

Zechariah 12:6

12:6 On that day ¹⁰  I will make the leaders of Judah like an igniter ¹¹  among sticks and a burning torch among sheaves, and they will burn up all the surrounding nations right and left. Then the people of Jerusalem will settle once more in their place, the city of Jerusalem.

¹ tn In this context the “Light of Israel” is a divine title (note the parallel title “his holy one”). The title points to God’s royal splendor, which overshadows and, when transformed into fire, destroys the “majestic glory” of the king of Assyria (v. 16b).

² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

³ tn Heb “his.” In vv. 17-19 the Assyrian king and his empire is compared to a great forest and orchard that are destroyed by fire (symbolic of the Lord).

⁴ tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.

⁵ tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”

⁶ tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”

⁷ sn The “fire” and “firepot” here symbolize divine judgment, which is heating up like a fire in Jerusalem, waiting to be used against the Assyrians when they attack the city.

⁸ tn The words “its prey” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁹ tn Heb “and there is no deliverer.”

¹⁰ sn On that day (referring to the day of the Lord) the Davidic monarchy will be restored and the Lord’s people will recognize once more the legitimacy and divine sanction of David’s dynasty. But there will also be a democratizing that will not give Jerusalem and its rulers undue priority over the people of the countryside (v. 7).

¹¹ tn Heb “a firepot” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “a blazing pot”; NLT “a brazier.”