31:8 Assyria will fall by a sword, but not one human-made; 4
a sword not made by humankind will destroy them. 5
They will run away from this sword 6
and their young men will be forced to do hard labor.
31:9 They will surrender their stronghold 7 because of fear; 8
their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” 9
This is what the Lord says –
the one whose fire is in Zion,
whose firepot is in Jerusalem. 10
1 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
2 tn Heb “reject” (so NIV); NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT “throw away.”
3 tn Heb “the idols of their idols of silver and their idols of gold which your hands made for yourselves [in] sin.” חָטָא (khata’, “sin”) is understood as an adverbial accusative of manner. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:573, n. 4.
4 tn Heb “Assyria will fall by a sword, not of a man.”
5 tn Heb “and a sword not of humankind will devour him.”
6 tn Heb “he will flee for himself from before a sword.”
7 tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.
8 tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”
9 tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”
10 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.