Isaiah 31:9

31:9 They will surrender their stronghold ¹  because of fear; ² 

their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” ³ 

This is what the Lord says –

the one whose fire is in Zion,

whose firepot is in Jerusalem. ⁴ 

Ezekiel 43:15-16

43:15 and the altar hearth, 7 feet, and from the altar hearth four horns projecting upward. 43:16 Now the altar hearth ⁵  is a perfect square, 21 feet ⁶  long and 21 feet wide.

¹ tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.

² tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”

³ tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”

⁴ 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.

⁵ tn The precise Hebrew word used here to refer to an “altar hearth” occurs only here in the OT.

⁶ tn Heb “twelve cubits” (i.e., 6.3 meters; the phrase occurs twice in this verse).