Isaiah 31:7-9

31:7 For at that time ¹  everyone will get rid of ²  the silver and gold idols your hands sinfully made. ³ 

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 

[31:7]  ¹ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[31:7]  ² tn Heb “reject” (so NIV); NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT “throw away.”

[31:7]  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.

[31:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “Assyria will fall by a sword, not of a man.”

[31:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “and a sword not of humankind will devour him.”

[31:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “he will flee for himself from before a sword.”

[31:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.

[31:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”

[31:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”

[31:9]  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.