Isaiah 31:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

After the burden upon the livestock of the south and the riches sent to Egypt by those hoping for benefit from a powerless people, who sought comfort in the might of Pharaoh and leaned on the shadow of Egypt, prophetic utterances foretold, reminiscent of the return to Jerusalem and deliverance from captivity through Cyrus, the conclusion of the age and the ultimate joy of the righteous. The reminder returns to those advised against going down to Egypt. However, this message differs from prior warnings as it now signifies judgment for their disregard of the Lord's commandments as they prepared to flee; it predicts that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would vanquish both Israel and the Egyptians, whether they fled or aided. Jeremiah elaborates on this (Jer. 42).

Thus, woe to those who journey to Egypt, for in fear of the Chaldeans, they overlook the commands of the Lord, placing their trust in idolaters who falsely profess reverence for God, leaning on the support of horses while ignoring the truth that “A horse is a false hope for salvation” (Psalm 32:17), and hoping in chariots, carriages, and riders, forgetting the words, “The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:1). They did not place their faith in the Holy One of Israel, who, through Jeremiah, assured His aid to those who remained in Judah. Their failure to seek the Lord reflects a disdain for the words of Him whom they chose not to pursue. It is also noted regarding corrupt priests, “My people who seek the Lord have not called upon Him” (Psalm 52:5). The wise Lord brought upon them the gravest calamity—Nebuchadnezzar or a calamity representing something profound rather than a singular entity; He upheld the prophetic declarations of His prophets. Consequently, He will rise against the tribe of Judah—the house of the wicked, and against the assistance of the sinful Egyptians. As the LXX translates, the Egyptians are mere mortals, not God, and their horses are flesh rather than spirit. It is written in Jeremiah that “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a shrub in the desert, and will not see when good comes” (Jeremiah 17:5-6). Moreover, another passage states, “The salvation of man is vanity” (Psalms 59:13), or as translated better in Hebrew, “in man." When the Lord extends His hand to punish or, in a charioteer's metaphor, reigns in the galloping horses, both the Egyptian helper and Israel—who sought help—will fall. This understanding applies to those who, during times of persecution, hardship, and distress, fail to trust in the Lord, instead relying on the support of worldly people and nations, forgetting that Abraham faced peril in Egypt and that God's people toiled in brick and clay, a land symbolically referred to as the iron furnace. Consequently, the Revelation of John states, “The place where our Lord was crucified is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt” (Rev. 11:8).