Isaiah 31:9 - Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Bible Comments

He shall pass over to his strong hold for fear. — Most recent critics translate, His rock will pass away for terror, the “rock” (not the same word, however, as that elsewhere, e.g., Deuteronomy 32:31, used for God) being the symbol of Assyria’s strength. The laws of parallelism point to our taking the noun as the subject of the sentence, corresponding to “princes” in the next clause, and so exclude the Authorised version.

Whose fire is in Zion. — Fire, as the symbol of the Divine glory, giving light and warmth to the faithful, and burning up the evil. (Comp. Isaiah 10:16-17.)

Isaiah 31:9

9 And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.