Isaiah 31:4-5

Isaiah 31:4-5

[4] For thus hath the LORD  spoken  unto me, Like as the lion  and the young lion  roaring  on his prey,  when a multitude  of shepherds  is called forth  against him, he will not be afraid  of their voice,  nor abase  himself for the noise  of them: so shall the LORD  of hosts  come down  to fight  for mount  Zion,  and for the hill  [5] As birds  flying,  so will the LORD  of hosts  defend  Jerusalem;  defending  also he will deliver  it; and passing over  he will preserve 

What does Isaiah 31:4-5 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Lord had told Isaiah that He would be as a lion and as a bird to Judah. As a lion attacks its prey with focused purposefulness, He would decimate the Judahites, and the shouts of the Egyptian shepherds that the Judahites had hired to protect them would not scare Him off. As a bird that protects its young from other animals, the Lord would protect Judah from its predator, Assyria (cf. Exodus 12).
"He who protects is He who is strong as a lion to accomplish His purposes." [1]