Verse Lens · Context pointer
Isaiah 31:3 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 3. 3Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
The historical narrative or dated oracle carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God” at Isaiah 31:3 as part of “Egypt's Horses Are Flesh, Not Spirit.”
Read It With
- Isaiah 31:1–5
Read Isaiah 31:3 with 31:1–5. By itself, “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: The woe contrasts military dependence on numerous horses and strong riders with the LORD's wisdom and lion-and-bird protection of Jerusalem.
Why It Needs Context
The verse is a premise, action, image, response, or transition within Isaiah 31:1–5, not an independent maxim. The historical narrative or dated oracle carries the next action, claim, image, or measurement through “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God” at Isaiah 31:3 as part of “Egypt's Horses Are Flesh, Not Spirit.”
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Isaiah 31:1–5 — Egypt's Horses Are Flesh, Not SpiritSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Isaiah 31:1–5, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 31:1–5 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked
Open the fixed Hebrew Isaiah file ↗