This page gives you ready-to-use Bible study questions for Isaiah 31, with leader notes after each one. It is written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Isaiah 31 warns against looking to Egypt and its military strength for safety, and it calls God’s people back to the Holy One of Israel. Use the questions in order, or choose the sets that fit your time.
Isaiah 31 at a Glance
The chapter opens with a woe against those who rely on Egypt, its horses and its chariots, rather than seeking the LORD. Isaiah then describes God as wise and firmly committed to judging the evildoers who depend on their own power. Verses 4 and 5 use the images of a lion and of hovering birds to show that the LORD himself will defend Jerusalem.
The chapter closes with a call to return to God and to throw away idols, followed by a promise that Assyria will fall without being struck by human hands. Verse 9 ends with the picture of God’s fire in Zion. Moving from the warning to the call to the promise makes a helpful arc for discussion.
Observation Questions
Use this set first to slow the group down and make sure everyone has read the text closely. Keep answers tied to what the words actually say before moving to meaning. Let people point to specific phrases before anyone offers an explanation.
Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they don’t look to the Holy One of Israel, and they don’t seek the LORD!
(WEB)
Read this first to name the temptation the whole chapter addresses. Hearing the warning aloud helps the group see how easily reliance on visible strength can replace seeking God.
Isaiah 31:3
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, both he who helps shall stumble, and he who is helped shall fall, and they all shall be consumed together.
(WEB)
This verse draws a clear line between human help and the LORD’s hand. Reading it aloud reminds the group that real security depends on God, not on the strength of others.
Isaiah 31:4-5
4 For the LORD says to me, “As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds is called together against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for their noise, so the LORD of Armies will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its heights. 5 As birds hovering, so the LORD of Armies will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it. He will pass over and preserve it.”
(WEB)
The lion and the hovering birds are two of the chapter’s most vivid pictures of God’s protection. Reading them together lets the group feel both the strength and the tenderness of God’s care.
Isaiah 31:6
Return to him from whom you have deeply revolted, children of Israel.
(WEB)
This short verse is the heart of the call. Reading it aloud gives the group a chance to respond personally to God’s invitation to return.
Isaiah 31:9
His rock will pass away by reason of terror, and his princes will be afraid of the banner,” says the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
(WEB)
Ending with this verse brings the chapter to its climax, with God’s fire in Zion and his furnace in Jerusalem. It leaves the group with a sense of God’s active presence among his people.
Memory Verse for Isaiah 31
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you aware that we are often tempted to trust horses and chariots, the things we can see and count on in our own strength. Forgive us for the times we have looked elsewhere and failed to seek you. Turn our hearts back to you, and help us set aside the idols we have made from our own desires and fears. Thank you that you are the Holy One of Israel, who protects, delivers and preserves those who belong to you. Give us the courage to name our idols honestly and the faith to rest in your care. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
