The woe falls on those who go down to Egypt for help, trusting horses and chariots rather than the Holy One of Israel. Egypt is flesh, not spirit; her men are not God. When Jehovah stretches out His hand, helper and helped fall together. The parallelism sharpens: as a lion is not abashed by shepherds' shouting, so the Lord of hosts comes down to fight for mount Zion; as birds hovering, so He defends and passes over Jerusalem — Passover language laid onto the deliverance. The call is to turn back from deep revolt, cast away the silver and gold idols handmade for sin. The Assyrian falls by no mortal sword, fleeing from the ensign whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem — the same ensign of Isaiah 11, the gathering standard of the last days.
