"In that day," when Ephriam would fall, the Lord would also preserve a remnant of the Northern Kingdom. He would be the true crown (king, cf. Isaiah 11:1-9) of His people and a source of glory for them, in contrast to their present fading garlands (cf. Isaiah 28:1; Isaiah 4:2-6). He would also become the standard and facilitator of justice for their judges and the strength of their soldiers (cf. Isaiah 11:2). This does not mean that the faithful Ephraimites would turn on their enemies and defeat them, but that they would find in the Lord all that they had looked for previously in the wrong places. Note that this note of mercy concludes a pronouncement of judgment. [source][source][source]