ⓘEgypt was vulnerable, depending on the Nile for...
Egypt was vulnerable, depending on the Nile for food, fish, and industry. When the Lord struck the Nile, Egypt would be in dire straits, and their gods would not be able to help.
Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud;He is coming to Egypt.The idolsof Egypt will tremble before Him,and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.2“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian;brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor,city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.3Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them,and I will frustrate their plans,so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead,to mediums and spiritists.4I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a harsh master,and a fierce king will rule over them,”declares the Lord GODof Hosts.5The waters of the Nile will dry up,and the riverbed will be parched and empty.6The canals will stink;the streamsof Egypt will trickle and dry up;the reedsand rushes will wither.7The bulrushes by the Nile,by the mouth of the river,and all the fields sown along the Nile,will wither, blow away, and be no more.8Then the fishermen will mourn,all who cast a hookinto the Nile will lament,and those who spread nets on the waters will pine away.9The workersin flax will be dismayed,and the weavers of fine linen will turn pale.10The workers in cloth† will be dejected,and all the hired workers will be sick at heart.ⓘThe prophet taunted the leaders and wise men...
The prophet taunted the leaders and wise men of Egypt, who were helpless to avert tragedy.
11The princes of Zoan are mere fools;Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless advice.How can you say to Pharaoh,“I am one of the wise,a son of eastern kings”?12Where are your wise men now?Let them tell you and revealwhat the LORDof Hosts has planned against Egypt.13The princes of Zoan have become fools;the princes of Memphis† are deceived.The cornerstones of her tribeshave led Egypt astray.14The LORD has poured into hera spirit of confusion.Egypt has been led astray in all she does,as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit.15There is nothing Egypt can do—head or tail, palm or reed.
A Blessing upon the Earth
16In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble with fear beneath the uplifted hand of the LORDof Hosts, when He brandishes it against them. 17The land of Judah will bring terror to Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble over what the LORDof Hostshas planned against it.
18In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaanand swear allegianceto the LORDof Hosts. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.†
ⓘThe new Egypt would receive a place in...
The new Egypt would receive a place in God’s purposes together with Assyria and Israel.
19In that day there will be an altarto the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near her border. 20It will be a sign and a witness to the LORDof Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and defender to rescue them. 21The LORD will make Himself known to Egypt, and on that day Egypt will acknowledge the LORD. They will worshipwith sacrificesand offerings; they will makevowsto the LORD and fulfill them.
22And the LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; He will strike them but heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and He will hear their prayers and heal them.
23In that day there will be a highway from Egyptto Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptiansto Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians willworship together.
24In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egyptand Assyria—a blessing upon the earth. 25The LORDof Hostswill bless them, saying, “Blessed beEgypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and IsraelMy inheritance.”
Commentary
Isaiah 19:1
Riding on a swift cloud shows God’s sovereignty and power over creation (Ps 104:3). He is coming in judgment against Judah’s enemies (see Deut 33:26; Pss 18:9–10; 68:4; 97:2–3).
The idols of Egypt tremble because they are weak and impotent, unable to help (see Isa 40:18; 45:16; 46:1).
Commentary
Isaiah 19:2
Egypt had a history of civil wars that ravaged the country. Egypt’s fragile unity was breaking apart.
Commentary
Isaiah 19:3
Idols . . . spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead were called upon in an attempt to ward off impending destruction (see 8:19–22; 47:12–13).
Commentary
Isaiah 19:4
hard, cruel master: In 671 BC, the Assyrian king Esarhaddon invaded Egypt and destroyed the royal city of Memphis. In 663 BC, Ashurbanipal attacked and destroyed Thebes (see Nah 3:8–10).
Commentary
Isaiah 19:5
The waters of the Nile were Egypt’s lifeline. Any disturbance in the regular pattern of flooding affected the whole nation. In ancient Egypt, the Nile was considered to be a god. However, the true God could easily dry it up.
Commentary
Isaiah 19:9
There was no flax or thread: The drought crippled the linen industry.
Commentary
Isaiah 19:11
Zoan was the capital of Egypt, located in the Nile delta (see Num 13:22).
officials . . . best counsel: The king depended on the strategies and counsel of wise men (Isa 19:12; see Gen 41:39–40).
The officials of Zoan were known for all their wise ancestors, and Egypt liked to brag about them.
Memphis was an ancient capital in Egypt located south of the Nile delta. It was destroyed by Esarhaddon in 671 BC.
Commentary
Isaiah 19:15
There is nothing Egypt can do: No leader, idol, or conventional wisdom can stand against God’s judgment.
The head and the tail represented all of Egypt’s leaders from the greatest to the least important (see 9:14–15).
Commentary
Isaiah 19:16
An upraised fist (literally waving the hand) was a threatening motion.
Commentary
Isaiah 19:18
five of Egypt’s cities: This is probably just a way of saying “a number of cities” (see also 17:6; 30:17).
Jews living in Egypt after the destruction of Jerusalem spoke Hebrew, here called the language of Canaan.
Heliopolis was devoted to Re, the sun god. At a time when Judah was resisting the Lord, Isaiah envisioned the Egyptians following the Lord.
Commentary
Isaiah 19:19
This altar or monument refers either to the temple that was built by Jews at Elephantine in Egypt (500 BC), to some other Jewish place of worship, or perhaps to a memorial the Egyptians constructed in devotion to the Lord.
Commentary
Isaiah 19:20
The altar (19:19) would be a sign and a witness of the Egyptians’ religious connection with Israel (see 19:24–25).
God answers the prayers of those who cry to the Lord for help.
The Lord is a savior; he would protect the Egyptians even as he protected Jerusalem from the Assyrians.
Commentary
Isaiah 19:22
strike Egypt: The Hebrew verb used here is the same as the one used for the tenth plague (Exod 12:13, 23, 27), bringing up associations of what God did during the Exodus.
The Lord, who brings a plague, can also bring healing.
he will listen to their pleas and heal them: This expresses a covenantal relationship between the Lord and Egypt (see Isa 65:24).
Commentary
Isaiah 19:23
Traditionally, Egypt and Assyria were enemies of one another and of Israel. They were idolatrous to the core, but they would leave behind their enmity and their idols to worship the true God.
In the rugged terrain of the ancient Near East, a highway provided a means for safe, easy travel and trade (see 11:16; 35:8; 40:3; 62:10).
Commentary
Isaiah 19:24
Israel will be . . . a blessing in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Gen 12:3).
Two designations usually reserved for Israel, my people and the land I have made (see 29:22; 32:18), are applied here to foreign nations. The Lord promised to regard those from the nations who turn to him as his special possession (63:17).
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