Isaiah 19

Oracle of Judgment on Egypt

1 An oracle of Egypt: Look! Yahweh [is] riding on a swift cloud and [is] coming [to] Egypt. And the idols of Egypt will tremble in front of him, and the heart of Egypt melts in his inner parts.

2 "And I will stir up {Egyptians} against {Egyptians}, and each one will fight against his brother and each one against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

3 And the spirit of {the Egyptians} will be disturbed in his midst, and I will {confuse} his plans, and they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, and the ghosts and the spiritists.

4 And I will hand over {the Egyptians} into [the] hand of a hard master, and a powerful king will rule over them," {declares} the Lord Yahweh of hosts.

5 And [the] waters will be dried up from the sea, and [the] river will be parched and dry.

6 And [the] rivers will become foul-smelling; the branches of the Nile of Egypt will become little and dry up; reed and rush will wither.

7 Bare places by [the] Nile will be dried up, by the edge of [the] Nile and all the sown land of [the] Nile; it will be driven about, and {it will be no more}.

8 And the fishers will mourn, and all of those who cast fishhooks in the Nile will lament, and those who spread out fishing nets on [the] {surface} of [the] water will languish.

9 And [the] workers of combed flax will be ashamed, and those who weave white linen.

10 And her weavers will be crushed; all [the] {hired workers} [will be] grieved of heart.

11 Surely the princes of Zoan [are] foolish; the wise of the counselors of Pharaoh [give] senseless counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, "I myself [am] a son of sages, a {descendant} of ancient kings"?

12 Where [are] your sages then? Now, let them tell you, and let them know what Yahweh of hosts has planned against Egypt.

13 The princes of Zoan have become foolish; the princes of Memphis are deceived; the leaders of her tribes have led Egypt astray.

14 Yahweh has mixed a spirit of confusion into her midst, and they have caused Egypt to stagger in all of its doings, as {when a drunkard staggers} in his vomit.

15 And {there will be nothing for Egypt to do}, head or tail, palm branch or reed.

The Future Blessing of Egypt, Assyria, and Egypt

16 On that day, Egypt will be like women, and will tremble and be afraid before the waving hand of Yahweh of hosts that he [is] waving against it.

17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt, everyone [to] whom one mentions it will be afraid in himself because of the plan of Yahweh of hosts that he [is] planning against him.

18 On that day, there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the {language} of Canaan and swear an oath to Yahweh of hosts. One will be called "City of the Sun."

19 On that day, there will be an altar for Yahweh [in] in the middle of the land of Egypt, and a stone pillar for Yahweh at her border.

20 And it will be a sign and a witness to Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt; when they cry out to Yahweh because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and a {defender}, and he will deliver them.

21 And Yahweh will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know Yahweh on that day, and they will worship [with] sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to Yahweh, and they will fulfill [them].

22 And Yahweh will strike Egypt, striking and healing; and they will return to Yahweh, and he will respond to their prayer, and he will heal them.

23 On that day, there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt will worship together with Assyria.

24 On that day, Israel will be [the] third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth,

25 whom Yahweh of hosts blessed, saying, "May Egypt my people be blessed, and Assyria, the work of my hands, and my inheritance, Israel."

Isaiah 19 Commentary

Chapter 19

Judgments upon Egypt. (1-17) Its deliverance, and the conversion of the people. (18-25)

Verses 1-17 God shall come into Egypt with his judgments. He will raise up the causes of their destruction from among themselves. When ungodly men escape danger, they are apt to think themselves secure; but evil pursues sinners, and will speedily overtake them, except they repent. The Egyptians will be given over into the hand of one who shall rule them with rigour, as was shortly after fulfilled. The Egyptians were renowned for wisdom and science; yet the Lord would give them up to their own perverse schemes, and to quarrel, till their land would be brought by their contests to become an object of contempt and pity. He renders sinners afraid of those whom they have despised and oppressed; and the Lord of hosts will make the workers of iniquity a terror to themselves, and to each other; and every object around a terror to them.

Verses 18-25 The words, "In that day," do not always refer to the passage just before. At a time which was to come, the Egyptians shall speak the holy language, the Scripture language; not only understand it, but use it. Converting grace, by changing the heart, changes the language; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So many Jews shall come to Egypt, that they shall soon fill five cities. Where the sun was worshipped, a place infamous for idolatry, even there shall be a wonderful reformation. Christ, the great Altar, who sanctifies every gift, shall be owned, and the gospel sacrifices of prayer and praise shall be offered up. Let the broken-hearted and afflicted, whom the Lord has wounded, and thus taught to return to, and call upon him, take courage; for He will heal their souls, and turn their sorrowing supplications into joyful praises. The Gentile nations shall not only unite with each other in the gospel fold under Christ, the great Shepherd, but they shall all be united with the Jews. They shall be owned together by him; they shall all share in one and the same blessing. Meeting at the same throne of grace, and serving with each other in the same business of religion, should end all disputes, and unite the hearts of believers to each other in holy love.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "Egypt"
• [b]. Literally "Egypt"
• [c]. Literally "Egypt"
• [d]. Literally "engulf"
• [e]. Hebrew "plan"
• [f]. Literally "Egypt"
• [g]. Literally "declaration of"
• [h]. Literally "there is none of it"
• [i]. Hebrew "fishhook"
• [j]. Hebrew "net"
• [k]. Literally "face"
• [l]. Literally "workers of wage"
• [m]. Literally "son"
• [n]. Literally "the staggering of a drunkard"
• [o]. Literally "not it will be for Egypt a deed which he can do"
• [p]. Literally "lip"
• [q]. Literally "contender"
• [r]. Hebrew "vow"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 19

This chapter contains prophecies of various calamities that should come upon Egypt in a short time, and of the conversion of many of them to Christ in Gospel times. The calamities are many; the Lord's coming unto them, which their gods cannot prevent, nor stand before, nor save them, and at which the hearts of the Egyptians are dispirited, Isa 19:1 civil wars among themselves, Isa 19:2 want of counsel, which sends them to idols and wizards, but in vain, Isa 19:3 subjection to a cruel lord, Isa 19:4 drying up of their rivers and waters, so that the paper reeds wither, and fishes die; and hence no business for fishermen, nor for workers in flax, or weavers of nets, Isa 19:5-10,15 the stupidity of their princes and wise counsellors, given up by the Lord to a perverse spirit, so that they concerted wrong measures, and deceived the people, Isa 19:11-14 a general consternation among them, because of the hand and counsel of the Lord; and because of the Lord's people, the Jews, who were a terror to them, Isa 19:16,17 and then follows the prophecy of their conversion in later times, which is signified by their speaking the language of Canaan, and swearing to the Lord, Isa 19:18 by their erecting an altar, and a pillar to the Lord, which should be a sign and witness to him; and by their crying to him, and his sending them a Saviour, and a great one, Isa 19:19,20 by his being known unto them, by their offering sacrifice to him, and by his smiting and healing them Isa 19:21,22 and the chapter is concluded with a prophecy of that harmony, and agreement, and fellowship, that shall be between Jew and Gentile, between Egypt, Assyria, and Israel; and that the blessing of God should be upon them all, Isa 19:23-25.