Isaiah 19
19
1A message about Egypt. Look, the Lord is riding on a fast-moving cloud on his way to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the Egyptians will become weak with fear. 2I will encourage Egyptians to attack other Egyptians. They will fight each other, neighbor versus neighbor, town versus town, and kingdom versus kingdom. 3I will destroy the confidence of the Egyptians. I will have their plans become all mixed up. They will ask their idols and the spirits of the dead what to do through mediums and spiritists. 4I will hand the Egyptians over to a harsh dictator. A cruel king will rule over them, declares the Lord.
5The waters of the Nile#19:5. Literally, “the waters of the sea.” will fail, and its riverbed will be sunbaked and dry. 6The channels will start to stink; the branches of the Nile in Egypt will dry to a trickle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither away. 7The vegetation along the banks of the Nile, and all the plants in the cultivated land along the Nile, will dry up and be blown away. Everything will be gone. 8Fishermen will mourn: all of them all who use hooks to fish in the Nile will weep and wail, along with those who fish by throwing nets into the water. 9The workers who prepare the flax for linen and the weavers of white fabric#19:9. Probably referring to cotton. will be in despair. 10The cloth workers will be depressed, and everyone who earns a wage will feel sick inside.
11The leaders of Zoan are stupid. Pharaoh's wise counselors give advice that doesn't make sense. How can you#19:11. Referring to the “wise counselors.” tell Pharaoh, “I myself am a wise man, descended from ancient kings”? 12So where are your wise counselors? Let them tell you so you can understand what the Lord Almighty has planned to do to Egypt. 13The leaders of Zoan have become stupid; the leaders of Memphis#19:13. Literally, “Noph.” have been fooled; the important leaders of Egypt have misled their people. 14The Lord has mixed up a spirit of confusion for them to drink, making the Egyptians stagger around in everything they do, like a drunk slipping up on his own vomit. 15Nobody in Egypt can do anything, whoever they are—head or tail, palm tree or reed.#19:15. See 9:14. The palm tree was valued, reeds not so much.
16At that time the Egyptians will become like women. They will shake with fear when the Lord Almighty raises his arm against them. 17The land of Judah will be a source of terror to Egypt for whenever Judah is mentioned, all Egyptians will tremble over what the Lord Almighty has planned to do to them.
18At that time there will be five cities in Egypt that speak the language of Canaan#19:18. In other words, Hebrew. and who have sworn to worship the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.#19:18. “City of the Sun”: or as it is called today, using the Greek equivalent, “Heliopolis.” This reading is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in one version of the Septuagint etc. The current Hebrew text reads “City of Destruction” which may be related to the destruction of sun worship in the city.
19At that time there will be an altar to the Lord right in the middle of Egypt, and a stone monument to the Lord on its border. 20This will be a sign and a witness to the presence of the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord for help because they are being oppressed, he will send them a savior to fight for them and to rescue them. 21The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and at that time Egypt will come to know the Lord. They will worship him with sacrifices and offerings; they will make promises to the Lord and keep them.
22The Lord will inflict a plague on Egypt. He will do this, but he will heal them. They will come back to the Lord. He will respond to their prayers and heal them.
23At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.
24At that time Israel will be the third part of this alliance, joining with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing to the whole of the earth. 25The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt, my people, Assyria, the creation of my hands, and Israel, my special possession.”
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Isaiah 19
19
A Prophecy concerning Egypt
1A prophecy concerning Egypt: # 19:1 Egypt is a recognized symbol of the world and its temptations and snares.
Behold! The Lord Yahweh is riding on a swift-soaring cloud! # 19:1 See Deut. 33:26; Pss. 18:9–11; 68:34; 104:3; Isa. 60:8. Clouds can be a metaphor for God’s sons and daughters in glory.
He is on his way to Egypt!
The god-idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, # 19:1 See Heb. 12:26–29.
and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them!
2“I will stir up civil strife
and cause the Egyptians to fight against one another—
one against the other, neighbor against neighbor,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
3The spirit of the Egyptians will be in panic,
and I will confuse # 19:3 Or “swallow.” The Hebrew homonym can mean either “confuse” or “swallow.” their strategies.
They will seek guidance from their idols
and by the spirits of the dead
and consult with mediums and wizards.
4I will give over the Egyptians into the hands of a cruel master; # 19:4 Or “lord of severity”; that is, the king of Assyria.
a brutal king will rule over them,” says the sovereign God,
the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies.
5The Nile delta # 19:5 Or “The waters of the sea.” Waters could be viewed as an emblem of life-giving ministries. will dry up
and the riverbed will become parched and dry.
6Its canals will become stagnant and stink with rotting reeds,
and the streams of Egypt will dry up, from a trickle to nothing.
7All that is planted # 19:7 “All that is planted” could point to the teaching of the Word, sown as seeds into hearts. See Matt. 13:19–23. by the mouth of the river will dry up,
and the fields along the brooks will wither
and turn to dust blown away by the wind. # 19:7 See Ps. 1:4.
8Fishermen # 19:8 Fishermen can be seen as evangelists. See Matt. 4:18–19. will mourn. All who cast a fishhook into the river
and those who cast their nets will catch nothing.
9Those who make clothing from combed flax # 19:9 Flax was arduously combed to produce linen. will despair,
and the weavers of linen will be distressed. # 19:9 Or “become pale [white].” See Isa. 38:12.
10The pillars of Egypt’s foundations will be shattered # 19:10 The foundations of worldliness (Egypt) will be broken off of our lives. See Ps. 11:3.
and every worker grieved.
The Wisdom of Egypt Is Foolishness to God
11The elite of Zoan # 19:11 That is, her leaders. Zoan, one of the oldest cities in the world, is in lower Egypt, known by the Greeks as Tunis. Zoan means “the place of departure” or “depressed, low region.” (See also v. 13.) In the fields of Zoan Moses worked miracles to prove to Pharaoh that God had sent him to demand the release of the Hebrews from their slavery. are nothing but fools,
and the wisest of Pharaoh’s counselors gives foolish advice.
How in the world can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am a brilliant sage and a descendant of the ancient kings”? # 19:11 Or “I am a son of a wise man and a descendent of the [wise] Kedemite kings.”
12Where, oh where, are all your sages? # 19:12 See 1 Cor. 1:18–31.
If they’re so wise, let them discover and tell you
what the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies,
has planned for Egypt.
13Zoan’s elite have become utter fools;
the nobles of Memphis are utterly deceived,
and Egypt has been led astray by her tribal chiefs. # 19:13 Or “cornerstones,” a metaphor for Egypt’s rulers. Egypt was known for its wisdom, but the wisdom of this world (Egypt) has been found empty and vain. Christ is our wisdom (see 1 Cor. 1:30).
14The Lord Yahweh has mixed up their minds
and poured into them a distorted spirit
that will make Egypt dizzy and act like a drunk
who staggers around in his own vomit.
15There is nothing anyone in Egypt can do—
neither head nor tail, # 19:15 The head represents leaders; the tail, lying prophets. See Isa. 9:14–15. nor anyone of high or low position. # 19:15 Or “palm branch or reed,” a metaphor for the “strong or the weak, high or low.”
16In that day, the Egyptians will become like women who tremble in fear # 19:16 See Heb. 12:26–29. because the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, shakes his fist # 19:16 Or “hand.” The hand with its five fingers can be a metaphor for the five ministries of the Spirit (see Eph. 4:11). at them. 17The land of Judah will become the dread of the Egyptians. They will quake whenever anybody even mentions it to them, because of what the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, has in store for them!
Divine Grace for Egypt
18In that day, there will be five # 19:18 Possibly a figurative number (i.e., the five senses). Egyptian cities that speak the language of Canaan # 19:18 That is, they will speak the language (Hb. “lip”) of the people of God—a language of hope, not despair; of love, not hatred; a spiritual language of all that is sacred and holy. See Isa. 50:4; Zeph. 3:9. The Hebrew word for “Canaan” means “to be humbled” or “to bend the knee.” The language of Canaan would be the language of humility. and swear their allegiance to the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, and one # 19:18 Or “each one.” will be called the City of the Sun. # 19:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts have “the City of Destruction,” but the Dead Sea scroll 1QIsaa and a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, along with the Targum and Vulgate, have “the City of the Sun” (Hierapolis). The other four Egyptian cities could be Leontopolis, Daphne, Migdol, and Memphis.
19In that day, there will be an altar to the Lord Yahweh in the middle of Egypt and a sacred monument to honor him on her border. # 19:19 There has been conjecture that this “monument” (or “memorial”) may be the Great Pyramid in Egypt and might have been built by Job (Egyptian name Cheops). Job was a grandson of Jacob and a nephew of Joseph, who went into Egypt with the Israelites. He is mentioned in Gen. 46:13 and 1 Chron. 7:1 as Jashub or, in the Masoretic text, Job. Others view this as a future monument built to glorify God. 20It will be a sign and a visible reminder in the land of Egypt of the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies. And they will cry out to him when they are oppressed, and he will send a mighty deliverer # 19:20 Or “savior.” and champion to their rescue! # 19:20 If God responds to the prayers of the “Egyptians” (worldly people), how much more will he rescue his own people? See 2 Chron. 6:32–33; James 4:10.
21The Lord Yahweh will reveal to them who he really is, and the Egyptians will know him intimately. They will worship him with sacrifices and burnt offerings. They will make vows to the Lord Yahweh, and they will keep them. # 19:21 In response to the plagues (see Ex. 7–10), Pharaoh promised to let the children of Israel go but then took back that promise. Isaiah proclaims that this spirit of broken promises will be removed from Egypt.
22The Lord Yahweh will wound the Egyptians, but when they turn back to him, he will heal them. Yes, the Lord Yahweh will listen to their hearts’ cry, and he will heal and restore them.
23In that day there will be a highway all the way from Egypt to Assyria. # 19:23 The ancient Assyrian empire would include parts of northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey. Like long-lost brothers, the Egyptians and the Assyrians will be joined together and they will worship and serve the Lord Yahweh! And in that day, Israel will become the third partner with Egypt and Assyria as a blessing to all the earth. For the Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt, my people! Blessed be Assyria, my handiwork! And blessed be Israel, my inheritance!”
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