Isaiah Institute Translation
Isaiah 19
- a10 Hebrew ᵓagmê nepeš, ponds for life, emended to ᶜagmê nepeš.
- b18 So LXX. MT city of destruction; 1QIsaa city of the sun.
King James Version
KJV
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Isaiah Institute Translation
IIT
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Masoretic Text
HEB
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The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. | 1 | An oracle concerning Egypt:When Jehovah enters Egypt riding on swift clouds,the idols of Egypt will rock at his presenceand the Egyptians’ hearts melt within them. | מַשָּׂא מִצְרָיִם הִנֵּה יְהוָה רֹכֵב עַל־עָב קַל וּבָא מִצְרַיִם וְנָעוּ אֱלִילֵי מִצְרַיִם מִפָּנָיו וּלְבַב מִצְרַיִם יִמַּס בְּקִרְבּוֹ ׃ |
And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. | 2 | I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians;they will fight brother against brotherand neighbor against neighbor,city against city and state against state. | וְסִכְסַכְתִּי מִצְרַיִם בְּמִצְרַיִם וְנִלְחֲמוּ אִישׁ־בְּאָחִיו וְאִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ עִיר בְּעִיר מַמְלָכָה בְּמַמְלָכָה ׃ |
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. | 3 | Egypt’s spirit shall be drained from within;I will frustrate their plans,and they will resort to the idols and to spiritists,to mediums and witchcraft. | וְנָבְקָה רוּחַ־מִצְרַיִם בְּקִרְבּוֹ וַעֲצָתוֹ אֲבַלֵּעַ וְדָרְשׁוּ אֶל־הָאֱלִילִים וְאֶל־הָאִטִּים וְאֶל־הָאֹבוֹת וְאֶל־הַיִּדְּעֹנִים ׃ |
And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel Lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts. | 4 | Then will I deliver the Egyptiansinto the hand of a cruel master;a harsh ruler will subject them,says the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts. | וְסִכַּרְתִּי אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בְּיַד אֲדֹנִים קָשֶׁה וּמֶלֶךְ עַז יִמְשָׁל־בָּם נְאֻם הָאָדוֹן יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת ׃ |
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. | 5 | The waters of the lakes shall ebb awayas stream beds become desolate and dry. | וְנִשְּׁתוּ־מַיִם מֵהַיָּם וְנָהָר יֶחֱרַב וְיָבֵשׁ ׃ |
And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither. | 6 | The rivers shall turn foul,and Egypt’s waterways recede and dry up.Reeds and rushes shall wither; | וְהֶאֶזְנִיחוּ נְהָרוֹת דָּלֲלוּ וְחָרְבוּ יְאֹרֵי מָצוֹר קָנֶה וָסוּף קָמֵלוּ ׃ |
The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more. | 7 | vegetation adjoining canals and estuaries,and all things sown along irrigation channels,shall shrivel and blow away and be no more. | עָרוֹת עַל־יְאוֹר עַל־פִּי יְאוֹר וְכֹל מִזְרַע יְאוֹר יִיבַשׁ נִדַּף וְאֵינֶנּוּ ׃ |
The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. | 8 | Fishermen will deplore their lotand anglers in canals bemoan themselves;those who cast nets on waterwill be in misery. | וְאָנוּ הַדַּיָּגִים וְאָבְלוּ כָּל־מַשְׁלִיכֵי בַיְאוֹר חַכָּה וּפֹרְשֵׂי מִכְמֹרֶת עַל־פְּנֵי־מַיִם אֻמְלָלוּ ׃ |
Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded. | 9 | Manufacturers of combed linenand weavers of fine fabrics will be dismayed. | וּבֹשׁוּ עֹבְדֵי פִשְׁתִּים שְׂרִיקוֹת וְאֹרְגִים חוֹרָי ׃ |
And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish. | 10 | The textile workers will know despair,and all who work for wages asuffer distress.a | וְהָיוּ שָׁתֹתֶיהָ מְדֻכָּאִים כָּל־עֹשֵׂי שֶׂכֶר אַגְמֵי־נָפֶשׁ ׃ |
Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? | 11 | The ministers of Zoan are utter fools;the wisest of Pharaoh’s advisers give absurd counsel.How can you say to Pharaoh,We ourselves are as wise as the first rulers? | אַךְ־אֱוִלִים שָׂרֵי צֹעַן חַכְמֵי יֹעֲצֵי פַרְעֹה עֵצָה נִבְעָרָה אֵיךְ תֹּאמְרוּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹה בֶּן־חֲכָמִים אֲנִי בֶּן־מַלְכֵי־קֶדֶם ׃ |
Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt. | 12 | Where are your wise men indeed?Let them please tell you, if they can discern it,what Jehovah of Hosts has in mind for Egypt! | אַיָּם אֵפוֹא חֲכָמֶיךָ וְיַגִּידוּ נָא לָךְ וְיֵדְעוּ מַה־יָּעַץ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת עַל־מִצְרָיִם ׃ |
The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof. | 13 | The ministers of Zoan have been foolish,the officials of Noph deluded;the heads of state have led Egypt astray. | נוֹאֲלוּ שָׂרֵי צֹעַן נִשְּׁאוּ שָׂרֵי נֹף הִתְעוּ אֶת־מִצְרַיִם פִּנַּת שְׁבָטֶיהָ ׃ |
The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit. | 14 | Jehovah has permeated themwith a spirit of confusion;they have misled Egypt in all that it does,causing it to stagger like a drunkard into his vomit. | יְהוָה מָסַךְ בְּקִרְבָּהּ רוּחַ עִוְעִים וְהִתְעוּ אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל־מַעֲשֵׂהוּ כְּהִתָּעוֹת שִׁכּוֹר בְּקִיאוֹ ׃ |
Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do. | 15 | And there shall be nothing the Egyptianscan do about it,neither head nor tail, palm top or reed. | וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה לְמִצְרַיִם מַעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה רֹאשׁ וְזָנָב כִּפָּה וְאַגְמוֹן ׃ |
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he shaketh over it. | 16 | In that day the Egyptians will be as women, fearful and afraid at the brandishing hand Jehovah of Hosts wields over them. | בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה מִצְרַיִם כַּנָּשִׁים וְחָרַד וּפָחַד מִפְּנֵי תְּנוּפַת יַד־יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר־הוּא מֵנִיף עָלָיו ׃ |
And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he hath determined against it. | 17 | The land of Judah shall become a source of terror to the Egyptians; all reminded of it shall dread what Jehovah of Hosts has in store for them. | וְהָיְתָה אַדְמַת יְהוּדָה לְמִצְרַיִם לְחָגָּא כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יַזְכִּיר אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו יִפְחָד מִפְּנֵי עֲצַת יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר־הוּא יוֹעֵץ עָלָיו ׃ |
In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction. | 18 | In that day five Hebrew-speaking cities in the land of Egypt will swear loyalty to Jehovah of Hosts. One shall be known as the City of Righteousness.b | בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיוּ חָמֵשׁ עָרִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מְדַבְּרוֹת שְׂפַת כְּנַעַן וְנִשְׁבָּעוֹת לַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִיר הַהֶרֶס יֵאָמֵר לְאֶחָת ׃ |
In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord. | 19 | In that day there shall be an altar erected to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt and a monument to Jehovah at its border. | בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה בְּתוֹךְ אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וּמַצֵּבָה אֵצֶל־גְּבוּלָהּ לַיהוָה ׃ |
And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. | 20 | They shall serve as a sign and testimony of Jehovah of Hosts in the land of Egypt: when they cry out to Jehovah because of the oppressors, he will send them a savior, who will take up their cause and deliver them. | וְהָיָה לְאוֹת וּלְעֵד לַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם כִּי־יִצְעֲקוּ אֶל־יְהוָה מִפְּנֵי לֹחֲצִים וְיִשְׁלַח לָהֶם מוֹשִׁיעַ וָרָב וְהִצִּילָם ׃ |
And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it. | 21 | Jehovah will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day. They will worship by sacrifice and offerings, and make vows to Jehovah and fulfill them. | וְנוֹדַע יְהוָה לְמִצְרַיִם וְיָדְעוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת־יְהוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וְעָבְדוּ זֶבַח וּמִנְחָה וְנָדְרוּ־נֵדֶר לַיהוָה וְשִׁלֵּמוּ ׃ |
And the Lord shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the Lord, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. | 22 | Jehovah will smite Egypt, and by smiting heal it: they will turn back to Jehovah, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them. | וְנָגַף יְהוָה אֶת־מִצְרַיִם נָגֹף וְרָפוֹא וְשָׁבוּ עַד־יְהוָה וְנֶעְתַּר לָהֶם וּרְפָאָם ׃ |
In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. | 23 | In that day there shall be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyrians shall come to Egypt and Egyptians go to Assyria, and the Egyptians shall labor with the Assyrians. | בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא תִּהְיֶה מְסִלָּה מִמִּצְרַיִם אַשּׁוּרָה וּבָא־אַשּׁוּר בְּמִצְרַיִם וּמִצְרַיִם בְּאַשּׁוּר וְעָבְדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת־אַשּׁוּר ׃ |
In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: | 24 | In that day Israel shall be the third party to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth. | בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁלִישִׁיָּה לְמִצְרַיִם וּלְאַשּׁוּר בְּרָכָה בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ ׃ |
Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance. | 25 | Jehovah of Hosts will bless them, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance. | אֲשֶׁר בֵּרֲכוֹ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר בָּרוּךְ עַמִּי מִצְרַיִם וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי אַשּׁוּר וְנַחֲלָתִי יִשְׂרָאֵל ׃ |
וַיְהִי בִּימֵי אָחָז בֶּן־יוֹתָם בֶּן־עֻזִּיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה עָלָה רְצִין מֶלֶךְ־אֲרָם וּפֶקַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל יְרוּשָׁלִַם לַמִּלְחָמָה עָלֶיהָ וְלֹא יָכֹל לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ ׃ | |
King James Version
KJV
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Isaiah Institute Translation
IIT
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And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. |
When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not overpower it. |
Apocalyptic Commentary |
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Two generations of kings from the time Isaiah receives his prophetic commission, an expansionist Assyria threatens to invade the kingdom of Aram (Syria), the ten-tribed Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah and to annex them into its empire. When King Ahaz of Judah refuses to join Aram and Israel in an alliance to resist Assyria, they invade the Southern Kingdom to overthrow Ahaz and put a puppet ruler on his throne who will join their coalition. Ahaz, moreover, becomes an important type in the Book of Isaiah of an end-time ruler who proves disloyal to Israel’s God. |
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Apocalyptic Commentary
Isaiah 19
Ancient Egypt, where Israel’s ancestors found refuge—birthplace of the birthright tribe of Ephraim, and of Moses, Israel’s deliverer—typifies a land with strong ties between Jehovah’s end-time people and end-time “Egypt.” In the Book of Isaiah’s apocalyptic context—when history repeats itself—the world’s superpower codenamed “Egypt” forms a part of Isaiah’s Greater Babylon and suffers covenant curses in Jehovah’s Day of Judgment. So great is Egypt’s desolation on the heels of Jehovah’s “swift clouds” that its people’s hearts “melt within them” as in Isaiah’s vision of Babylon (Isaiah 13:6-8).
Anarchy and civil war in the great superpower of the world form the prelude to its desolation. As much of the land is destroyed from within, Egypt’s enemies see their chance to invade from without. When Jehovah withdraws his Spirit because of a people’s evildoing, they are left to their own devices. Their alienation causes Jehovah to close the heavens. They lose the light they once had, and a man’s adversaries become those of his own people. Desperate, they turn to false channels of information—idols, spiritists, mediums, and witchcraft—only to compound their plight (Isaiah 8:19-20; 42:17; 44:17; 45:20).
The nation of Egypt in Isaiah’s day was ruled by a non-native Afro-Egyptian (Cushite) pharaoh of Egypt’s 25th dynasty (760-656 B.C.) (cf. Isaiah 18:1; 20:3-5). This was a period of extensive government programs but of moral decline that set the stage for Assyria’s invasion and conquest of Egypt. Like ancient Egypt, end-time “Egypt” deteriorates politically (vv 11-15), experiences economic hardship (vv 8-10), and suffers severe drought conditions (vv 5-7). Egypt—the breadbasket of the world—is reduced to poverty. Only the God of Israel, who rules over all nations, is able to save Egypt (vv 20-24).
The covenant curse of withering vegetation—synchronized with a plethora of other misfortunes—afflicts Egypt as its vibrant society wanes like the vegetation itself. Egypt’s flora epitomize the transitory nature of life for its corrupt inhabitants (cf. Isaiah 5:24; 37:27; 40:6-8, 24). Foliage that “shrivels and blows away and is no more” typifies the fate awaiting them and all who comprise Greater Babylon. Egypt’s bodies of water that dry up and rivers that turn foul, too, are a metaphor of its people (cf. Isaiah 18:2, 7; 37:25; 42:15), their pollution and evaporation signifying their descent into chaos.
A supremely industrialized and agricultural land, Egypt spirals into decay. Where once there existed plenty, now a dearth prevails. Where once Egyptians were gainfully employed, now they remain idle. Even traditionally staple livelihoods disappear. A spirit of “misery,” “dismay,” “despair,” and “distress” pervades Egypt’s society (v 3). A hitherto highly prosperous nation is imploding, leaving its large populace without seeming recourse (v 15). Like all who make up Greater Babylon, Egypt—the most elite of nations—is rendered wretched as Jehovah’s judgments come upon her (cf. Isaiah 24:4; 32:10).
In Egypt’s political capital, Pharaoh and his advisers follow foolish policies in their attempts at economic recovery, further exacerbating Egypt’s problems. Considering themselves as wise as Egypt’s founding fathers, they act presumptuously, only to lead Egypt deeper into ruin. Deviating from well-proven principles—relying instead on their own wisdom—they and their remedial strategies cause a loss of confidence in the nation, leading to anarchy and civil war (vv 2-3). If Pharaoh and his advisers are indeed as wise as they regard themselves, then let them predict what Jehovah has in store for Egypt!
Egypt’s ruling elite resemble disoriented persons possessed by a spirit of confusion who lead an entire nation astray, politically and economically. The people’s cumulative guilt has reached its saturation point. Only Jehovah’s judgments can cleanse the nation of its wickedness and idolatry (v 3). The motifs of a “drunkard” who “staggers” into his “vomit” link the nation of Egypt to Jehovah’s people of the tribe of Ephraim and to Ephraim’s intoxicated prophets (Isaiah 28:1, 3, 7-8; 56:10-12). The “head” and “tail,” “palm top” and “reed” allude to the people’s leaders (Isaiah 7:8-9; 9:14-15; 36:6).
The Egyptians’ behaving as women in that “day”—Jehovah’s Day of Judgment—implies not only fear in the face of danger but transgender issues. The hand Jehovah of Hosts wields over them identifies the king of Assyria/Babylon, who threatens to invade Egypt and all the lands that comprise Isaiah’s Greater Babylon. The “land of Judah” represents those parts of the world the archtyrant conquers first before invading Egypt, as Assyria did anciently. What Jehovah has “in store,” which causes “terror” and “dread,” is Egypt’s imminent day of reckoning (cf. Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; 22:5; 30:1-5; 31:1-3).
Five “cities” or city-states in the land of Egypt contain covenant communities of people who swear allegiance to Israel’s God in his Day of Judgment. Rather than trust in human measures to counter threats facing the nation, these inhabitants instead turn to their Maker. The existence of a “City of Righteousness” in the land of Egypt alludes to the affiliation of Jehovah’s end-time servant—Jehovah’s righteousness (Isaiah 41:2; 46:11-13)—with Egypt’s covenant communities (cf. Isaiah 1:26; 38:4-6). As Joseph in Egypt served as a savior to his brothers in a time of evil, so does Jehovah’s servant (v 20).
Just as a temple was built to Israel’s God in ancient Egypt by émigré Israelites, so one is built “in the midst” of end-time Egypt, its “altar” denoting both atonement for transgression and consecrated offerings. A “monument” at Egypt’s border suggests a memorial erected by Jehovah’s people who dwelt there. Their serving as a “sign” and “testimony” reflects these persons enduring loyalty in spite of their falling victim to injustices at the hands of oppressors. Just as Jehovah sent Moses in answer to his people’s cries in ancient Egypt (Exodus 3:1-9), so he sends them a “savior”—his end-time servant.
The presence of Jehovah’s servant among Egypt’s covenanters has the effect of intensifying their devotions to the point that Jehovah personally manifests himself to them. Because the verb to “know” signifies a consummated covenant relationship, the Egyptians’ worship of Jehovah results in their literally coming to know him, not just know about him. Underscoring their experience with Israel’s God is their worship by “sacrifice and offerings” and “making vows” and “fulfilling them” (cf. Isaiah 56:6-7; 60:7; 66:20-21), inferring that others who have made such vows or covenants aren’t fulfilling them.
Although it is Jehovah who smites the wicked—both his own people and the nations (Isaiah 9:13; 27:7-8; 60:10)—he uses the king of Assyria/Babylon as his instrument (Isaiah 5:25; 10:20; 14:6). Jehovah’s intent, however, is to cause the wicked to “turn back” to him—to “repent” and “return”—so that he may heal them. He heals them when at last they “see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand in their heart, and repent, and are healed” (Isaiah 6:10; cf. 58:1-8). Too often, however, only when wickedness results in covenant curses, does such healing occur (Isaiah 26:16; 27:4-5; 54:7-8).
A liaison between Egypt’s covenanters and remnants of Israel’s Ten Tribes who went captive into Assyria results in the latter’s renewal of their covenant with Israel’s God. Ultimately, the highway—called the “Way of Holiness” (Isaiah 35:8)—forms the way of return of the Ten Tribes and of all Israel’s tribes in their exodus to Zion (Isaiah 9:1; 11:15-16; 30:29; 49:9-12), preparing the way for Jehovah’s coming to reign on the earth (Isaiah 35:4-10; 40:3; 57:14; 62:10-11). In the end, the “Egyptians” and “Assyrians” who survive Jehovah’s Day of Judgment become one covenant people (vv 24-25).
At all times, those whom Jehovah “blesses” are his covenant people who keep the terms of his covenant. In the time of trouble leading up to millennial age of peace, three groups qualify for that privilege: (1) Jehovah’s covenanters who dwell in Egypt, whom he acknowledges by the covenant formula “my people”; (2) descendants of the Ten Tribes who went captive into Assyria, whom he names “the work of my hands”; and (3) the Jews, who were known as Judah from the time Jehovah’s people divided into two nations, but whom Jehovah recognizes as “Israel my inheritance” when his people reunite.
Jehovah first names the Egyptian covenanters because they minister to all of Israel’s tribes in the pattern of Joseph in Egypt. He calls Assyria “the work of my hands” because Israel’s Ten Tribes accept his servant—Jehovah’s right hand—and repudiate the archtyrant—Jehovah’s left hand—at the peril of their lives. Each group inherits the earth, including their former lands of exile: “Your entire people shall be righteous; they shall inherit the earth forever—they are the branch I have planted, the work of my hands, in which I am glorified” (Isaiah 60:21; cf. 49:18-22; 54:2-3; 65:9).