Isaiah · chapter 19 of 66
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Isaiah 19 announces the Lord's judgment on Egypt: its idols tremble, civil war breaks out, the Nile dries up and its wise men and counselors lose their way. The oracle then takes a surprising turn: Egypt will know the Lord, there will be an altar in its land, they will cry to the Lord and he will strike and heal them. The chapter ends with Egypt, Assyria and Israel blessed together.
Egypt was the power Judah looked to for help against Assyria, something Isaiah repeatedly questions. This oracle is one of the longest against the nations and has two parts: judgment on Egypt's trust in its gods and its wisdom, and a vision of hope in which the nations unite to serve the Lord.
The Lord rides on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him and the heart of the Egyptians melts. The Lord stirs up Egyptian against Egyptian: brother against brother, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. Egypt loses heart, and they consult the idols, the sorcerers, the mediums and the necromancers. The Lord hands the country over to a hard master and a fierce king.
The waters of the sea and the river dry up; the canals grow foul; fishermen and those who work with flax and weave are in distress. The princes of Zoan are fools, and the wise counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel. The princes of Zoan and of Memphis are deluded and lead Egypt astray. The Lord has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and Egypt staggers in all it does like a drunken man in his vomit. There is nothing Egypt can do, head or tail.
On that day Egypt will be like women, trembling before the uplifted hand of the Lord, and the land of Judah will be a terror to them. But the oracle changes: there will be five cities in Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. There will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of Egypt and a pillar at its border. It will be a sign and a witness, and when they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a savior. The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, which will know him and offer sacrifices and vows. He will strike Egypt, striking and healing; they will return to the Lord, who will listen and heal them.
There will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyrians and Egyptians will worship together. On that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth. The Lord of hosts will bless them: blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The Lord rides on a swift cloud to Egypt, and the idols of the land tremble at his presence. The power Egypt attributed to its gods collapses before the one true God.
The princes of Zoan are fools and Pharaoh's wise counselors give senseless counsel. The human wisdom Egypt prided itself on proves useless when the Lord judges.
The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing; they will turn to the Lord, who will listen to their pleas and heal them. God's judgment here has a purpose of restoration.
The Lord blesses Egypt as my people, Assyria as the work of my hands and Israel as my inheritance. Three former enemies are included in God's plan, a picture of universal reconciliation.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: They tremble before him, and the heart of the Egyptians melts. — Isaiah 19:1
Answer: Brother fights against brother, city against city and kingdom against kingdom. — Isaiah 19:2
Answer: Its waters dry up, affecting fishermen and flax workers. — Isaiah 19:5-10
Answer: They give foolish counsel and lead the land astray, because the Lord mingled a spirit of confusion. — Isaiah 19:11-14
Answer: An altar to the Lord, and a pillar at its border. — Isaiah 19:19
Answer: He calls Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands and Israel my inheritance. — Isaiah 19:25
Isaiah 19 reminds us that God is not the God of only one people, and that his purpose is to heal and reconcile nations once at enmity. In a small group, we can think of peoples and persons we consider beyond his reach and pray that the Lord will make himself known to them.
The chapter also warns against trusting human wisdom. Egypt had wise men and counselors, but when the Lord judged, their plans fell apart. True counsel comes from God, and whoever seeks it is not put to shame.
Isaiah 19 moves from judgment on Egypt to a vision of blessing shared with Assyria and Israel. Chapter 20 returns to concrete history: a symbolic act by Isaiah, barefoot and without his outer garment, announcing the defeat of Egypt and Cush by Assyria.
Interpreters differ. Some see a partial fulfillment in Jewish communities in Egypt, in the gospel reaching Egypt and Assyria in the early centuries, and in the faith of Egyptians and Assyrians in the Lord. Others see it as a promise for God's future kingdom. In every case it affirms that God wants to gather the nations.
The text says one of the five cities will be called that, though some manuscripts read City of the Sun. The difference is a textual reading, and translators note it. The point of the verse is that cities of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord.
It is a pattern of God's judgment: discipline to lead people to turn to him. Egypt will suffer, cry to the Lord and receive a savior. It is a sign of mercy even toward a nation that had oppressed Israel.