Isaiah 19

Chapters 13 through 23 of Isaiah contain a series of oracles against the nations. Chapter 19 is the oracle concerning Egypt. The preceding chapter, Isaiah 18, concerns Cush (Ethiopia), and the following chapter, Isaiah 20, addresses Egypt and Cush together.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 The LORD rides upon a swift cloud and comes into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt tremble. The Egyptians are set against one another, and they seek counsel from idols and sorcerers. In the end they are handed over to a cruel lord.
• Verses 5–10 The Nile dries up, and the meadows and sown fields wither. Livelihoods such as those of the fishermen and the weavers of fine linen collapse.
• Verses 11–15 The princes of Zoan and Noph and the counselors of Pharaoh become foolish and lead Egypt astray. Egypt staggers like a drunken man.
• Verses 16–17 "In that day" the Egyptians will fear the hand of the LORD, and the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt.
• Verses 18–22 Five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan. An altar will stand in the midst of Egypt and a pillar at its border. The LORD will send a savior, and he will smite Egypt and then heal it.
• Verses 23–25 A highway will run from Egypt to Assyria, and Israel, together with Egypt and Assyria, will be a blessing in the midst of the earth.

Key Verses

• Isaiah 19:1 "Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt." This opening of the pronouncement of judgment on Egypt shows the sovereignty of the LORD over Egypt's idols.
• Isaiah 19:22 "He shall smite and heal it." This is the turning point of the chapter, showing that judgment is directed toward restoration.
• Isaiah 19:25 "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance." Here titles otherwise used for Israel are applied to foreign nations as well. The verse is often counted among the passages in the Old Testament that express the broadest vision of salvation for the Gentiles.

People and Places

• Egypt: The subject of this oracle.
• Pharaoh: The title of the king of Egypt, mentioned in the passage about the folly of his counselors.
• Zoan: A city in the northeastern Nile Delta, known in Greek as Tanis.
• Noph: Generally identified with Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt.
• Canaan: The "language of Canaan" in verse 18 is understood to refer to Hebrew.
• Assyria: The great power of the day, which in verses 23–25 becomes, together with Egypt, a recipient of blessing.

Points for Reflection

• The phrase "the city of destruction" in verse 18 is transmitted differently in different manuscripts. The Masoretic Text reads "city of destruction." Some Hebrew manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, read "city of the sun" (Heliopolis). The Septuagint renders it with an expression close to "city of righteousness."
• Interpreters differ on whether the "cruel lord" of verse 4 should be identified as an Assyrian king, a king of the Cushite dynasty, or a Persian king.
• Josephus reports that Onias, a member of the high-priestly family, appealed to verse 19 when he built a temple in Egypt in the second century BC.
• Some scholars regard verses 18–25 as a later addition, while conservative scholars regard them as Isaiah's own prophecy.
• The tradition of the Coptic Church in Egypt is said to have read verse 1 in connection with Jesus' flight into Egypt. This connection, however, is not something the text itself states.
• Many Christian interpreters connect the vision of verse 25, in which foreign nations become God's people, with the inclusion of the Gentiles in the New Testament, as in Ephesians 2:14–17 and Revelation 7:9–17.