ISAIAH 19 AN ORACLE CONCERNING EGYPT
Isaiah 19
An oracle concerning
Egypt
Isa 19:1 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.
This is a solemn message concerning Egypt. The LORD is depicted as
swiftly advancing on a cloud, a symbol of His heavenly hosts (Ps 104:3; Ps
18:10; Ps 68:17). At the very presence of the Almighty, the idols of Egypt —
representing their many false gods — were shaken, alarmed, and removed from
their places, while the hearts of the people trembled in terror before Him.
Isa 19:2 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.
The LORD, Sovereign over all the earth,
declares that He will stir up discord within Egypt. They would rise against one
another — brother against brother, city against city, district against
district, and kingdom against kingdom. Historically, Egypt had 42 districts
(nomes) and was plagued by dynastic disputes and internal anarchy. Not long
afterward, the nation would fracture into twelve kingdoms, reflecting the
fulfilment of this prophecy.
Isa 19:3 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.
Exhausted by prolonged strife and internal
conflict, the Egyptians would lose courage, and their wisdom would fail. In vain, they would turn to idols, sorcerers, and necromancers. The
LORD would swallow up their wisdom, leaving them without counsel or direction.
Isa 19:4 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.
Eventually, the
LORD will allow Egypt to be ruled over by a harsh
ruler. Historically, this was fulfilled
by Psammetichus, one
of the native princes among the 12 rulers, who becomes the king by consolidating authority under his own hand and ruled with cruelty
and force.
Following national calamities, natural disasters would ensue. The
Nile, which was more like a vast inland sea than a narrow river, would become
polluted and profaned, losing its life-giving overflow. Its waters would stink
and its supply would fail at God’s command.
Isa 19:6 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.
The streams diverted from the Nile for
irrigation would stagnate, becoming putrid and offensive. These streams, which
once nurtured Egypt’s fertile lands and sustained its agriculture, would dry up
at their source. The reeds and bulrushes growing along their banks would wither
for lack of water.
Isa 19:7 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.
The papyrus plants, once prized for boat-making
and writing materials, along with every form of vegetation along the streams,
would perish. Fields planted beside these waters would be scorched and lost,
bringing further hardship upon the land.
Isa 19:8 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.
The fishermen, whose livelihood depended upon
the Nile and its streams, would grieve as the waters failed them. Those who
cast their hooks and spread nets would lament the loss of their trade.
Isa 19:9
Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be
confounded.
Those employed in cultivating flax for fine
garments and tapestries, highly renowned throughout the world, would be ashamed
and dismayed as their occupations vanished along with the failing waters.
Isa 19:10 And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
Even those who made artificial fishponds and
channels to raise fish from the river’s waters would see their efforts
frustrated. Their designs and livelihoods would be utterly broken.
Isa 19:11
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?
From this point, the prophet highlights Egypt’s
calamities arising from a failure of wisdom. Zoan (Tanis), a city of Lower
Egypt, renowned for
the miracles performed by Moses
(Num 13:22; Ps 78:12), would see its rulers and counsellors make ruinous
decisions. Though they claimed to descend from ancient kings and sages, their
counsel would prove foolish, unwise, and destructive.
Isa 19:12 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.
The prophet makes a pointed challenge to
Pharaoh, asking where his wise men are. If they truly possessed wisdom, they
ought to discern the calamity approaching Egypt, and reveal the LORD’s purposes
to Pharaoh — but they could not.
Isa 19:13 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.
Isaiah repeats his lament, declaring that not
only Zoan’s princes but also those of Noph (Memphis), the other chief city,
were deluded. These rulers, upon whom the people of Egypt depended for guidance
and security, had led the nation astray.
Isa 19:14 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.
A striking figure follows: as spices are
mingled into wine to increase its potency, so the LORD had mingled a spirit of
perverseness among Egypt’s leaders. Their counsels would become foolish and
harmful, causing the nation to reel and stumble in every matter of government
and public life — like a drunk man staggering and falling into his own vomit.
Isa 19:15 Neither
shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or
rush, may do.
God’s judgment would so thoroughly confound the
people that no one — whether high or low, noble or commoner, leader or labourer
— would be able to carry out any productive work. Every occupation and form of
trade would come to ruin.
Egypt and Assyria - Once enemies called Blessed
Isa 19:16 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.
‘In that day’ refers to the period when these prophecies would come
to pass. Egypt would become weak and fearful, like women gripped by terror,
trembling because they realised their conflict was not merely with men but with
the LORD of hosts Himself. At the shaking of His hand — the symbol of repeated
blows — Egypt would be smitten and subdued.
Isa 19:17 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.
The fear Egypt had toward Judah increased greatly. Judah became an
object of dread, not because of its military power, but because of the presence
of Jehovah in their midst. The Egyptians knew that the prophecies declared from
Judah would certainly be fulfilled and that the LORD of hosts had determined
judgments against them.
Isa 19:18 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.
‘In that day’ — during this time, five cities in Egypt would begin
to speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan, signifying their acceptance of the
religion of the true God. They would solemnly swear allegiance to the LORD of
hosts. One city would be called ‘The City of Destruction’ — a translation that
has faced much debate.
It’s understood that a city originally named Leontopolis, ‘city of lion’, once a place of pagan worship, was renamed ‘City of Deliverance’ in honour of the LORD. This city is thought to have housed a Jewish temple constructed atop the ruins of a former pagan sanctuary, where a pair of lions had once been venerated. The Jewish people, however, regarded the modified temple—built in the likeness of Jerusalem’s—as compromised, and thus referred to the place as the “City of Destruction.”
Isa 19:19 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.
Also ‘in that day’, there would be an altar erected to the LORD in
Egypt — not for sacrifices but as a place for true worship. A pillar, like the
obelisks common in Egypt commemorating significant events, would also be raised
at Egypt’s border with Judah as a memorial to the LORD.
Isa 19:20 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.
This pillar would serve as a sign and a witness for the LORD of
hosts in Egypt. In times of oppression and suffering under harsh rulers, the
Egyptians would cry out to the LORD, and He would send them a deliverer. The
‘great one’ mentioned here is commonly understood to be Alexander the Great,
who overthrew oppressive rulers and changed the course of Egypt’s history.
Isa 19:21 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.
The Egyptians would come to know the LORD personally, not merely as
a distant deity, but as One who hears and answers their prayers. Alongside the
Jews dwelling in Egypt, and those converted to their faith, the Egyptians would
offer sacrifices and oblations —at the temple in Jerusalem, according to the
requirements of the Law. They would travel to Jerusalem to fulfil their vows to
the LORD and make their offerings. The record in Acts 2:9–11 confirms
that both Judaism and later Christianity spread to Egypt, and this prophecy saw
its gradual fulfilment.
Isa 19:22 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.
Though the LORD would smite Egypt with calamities, His ultimate
purpose was to heal. Egypt would turn to the LORD, and He would respond with
deliverance, restoration, and blessing. In time, the true faith would flourish
there, compensating for the distresses previously endured.
Isa 19:23 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.
‘In that day’, meaning in later times under the Persian Empire and
during Alexander’s rule, Egypt, Assyria, and Israel would live under a common
rule, with peaceful relations between them. A figurative ‘highway’ would unite
them in trade, travel, and worship of the true God. Those nations, once
enemies, would be reconciled through shared experiences of divine deliverance.
Isa 19:24 In
that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a
blessing in the midst of the land:
In that same period, Israel would find itself
in good standing with both Egypt and Assyria. It would become a blessing in the
region, imparting to both nations the knowledge of the one true God.
Isa 19:25 Whom
the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and
Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.
Therefore, the LORD of hosts would bless them
all, declaring: “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands,
and Israel mine inheritance.” This closing verse reflects a remarkable
prophetic vision of peace and shared blessing among these ancient enemies,
brought together under God’s sovereign will.
*******
- Psamtik I. In: Encyclopaedia Britannica [Internet]. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.; [cited 2025 Jul2]. Available from:
- Spalinger A. Psammetichus, King of Egypt: I. Journal of the American Oriental Society. 1978;98(1):133–135. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40001126
- Krawczuk A. Onias’s Temple. Mondrala [Internet]. 2024 Feb 17 [cited 2025 Jul 2]. Available from: https://www.mondrala.com/post/onias-s-temple
- Diarna Geo-Museum. Tell el-Yahudiya (Jews' Hill) at Leontopolis, Egypt. Diarna Archive [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jul 2]. Available from: http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/87/
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