Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses,
and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen,
because they are very strong; but they look not unto
the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!—Isaiah 31:1

A verse-by-verse study of Isaiah 19

Chapters 13 through 23 of the book of ­Isaiah contain a series of prophecies, or “burdens,” against ten nations surrounding Israel during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1). The burden of Egypt, the seventh in the series, is the subject of chapter 19.

The Hebrew word translated “burden” indicates an obligatory responsibility. The use of the word in Jeremiah 23:33 is illuminating: “When this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.” The word is a stronger one than “prophecy” because when a “burden” is laid on the prophet, there is an absolute necessity that it be delivered. Professor Strong says it refers especially to singing and Brown, Driver, and Briggs gives “uplifting, that to which the soul lifts up” as one of its definitions. Thus, while frequently associated with “woes” or prophecies of doom, these “burdens” of Isaiah have a bright side for they are uttered against the enemies of Israel. Even though some of these countries were allies of Israel at the time, their alliances were of expedience and not to be relied upon. Therefore the “woe” of our theme text was also a chastisement from God for the failure of his people to rely on him rather than on political confederations.

Judgment on Egypt—Isaiah 19:1-4

 

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. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 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. 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.

While there may have been a fulfillment of this prophecy in a literal sense during the time of Isaiah, the main application lies in the future. The complete anarchy described in these verses is elsewhere alluded to in other end-time prophecies (Ezekiel 38:21).

The LORD in this passage is Jehovah. Although he is spoken of as traveling into Egypt, the Hebrew word translated “presence” (pan­iym, Strong’s 6440) does not so much signify presence as it does the turning of a face toward. It corresponds to the Greek prosopon (Strong’s 4383) used in Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence [face] of the Lord.” The word translated “swift” (Hebrew: qal, Strong’s 7031) literally means “light.” Because light, or white, clouds contain less moisture, they are swift clouds. This connects well to Revelation 14:14, “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”

This all suggests a linkage between the “presence” or returned face of Jehovah with the second advent of Jesus Christ. The object of this returned attention of Jehovah to intervene in earth’s affairs is judgment. Egypt, in this context, is typical of the world, especially the Christian world (Revelation 11:8). The first effect is fear and perplexity at the turn of events. This coincides with Jesus’ words in Luke 21:25,26, “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”

At the time of the exodus, the Egyptians ­resorted to idols and the doing of supernatural works by the court magicians. This is reminiscent of the apostle Paul’s description of Jesus’ second advent: “Then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him [Jesus Christ], whose coming is after [or, accompanied by] the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalon­ians 2:8,9). The miraculous acts referred to are “lying wonders” and not truly miracles, only having the appearance of such. The illustration is particularly applicable to Egypt since it calls to mind the wondrous actions of Pharaoh’s magicians in withstanding Moses.

The cruel lord and fierce king into whose hands these workers of wonders in Christianity are relegated is none other than Satan himself, making one last stand before his thousand-year banishment (Revelation 20:1-4).

Plagues—Isaiah 19:5-10

 

And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither. 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 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. Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded. And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.

After Pharaoh’s magicians were subdued by the miracles of Moses, a series of plagues came upon that nation. In like manner, Isaiah describes the returned face of the Lord as being accompanied by a series of plagues or disastrous events upon the land itself. These plagues in this Isaiah study are concentrated on the Nile delta. The Hebrew word matsowr (Strong’s 4693; singular, or the plural Mizraim, meaning the two Egypts) literally means “[the delta of] Egypt.” Thus the “brooks of defense” refer to the seven branches of the Nile river.

The disasters described affect four of the foundations of the Egyptian economy:

1. The Papyrus reeds—Egypt was highly advanced in the literary arts. The library at Alexandria became the largest in the ancient world with over forty thousand volumes. Thus the manufacture of paper from the papyrus reeds was an essential part of the nation’s commerce.

2. Agriculture was the mainstay of the economy. With the Nile being smitten, irrigation for the rich croplands in the delta would be severely affected.

3. The fishermen—both the Nile where angle fishing was popular and the Med­iterranean where nets brought in the harvest—would be affected by these plagues.

4. The textile trade—ancient Egypt had a highly developed textile trade. The kalasiris, or flowing robe similar to the sleeveless Japanese kimono, was made of fine linen from native flax and was a chief export.

The net effect of the disasters was to be total economic collapse. A similar concept in second advent prophecy is found in the sixth plague of Revelation where it is the waters of the Euphrates, not the Nile, that is dried up (Revelation 16:12-16).

 

The Princes of Zoan—Isaiah 19:11-17

 

Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? 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 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. 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. Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do. 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. 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.

Zoan is the Hebrew name for Tanis, an important city at the southern end of the Tanic, at the beginning of an eastern branch of the Nile. It was the capital of Egypt from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth dynasties, when the capital shifted to Memphis around 725 B.C. It was during the latter portion of this period that the Isaiah prophecy must have been written.

Noph is another form of Memphis, indicating that this city was already rising to prominence. Noph’s princes were the Cushite brothers Shabaka and Piye who conquered Egypt from the south. Isaiah is thus prophesying against the twenty-fourth dynasty of Egypt and its Cushite or Nubian successor. In 701 B.C. Shabaka joined forces with Hezekiah of Judah in an attempt to thwart Assyrian aggression from the north. Although Assyria was the victor, it was not able to conquer Jerusalem.

Isaiah’s prophecy indicates that Jehovah opposed this union and punished Egypt with an economic depression. The “woman-like” fear would not be occasioned so much by the Assyrian conquest of Egypt (which occurred about a half century later), but by the reports of the success of the Assyrian campaign against Judah. Similarly all attempts at opposing alliances to Christ’s incoming kingdom are equally doomed to failure (Isaiah 8:12,13).

A Tale of Five Cities—Isaiah 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.

The chapter concludes with a series of four prophecies relating to “that day.” These prophecies apparently mark a time division in the chapter and relate, not to the time of the Assyrian conquests, but to a much later time when God will again turn the fortunes of both Egypt and Israel to prosperity. We understand these four prophecies to relate to the “end time” of the second advent of Jesus Christ.

The five literal Egyptian cities appear to include Bubastis (capital of the twenty-second Dynasty from 945 to 730 B.C.); Tanis (capital of the twenty-third Dynasty—co-existent with the twenty-second from 817 to 730 B.C. and the twenty-fourth Dynasty from 720 to 714 B.C.); Per Ramessu (earlier known as Avaris, one of the most important cities of the time); Memphis, capital of the twenty-fifth Dynasty from 716 to 656 B.C.); and Heliopolis (or, On, the priestly city). ¹

While it is indeterminate whether the language of Canaan refers to Hebrew, it seems the most likely probability and would well represent the “pure language” of Christ’s kingdom coming to the world (Egypt) from restored ­Israel (Zephaniah 3:9).

Manuscripts differ as to whether the unique city of this verse is “city of destruction” or “city of the sun. ² If it refers to the “city of destruction,” it would seem to represent that the religious elements of present society are destined for destruction. If it is the “city of the sun,” the inference would be that present religion would be replaced by conversion to the city of the “Sun of righteousness” that arises with “healing in his wings” (Malachi 4:2).

An Altar and a Pillar—Isaiah 19:19-22

 

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. 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 savior, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. 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. 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.

The movement of the new dynasty to Memphis placed the capital at the south end of the Nile delta which separated lower and upper Egypt. This location was to be marked with “an altar” and “a pillar.” The altar signified a place of worship while the pillar illustrated the structure as both a memorial and a boundary marker.

Such a structure exists some ten miles north of Memphis: the great pyramid of Giza. This pyramid, erected some thirteen hundred years before this prophecy, serves both of these functions. It marks the border between upper and lower Egypt while standing at the mid-point of the fan-shaped Nile delta (see photograph on p. 5). It also differs from other pyramids in the area which were built as burial chambers for the pharaohs. The Great Pyramid contains a memorial to the creator of the universe, his plan being etched in the stone layout of its rooms and passages.

In the day when this pyramid shall deliver its message to the world, it will serve as a place commemorating the worship of Jehovah. Those who comprehend its precognition of this plan will bring themselves as a living sacrifice. They will make vows of obedience to the incoming kingdom and perform those vows.

Then the Lord will turn from his destructive works upon society and begin the rebuilding process shown in the following “in that day” prophecy.

A Highway—Isaiah 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.

A highway is a means of communication. Highways between countries signify peaceful commerce and travel between them. As in the earlier part of this chapter, Egypt and Assyria were deadly enemies; so “in that day” peace would be once again established between them and that which they represent. Egypt was as much a model of civilization at the time as ­Assyria was of wild raiding elements. So today the world is divided into civilized and more war-like camps, between haves and have-nots, between conservatives and liberals. Little understanding exists between them. But “in that day” of Messiah’s kingdom, both sides will ­begin an era of mutual harmony and cooperation.

The metaphor of a highway is a frequent one in Isaiah’s prophecy. Most notably, in Isaiah 35:8-10 it is called “the way of holiness,” and aptly describes the educational opportunities of the kingdom in which all who will may “learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9).

Isaiah 11:15,16 describes the opening of this highway, likening it to the exodus from Egypt in Moses’ day: “The LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” The seven streams are the seven main branches of the Nile delta. The wording of this text suggests that the wilderness experiences of Israel pictured what earth’s inhabitants will face in their uphill battle to holiness.

Isaiah 40:3 and Isaiah 62:10 speak of the preparation of the roadbed for this highway as the gathering out of stones. This is the work of the present dispensation as both natural and spiritual Israel gain valuable lessons in the present time to assist all mankind in the Messianic kingdom to reach the goal of absolute ­perfection.

The Role of Israel—Isaiah 19:24, 25

 

In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

In ancient days there was a literal road joining Egypt and Assyria. It was called the Via Mar­is and was the most important international highway throughout the biblical period, originating in Egypt and running north by way of the Plain of Philistia and the Plain of Sharon. The road crossed the Carmel ridge at Megiddo, passed through the Valley of Jezreel, and continued by way of Hazor to Damascus (see Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary). ­Israel was the center point of this highway, and it was in Israel at a mountain pass just north of Megiddo where commerce could be stopped or permitted. Thus it is symbolically that the battle of Armageddon, named for Megiddo, will be the turning point from whence mankind will ­begin its upward climb to peace.

“In that day” then, the entire world, like Egypt of old, will be called “my people” and the disenchanted masses, pictured in Assyria, will truly be called the work of God’s hands. There will be a special role for the nation of Israel: God calls them and them alone his “inheritance.” Being at the mid-point of the highway of holiness it will be their privilege to help produce world-wide peace in their intermediary and ambassadorial roles as representatives of Christ’s Millennial kingdom.

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