Isaiah Chapter 19 – The Burden Against Egypt
Isaiah Chapter 19 is a prophetic declaration against Egypt, symbolizing the collapse of its idols, the confusion of its people, and the downfall of its rulers. Yet, the chapter does not end in destruction—it culminates in a miraculous restoration where Egypt turns to the Lord, acknowledging His sovereignty. This unique prophecy illustrates both divine judgment and divine mercy, showcasing God’s power to humble and restore.
Judgment and Redemption
✔ Egypt’s idols are exposed as powerless in the face of God’s judgment.
✔ Political turmoil and civil strife shatter the nation’s stability.
✔ The Nile, Egypt’s lifeblood, is struck with desolation.
✔ God’s sovereignty extends over all nations, including Egypt.
✔ Restoration is promised as Egypt turns to the Lord.
📖 Isaiah 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…”
🔎 God’s arrival on a “swift cloud” signifies His divine speed and authority. When He comes, false gods are exposed as powerless.
Isaiah Chapter 19 - Overview
Isaiah 19:1–4 – The Fall of Idols and the Collapse of Egypt
📖 Isaiah 19:1 – “The burden of Egypt…”
🔎 Egypt, a symbol of human strength and false worship, is now the object of divine judgment. The “swift cloud” imagery reflects God’s immediate intervention, disrupting the strongholds of idolatry.
📖 Isaiah 19:2 – “And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother…”
🔎 Civil war and strife break out among the Egyptians, symbolizing the collapse of unity. God’s judgment is not only external but internal—disrupting the nation from within.
📖 Isaiah 19:3 – “And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof…”
🔎 The confidence of Egypt fades, and its people turn to idols and sorcerers for answers. Yet, these false sources of power are exposed as empty.
📖 Isaiah 19:4 – “And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord…”
🔎 Egypt’s oppression is not random; it is a part of divine judgment. The nation that once oppressed Israel now finds itself under harsh rulers, mirroring its past injustices.
➡️ Idolatry leads to desolation. Trust in false gods crumbles when confronted by the true power of the Almighty.
Isaiah 19:5–10 – The Drying of the Nile
📖 Isaiah 19:5 – “And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.”
🔎 The Nile, Egypt’s source of life and economic strength, is dried up as a sign of God’s judgment. What was once a symbol of prosperity becomes a symbol of desolation.
📖 Isaiah 19:6–7 – “And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried up…”
🔎 Every waterway connected to the Nile is affected. Commerce halts, agriculture collapses, and the heart of Egypt’s economy is exposed as vulnerable.
📖 Isaiah 19:8–10 – “The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament…”
🔎 The fishermen who depend on the Nile are left destitute. The landowners and merchants weep as their wealth withers. God’s judgment touches every facet of society.
➡️ What is built on false security will be stripped away. Egypt’s strength lay in its river, but God’s power extends over creation itself.
Isaiah 19:11–25 – The Path to Restoration
📖 Isaiah 19:11 – “Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish…”
🔎 Egypt’s leaders are exposed as blind and foolish. Their wisdom is revealed to be folly before the judgment of God. Zoan, one of Egypt’s key cities, symbolizes its leadership and counsel, now stripped of discernment.
📖 Isaiah 19:12–13 – “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.”
🔎 God mocks the so-called wisdom of Egypt’s leaders. Their diviners and counselors are powerless to understand, let alone prevent, the coming judgment. Their wisdom, rooted in idolatry and sorcery, fails in the light of divine truth.
📖 Isaiah 19:14–15 – “The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof…”
🔎 Confusion spreads throughout Egypt as a direct act of God. Their unity dissolves, their plans falter, and their might is shattered. This mirrors the Tower of Babel, where God confounded the languages of men who exalted themselves.
📖 Isaiah 19:16–17 – “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…”
🔎 The image is one of fear and trembling—Egypt, once powerful and unyielding, is now filled with dread at the hand of God. Their strength is replaced by vulnerability.
📖 Isaiah 19:18 – “In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan…”
🔎 A prophetic glimpse of Egypt’s redemption. Five cities symbolizing grace (the number five in biblical typology) will turn to the Lord and embrace His truth, even adopting the language of His people.
📖 Isaiah 19:19–22 – “In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt…”
🔎 Egypt, the symbol of idolatry and rebellion, is shown in worship to the true God. An altar is established as a testimony of their repentance and acknowledgment of the Lord’s sovereignty. This foreshadows the inclusion of Gentiles in the covenant through Christ.
📖 Isaiah 19:23–25 – “In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria… Israel shall be the third with Egypt and with Assyria…”
🔎 The vision concludes with reconciliation and unity. Egypt, Assyria, and Israel—former enemies—are united in worship to the Lord. This is a prophetic picture of the millennial reign of Christ, where former divisions are healed under His lordship.
➡️ Judgment is not always the end—it often serves as the pathway to restoration for those who repent. Egypt’s path from idolatry to worship reflects God’s mercy reaching even the most hardened hearts.
Isaiah Chapter 19 - Deeper Study
Overview: The Rise and Fall of Egypt
🔹 Timeframe: Prophecy against Egypt, symbolizing both judgment and redemption.
🔹 Setting: The land of Egypt, its rivers, and its idols.
🔹 Theme: Divine judgment against idolatry and the promise of restoration.
🔹 Connection to Christ: Egypt’s redemption foreshadows the global call to repentance through Christ.
From Judgment to Restoration
Isaiah 19 begins with judgment but ends with redemption. Egypt’s pride and idolatry are brought low, yet God’s mercy reaches even to the hardened heart. The prophecy serves as a testimony that God’s sovereignty extends over all nations.
🔹 Idolatry is powerless against God’s hand.
🔹 Civil unrest is a mark of divine disruption.
🔹 Even nations that oppose God can be redeemed.
🔹 Economic collapse exposes the fragility of human strength.
🔹 God’s purpose is always redemptive, even in judgment.
➡️ The judgment of God is never without the hope of redemption.
Key Takeaways
🔑 False gods are powerless before the true God.
🔑 Political and economic power cannot shield from divine judgment.
🔑 God’s judgment is both corrective and redemptive.
🔑 Egypt’s fall prefigures the fate of all nations that oppose God.
🔑 God’s mercy extends even to those once hardened against Him.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Egypt’s judgment is fulfilled historically, aligning with Isaiah’s prophecy.
🔮 The drying of the Nile symbolizes the collapse of man-made security.
🔮 Egypt’s eventual redemption prefigures the end-time gathering of all nations.
🔮 The collapse of idols mirrors Revelation’s judgment on Babylon.
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Egypt was a superpower of the ancient world, known for its idol worship and economic strength.
📜 The Nile River was the lifeblood of Egypt, sustaining its agriculture and economy.
📜 Egyptian civilization relied heavily on its river and fortified cities.
📜 God’s judgment revealed the vulnerability of its power and idols.
Present-Day Reflection: False Security
Egypt trusted in its river, its idols, and its political alliances—but all of these crumbled under God’s hand. Today, many nations and individuals place their security in wealth, political power, or human strength, but God’s sovereignty still reigns supreme.
🔹 Political strength is fleeting—only God’s Kingdom endures.
🔹 Economic security can vanish—only God’s provision is eternal.
🔹 Idols of wealth and power cannot save in the day of judgment.
🔹 God’s sovereignty extends to every nation, including those far from Him.
🔹 True security is found only in the living God.
➡️ Build your foundation on the unshakable Kingdom of Christ, not the temporary strength of man.
💡 Final Reflection: The Mercy That Follows Judgment
Egypt’s story is one of judgment followed by redemption. Though they fell under God’s hand, they were not beyond His mercy. The prophecy ends with a vision of Egypt worshiping the true God, a powerful reminder that even those far from Him can be restored.
📌 Is your trust in earthly power or divine strength?
📌 Have you placed your hope in man-made securities?
📌 Will you turn to the One who judges and restores?
📖 Isaiah 19:1 – “The Lord rideth upon a swift cloud… and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence.”
🔥 Judgment may come—but mercy is always within reach.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Isa 19:5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
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.
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.
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.
Isa 19:9 Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
Isa 19:10 And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Isa 19:15 Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
Egypt, Assyria, Israel 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
Date Written
740–700 BC
Written By
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz
Language
Hebrew
Verses
25