Bible Study Lesson for Isaiah 19:1-10: Egypt Judged (Part I)

(When I taught my two year long Bible study on Isaiah, I used The Pulpit Commentary Volume 10: Isaiah edited by H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell to give me a starting point and rough outline of the material covered in the chapters. In this article, when you read the phrase "my commentary", I am referring to this volume. I also used supplementary books and materials when I originally taught this study; these I've noted in {}s.)

Let's now look closely at our chapter in Isaiah, chapter 19. My commentary splits this chapter into three sections:

Verses 1-17: Egypt comes under judgment, probably at the hands of the Assyrians
Verses 18-22: Egypt turns to Jehovah
Verses 23-25: There is a spiritual alliance among Israel, Egypt, and Assyria

My commentary provides a detailed description of why Egypt is coming under judgment. { Read page 317, first paragraph of Homiletics "Pulpit Commentary: Isaiah }

Read Isaiah 19:1 "The Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt." The prophet uses natural imagery to show how quickly the Lord is going to act and how He is going to be personally involved. Compare this picture to the imagery in Psalm 104:1-3

My translation reads "the idols of Egypt tremble before him", while another translation reads "The idols of Egypt shall be moved" which gives a subtle difference. The Assyrians were known for "humbling" the gods of their enemies by taking the idols with them or even destroying them. So in this case, the idols would be actually, physically "moved."

"the hearts of the Egyptians melt with them" means the Egyptians will be very much afraid.

Read Isaiah 19:2 During this time in Egyptian history, there was constant tension between the rulers of Upper and Lower Egypt; the government broken up to be ruled by petty chieftains of different cities, with warfare among the cities not uncommon. Notice how the prophet progresses from conflict within the family, to conflict with one's neighbor, then between cities, and finally between kingdoms. There would be division and conflict at all levels of society.

Read Isaiah 19:3 The Egyptians were know for this idol worship. They believed that their gods would speak to them and give them oracles or prophecies. They were involved in magic and sorcery as well. Read Exodus 7:8-13. Later the magicians appeared able to recognize the work of God, long before Pharaoh (Ramses the Great) did. Read Exodus 8:16-19. {Read acticles and ads from "The Egyptian News" pages 17 & 18 }

Read Isaiah 19:4 "cruel master" My commentary gives a good case for why they believe this is Esarhaddon, King of Assyria. { Read description from page 313, "Pulpit Commentary: Isaiah 19:4" } There was another king which they thought was a possibility, but he did not have the cruel reputation that Esarhaddon did.

Read Isaiah 19:5-7 This would have been a fearsome prophecy for any Egyptian to hear. Their entire economy was dependent on the regular water supply of the Nile. Why there is going to be a water shortage is unknown. Perhaps there will be inadequate rainfall or perhaps the canals and irrigation systems will be so neglected because of all the civil unrest to cause the drought.

The first things to suffer from the lack of water, of course, are going to be the reeds and rushes, then the fields of the Egyptians.

Read Isaiah 19:8 The farmers will suffer, as described in the earlier verse, then the fishermen.

Read Isaiah 19:9 The flax fields will have withered so there will be no flax to spin into thread. And with no thread, there will be nothing to weave into cloth.

Read Isaiah 19:10 Since there will be no cloth, there will be nothing for the tailors and seamstresses to work with to produce the fine clothes the Egyptians so loved.

"all wage earners will be sick at heart" The entire economy will collapse because of the failure of the Nile. It will affect Egyptian society on just about every level. (Think about what happened to this country during the stock market crash that set into motion the Great Depression.) { Read articles from "The Egyptian News" page 10, 14, and 26 & 27 for examples of fancy clothes }

To be continued...

Sources
H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell (editors). The Pulpit Commentary Volume 10: Isaiah
Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford (notes). The Student Bible. NIV Version
Editors. The Egyptian News