Yesaya 19:1

The Lord Will Judge Egypt

19:1 Here is a message about Egypt:

Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud

and approaches Egypt.

The idols of Egypt tremble before him;

the Egyptians lose their courage. ¹ 

Yesaya 19:16-17

19:16 At that time ²  the Egyptians ³  will be like women. ⁴  They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them. ⁵  19:17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them. ⁶ 

[19:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”

[19:16]  ² tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 18 and 19.

[19:16]  ³ tn Heb “Egypt,” which stands by metonymy for the country’s inhabitants.

[19:16]  ⁴ sn As the rest of the verse indicates, the point of the simile is that the Egyptians will be relatively weak physically and will wilt in fear before the Lord’s onslaught.

[19:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he will tremble and be afraid because of the brandishing of the hand of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], which he brandishes against him.” Since according to the imagery here the Lord’s “hand” is raised as a weapon against the Egyptians, the term “fist” has been used in the translation.

[19:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the land of Judah will become [a source of] shame to Egypt, everyone to whom one mentions it [i.e., the land of Judah] will fear because of the plan of the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] which he is planning against him.”