إِشَعْيَاءَ 19:1

Smith Van Dyke Version

وحي من جهة مصر. هوذا الرب راكب على سحابة سريعة وقادم الى مصر فترتجف اوثان مصر من وجهه ويذوب قلب مصر داخلها.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Egypt: Jeremiah 25:19, Jeremiah 43:8-13, Jeremiah 44:29, Jeremiah 44:30, Jeremiah 46:1-28, Ezekiel 29:1 - Ezekiel 32:32, Joel 3:19, Zechariah 10:11, Zechariah 14:18

rideth: Deuteronomy 33:26, Psalms 18:10-12, Psalms 68:4, Psalms 68:33, Psalms 68:34, Psalms 104:34, Matthew 26:64, Matthew 26:65, Revelation 1:7

the idols: Isaiah 21:9, Isaiah 46:1, Isaiah 46:2, Exodus 12:12, 1 Samuel 5:2-4, Jeremiah 43:12, Jeremiah 46:25, Jeremiah 50:2, Jeremiah 51:44, Ezekiel 30:13

the heart: Isaiah 19:16, Exodus 15:14-16, Joshua 2:9, Joshua 2:11, Joshua 2:24, Jeremiah 46:5, Jeremiah 46:15, Jeremiah 46:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 15:15 - melt Exodus 19:9 - Lo Numbers 33:4 - upon their gods 1 Samuel 5:3 - Dagon was 1 Samuel 6:5 - off your 2 Samuel 17:10 - utterly melt Job 12:24 - He taketh Isaiah 13:1 - burden Isaiah 13:7 - every Isaiah 17:1 - burden Isaiah 19:3 - the spirit Isaiah 19:22 - he shall smite Isaiah 40:22 - It is he that sitteth Jeremiah 4:13 - Behold Jeremiah 43:11 - he shall smite Jeremiah 46:13 - Nebuchadrezzar Jeremiah 51:18 - in the Ezekiel 1:4 - a great Ezekiel 30:3 - a cloudy Ezekiel 30:18 - a cloud Nahum 1:3 - his way Nahum 1:14 - out Habakkuk 3:8 - ride Zephaniah 3:6 - cut Luke 9:34 - there Acts 1:9 - a cloud Revelation 10:1 - clothed Revelation 14:14 - behold

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The burden of Egypt;.... Or a prophecy concerning Egypt, as the Arabic version; a very grievous one, declaring many calamities that should come upon them. The Targum is,

"the burden of the cup of cursing, to make the Egyptians drink.''

The people of the Jews reposed great confidence in the Egyptians their allies; wherefore, in order to break this confidence, it was necessary they should be acquainted with the destruction that was coming upon them, which is the design of this prophecy.

Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud: or a "light" one q denoting the speed with which he came, he would come quickly, light clouds move swiftly; the suddenness and unexpectedness of his coming, clouds being rarely seen in Egypt, where was no rain; and the irresistible power with which he would come, for who or what can stop the clouds of heaven? not anything on earth, not armies, nor castles, and fortified places. The Lord is represented as riding in great state and majesty, as a general at the head of his army against his enemies; or as a judge going to try and condemn criminals; he rides upon the heavens, walks on the wings of the wind, and the clouds are his chariot, Psalms 68:4 so Christ is represented as coming in the clouds of heaven, and as sitting on a white cloud, when he shall come to judge the world, Revelation 1:7 though these words are not to be understood of that coming of his; and much less of his first coming in the flesh, to which they are weakly applied by Jerom and others; who, by the light cloud, understand the Virgin Mary, as the Christians of Syria; or the human nature of Christ, as Salmero, who relates, that upon Christ's flight into Egypt, and entering into Heliopolis, and the temple there, in which were as many idols as days of the year, they all fell, and so this prophecy was fulfilled r but of the Lord's coming to inflict punishment on the Egyptians; so the Targum,

"and, behold, the Lord shall be revealed in the cloud of his glory, to take vengeance on the Egyptians:''

and shall come into Egypt; not by Sennacherib king of Assyria, and his army, whom he should send to invade it, and enter into it, as some think; but rather by Cambyses and Ochus, kings of Persia; though it seems that what is here foretold should be done, was done, not by means of any foreign power, but by the Lord himself, who did by his own power and providence, or suffer to be done, what was done:

and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence; or tremble before him; these were many, the chief of them were Osiris and Isis, Apis, Serapis, Vulcan, Bubastis, c. some were living creatures, as cats, dogs, oxen, sheep, c. who might move and tremble, in a literal sense and some were images, "made with hands", as the Septuagint here render the word; and which, as the Targum paraphrases it, should "be broken"; the sense is, that they could none of them save the Egyptians, or deliver them out of their distresses:

and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it; like wax before the fire; even the most courageous among them, their soldiers, their army, with their officers and generals; which were the heart of the people, and their defence, and who used to fight for them, and protect them, but now would be dispirited.

q על עב קל "super nubem levem", V. L. Pagninus, &c. r Vid. Hackspan. Not. Philolog. in S. Scrip. par. 584.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The burden of Egypt - This is the title to the prophecy. For the meaning of the word “burden,” see the note at Isaiah 13:1. The word ‘Egypt’ in the original is מצרים mı̂ts^erayı̂m; and it was so called after Mizraim the second son of Ham, and grandson of Noah. Sometimes it is called Mazor 2 Kings 19:24; Isaiah 19:6; Isaiah 37:25; Micah 7:12; where, however, our English version has rendered the word by “besieged place or fortress.” The ancient name of the country among the inhabitants themselves was “Chimi or Chami” (Χημυ Chēmu). The Egyptian word signified “black,” and the name was probably given from the black deposit made by the slime of the Nile. ‘Mizraim, or Misrim, the name given to Egypt in the Scriptures, is in the plural form, and is the Hebrew mede of expressing the “two regions of Egypt” (so commonly met with in the hieroglyphics), or the “two Misr,” a name still used by the Arabs, who call all Egypt, as well as Cairo, Musr or Misr.’ (Wilkinson’s “Ancient Egyptians,” vol. i. p. 2). The origin of the name ‘Egypt’ is unknown. Egyptus is said by some to have been an ancient king of this country.

Behold, the Lord - This is a bold introduction. Yahweh is seen advancing to Egypt for the purpose of confounding its idols, and inflicting punishment. The leading idea which the prophet wishes probably to present is, that national calamities - anarchy, commotion, revolution, as well as physical sufferings - are under the government and direction of Yahweh.

Rideth upon a swift cloud - Yahweh is often thus represented as riding on a cloud, especially when he comes for purposes of vengeance or punishment:

And he rode upon a cherub and did fly,

Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

Psalms 18:10

Who maketh the clouds his chariot,

Who walketh upon the wings of the wind.

Psalms 104:3

‘I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven’ Daniel 7:13. So the Saviour is represented as coming to judgment in the clouds of heaven Matthew 24:30. Compare the sublime description in Habakkuk 3:3-10.

And the idols of Egypt - It is well known that Egypt was celebrated for its idolatry. They worshipped chiefly the heavenly bodies; but they worshipped also all kinds of animals, probably as living symbols of their gods. “Shall be moved.” That is, shall tremble, be agitated, alarmed; or shall be removed from their place, and overthrown. The word will bear either construction. Vitringa inclines to the latter.

And the heart of Egypt - The strength; the courage; the rigor. We use the word “heart” in the same sense now, when we speak of a stout heart; a courageous heart, etc.

Shall melt - The word used here denotes “to dissolve;” and is applied to the heart when its courage fails - probably from the sensation of weakness or fainting. The fact alluded to here was probably the disheartening circumstances that attended the civil commotions in Egypt, when the people felt themselves oppressed by cruel rulers. See the Analysis of the chapter.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XIX

Prophecy concerning Egypt, in which her lamentable condition

under the Babylonians, Persians, c., is forcibly pointed out,

1-17.

The true religion shall be propagated in Egypt referring

primarily to the great spread of Judaism in that country in

the reign of the Ptolemies, and ultimately to its reception

of the Gospel in the latter days, 18-22.

Profound peace between Egypt, Assyria, and Israel, and their

blessed condition under the Gospel, 23-25.

Not many years after the destruction of Sennacherib's army before Jerusalem, by which the Egyptians were freed from the yoke with which they were threatened by so powerful an enemy, who had carried on a successful war of three years' continuance against them; the affairs of Egypt were again thrown into confusion by intestine broils among themselves, which ended in a perfect anarchy, that lasted some few years. This was followed by an aristocracy, or rather tyranny, of twelve princes, who divided the country between them, and at last by the sole dominion of Psammitichus, which he held for fifty-four years. Not long after that followed the invasion and conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, and then by the Persians under Cambyses, the son of Cyrus. The yoke of the Persians was so grievous, that the conquest of the Persians by Alexander may well be considered as a deliverance to Egypt; especially as he and his successors greatly favoured the people and improved the country. To all these events the prophet seems to have had a view in this chapter; and in particular, from Isaiah 19:18, the prophecy of the propagation of the true religion in Egypt seems to point to the flourishing state of Judaism in that country, in consequence of the great favour shown to the Jews by the Ptolemies. Alexander himself settled a great many Jews in his new city Alexandria, granting them privileges equal to those of the Macedonians. The first Ptolemy, called Soter, carried great numbers of them thither, and gave them such encouragement that still more of them were collected there from different parts; so that Philo reckons that in his time there were a million of Jews in that country. These worshipped the God of their fathers; and their example and influence must have had a great effect in spreading the knowledge and worship of the true God through the whole country. See Bp. Newton on the Prophecies, Dissert. xii.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIX

Verse Isaiah 19:1. The burden of Egypt. — That is, the prophet's declaration concerning Egypt.