Isaiah 30:2

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹Woe to the rebellious children, declares the LORD, to those who carry out a plan, but not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. ²They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh's protection and take refuge in the shade of Egypt.³But Pharaoh's protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt's shadow your disgrace. ⁴For though their princes are at Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes, ⁵everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them. They cannot be of help; they are good for nothing but shame and reproach. ⁶This is an oracle concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lioness and lion, of viper and flying serpent, they carry their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people of no profit to them. ⁷Egypt's help is vain and empty; therefore I have called her, 'Rahab Who Just Sits Still.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

walk: Isaiah 20:5, Isaiah 20:6, Isaiah 31:1-3, Isaiah 36:6, Deuteronomy 28:68, 2 Kings 17:4, Jeremiah 37:5, Jeremiah 43:7, Ezekiel 29:6, Ezekiel 29:7

and have: Numbers 27:21, Joshua 9:14, 1 Kings 22:7, Jeremiah 21:2, Jeremiah 42:2, Jeremiah 42:20

the shadow: Isaiah 16:3, Isaiah 18:1, Judges 9:15, Lamentations 4:20

Reciprocal: Numbers 14:9 - defence 2 Kings 18:21 - upon Egypt Psalms 118:9 - than to put Ecclesiastes 7:12 - a defence Isaiah 7:18 - fly Isaiah 18:2 - sendeth Jeremiah 41:17 - to go Jeremiah 46:25 - and all Hosea 2:7 - she shall follow Hosea 14:3 - we will not

Cross-References

Genesis 16:2
So Sarai said to Abram, "Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her." Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Genesis 20:18
for on account of Abraham's wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech's household.

Genesis 25:21
Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

Genesis 29:31
When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

Genesis 30:5
and Bilhah conceived and bore him a son.

Genesis 30:6
Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son." So she named him Dan.

Genesis 30:13
Leah said, "How happy I am, for the women will call me happy." So she named him Asher.

Genesis 30:14
Now during the wheat harvest, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

Genesis 31:36
Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. "What is my crime?" he said. "For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me?

Genesis 50:19
But Joseph replied, "Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That walk to go down into Egypt,.... That walk out of their own land to go thither; who sent messengers thither to form an alliance, and get help and assistance, or went in person, to secure themselves from present danger. Jarchi refers this to the times of Hoshea, the son of Elah, king of Israel, who sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, 2 Kings 17:4. Jerom to the times of Jeremiah, to the history in his prophecy, Jeremiah 41:17 and others to Zedekiah. Kimchi thinks it respects the time of Ahaz, though there is no account, either in the books of Kings or Chronicles, of sending then to Egypt for help; or else to the times of Hezekiah himself; which latter is right, as appears from the insults of Rabshakeh, when Sennacherib's army was before Jerusalem,

Isaiah 36:6:

and have not asked at my mouth: or as the Targum,

"the words of my prophets they have not asked;''

they did not inquire of the prophets of the Lord, whether they should go down or not:

to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh; by making an alliance with him, and receiving men and horses from him, to assist them against the Assyrians; this Pharaoh was he whom the Scriptures call So, 2 Kings 17:4 and by other writers, Sevechus and Sethon:

and to trust in the shadow of Egypt; the protection that would afford them, in which they placed their confidence, and thought themselves safe from their other enemy, by having so powerful an ally; but this was but a shadow, as are whatsoever men trust in short of the Lord himself, be they riches or righteousness, or any creature or creature enjoyment.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That walk to go down to Egypt - Hebrew, ‘Going in the descent to Egypt.’ That is, they do it by their ambassadors Isaiah 30:4. The journey to Egypt from Palestine is always represented as going down Genesis 12:10; Genesis 42:3; Genesis 43:15; Numbers 20:15; Deuteronomy 10:22.

To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh - To form an alliance with Pharaoh, that thus they might be able to repel the threatened invasion. Pharaoh was the general name of the kings of Egypt, in the same manner as Caesar was the common name of the emperors of Rome.

To trust in the shadow of Egypt - A ‘shadow’ (צל tsêl) is an emblem of protection and defense, as a shade is a protection from the burning rays of the sun (see the note at Isaiah 4:6).