What does Isaiah 19:6 mean?
Ancient Egypt was formidable and self-reliant. What gave the Egyptian people the false idea that they were provided for by their idols and false gods? In large part, it came from the great and powerful Nile River's nearly unchanging cycle of flooding and recession. The Egyptians turned desert into farmland using irrigation canals and branches to harness the life-giving power of the river (Isaiah 19:5).The Lord wants Judah to understand that He brings that life-giving water to the desert. As such, He can take it away. God is describing in this oracle what will happen when He does. Without the water, those canals will turn foul and lifeless. The branches of the river will quickly vanish as the vegetation rots away in the heat of the desert. All the land taken back from the desert will be reclaimed by the scorching heat.