Isaiah 19:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord God of hosts.

NIV: I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

NASB: Furthermore, I will hand the Egyptians over to a cruel master, And a mighty king will rule over them,' declares the Lord God of armies.

CSB: I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters, and a strong king will rule it. This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies.

NLT: I will hand Egypt over to a hard, cruel master. A fierce king will rule them,' says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

KJV: And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

NKJV: And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,” Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

The impact of the Lord's judgment against the spirit of the people of Egypt (Isaiah 19:1–3) will be devastating. When He incites them into division and infighting, they will turn to their false gods and occult practices. These will be of no help. Their hope and courage will be hollowed out (Isaiah 19:3).

That's when a fierce king will arrive on the scene to rule over them. A hopeless, divided people can offer little resistance against the rise of an unbending tyrant. This ruler likely will have no understanding that his reign is because of God's will. He will owe his success to the Lord God of hosts. It is the one true Lord Who will conquer the will of the people by revealing the futility of their hope in false gods and idols. It is He Who has set these people against each other.

Bible scholars differ as to which king Isaiah's prophecy refers. Some say it is impossible to know, and that this king may have been any of the many rulers which rose to power in Egypt. This tyrant could be either from within or as an invader. Others believe Isaiah was describing the moment in 671 BC When Egypt was conquered by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon.

Isaiah 19:1–15 is an oracle against the nation of Egypt. Isaiah describes the Lord, not Egypt's imaginary god Baal, as arriving on a swift cloud to judge the nation. The hearts of the people will melt, and their spirits will be emptied out. They will turn on each other. Neither their gods nor their wise men will be able to save them. Even the Nile River will dry up. Yet, in the kingdom of the Messiah, Egypt will turn to the Lord and be blessed by Him.

Isaiah's oracle describes the Lord's coming judgment on Egypt. The idols will fear when God arrives, and the people will turn on each other. A fierce king will conquer them. The Nile River will dry up, leaving many destitute. The advisors serving Egypt's leaders will be revealed as confused fools. Far in the future, Egypt will recognize Israel's God and repent, turning to worship the Lord. Assyria will join in that worship, blessing the earth along with Egypt and Israel.

Isaiah 19 introduces the next oracle against the nations of the earth. The Lord has been showing His people not to put their trust and hope in the foreign nations or their gods. They are to trust in Him alone to save them. The Lord's arrival in Egypt reveals the worthlessness of idols and spiritists. The terrified people will turn on each other. They will become destitute when the Nile dries up and the wise are shown to be foolish. In the far future, Egypt will worship the Lord and be blessed by Him.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).