Isaiah 19:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more.

NIV: also the plants along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more.

NASB: The bulrushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile And all the sown fields by the Nile Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.

CSB: The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the cultivated areas of the Nile will wither, blow away, and vanish.

NLT: All the greenery along the riverbank and all the crops along the river will dry up and blow away.

KJV: The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

NKJV: The papyrus reeds by the River, by the mouth of the River, And everything sown by the River, Will wither, be driven away, and be no more.

Faced with the threat of unstoppable foreign invaders, the tiny nation of Israel looked for help. Why not make an alliance with the strong nation of Egypt to find some protection? Isaiah's oracle (Isaiah 19:1–4) is the Lord's word to Judah about the problem with such a plan. The Lord will bring judgment on Egypt that will leave them powerless. Judah must trust God alone to save them. Not only will Egypt become powerless because of internal division and external invasion, the Lord will dry up the lifeblood of the nation: the mighty Nile River (Isaiah 19:5–6).

Egypt was entirely dependent on the Nile for food, travel, and its economy. The river did much more than carry water to the desert. It was also predictable enough to anchor an entire civilization. On nearly the same week every year, the river would flood in lower Egypt. This flood would turn miles and miles of dry land into a shallow sea. Then, again with predictable timing, the waters would recede. The newly uncovered soil was rich and fertile: ideal for crops. It was such a predictable process that the Egyptians could easily become complacent about the annual abundance the river would provide. They were completely unprepared when that abundance didn't arrive.

The Lord declares to Judah that He will dry up the Nile. He would create empty spots of desert along its banks where abundant vegetation once grew. Everything around it will become a parched, dry wilderness. This situation parallels what happened during the life of Jospeh (Genesis 41:1–4; 28–31) when a sever famine occurred, likely caused by a drought that interrupted the Nile's typical cycle.

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).