Isaiah 19:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The workers in combed flax will be in despair, and the weavers of white cotton.

NIV: Those who work with combed flax will despair, the weavers of fine linen will lose hope.

NASB: Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax And the weavers of white cloth will be utterly dejected.

CSB: Those who work with flax will be dismayed; those combing it and weaving linen will turn pale.

NLT: There will be no flax for the harvesters, no thread for the weavers.

KJV: Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.

NKJV: Moreover those who work in fine flax And those who weave fine fabric will be ashamed;

Ancient Egypt's wealth, strength, and power were all dependent on the Nile River. The Lord is showing Judah that Egypt (Isaiah 19:1–4) would become a husk of its former self. Under God's judgment, drying up the river (Isaiah 19:5–6), Egypt would lose one industry after another (Isaiah 19:7–8). The farmlands created by the annual flooding would cease to provide impressive crops of wheat. The fishing industry would be over. But the nation's dependence on the river went far beyond those industries.

Here Isaiah describes the despair of those who work in the linen industry. Egypt is still famous for its cotton, as it was in Isaiah's time. The cotton industry relied entirely on the flow of the Nile, first to grow the flax and then to produce the linen. All who worked to manufacture Egypt's fine linens would be unemployed. All the people—from those who comb the flax to break down the fibers to those who weave the threads together to make the rich fabrics—would lose their income.

The Lord wants Judah to understand that all of Egypt's prosperity is a gift from Him through the Nile. It is a gift that God can take away from a people who falsely believe that the idols they serve provide for them instead of the true God of Israel.

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).