Isaiah 19:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.

NIV: In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.

NASB: On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the Lord of armies; one will be called the City of Destruction.

CSB: On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the Lord of Armies. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun.

NLT: In that day five of Egypt’s cities will follow the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. They will even begin to speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan. One of these cities will be Heliopolis, the City of the Sun.

KJV: In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.

NKJV: In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.

Isaiah's prophecies in this chapter appear to point to two different seasons in Egypt's future. In the nearer season, Egypt will experience sweeping judgment from the Lord, leaving the nation divided and destitute (Isaiah 19:1–15). The second season is set further in the future, when the Lord will return to earth and establish His kingdom (Isaiah 2:1–5; Revelation 20:1–4). In that era, the Egyptians will know who the Lord is and respect His power to destroy them (Isaiah 19:16–17). Then something remarkable will happen: The people of Egypt will begin to turn to the Lord. They will worship the Lord as their own God.

The passage states that five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan. Scholars suggest that the meaning here is that those initial cities will be the beginning of a nationwide repentance. All of Egypt will end up swearing allegiance to the Lord in this time. The act of learning Israel's language may indicate a humility to fully adapt to the ways of God's people.

One of these five key cities will be called either the "City of Destruction" or the "City of the Sun," depending on the translation. The Hebrew words for "destruction" and "sun" are extremely similar, distinguished by a small dot under one letter. Many scholars believe "sun" is the more logical translation; a "City of Destruction" doesn't easily fit the context of repentance. Also, there is an Egyptian "City of the Sun" called Heliopolis, or "On." It was a center of worship to the Egyptian sun-god Ra. If the people of the City of the Sun abandoned Ra and swore allegiance to the Lord God of Israel, Egypt's repentance would surely be complete.

Isaiah 19:16–25 presents a sudden change in tone. It follows an oracle of judgment against Egypt with a promise of future blessing from the Lord. This seems to take place during the kingdom of the Messiah on earth (Isaiah 2:1–5; Revelation 20:1–4). Egypt will fear the Lord and repent and worship Him alone. God will bless them, rescue them, and call them His people. Egypt will become peaceful allies with Assyria, and the Assyrians will worship the Lord, as well. Together, Egypt, Assyria, and Israel will bless the earth and be blessed by the Lord.

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).