l._The burden of Egypt. _The Prophet here prophesies against _Egypt, _because it was a kind of refuge to the Jews, whenever they saw any danger approaching them; for when they had forsaken God, to whom they ought to have had recourse, they thought that they had no help left to them but in the Egypti... [ Continue Reading ]
2._And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians. _Here he describes more particularly the calamity which the Lord had determined to bring on Egypt. By the expression, _I will set, _he means the internal struggles, in which those who ought to be mutual defenders cut down one another; and no evi... [ Continue Reading ]
3._And the spirit of Egypt shall be emptied. _(27) As Isaiah had, a little before, deprived the Egyptians of courage, so he now takes away their understanding, both of which are exceedingly necessary for the defense of kingdoms; for when these have been taken away, there is no possibility of transac... [ Continue Reading ]
4._And I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master. _(28) He now shews what will happen to the Egyptians, after having lost courage and been deprived of understanding. Nothing will be left for them but to be reduced to slavery; for a nation destitute of these must fall of its own ac... [ Continue Reading ]
5._Then the waters shall fail from the sea. _He follows out the subject which he had already begun, that the fortifications, by which the Egyptians thought that they were admirably defended, will be of no avail to them. They reckoned themselves to be invincible, because they were surrounded by the s... [ Continue Reading ]
6._And the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up. _(31) What he adds about fortifications is to the same purpose with what he had stated immediately before. He alludes to the embankments, which not only restrained the overflowing of the Nile, but protected the whole country; as if he had s... [ Continue Reading ]
7._And the reed and the rush shall wither. _He mentions _the reed _and _the rush, _because they had abundance of them, and employed them for various purposes; or, it may be thought to mean that the marshes will be dried up. _By the mouth of the brooks. _Some render it _embankments, _but it rather me... [ Continue Reading ]
8._And the fishers shall mourn. _Isaiah still keeps in his eye the condition of Egypt. We have formerly mentioned (32) that the prophets made use of those figures of speech by which, when any country is mentioned, they chiefly name those things which abound in that country, and for which it is celeb... [ Continue Reading ]
9._And they who work in the finest flax. _As he spoke of mourning, so he now speaks of shame; for they who formerly earned an abundant livelihood by this trade will have no gains. Now, the two occupations are closely connected, to weave nets and to fish. Yet it is doubtful if he speaks of those only... [ Continue Reading ]
10._And all that make ponds. _As to the word שכר, (_secher,_) there is no absolute necessity, in my opinion, for translating it _a net; _for the derivation shews it, on the contrary, to denote a lucrative occupation. (34) Where fishes are very abundant, they are also preserved in pools and ponds; b... [ Continue Reading ]
11._Surely the princes of Zoan are fools. _Here he joins wisdom with folly, and not without reason; for it is impossible to take away from men a conviction of their wisdom, which leads them to believe, in opposition to God himself, that they are wise. It is therefore a kind of acknowledgment, when h... [ Continue Reading ]
12._Where are thy wise men? that they may tell thee. _Though literally it runs thus, “_And _they shall tell thee, and shall know,” yet the word ought to be regarded as meaning, “that they may tell thee, and even that at length they may know;” for this mode of expression is frequently employed by the... [ Continue Reading ]
13._The princes of Zoan are become infatuated, the princes of Noph are deceived. Zoan _was one of the chief cities of Egypt; _Noph _also was highly celebrated; (36) but what cities they were we cannot with certainty determine. Some think that one of them was Alexandria, the antiquity and wealth of w... [ Continue Reading ]
14._The Lord hath mingled a spirit of perverseness. _Because it was a thing unexpected and incredible that the leaders of a sagacious and prudent nation would destroy the country by their stupidity, the Prophet therefore ascribes it to the judgment of God, that the Jews may not shut their eyes again... [ Continue Reading ]
15._Neither shall Egypt have any work to do. _This is the conclusion of the former statement, for it means that all the Egyptians shall be stupefied to such a degree that whatever they undertake shall be fruitless. This must happen where there is no counsel, and it is the righteous punishment of our... [ Continue Reading ]
16._In that day shall Egypt be like women. _He again repeats what he had formerly said, that the Egyptians will have nothing that is manly. Some think that he alludes to an effeminate custom, on account of which the ancient historians censured the Egyptians, namely, that, by inverting the order of t... [ Continue Reading ]
17._And the land of Judah shall be a terror to the Egyptians. _Some explain it simply to mean, that the land of Judah will be an astonishment to the Egyptians as well as to other nations, and compare this passage with the saying which has formerly come under our observation, “You shall be an astonis... [ Continue Reading ]
18._In that day there shall be five cities. _After having threatened the Egyptians, and at the same time explained the reason of the divine judgment, he comforts them, and promises the mercy of God. He declares that they will be in part restored, and will regain a prosperous and flourishing conditio... [ Continue Reading ]
19._In that day shall there be an altar in the midst of the land of Egypt. _He continues what he had said in the former verse, and states more clearly that the aspect of Egypt will be renewed, because there true religion will flourish, the pure worship of God will be set up, and all superstitions wi... [ Continue Reading ]
20._And he will send them a Savior. _We cannot serve God unless he first bestow his grace upon us; for no one will dedicate himself to God, till he be drawn by his goodness, and embrace him with all his heart. He must therefore call us to him before we call upon him; we can have no access till he fi... [ Continue Reading ]
21._And the Lord shall be known by the Egyptians. _Isaiah now adds what was most important; for we cannot worship the Lord, or call upon him, till we have first acknowledged him to be our Father. “How,” says Paul, “shall they call on him whom they know not?” (47) (Romans 10:14.) We cannot be partake... [ Continue Reading ]
22._Therefore Jehovah will smite Egypt. _From what has been already said the Prophet draws the conclusion, that the chastisement which he has mentioned will be advantageous to the Egyptians, because it will be a preparation for their conversion; (49) as if he had said, that it will be for the good o... [ Continue Reading ]
23._In that day. _The Prophet now foretells that the Lord will diffuse his goodness throughout the whole world; as if he had said, “It will not be shut up in a corner, or exclusively known, as it formerly was, by a single nation.” Here he speaks of two nations that were the most inveterate enemies o... [ Continue Reading ]
24._In that day shall Israel. _Isaiah concludes the promise which he had briefly glanced at, that the Egyptians and Assyrians, as well as Israel, shall be _blessed_. Formerly the grace of God was in some measure confined to Israel, because with that nation only had the Lord entered into covenant. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
25._Because the Lord of hosts will bless him. _(58) He assigns a reason, and explains the former statement; for he shews that, through the undeserved goodness of God, the Assyrians and Egyptians shall be admitted to fellowship with the chosen people of God. As if he had said, “Though these titles be... [ Continue Reading ]