Isaiah 19:16-17

ב) The Transition: Egypt fears the LORD

Isaiah 19:16-17

16          In that day shall Egypt be like unto women:

And it shall be afraid and fear

33Because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts,

Which he shaketh over it.

17     And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt,

Every one that 34maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself,

Because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts,Which he hath determined against it.

TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL

Isaiah 19:16. חרד comp. Isaiah 10:29; Isaiah 32:16; Isaiah 41:5.——פחד Isaiah 12:2; Isaiah 33:14; Isaiah 44:8; Isaiah 44:11; Isaiah 60:5.——The verb הֵנִיף we have already read of the hand lifted up in threatening: Isaiah 11:15, comp. Isaiah 10:15; Isaiah 10:32; Isaiah 13:2; Isaiah 30:28.——תנופה, frequent in the Pentateuch, occurs in Isaiah only here and Isaiah 30:32.——Regarding the expression אדמת יהודה it is to be remarked that, apart from the frequent אדמת ישׂראל in Ezekiel, אדמה never occurs in connection with the name of a nation except here and Genesis 47:20; Genesis 47:26, in the expression אדמת מצרים——חָגָּא (from חָגַג, circulare, tripudiare), “the revolving movement of dizziness,” is ἅπ. λεγ.——The expression כֹּל אֲשֶר וגו׳, is a resolving of the otherwise usual participial construction, on which comp. Ewald, § 337, c, sq.—The Hiph. הִזְכִּיר is frequent in Isaiah 12:4; Isaiah 26:13; Isaiah 3:22; Isaiah 43:26; Isaiah 48:1; Isaiah 62:6, etc.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

1. The discourse is artistically arranged: according to the foregoing, Egypt still thinks it may be saved by its own wisdom. Now it has surrendered this hope. It trembles before the threatening gesture of Jehovah’s hand (Isaiah 19:16). In fact, whenever the land of Judah is thought of, Egypt quakes with fear lest the decree of Jehovah may be accomplished (Isaiah 19:17).

2. The expression of Isaiah “in that day” which is peculiar to the first part (in the second it occurs only Isaiah 52:6) appears with more frequency in the present chapter, than in any other passage: viz.: Isaiah 19:16; Isaiah 19:18-19; Isaiah 19:21; Isaiah 19:23-24. Comp. the remark at Isaiah 2:12. As often as one utters the name Judah, men turn affrighted to him, for they know but too well the power of the God of Judah. The counsel of Jehovah, then, of which Isaiah 19:12 speaks, must have been partly accomplished. Men fear its further and complete fulfilment.