Isaiah 19:1
1 The burden [massa'] of Egypt [Mitsrayim]. Behold, the LORD [Yahovah]
rideth [rakab] upon a swift [qal] cloud [`ab], and shall come
[bow'] into Egypt [Mitsrayim]: and the idols ['eliyl] of
Egypt [Mitsrayim] shall be moved [nuwa`] at his presence [paniym],
and the heart [lebab] of Egypt [Mitsrayim] shall melt [macac] in the
midst [qereb] of it. KJV-Interlinear
1 The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold,
the Lord is riding on a swift cloud, and is about to come to Egypt; The idols
of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt
within them. NASB
In this chapter, Isaiah
begins the prophecy concerning Egypt.
The word for Egypt, ‘Mitsryim,’ was so named after the second son of
Ham, who was Mizraim. The common local
name for Egypt, Chimi or Cheemu, means black, and is representative of the rich
black silt carried by the Nile and deposited during its flooding seasons.
The name has a plural
ending, ‘im,’ for the two Egypts, both upper Egypt, which was to the south
where the Nile enters into the region, and the lower Egypt, to the north where the
Nile forms its delta and empties into the Mediterranean.
The origin of the name,
Egypt, is unknown, but tradition holds that it was so named after the first
king or an ancient king, by the name of Egyptus or Aegyptos, most likely a descendant of Ham’s children. There is a similar Greek word, Aegyptos, meaning
place or projection of the soul, or place or projection of life, but that most
likely only identifies some characteristic of the region that already had its
name long before Greece was settled.
By its very nature and
name, Egypt was blessed by God, by both its annual flooding and replenishment
of the dark rich soils carried by the Nile, and its access to the riches of
Africa, as well as its ancestry through the sons of Noah.
But somewhere along the
line the projection of life, became interpreted as being derived from the Nile
and the land, rather than from God. And
thus the departure and downfall of Egypt, from a very early ancient time in
history.
Behold the Lord, is a
sudden introduction to the person of the Lord, in human form, not in some manifestation
of a spirit. And, it is stated in such a
manner that knowledge of the Lord is understood to be well known to all, and
therefore no further introduction is required.
Riding on a swift
cloud, indicates the mode and swiftness and suddenness and the ease of access that
God has, so that everything is accessible to God and nothing escapes His
access. Nothing can hide from God. And when God comes with the intent of
vengeance and judgment, then He wastes no time and swoops in from a commanding and
overwhelming position.
The idols of Egypt,
refer to the very well-known history of Egypt and its many idol gods, that have
been based on many heavenly bodies such as the sun and stars and such, as well
as animal depictions of those gods. As
well as the more recent depictions of religion in the more modern false religions
of Islam and others, including the secular attitudes that have, or are
currently, replacing the traditional religions.
In any case, Egypt has
been an overwhelmingly apostate state, throughout its entire history.
And when Christ appears
in those final days of history, to issue judgment against Egypt, its former
ways and beliefs and history and traditions and heart and soul, and so forth,
will melt away and be removed in the presence of God. Meaning, all of those things that are Egypt,
will be as though they never were.
