Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Isaiah 19:1

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely
Isaiah 19:1ues

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.