Глава 19

1–15. Egypt must suffer God's punishment. 16–25. The saving effect of this punishment on Egypt Isaiah 19:1–15. Since both the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah entered into relations with Egypt in order to find support in it in their struggle against Assyria, Isaiah instills in his fellow tribesmen the idea that this support is very unreliable. Egypt will have to endure, by the will of the Almighty, many humiliations (1). Civil strife will begin in Egypt (2) and although the inhabitants of Egypt will turn to their widows and wise men for help (3) to stop the evil, nothing will help and Egypt, weakened by mutual strife, will submit to someone else’s cruel ruler (4). The political decline will be followed by the decline of Egyptian industry. Due to the fact that the feeder of Egypt, the Nile, will dry up, everything in Egypt will wither and dry up (5–7), fishing will end (8) and the production of various materials from plants growing along the banks of the Nile will cease (9). The high and low castes in Egypt will decline (10), the priests and sages will lose their wisdom (11-12) and further damage the country with their unsuccessful advice (13-14). In short, everything in Egypt will fall into extreme disorder (15). Isa.19:1. Prophecy about Egypt. “Behold, the Lord will sit on a light cloud and come to Egypt.” And the idols of Egypt will shake at His presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt within him. "Prophecy". See Isaiah 13:1. “Egypt” - (see Interpretation of the Bible, vol. 1, p. 45, vol. 2, pp. 512, 514). In ancient times, this country was called Kat by the Egyptians themselves, later Kemi - “black”, due to the fact that the silt remaining in the Egyptian fields after the flood of the river has such a black color. Nila. The Jews called Egypt Mizraim, i.e. fences, probably denoting by this name the walls that separated Egypt from the Arabian desert. Egypt is a word of Phoenician origin and means a curved seashore. This vast country also includes fertile valleys along the river. Nile and vast deserts. In addition to the Nile, in ancient times Egypt was irrigated by numerous canals through which water was carried to areas where the floods of the river did not reach. Nila. In modern times, science has established the cause of the annual floods of the Nile - these are tropical rains that repeat annually at the same time in the places where the Nile originates, the rains from which melt the snow lying on the high peaks of the local mountains. The vegetation in Egypt in ancient times was richer than it is now, and the Nile Delta, in its fertility, was an inexhaustible breadbasket for all of Asia and Europe. The fauna of Egypt was also rich and varied. The ancient Egyptians distinguished between upper and lower Egypt. The first, with the main city of No-Ammon, or Thebes, was distinguished by the wealth and enormity of its palaces and churches, the second, with the main city of Nof, or Memphis, was famous for its forty pyramids. The descendants of Ham lived in Egypt - from his second son (Gen. 10:7, 13), a strong and beautiful tribe, engaged mainly in agriculture and at the same time reaching high levels in the development of culture and education in general. The political life of Egypt has long been molded into the form of a hereditary unlimited monarchy. The first king of Egypt (according to Lepsius) was Menes, who ascended the throne in 3892 BC; Historians number all the successive royal dynasties in Egypt up to 30. Subsequently, Egypt became a province of first the Greek and then the Roman empire. “On a cloud” - with this poetic image the prophet wants to indicate the speed with which the Lord will carry out his righteous judgment on Egypt (cf. Ps. 17:11; Ps. 67:34). “And it is coming” – more precisely, “it is arriving.” "Idols of Egypt". The Egyptians had an extremely large number of gods - patrons of various aspects of human life. The religion of Egypt was never monotheistic and the number of gods and objects of veneration in Egypt increased more and more over time... The appearance of these “gods” or idols was very diverse. There were images of people and images of bulls, birds, lizards, etc. "Heart of Egypt". Egypt will lose all courage - panic will reign among its inhabitants. Isa.19:2. I will arm the Egyptians against the Egyptians; and brother will fight against brother and against each other, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. By the will of the Lord, an internecine war will begin in Egypt. And indeed, already during the life of Isaiah, lower Egypt broke up into several kingdoms, the focal points of which were: Tanis, Memphis, Sais and other cities. These discords made it easier for the Ethiopians and Assyrians to take over Egypt, which took place shortly after the death of Isaiah. Isa.19:3. And the spirit of Egypt will faint within it, and I will destroy its counsel, and they will resort to idols and sorcerers, and to those who call forth the dead, and to fortune-tellers. "The Spirit of Egypt". The ability of reasoning will completely disappear among the Egyptian statesmen (cf. Is. 11:2). “I will destroy”, that is, I will throw into confusion all the plans and plans of Egyptian politicians. “Sorcerers” – own. “muttering” (haittim) indicates the unclear speech of the spellcasters. “Summoning the dead” – in Hebrew. haovot sl. Ch. 8 tbsp. 19. For “fortunetellers” – healers (hajidonim), see ibid. Isa.19:4. And I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a cruel ruler, and a cruel king will rule over them, says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. "The cruel ruler". Some interpreters see here a prophecy about the invasion of Egypt by the Assyrian king Asar-Gaddon, others see the fulfillment of this prophecy in the accession of Pharaoh Psammetichus and in the activities of the pharaohs Necho and Ghafra who followed Psammetichus, who, having seized the throne of the Egyptian kingdom with the help of mercenary troops, severely persecuted the native population, so that about 200 thousand Egyptians belonging to the warrior caste should have moved to Ethiopia then. The first of these two opinions is more likely. Assar-Gaddon, having defeated Pharaoh Tirgaku, divided Egypt into 20 districts, installed his governors there and placed Assyrian garrisons throughout Egypt. But it seems most correct to assume that Isaiah did not want to depict any individual person here, but gave a general description of the future destinies of Egypt. Isa.19:5. And the waters of the sea will be exhausted, and the river will dry up and dry up; Isa.19:6. and the rivers will become scarce, and the canals of Egypt will become shallow and dry; the reeds and reeds will wither. "River". If the Nile in its greatest flood was called the sea (ijom), then at its usual width it was called a river or stream (nahar). "Rivers" in Hebrew. naharoth, i.e. the branches of the Nile and its canals. “Channels” in european jeorej (from jeor - stream - the name of the Nile) can also mean large canals and drainage ditches. Isa.19:7. The fields near the river, along the banks of the river, and everything sown near the river will dry up, scatter and disappear. “Fields by the river”, i.e. the most fertile meadows at the mouth of the Nile. “What was sown by the river”, i.e. every sown piece of land. Isa.19:8. And the fishermen will weep, and all who cast their fishing rods into the river will lament, and those who set nets in the water will fall into despondency; Isa.19:9. and the flax processors and the white linen weavers will be in confusion; The Nile was very rich in fish (cf. Num. 11:5), and the scarcity of water in the Nile led to a decline in fishing. “Processing flax” – lit. from euros combing flax with wooden combs; From this flax material was prepared for sacred robes. “Cloths” - more precisely: different materials - both linen and even silk (in Hebrew, harir). Isa.19:10. and the nets will be broken, and all who keep live fish tanks will fall in spirit. "Networks". In euros The text here contains the word schutoth - foundations, but Orelli corrects it to something else - schoteiha weavers from schota to weave. Therefore, here the word nets can be replaced by the expression: weavers - the last half of the verse in Condamin is translated as follows: “and all the workers are in despair.” Isa.19:11. So! the princes of Zoan went mad; the advice of Pharaoh's wise advisers became meaningless. How will you say to Pharaoh: “I am the son of wise men, the son of ancient kings?” "Zoan" in Egyptian. Taan, now San (according to LXX Tanis), was located on the eastern bank of the second branch of the Nile from the east. It was the capital of lower Egypt during the Hyksoan era and remained so under Isaiah (cf. Is. 30:4). In ancient times, Egyptian sages were famous throughout the world, and the sages of the capital city, of course, should have enjoyed special honor. This wisdom or various secret knowledge was usually passed on in the priestly caste by inheritance - from fathers to children. "Son of the kings of old". – Kings in Egypt were chosen mainly from the priestly caste, which is why ancient writers sometimes call the pharaohs priests. Isa.19:12. Where are they? where are your wise men? let them tell you now; let them know what the Lord of hosts has determined about Egypt. “Let them know” – in Hebrew. text: let them inspire, explain. Isa.19:13. The princes of Tsoan went mad; The princes of Memphis were deceived, and Egypt was led astray by the heads of its tribes. "Memphis", in Egyptian. Mennufer, Mennufe (refuge of the good) in Assyrian. Mempi was another capital of lower Egypt. “Heads of tribes” - translated from Hebrew. cornerstones (cf. Is. 8:6) or foundations of tribes or regions from which the kingdom of Egypt was formed and into which it subsequently split again. Isaiah 19:14. The Lord sent a spirit of drunkenness into him; and they led Egypt astray in all her affairs, just as a drunken man wanders in his vomit. Isa.19:15. And there will be no work in Egypt that the head and the tail, the palm tree and the cane, can accomplish. “Sent” – in the Hebrew text: mixed, added. “Into it,” that is, into the country of Egypt, as if into a certain vessel. “Spirit of intoxication” - intoxicating moisture. Most likely, this intoxication took possession of Pharaoh’s advisors, who therefore led Egypt down a path that was not the one it needed to take. “Head and tail” – bosses and subordinates. “Palm and Cane” – the upper and lower classes of society. Isaiah 19:16–25. Having experienced all sorts of disasters, Egypt will come to the conviction that these disasters were sent to it by Almighty God and will bow with trepidation before the true God and His chosen people. First, several cities will recognize the power of the Almighty, and then all of Egypt will become a country of true worship of God. The Lord will begin to treat the Egyptians as he previously treated the Jewish people - sometimes with mercy, sometimes with anger. This turning of Egypt to the Lord will encourage other nations to do the same. According to the prophet, Assur will also believe in the true God, so that Egypt, Assyria and Israel will form a great triple alliance, in which true communion with God will be established. “On that day”, i.e. after the above disasters. “They will be afraid” - that is, they will understand that the Lord is truly the One Almighty God. Isaiah 19:18. On 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 the sun. “Five cities”, i.e. quite a significant number of cities. This number can be explained in this way on the basis that five is half of ten, and 10 is a symbol of completeness (cf. Matt. 25:2, 20). “The language of Canaan” is, of course, the Hebrew language, because the Egyptians called the country of the Jews Canaan. To speak someone's language means to think and believe in accordance with the people who speak that language. “Swear”, i.e. recognize the power and strength of the Almighty. “City of the sun” - according to the Masoretic text: ir haherem - city of destruction. One must think that there was an error in the Masoretic text and here’s why: a) since the speech in Art. is about converted Egypt, then the name for the main city of Egypt, indicating its destruction, is completely inappropriate; b) most ancient translations go against this reading. But if so, then what does the other reading, adopted by the newest critics – ir hacheres – mean? This expression means “city of the sun,” as translated in the Russian Synodal translation, but what meaning the prophet himself connected with this name - nothing decisive can be said about this. Isaiah 19:19. In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord on its borders. Isa.19:20. And it will be a sign and a testimony of the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt, because they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a savior and intercessor and deliver them. True worship of God with all external rituals will be established in the land of Egypt. The Egyptians, like the Jews, will serve the Almighty and approach Him through sacrifices. It is unlikely, however, that these words of Isaiah can be attributed to those partial cases of the Egyptians turning to the Jewish religion that took place in later times of the Old Testament. Most likely, here the prophet spoke about the future conversion of Egypt to Christ. 21 Therefore, in the altar he mentioned, it is best to see the churches of God, which appeared in Egypt in Christian times. “And a monument to the Lord” - according to the Hebrew text: pillar, obelisk (mazebah). He will stand, as can be translated literally from Hebrew, near or at the border of the Egyptian country and will be for everyone entering this country a sign or indication that the true God, the Most High, is revered in Egypt. Of course, the prophet’s words do not need to be taken literally: the prophet only wanted to say that the whole world would know about Egypt’s conversion to the true faith. But if Egypt turns to the true God, then God will turn to Egypt - he will send him His help, as He did when the Jews turned to him during the time of the Judges (Judges 3:9, 15; Judges 4, etc.) “Savior” - in Hebrew. hoschija. This was the name of the judges of Israel (Judges 6:36; Judges 12, etc.). “Intercessor” - in Hebrew. rab, i.e. fighter, avenger (cf. Judges 6:31). Isaiah 19:21. And the Lord will reveal Himself in Egypt; and the Egyptians on that day will know the Lord, and will offer sacrifices and gifts, and will make vows to the Lord, and will fulfill them. Isa.19:22. And the Lord will strike Egypt; will strike and heal; they will turn to the Lord, and He will hear them and heal them. The Egyptians will know the Lord, that is, they will believe in the Most High and recognize Him as the true God. “Sacrifices and gifts” - i.e. blood sacrifices and simple grain offerings. “And the Lord will strike,” that is, the Lord will admonish the Egyptians with temporary punishments, as He did with the Jews. Isa.19:23. On that day there will be a high road from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assur will come to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria; and the Egyptians together with the Assyrians will serve the Lord. Isa.19:24. On that day Israel will be third with Egypt and Assyria; blessing will be in the midst of the earth, Isa.19:25. which the Lord of hosts will bless, saying: Blessed is my people the Egyptians, and the work of my hands the Assyrians, and my inheritance the Israelites. “On that day” - obviously in messianic times. "Big Road". Such a road has existed for a long time. She went from Egypt through eastern Palestine and Syria to Mesopotamia (Gen. 37:25). But the prophet obviously means the road here in the figurative sense of the word. He wants to say that the Egyptians and Assyrians, who in his time were constantly at war with each other over the possession of Asia Minor, in the time of the Messiah will visit each other only with peaceful intentions, and not to fight. "They will serve the Lord." Egypt and Assyria will be united mainly by a common religion (cf. Is. 11 et seq.). "Israel will be third". The Jews were also constantly at odds with Egypt and Assyria. At the time of the Messiah, Israel will enter into a great spiritual union with its former enemies. “Blessing” - according to Condamin's translation, a particle like this should be added here: Israel will be like a blessing, that is, an intermediary in receiving divine blessings to the whole earth (cf. Gen. 12 et seq.). It is important to note that the Egyptians are given the title "my people" here, which was previously given only to the Jews. Until recently, the authenticity of the first part of the 19th chapter (1–15 vv.) was hardly disputed by anyone. Only Duhm doubted the authenticity of this place. Here are the reasons for his doubts he puts forward: a) Isaiah repeats the word Egypt six times in the first four verses, b) Isaiah speaks in too much detail about the means of subsistence of the Egyptian fishermen and weavers, c) Isaiah does not present the motives for his threats here. Following in the footsteps of Duhm and Scheyne, he completely rejected the authenticity of this section on the grounds, among other things, that in Art. 1–15. Chapter 19 there are expressions used in parts of the book of Isaiah that are not authentic, in his opinion. But all the mentioned Egypt? Why couldn’t he describe in detail the situation in which Egyptian industrialists and artisans would find themselves? As for the lack of motives for threats, then in other, undoubtedly, Isaiah’s prophecies against foreign peoples, these motives are also not indicated (see, for example, the prophecies about Moab in chapters 15 and 16). Finally, the idea put forward by Scheyne is very strange. The fact is that the same critic proves the inauthenticity of some other chapters from the book of Isaiah precisely because they contain expressions used in the first half of chapter 19; Thus, we get some kind of “circle” in the proofs... As for the objections to the authenticity of the second half of chapter 19, they are more serious. They are drawn from the terminology of this part of chapter 19, from the style, from the sympathetic tone of the prophecy, and especially from the details contained in verses 18-25. Duhm and Marti are found, for example, in the 18th and 19th centuries. an allusion to the construction of a church by the Jews in Egypt, in the city of Leontopolis, around 160 (Josephus Jude. Ancient. 13:3, 1) and therefore attribute the appearance of this prophecy to the half of the second century BC. But these objections are still not insurmountable. First of all, the style of speech rather speaks in favor of the authenticity of verses 16–25. Baudissin and Stade even say that if these verses do not belong to Isaiah, then, in any case, their author noticeably wanted to imitate the “manner” of Isaiah. Then, what is the point in the 2nd century. BC would it be possible to talk about the future fate of Assur, with whom the Chaldeans had long ago finished? On the contrary, the mutual relations between Egypt, Assyria and the Kingdom of Judah around 700 BC most likely could have given rise to the possibility of a future appeal to the Almighty by both first powers. Finally, if Duhm and Marti read in v. 18. instead of ir hacheres - city of the sun - ir haheres "city of the lion", to find here an indication of the city of Leontopolis, then their reading and translations are very doubtful: it has not yet been proven that Heb. the word haheres could mean lion... So, we consider all attacks on the authenticity of Chapter 19 not at all convincing. As for the time of this prophecy, it is best placed in the last years of Isaiah's ministry. This speech can be divided into stanzas as follows: 1 stanza – 1–4 art. – (3, 3) 2 stanza – 5–10 art. – (3, 3) Stanza 3 – 11–15 art. – (3, 3) In the second part of the chapter, no definite symmetry can be seen. Verses: 1, 3–5, 12, 16, 19–21, of this chapter are intended to be read as a proverb on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, probably because, according to legend, immediately after the Meeting of God the Infant was taken to Egypt, where all the idols fell before Him in the city of Iliopolis. If we approach it from the point of view of the multi-stage prophecies - that is, that at different times they can lead to similar situations - there is quite a point of view about the future introduction of pagans to the Christian faith throughout the world. Note ed. You might be interested in: