1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, HaShem rideth upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt within it.
Tertullian · AD 220 Egypt is sometimes understood to mean the whole world in [Isaiah], because of superstition and malediction.
Jerome · AD 420 (Chapter 19, Verse 1) The Burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord will ascend upon a light cloud, and will enter into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst thereof.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 The burden of Egypt. In this part, he threatens the destruction of the Egyptians, describing the manner and the order. And this is divided into three parts: in the first, the preparation of the punishment is described; in the second, the destruction itself: and I will deliver Egypt (Isa 19:4); in the third, the attainment of advantage, where it says, in that day there shall be…
2 And I will spur Egypt against Egypt; and they shall fight every one against his brother, and everyone against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Jerome · AD 420 And the Egyptians rose up against the Egyptians, according to that which the Lord speaks in the Gospel: Think not that I am come to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I am come to divide a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (Matt. X, 34 seqq.).
Isidore of Seville · AD 636 Daughters of Tyre, daughters of the nations, from species to genus. Through Tyre, neighbor to the land of prophecy, the psalmist signifies all the people who would come to believe in Christ.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, as to the dissension of those who resist, as to external contact: and I will set, as to strangers: the Egyptians to fight against the Egyptians; as to kindred, they shall fight brother against brother; as to acquaintances and friends: and friend against friend; as to different peoples, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt shall be made empty within it; and I will make void the counsel thereof; and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the whisperers, and to the ghosts, and to the familiar spirits.
Jerome · AD 420 And the spirit of Egypt was disrupted in their hearts, so that they would not feel equal; but separated by a spiritual sword against themselves, they would recognize that all their plans had been thrown away: and nevertheless, remaining in their previous error, those who had refused to accept the truth of faith would consult idols and their gods, and Pythonesses, and soothsayer…
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 He sets out the diversity of wills: the spirit, that is, the will, shall be broken, that is, divided, in the bowels thereof, that is, in the inhabitants of the land: every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate (Matt 12:25).
4 And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the L-rd, HaShem of hosts.
Jerome · AD 420 And when they did this, the Lord delivered them into the hands of cruel masters, according to the apostle's saying: Whom I have delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme (1 Tim. 1:20); being oppressed by the harshest servitude, may they return to the most merciful Lord. And fittingly, he calls the cruel demons their masters, to whom nothing is more cruel.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 And I will deliver Egypt. Here he describes the destruction itself; and first, as to the slavery of the people; second, as to the desolation of the land: and the water of the sea shall be dried up (Isa 19:5); third, as to the stupidity of their wise men: the princes of Tanis are become fools (Isa 19:11).
5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be drained dry,
Jerome · AD 420 (Verset 5 et suiv.) And the sea water will dry up, and the river will be deserted and dried up, and the rivers will fail, and the streams of the embankments will be thin and dry up. The reed and the rush will wither, the bed of the river will be exposed from its source, and all irrigated crops will dry up. It will dry up and cease to exist.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 The destruction of the land he designates by the drought of the waters in which Egypt is well-endowed and rich; because the wrath of God goes before so that their waters are dried up and their animals die; or he speaks hyperbolically, as if to say: so great will be the tribulation that it will seem even to dry up the waters. Therefore, he sets out three things.
6 And the rivers shall become foul; the streams of Egypt shall be minished and dried up; the reeds and flags shall wither.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 And the rivers, other rivers: I will make the channels of the rivers dry (Ezek 30:12). Second, he sets out the sign of the drought: the reed and the bulrush, which are raised in the water, below: shall rise up the verdure of the reed and the bulrush (Isa 35:7).
7 The mosses by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile, shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, he sets out the ruin from the drought, shall be laid bare: first, the ruin of agriculture, from its fountain, that is, from its beginning, or this to the end: he has turned rivers into a wilderness: and the sources of waters into dry ground (Ps 106[107]:33).
8 The fishers also shall lament, and all they that cast angle into the Nile shall mourn, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
Jerome · AD 420 (v. 8-10) And the fishermen shall mourn, and all those who cast the hook into the river shall lament, and those who spread the net over the face of the water shall wither away. And those who work with flax, twisting and weaving fine fabrics, shall be put to shame; and its pools shall be dried up, and all those who make fishing-gear for catching fish shall mourn.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, the ruin of fishers: the fishers also shall mourn: I will cast you forth into the desert, and all the fish of your river (Ezek 29:5).
9 Moreover they that work in combed flax, and they that weave cotton, shall be ashamed.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, the ruin of various craftsmen, they shall be confounded that wrought in flax, which is raised in wet places. Flaccid, that is, parched, pools, fish ponds.
10 And her foundations shall be crushed, all they that make dams shall be grieved in soul.
11 The princes of Zoan are utter fools; the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh are a senseless counsel; how can ye say unto Pharaoh: 'I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings'?
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 And the Father says to him: Return to me, calling him from the earth to heaven, whom he had sent for our salvation. Therefore, raising up his only-begotten Son, he frustrated the plan of the slanderers. Hence, Isaiah also says: The futile plan of your spirit.
Jerome · AD 420 (Vers. 11-13.) The foolish princes of Tanis, the wise counselors of Pharaoh, gave foolish counsel: How can you say to Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? Where are your wise men now? Let them tell you and make known what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 The princes of Tanis are become fools. Here he sets out the stupidity of their men; and first, as to error in their counsels; second, as to fear in wars, where it says, in that day Egypt shall be like unto women (Isa 19:16). Concerning the first, he does three things.
12 Where are they, then, thy wise men? And let them tell thee now; and let them know what HaShem of hosts hath purposed concerning Egypt.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 12 and following) How can you say to Pharaoh: I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? Where are your wise men now? Let them tell you and make known what the Lord of hosts has planned against Egypt. The princes of Tanis have become foolish, the princes of Memphis are deluded; the leaders of Egypt have led it astray.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, he mocks the confidence of the king: where now, and first, the question, below: there is none that can save you (Isa 47:15); second, the answer: fools have withered away, that is, have failed, as above.
13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have caused Egypt to go astray, that are the corner-stone of her tribes.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, he mocks the laziness of the deceived people: they have deceived. First, he sets out the deception of the wise: they have deceived the angle, that is, the kingdom, in which many are joined together like walls in an angle, below: your wisdom, and, your knowledge, has deceived you (Isa 47:10).
14 HaShem hath mingled within her a spirit of dizziness; and they have caused Egypt to stagger in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse. 14, 15.) The Lord mixed in its midst the spirit of dizziness: and he caused Egypt to wander in all its work, like a drunkard and a vomiter: and Egypt will have no work that it does, bending and restraining head and tail. First let us speak about the interpretation, and afterwards we will discuss what is written.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, the permission of God: the Lord has mingled, often said metaphorically, the spirit of giddiness, that is, the spirit of error, like one who suffers giddiness: the Lord has given a lying spirit in the mouth of all your prophets (1 Kgs 22:23).
15 Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, the error of the people themselves: and they have caused Egypt to err. Head, namely, neither with respect to the beginning; tail, nor the end; that bends down, in respect to the old man; that holds back, in respect to the youth, who lacks restraint, or to the lascivious: but evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse (2 Tim 3:13).
16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women; and it shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of HaShem of hosts, which He shaketh over it.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 16, 17.) On that day Egypt will be like women, and they will be astonished and afraid because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he will bring against them. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who mentions it will fear because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts, which he has planned against it.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 In that day. Here he threatens fear of the strong. And first, he places the fear itself, like unto women, feeble and weak: their strength has failed, and they are become as women (Jer 51:30).
17 And the land of Judah shall become a terror unto Egypt, whensoever one maketh mention thereof to it; it shall be afraid, because of the purpose of HaShem of hosts, which He purposeth against it.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, the reason for the fear, and the land of Judah shall be a terror to Egypt, namely, the memory of the evils which they did to them, turning them from the worship of God, for which they will know that the wrath of God has befallen them: now I remember the evils that I did in Jerusalem (1 Macc 6:12).
18 In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to HaShem of hosts; one shall be called The city of destruction.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 18.) On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing by the Lord of hosts. One city shall be called the City of the Sun. The raised and shaking hand of the Lord over Egypt greatly benefits, so that the land of Judah may be in fear of Him, and everyone who remembers Him may tremble.
Bede · AD 735 The servant is "faithful in very little" who does not defile the word of God but speaks as though he were speaking from God and with God in Christ.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 In that day. Here the consequence or the consolation is set out, namely their conversion. And first, the threefold sign of their conversion; the first of which is an oath: swearing, below: he shall swear by God, amen: because the former distresses are forgotten (Isa 65:16); the city of the sun, Heliopolis, the language of Chanaan, which is close to the language of the Jews, so…
19 In that day shall there be an altar to HaShem in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to HaShem.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 19-21) On that day there will be an altar of the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar near its boundary to the Lord. And it will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. For they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressor, and he will send them a Savior and a defender to deliver them, and the Lord will be known by Egypt.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 The prophet Isaiah says this about Egypt: "In that day there will be an altar of the Lord in the land of the Egyptians and an inscription to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign forever to the Lord in the land of the Egyptians, for they will cry to the Lord against their assailants, and the Lord will send them a savior who will be determined to save them.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 The second sign is a sacred building: an altar of the Lord; and a monument, for they worshipped many gods, as it says in Acts 17. Some say that this was fulfilled in the time of the Maccabees, when many Jews were fleeing into Egypt, and Onias, wishing to fulfill this prophecy, built an altar against the precept of the law.
20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto HaShem of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto HaShem because of the oppressors, and He will send them a saviour, and a defender, who will deliver them.
Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius · AD 325 He was called "Christ" from the anointing. Then, that the same one was a human being Jeremiah shows, saying, "And he is man, and who has known him?" And Isaiah, "And the Lord shall send them a man, who shall save them, and judging them he will heal them."
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 20.) And the Egyptians will know the Lord on that day; and they will worship him with sacrifices and offerings, and they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. And the Lord will strike Egypt with a plague, and he will heal it; and they will return to the Lord, and he will be appeased by them, and he will heal them.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 The third sign is that they call on the help of God, they shall cry to the Lord; a Savior, Jesus: he shall cry to me, and I will hear him (Ps 90[91]:15).
21 And HaShem shall make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know HaShem in that day; yea, they shall worship with sacrifice and offering, and shall vow a vow unto HaShem, and shall perform it.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, he sets out the manner of their conversion. And first, as to the undertaking of faith: and the Lord shall be known: all shall know me from the least of them even to the greatest, says the Lord (Jer 31:34); second, as to the offering of sacrifices and vows: and they shall worship: in every place there is offered to my name a clean oblation (Mal 1:11).
22 And HaShem will smite Egypt, smiting and healing; and they shall return unto HaShem, and He will be entreated of them, and will heal them.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 22.) And the Lord will strike Egypt with a plague, and He will heal it. And they will turn to the Lord, and He will be appeased by them, and He will heal them. For whom the Lord loves, He chastises, and He punishes every son whom He receives. Persecution does not pertain to the denial of believers, but to their testing and reward.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, as to the remission of sins: and the Lord shall strike, first, through many punishments, and shall heal from sin: he wounds, and cures: he strikes, and his hands shall heal (Job 5:18).
23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians.
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 23) On that day there will be a road from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will enter Egypt, and Egypt will enter Assyria; and the Egyptians will serve Assyria. Before the coming of Christ, each nation had its own king, and no one could go from one nation to another; but in the Roman empire, all became one.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, he sets out the threefold effect of their conversion, namely, peace: in that day there shall be a way, which could not exist before because of the various kingdoms, which, when the Lord was born, were joined under the Romans; they shall serve, each other in trade; or because Syrian soldiers were in the Roman legions that guarded Egypt, above: nation shall not lift up swo…
24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth;
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 24, 25.) On that day, Israel will be a third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.' In no way will Israel be a mediator between Egypt and Assyria, now that Antiochus and Demetrius are drawing the kingdom to themselves, no…
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, he promises the second effect, the truth of faith: in that day shall Israel be the third to the Egyptian and the Assyrian, at the same time and equally serving the Romans, and in unity of faith: there shall be one fold and one shepherd (John 10:16); there is no distinction of the Jew and the Greek (Rom 10:12).
25 for that HaShem of hosts hath blessed him, saying: 'Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance.'
Jerome · AD 420 (Verse 25, 26.) On that day, Israel will be a third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying: Blessed be My people Egypt, and the work of My hands Assyria, and My inheritance Israel.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Third, he sets out the third effect, namely, divine blessing: it, namely, Israel, shall be a blessing, for, through the apostles, the whole world received the blessing of God; Israel is my inheritance, for it was there that he was born and fulfilled the mysteries of our salvation: he has blessed the house of Israel (Ps 113:20[115:12]).