Commentary - Isaiah 19:16-25

Bird's-eye view

This portion of Isaiah’s prophecy is a stunning display of God’s sovereign, long-term, and surprising grace. After a blistering oracle of judgment against Egypt in the first part of the chapter, the tone shifts dramatically. The repeated phrase "In that day" signals a move to an eschatological horizon, a day when God’s purposes in history come to their glorious fruition. What Isaiah foresees is nothing less than the conversion of the great pagan empires, Egypt and Assyria, historic enemies of God’s people. This is not a political alliance, but a spiritual transformation. The terror of God’s judgment leads not to annihilation, but to repentance. The prophecy culminates in an astonishing vision of Egypt, Assyria, and Israel united in the worship of Yahweh, with God Himself bestowing upon these former gentile powers the very covenant titles once reserved for Israel alone. This is a powerful Old Testament adumbration of the Great Commission, a preview of the day when the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

The passage unfolds as a cascade of grace. First, fear and dread of Yahweh fall upon Egypt. This is followed by the establishment of true worship within Egypt itself, signified by cities speaking the language of faith, an altar, and a pillar to the Lord. God’s relationship with them is described in classic covenantal terms: He smites them, but only in order to heal them. He sends them a Savior. The climax is the reconciliation of ancient enemies, Egypt and Assyria, joined with Israel to form a tripartite blessing in the midst of the earth. This is a picture of the gospel’s power to break down the dividing walls of hostility and create a new humanity in Christ. God’s sovereign plan is not just to save a remnant from one nation, but to claim the nations for His inheritance.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

Isaiah 19 is part of a larger section of the book (chapters 13-23) containing oracles against the foreign nations surrounding Israel. These prophecies are not expressions of random animosity but demonstrations of Yahweh’s absolute sovereignty over all peoples and empires. He is not a tribal deity; He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. The oracle against Egypt begins with a pronouncement of severe judgment (Isa 19:1-15), detailing civil war, economic collapse, and failed leadership. The passage before us (vv. 16-25) must be read against that dark backdrop. The judgment is not an end in itself; it is the severe mercy of God, the necessary prelude to salvation. This pattern of judgment followed by glorious restoration is a central theme in Isaiah. The God who dismantles the pride of nations is the same God who, in His grace, rebuilds them into a people for His own possession. This section, therefore, serves as a powerful illustration of the gospel logic that will be more fully developed in the later chapters of Isaiah, pointing to a day when God’s salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.

Key Issues

The Gospel According to Isaiah

One of the great themes running through Isaiah is the surprising, world-encompassing nature of God’s grace. While the covenant was established with Abraham and his descendants, the plan was always to bless all the families of the earth through him. Here in Isaiah 19, we see that promise taking concrete, geopolitical shape. The salvation of Egypt and Assyria is not presented as an anomaly or an afterthought. It is the intended outcome of God’s majestic plan. The God of Israel is the God of the whole earth, and His intention is to have a people drawn from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

This passage is a powerful corrective to any form of narrow, ethnic tribalism that would seek to restrict God’s grace. The gospel is not a private possession of one people group. The Lord who judges the nations for their pride and idolatry is the same Lord who sends them a Savior and a Champion. The cross of Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy, the place where the enmity between Jew and Gentile is abolished. And the Great Commission is the outworking of it, as the church goes to disciple all the nations, teaching them to observe all that Christ commanded. What Isaiah saw in a vision, the church is called to pursue in her mission.

Verse by Verse Commentary

16 In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of Yahweh of hosts, which He is going to wave over them.

The prophecy begins with the result of the judgment described in the first part of the chapter. The phrase in that day points us to a future time of God's decisive action. The proud and mighty Egyptians, once masters of the known world, are reduced to a state of utter helplessness, becoming "like women," an ancient metaphor for weakness and panic in the face of overwhelming military threat. This is not misogyny; it is a standard biblical trope to describe the reversal of fortunes. Their terror is not caused by a human army but by the mere "waving of the hand of Yahweh." This is the God who brought the plagues, who parted the Red Sea, and His sovereign power is being put on display once more. This is the holy fear that is the beginning of wisdom.

17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it because of the counsel of Yahweh of hosts which He is counseling against them.

The reversal is now complete. Egypt, the great empire that once enslaved Israel, now lives in terror of Judah. This is not because of Judah’s military might, which was often negligible, but because Judah is the land of Yahweh. The Egyptians recognize that the God of Judah is the one who holds their destiny in His hands. The mere mention of Judah brings dread because they associate it with the sovereign "counsel of Yahweh," His unshakeable and terrifying plan. They have learned the hard way that to be an enemy of God’s people is to be an enemy of God Himself. This is the beginning of their conversion; they are learning who the true God is through His mighty acts in history.

18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to Yahweh of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.

Fear gives way to faith. The work of God is not just external pressure; it is internal transformation. A portion of Egypt, represented by "five cities," will undergo a thorough conversion. "Speaking the language of Canaan" means they will adopt the language of God's covenant people, Hebrew. This is a metaphor for a change of heart and worldview; they will learn to speak the truth of God. They will "swear allegiance to Yahweh," making a formal, covenantal oath to the true God. The reference to one city being called the "City of Destruction" (or in some manuscripts, "City of the Sun") is intriguing. If "Destruction," it could mean a city once devoted to idols is now a place where idolatry has been destroyed. If "Sun" (Heliopolis), it would signify the conversion of a major center of pagan sun worship, a profound victory for the gospel.

19 In that day there will be an altar to Yahweh in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Yahweh near its border.

Worship follows conversion. An altar signifies sacrifice and communion with God. A pillar is a monument, a public witness. That these are "in the midst" and "near its border" shows that the worship of Yahweh in Egypt will be both central and public. It will not be a hidden, private cult but a visible, national reality. Under the Old Covenant, the central altar was in Jerusalem, so this is a radical prophecy. It points forward to the New Covenant, where, as Jesus told the woman at the well, true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, not confined to one geographical location (John 4:21-24).

20 And it will become a sign and a witness to Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them.

The purpose of these public symbols of worship is to be a "sign and a witness." They are a constant reminder of who Yahweh is and what He has done. The verse then describes the dynamic of this new covenant relationship. When the Egyptians find themselves in trouble, they will not turn to their old idols or to Pharaoh. They will "cry to Yahweh." And in response, God will act for them just as He did for Israel in the time of the judges. He will send them a "Savior and a Champion" to deliver them. The God of Israel has become the God of Egypt.

21 Thus Yahweh will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know Yahweh in that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make a vow to Yahweh and pay it.

This is the heart of the matter. God's actions have a purpose: that He might be known. This is not mere intellectual knowledge but a deep, personal, covenantal relationship. The Egyptians "will know Yahweh." The evidence of this knowledge is their worship. They will bring sacrifices and offerings, the prescribed forms of Old Covenant worship, and they will make vows and keep them. This describes a people fully integrated into the covenant life of faith, responding to God with gratitude, devotion, and obedience.

22 And Yahweh will smite Egypt, smiting but healing; so they will return to Yahweh, and He will be moved by their entreaty and will heal them.

This verse beautifully summarizes the process of God's redemptive work. It is a work of severe mercy. He will "smite Egypt," which refers to the judgments mentioned earlier. But the purpose of the smiting is not destruction but healing. It is a divine surgery to cut out the cancer of idolatry and pride. The result of this "smiting but healing" is that "they will return to Yahweh." This is the language of repentance. And when they repent, God responds with compassion. He is "moved by their entreaty" and He heals them completely. This is the gospel in miniature: God's judgment on sin leads the sinner to repentance, and repentance is met with gracious healing and restoration.

23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

The prophecy now expands to include Assyria, the other great enemy of Israel, the very nation that would carry the northern kingdom into exile. The vision is of a "highway" connecting these two ancient foes. This is not just a trade route; it is a path of fellowship and shared worship. The free movement of peoples between the two lands signifies peace and reconciliation. And the purpose of this reconciliation is stunning: "the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians." The gospel does not just reconcile man to God; it reconciles man to man. The bitterest of enemies can become brothers in worship.

24 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth,

Israel’s role in this new world order is not to be a dominating power, but to be the "third party" in a threefold cord of blessing. Together, these three nations, two formerly pagan empires and the one covenant people, will constitute a blessing to the whole world. This is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, that in him and his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Israel’s true calling was never to be an exclusive club but to be the vehicle through which God’s blessing would flow to the world.

25 whom Yahweh of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

The prophecy reaches its breathtaking climax with the words of God Himself. He bestows upon Egypt and Assyria the most precious covenant titles once reserved for Israel. Egypt is called "My people," the very phrase used of Israel at the Exodus. Assyria is called "the work of My hands," a title of honor signifying God’s creative and redemptive power. Israel is called "My inheritance," her unique and treasured position. The dividing wall has been torn down. In Christ, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, Egyptian or Assyrian. There is one new man, one people of God, gathered from all the nations to the praise of His glorious grace.

Application

This passage from Isaiah ought to stretch our spiritual imaginations and fuel our missionary zeal. Our God is a God who delights in doing the impossible. He takes His most hardened enemies and transforms them into His beloved children. He takes nations steeped in centuries of pagan darkness and makes them centers of true worship. We should therefore never despair for any person, any family, any city, or any nation. The same God who promised to do this for Egypt and Assyria is the God we serve today.

This prophecy is a profound encouragement for a robust, optimistic, postmillennial eschatology. Isaiah did not see history as a slow decline into chaos, ending in the church being airlifted out of a world gone mad. He saw the knowledge of the Lord progressively filling the earth. He saw nations as nations turning to the Lord. The Great Commission is not a rescue mission to save a few individuals before the ship goes down; it is a command to disciple the nations. This passage gives us a glimpse of what that looks like. It looks like highways of fellowship where there were once borders of hostility. It looks like former enemies worshiping side by side. It looks like God calling the most unlikely people "My people" and "the work of My hands."

Finally, we must apply the pattern of "smiting and healing" to our own lives. God's dealings with us are often painful. He brings trials, afflictions, and judgments into our lives to break our pride and expose our idols. This is His severe mercy. He smites us in order to heal us. He wounds us in order to make us whole. When we feel the smiting hand of God, we should not despair. We should recognize it as the prelude to grace, cry out to Him in repentance, and trust that He who has wounded will also bind up. For He is the God who sends a Savior and a Champion to deliver all who call upon His name.