Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 19:3
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
3. the spirit of Egypt shall fail ] lit. be poured out, cf. Jer 19:7. “Spirit” is here used of intellectual power, as “heart” in Isa 19:1 denotes courage.
I will destroy ] or “swallow up,” “annihilate,” but see on ch. Isa 3:12. In their desperation the Egyptians betake themselves to incantations, a sign in Isaiah’s view of hopeless intellectual embarrassment; ch. Isa 8:19. The word rendered charmers means “mutterers” (of magical spells). For the other expressions employed, see ch. Isa 8:19.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the spirit of Egypt – (see Isa 19:1). They shall be exhausted with their long internal contentions and strifes; and seeing no prospect of deliverance, and anxious that the turmoils should end, they shall seek counsel and refuge in their gods and necromancers, but in vain.
Shall fail – ( nabeqah). Margin, Be emptied. The word means, literally, to pour out, empty, depopulate. Here it means that they would become disheartened and discouraged.
And I will destroy – Margin, as the Hebrew, I will swallow up. So the word is used in Psa 107:27, All their wisdom is destroyed (Hebrew, swallowed up. )
And they shall seek to the idols – According to Herodotus (ii. 152), Psammetichus had consulted the oracle of Latona at Butos, and received for answer that the sea should avenge his cause by producing brazen men. Some time after, a body of Ionians and Carians were compelled by stress of weather to touch at Egypt, and landed there, clad in brass armor. Some Egyptians, alarmed at their appearance, came to Psammetichus, and described them as brazen men who had risen from the sea, and were plundering the country. He instantly supposed that this was the accomplishment of the oracle, and entered into an alliance with the strangers, and by their aid was enabled to obtain the victory over his foes. Compare the different accounts of Diodorus in the Analysis of this chapter. The whole history of Egypt shows how much they were accustomed to consult their idols (see Herodot. ii. 54ff, 82, 83, 139, 152). Herodotus says (ii. 83), that the art of divination in Egypt was confined to certain of their deities. There were in that country the oracles of Hercules, of Apollo, of Mars, of Diana, and of Jupiter; but the oracle of Latona in Butos was held in greater veneration than any of the rest.
And to the charmers – ( ‘tym). This word occurs nowhere else. The root ‘atat, in Arabic, means to mutter, to make a gentle noise; and this word probably denotes conjurors, diviners (see the note at Isa 8:19). The Septuagint renders it, Their idols.
And to them that have familiar spirits – (see the note at Isa 8:19). The Septuagint renders this, Those who speak from the ground.
And to the wizards – Septuagint – Engastrimuthous – Ventriloquists. The Hebrew word means a wise man, a soothsayer, a magician ( ydonym from yada to know; see Lev 19:31; Lev 20:6; Deu 18:11). This fake science abounded in Egypt, and in most Oriental countries.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. They shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.] And thei schul asken their symulacres, and their devynouris, and their devyl clepers, and their devyl sacristers. – Old Bible. The import of the original words has already been given where they occur in the Pentateuch. See De 18:10, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The spirit; either
1. Their courage. But of that he spake Isa 19:1. Or,
2. Their understanding, as it is explained in the next clause; for the word spirit is oft put for the reasonable soul, as Ecc 3:21; 12:7, and for the thoughts of the mind, as Pro 29:11; Eze 13.
3. They shall seek to the idols, as not knowing what to do without the help of a higher power.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. spiritwisdom, forwhich Egypt was famed (Isa 31:2;1Ki 4:30; Act 7:22);answering to “counsel” in the parallel clause.
failliterally, “bepoured out,” that is, be made void (Jer19:7). They shall “seek” help from sources that canafford none, “charmers,” c. (Isa8:19).
charmersliterally,”those making a faint sound” the soothsayers imitated thefaint sound which was attributed to the spirits of the dead (see onIsa 8:19).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof,…. Meaning not the spirit of valour and courage, that is expressed before, but of wisdom, prudence, and understanding; the wisdom of Egypt, in which Moses is said to be brought up, Ac 7:22 was famous all the world over; hither men of learning, as the ancient philosophers, Pythagoras, Plato, and others, travelled, to improve in knowledge, and gain a larger acquaintance with things human and divine; it was the mother and mistress of the liberal arts and sciences; but now what was before like a river full of water, was about to be “emptied”, and drained dry, as the word y used signifies:
and I will destroy the counsels thereof; or “swallow [them] up” z, so that they shall be no more seen, or take effect: this explains what is before meant by the spirit of Egypt, and which is further enlarged on, and illustrated in Isa 19:11,
and they shall seek to the idols; with which the land abounded, particularly to Osiris and Isis, to Apis, Latona, and others:
and to the charmers; that used incantations and spells; magicians and conjurers, that whispered and muttered; for the word used has the signification of speaking in a slow and drawling manner. The Targum renders it “witches”; but Jarchi takes it to be the name of an idol:
and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards;
[See comments on Isa 8:19].
y “evacuabitur”, Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Cocceius. z “deglutiam”, Montanus; “absorpsero”, Junius Tremellius “absorbebo”, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. And the spirit of Egypt shall be emptied. (27) As Isaiah had, a little before, deprived the Egyptians of courage, so he now takes away their understanding, both of which are exceedingly necessary for the defense of kingdoms; for when these have been taken away, there is no possibility of transacting national affairs. Now, the Egyptians had so high an opinion of their own wisdom, that they reckoned themselves superior to other nations; and it is well known that they haughtily despised all other nations as barbarians, as if there had been no civilization, refinement, learning, or skill, but in Egypt alone. They boasted that they were the inventors of learning, that philosophy and astronomy came from them, and, in short, that Egypt was the workshop of all the liberal arts; and therefore they would never have thought it possible that they should fail in wisdom and prudence, and unquestionably, if this prediction had come to their knowledge, they would have laughed at it in disdain, and would have thought, that sooner would the waters of the sea be dried up, and everything be overturned, than this should befall those who imagined that prudence was their birthright. But Isaiah declares it boldly, for he did not speak from himself.
Again, since he had predicted that they would be deprived of courage, in which they excelled, the context requires us to understand the meaning to be, that they would be struck with blindness; for both faculties of the soul depend entirely on the favor of God. Consequently, רוח ( rūăch) means here understanding and sagacity, which ought to be carefully observed, for many are mistaken as to the meaning of this word. When he immediately adds, I will destroy the counsel thereof, this is a stronger expression of the former statement; for it shews what is the cause of that emptiness, namely, that God will take and carry away their counsel.
Even though they seek it. This is spoken by anticipation, for he meets the objections of the Egyptians, who might have said, “Have we not gods whom we can consult? Have we not magicians, diviners, and soothsayers? Do you reckon those to be of no value?” He threatens that all these things will be of no avail to them, to whatever extent they may rely on them, and be puffed up with the empty name of wisdom. I shall not spend much time on these names, though it is probable that Isaiah’s enumeration proceeds by gradual advancement. First, he mentions gods, next magicians, and afterwards diviners and fortune-tellers They had their oracles, in which they placed the highest confidence. Next after them came the magicians, though these too had great influence. In matters of smaller moment they consulted the soothsayers. Superstitious men are so restless that nothing can satisfy them; for they are fickle and unsteady, and sometimes resort to one remedy and sometimes to another; and indeed Satan deceives them in such a manner, that at first he holds out to them the appearance of peace and quietness, which they think that they have fully obtained, but afterwards shews them that they have not reached it, and distresses and harasses them more and more, and compels them to seek new grounds of confidence. Thus our minds cannot obtain rest and peace but in God alone. And undoubtedly the Prophet condemns those arts as contrary to reason; for God has revealed all that is necessary to be known by means of the arts and sciences, which he intended to be used, and of which he approves. If any man shall wish to be wise in any other manner, he must have Satan for his teacher.
(27) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) The charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits . . .The old reputation of Egypt for magic arts (Exo. 7:22; Exo. 8:7) seems to have continued. The charmers or mutterers were probably distinguished, like those that peep in Isa. 8:19, by some peculiar form of ventriloquism. A time of panic, when the counsels of ordinary statesmen failed, was sure there, as at Athens in its times of peril, to be fruitful in oracles and divinations.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. And the spirit of Egypt That is, Egypt’s wisdom, its customary wisdom, shall fail, or, as in the literal Hebrew, shall be emptied or poured out, in that while overwhelmed in their troubles they look not to Jehovah for help, but to their idols. To these, rather, did they seek; and to the charmers, persons who pretended to imitate the softly suppressed voices of the under world, and to them that have familiar spirits, who employed themselves in invoking the manes of the dead by magical incantations, and to the wizards, that is, lying prophets of every kind.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And the spirit of Egypt will be made void in its midst, and I will destroy its counsel, and they will seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to those who have familiar spirits, and to the wizards, and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord, and a fierce king will rule over them, says the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.’
The weak and demoralised state Egypt will find itself in is made apparent. Their ‘spirit is void in their midst’, all heart will have gone, their rulers will be weak, ineffective and lacking in wisdom, unable to give proper counsel and make right decisions. Compare Isa 19:14 where it is made clear that this is the work of Yahweh.
And it is because of this that they will seek to all the means of divination because they have nowhere reliable to turn to. Man tends to seek to the occult when he is spiritually bankrupt. But it will do them no good. All their idols and diviners cannot help them. There is here a reminder to Judah of the folly of trusting in the same things (Isa 8:19). The picture is a pathetic one of desperate people with nowhere to turn. Certainly not a people to rely on!
It is a reminder that finally the plight of all nations is in the hands of God. It is the coming of Yahweh riding on the clouds that has done this. He it is Who is responsible for their political dilemma and weakness.
The result will be conquest by an outsider. The Cushites under their princes Kashta and Piankhi, who were in fact strongly influenced by Egyptian culture, first conquered upper Egypt. Then Piankhi successfully moved down into lower Egypt, although he did not consolidate his position. That was left to his successor Shabaka who completed the task. Now a cruel lord and a fierce king ruled over them. And this was all due, says Isaiah, to the action of the sovereign Lord, Yahweh of hosts.
The prophecy has in mind that Egypt’s future destiny is to be a conquered people. In the not too distant future Egypt will be occupied by the Assyrian empire under Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal of Assyria (see chapter 20), followed by occupation by Babylon, then by Persia, then by the Grecian empire, and then by Rome. Its time of great power was over. So the main point is that Egypt cannot be trusted because it is itself weak and from now on subject to conquest.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 19:3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
Ver. 3. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail. ] Fail and falter; their wits shall not serve them, but be drained and emptied, as the Hebrew word here signifieth. By spirit, here understand their wisdom, learning, and sharpness, for the which they were famous among, and frequented by other nations. Moses was skilled in their learning. Act 7:23 Pythagoras, Plato, Solon, Anaxagoras, and other philosophers got much by them. Mercurius Trismegist saith of Egypt, that it was the image of heaven, and the temple of the whole world. By spirit here, some understand their familiar spirits. a See Lev 19:31 .
And they shall seek to the idols.
And to the charmers.
a Aug. De Civit. Dei, lib. viii. cap. 14.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
spirit. Hebrew. ruach. App-9.
idols. See note on Isa 2:8.
charmers. Hebrew. ittim = mutterers. Occurs only here.
familiar spirits. See note on Lev 19:31. Reference to Pentateuch (Lev 20:6, Lev 20:27; Deu 18:11, &c.) App-92.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the spirit: This is a prophecy of what took place in Egypt about twenty-two years after the destruction of Sennacherib’s army; when, upon the death of Tirhakah – bc 688 not being able to settle about the succession, they continued for two years in a state of anarchy, confusion, and civil wars; which was followed by the tyranny of twelve princes, who, dividing the country among them, governed it for fifteen years; and at last, by the sole dominion of Psammiticus, which he held for fifty-four years. Isa 19:1, Isa 19:11-13, Isa 57:16, 1Sa 25:37, Psa 76:12, Jer 46:15, Eze 21:7, Eze 22:14
fail: Heb. be emptied
and I: Isa 14:27, 2Sa 15:31, 2Sa 17:14, 2Sa 17:23, 2Ch 25:16-20, Job 5:12, Job 5:13, Pro 21:30, 1Co 3:19, 1Co 3:20
destroy: Heb. swallow up, Psa 107:27,*marg.
and they: Isa 8:19, Isa 15:2, Isa 44:25, Isa 47:12, 1Ch 10:13, Dan 2:2, Dan 4:6, Dan 4:7, Dan 5:7
Reciprocal: Gen 41:8 – the magicians of Egypt Exo 22:18 – General 1Sa 15:23 – witchcraft 1Sa 28:7 – a familiar spirit 2Ki 21:6 – familiar 2Ki 23:24 – the workers 2Ch 33:6 – dealt Psa 33:10 – The Lord Psa 58:5 – charming never so wisely Isa 29:14 – for the wisdom Isa 30:28 – causing Jer 4:9 – that the heart Dan 1:20 – the magicians Dan 2:27 – cannot Dan 4:18 – forasmuch Oba 1:8 – even Mat 12:25 – Every kingdom Mar 3:24 – General Luk 11:17 – Every 1Co 1:19 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
19:3 And the {d} spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of her; and I will destroy her counsel: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to the mediums, and to the wizards.
(d) Meaning, their policy and wisdom.