Ver. 1. The burden of Egypt.] See Isaiah 13:1. Behold the Lord rideth.] Heb., Riding— sc., as a judge, or general of an army. Upon a swift cloud,] i.e., Speedily, suddenly, and irresistibly. Clouds are rarely seen in Egypt, where it raineth not; but in Ezekiel 30:18 we read of a cloud that should cover Egypt. By “swift cloud” here some understand the Virgin Mary; others our Saviour’s body, or human nature. And they further tell us, that as soon as the child Jesus was brought into Egypt, down fell all the idols there, as Dagon did before the ark. This they ground upon the following words:— And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence.] Whereby I conceive is only meant that their gods should not be able to help them, and should therefore lose their authority, be discredited and decried. And the heart of Egypt shall melt.] As it did, first when Sennacherib, and then when Nebuchadnezzar came against it. Hist. Scholast.
Ver. 2. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians.] Commiscebo Egyptios inter se, I will embroil them in a civil war. This happened, saith Junius, under King Psammeticus, after the death of Sethon, about the end of Hezekiah’s reign, or the beginning of Manasseh’s, while Isaiah was yet alive. And kingdom against kingdom.] Or, Rectory against rectory; for as here in the heptarchy, so there the land was divided into many provinces or jurisdictions, even sixty-six, saith Ortelius. Herod., lib. ii. Diod. Sic., lib. i.
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. (Acts 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. See Leviticus 19:31. And they shall seek to the idols.] Whereof they had great store (so that they were derided by other idolaters), but their chief deity was Latona, saith Herodotus. And to the charmers.] Who have their name in Hebrew from their low or slow speaking. Aug. De Civit. Dei, lib. viii. cap. 14.
Ver. 4. And the Egyptians will I give over.] Heb., Shut up— sc., as fishes in a pond. Into the hand of a cruel lord.] Heb., Lords—viz., those twelve tyrants that reigned after Sethon, and were put down by Psammeticus, one of their own number, who afterwards reigned alone and with rigour. And a fierce king,] viz., Psammeticus, the father of that Pharaohnecho who slew Josiah. (2 Kings 23:29) This fierce king reigned fifty-four years, and by his harshness caused 200,000 of his men of war to leave him, and to go into Ethiopia. Herodot.
Ver. 5. And the waters shall fail from the sea,] i.e., Their sea traffic shall be taken from them, to their very great loss. Historians testify, that by frequent navigation out of the Bay of Arabia into India and Trogloditiae, the revenue of Egypt was so increased, that Auletes, the father of Cleopatra, received thence yearly twelve thousand and five hundred talents. And the river shall be wasted and dried up,] i.e., The river Nile, which watereth Egypt and maketh it fruitful. See Deuteronomy 11:9,10 Eze 29:3,9. “ Creditur Aegyptus caruisse iuvantibus arva Imbribus, atque annis sicca fuisse novem.” - Ovid. Art., lib. i.
Ver. 6. And they shall turn the rivers far away.] The Assyrians shall, or some of their own fond and vainglorious princes shall drain the river Nile at several passages and in several places, to the impairing of the river and the impeaching of the state. The reeds and flags shall wither.] These were of great use there; for of flags they made their barks and boats, mats also, wheels, baskets, &c.; of reeds they made their sails, ropes, paper, and a kind of juice serving them for food, &c. As therefore the palm tree is to the Indians a cornucopia, yielding many commodities, so are reeds and flags to the Egyptians. Herodot., lib. ii. Plin., lib. xiii. cap. 11.
Ver. 7. The paper reeds by the brooks,] i.e., By the streams of Nile; for where this river arriveth not, is nothing but a whitish sand, bearing no grass but two little weeds called suhit and gazul, which, burnt to ashes, maketh the finest crystal glasses. And everything sown by the brooks.] As far as Nile overflows is a black mould, so fruitful as they do but throw in the seed and have four rich harvests in less than four months.
Ver. 8. The fishers also shall mourn.] Because their trade decayeth, or they take pains to no purpose. (Isaiah 19:10)
Ver. 9. They that work in fine flax shall be confounded,] sc., For want of materials, such as were wont to be sown by the brooks (Isaiah 19:7 1 Kings 10:28 Proverbs 7:16 Ezekiel 27:7) (Plin., lib. ix. cap. 1). They that weave networks.] Or rather whiteworks -that is, white garments made of the fine flax of Egypt. These were much worn by nobles. (Proverbs 7:16 Daniel 7:9) Whence also in Hebrew they have their name. (1 Kings 21:8 Nehemiah 2:16 Ecclesiastes 10:17, &c.) םידות, Albi seu candidati.