Isaiah 30:7

Isaiah 30:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.
• New International Version (NIV)to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless. Therefore I call her Rahab the Do-Nothing.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Egypt's help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her "Rahab who sits still."
• New King James Version (NKJV)For the Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab-Hem-Shebeth.

Context of Isaiah 30:7

5But the people of Egypt will not be able to help you. So everyone in Judah will become ashamed. If you trust in Egypt, they will give you shame instead of help.’ 6Here is a message about the animals that travel in the Negev desert: It is a place where there is trouble and danger. There are dangerous lions there, both male and female. There are different kinds of dangerous snakes. People are carrying their valuable things on the backs of donkeys and camels. They are taking their riches as gifts to a nation that cannot help them! Help from Egypt is useless! So I call Egypt ‘Rahab who does nothing.’ 8Go and write this message down for them to see. Yes, write it in a book so that it will always be there to read. In the future, it will always show what is true. 9These people have turned against the Lord. They are his children but they love to tell lies. They do not want to obey his law.

Isaiah 30:7 word by word

וּמִצְרַ֕יִם הֶ֥בֶל וָרִ֖יק יַעְזֹ֑רוּ לָכֵן֙ קָרָ֣אתִי לָזֹ֔את רַ֥הַב הֵ֖ם שָֽׁבֶת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For the Egyptiansמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• shall helpעָזַר‛âzar · to helpH5826
• in vainהֶ֫בֶלhebel hăbêl · vanityH1892
• and to no purposeרִיקrîyq · vainH7385
• therefore have I criedקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
• concerning thisזֹאתzô'th · thisH2063
• Theirהֵ֫מָּהhêm hêmmâh · they(masc.)H1992
• strengthרַ֫הַבrahab · RahabH7293
• to sit stillשֶׁ֫בֶתshebeth · cessationH7674

Cross-references for Isaiah 30:7

• Isaiah 31:1It will be very bad for those people who expect that Egypt will help them. They think that Egypt's many horses and chariots will keep them safe. They trust the power of Egypt's strong soldiers who ride on horses. But those people do not trust the Holy God of Israel. They do not ask the Lord to help them.
• Jeremiah 37:7‘The Lord, Israel's God, says: Go to the king of Judah, who sent you to ask for my help. Tell him, “Pharaoh's army marched out of Egypt to bring you help. But they will turn back and return to their own land, Egypt.
• Isaiah 30:15The Almighty Lord, Israel's Holy God says this: ‘Turn back to me and wait for me to help you. Be quiet and trust in me. Then you will be safe and you will be strong again.’ But you do not want to trust in God.
• Isaiah 2:22Do not trust people to help you. They are weak and they will all die one day. They are not strong enough to help you.
• Isaiah 7:4Say to Ahaz, “Be careful. Do not be upset or afraid. Do not let King Rezin, his people from Syria and Remaliah's son, King Pekah, make you afraid. They are very angry, but their power will soon be useless, like two bits of wood that remain after a fire.
• Isaiah 28:12In the past, he said to them, ‘This is a place where you can rest when you are tired. It is a place where you can be safe.’ But his people refused to listen.
• Exodus 14:13Then Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid! Be brave! You will see how the Lord will save you today. Look at the Egyptians over there. You will never see them again!
• Psalms 76:8From heaven you said how you would judge people. Everybody on earth became afraid. They could not say anything!
• Psalms 118:8It is better to go to the Lord to keep you safe, than to trust in people.
• Lamentations 3:26It is good when people continue to hope. It is good when they quietly wait for the Lord, because he will save them.
• Hosea 5:13Ephraim's people knew that they were not well. Judah's people knew that they had wounds. Ephraim's leaders expected Assyria to help them. They asked Assyria's great king for help. But he is not able to make you well. He cannot make your wounds better.

Commentaries on Isaiah 30:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Their strength is to sit still "Rahab the Inactive" - The two last words, שבת הם hem shabeth, joined into one, make the participle pihel המשבת hammeshabbeth . I find the learned Professor Doederlein, in his version of Isaiah, and note on this place, has given the same conjecture; which he speaks of as having been formerly published by him. A concurrence of different persons in the same conjecture adds to it a greater degree of probability.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7For the Egyptians shall help in vain - That is, if they enter into the alliance, they shall not be able to defend you from the invader. The other member of the sentence would seem to imply that they would make promises of aid, and would even boast of being able to deliver them, but that they would fail in their promises. Therefore have I cried - Therefore have I the prophet cried, that is, I do call her so. Concerning this - Concerning this country; that…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7Rahab Who Sits Still: In ancient mythology, Rahab was an enemy of the good gods and appeared as a fearsome creature, similar to a giant crocodile (see Isaiah 27:1; 51:9; Job 41:1–34). By calling Egypt futile, the prophet meant it would not help Judah.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. "Egypt is vanity, and to no purpose will they help" [G. V. Smith]. strength--Hebrew, Rabah, a designation for Egypt (Is 51:9; Psa 87:4), implying her haughty fierceness; translate, "Therefore I call her Arrogance that sitteth still." She who boasted of the help she would give, when it came to the test, sat still (Is 36:6). English Version agrees with Is 30:15; Is 7:4.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 30:7

• Confidence
• Isaiah
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Rahab

In the dictionaries

• Dispersion
• Ensign
• Hezekiah
• Note
• Ordain
• Stay
• Dragon
• Evil
• Isaiah
• Rahab

Commentaries on Isaiah 30

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings