Isaiah 19:3

Isaiah 19:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;
• New King James Version (NKJV)The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers.

Context of Isaiah 19:3

1This is the divine revelation about Egypt. The Lord is riding on a fast-moving cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt’s idols will tremble in his presence. Egypt’s courage will fail. 2“I will turn one Egyptian against another. They will fight— brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The Egyptians will lose courage. I will unravel their plans. They will turn to idols, ghosts, mediums, and fortunetellers. 4I will hand over the Egyptians to a harsh master. A strong king will rule them,” declares the Almighty Lord of Armies. 5The water in the Nile River will be dried up, and the river will be dry and empty.

Isaiah 19:3 word by word

וְנָבְקָ֤ה רֽוּחַ־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ וַעֲצָת֖וֹ אֲבַלֵּ֑עַ וְדָרְשׁ֤וּ אֶל־הָֽאֱלִילִים֙ וְאֶל־הָ֣אִטִּ֔ים וְאֶל־הָאֹב֖וֹת וְאֶל־הַיִּדְּעֹנִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the spiritרוּחַrûach · spiritH7307
• of Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• shall failבָּקַקbâqaq · to emptyH1238
• in the midstקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
• thereof; and I will destroyבָּלַעbâla‛ · to swallow upH1104
• the counselעֵצָה‛êtsâh · counselH6098
• thereof: and they shall seekדָּרַשׁdârash · to seekH1875
• to the idolsאֱלִיל'ĕlîyl · idolH457
• and to the charmersאִטִּי'aţ · muttererH328
• and to them that have familiar spiritsאוֹב'ôb · mediumH178
• and to the wizardsיִדְּעֹנִיyidde‛ônîy · spiritistH3049

Cross-references for Isaiah 19:3

• Isaiah 19:1This is the divine revelation about Egypt. The Lord is riding on a fast-moving cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt’s idols will tremble in his presence. Egypt’s courage will fail.
• Isaiah 57:16I will not accuse you forever. I will not be angry with you forever. Otherwise, the spirits, the lives of those I’ve made, would grow faint in my presence.
• 1 Samuel 25:37But in the morning, when the effects of the wine had worn off, his wife told him what had happened. Nabal’s heart failed, and he could not move.
• Psalms 76:12He cuts short the lives of influential people. He terrifies the kings of the earth.
• Jeremiah 46:15Why should your soldiers be cut down? They can’t stand because the Lord will push them down.
• Ezekiel 21:7When they ask you why you are groaning, say, ‘News has come that will discourage everyone. People’s hands will hang limp, their hearts will lose courage, and their knees will become as weak as water. It’s coming! It will surely take place!’ declares the Almighty Lord.”
• Ezekiel 22:14Will you still be brave? Will you remain strong when I deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.
• Isaiah 14:27The Lord of Armies has planned it. Who can stop it? He is ready to use his power. Who can turn it back?
• 2 Samuel 15:31Then David was told, “Ahithophel is among those conspiring with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, make Ahithophel’s advice foolish.”
• 2 Samuel 17:14Absalom and all the people of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai from Archi’s family is better than Ahithophel’s advice.” (The Lord had commanded Ahithophel’s good advice to be defeated in order to ruin Absalom.)
• 2 Chronicles 25:16As he was talking, the king asked him, “Did we make you an adviser to the king? Stop! Do you want me to have you killed?” The prophet stopped. He said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you because you did this, but you refuse to listen to my advice.”
• Job 5:12He keeps shrewd people from carrying out their plans so that they cannot do anything successfully.
• Proverbs 21:30No wisdom, no understanding, and no advice ⌞can stand up⌟ against the Lord.
• 1 Corinthians 3:19The wisdom of this world is nonsense in God’s sight. That’s why Scripture says, “God catches the wise in their cleverness.”
• Psalms 107:27They reeled and staggered like drunks, and all their skills as sailors became useless.
• Isaiah 8:19People will say to you, “Ask for help from the mediums and the fortunetellers, who whisper and mutter.” Shouldn’t people ask their God for help instead? Why should they ask the dead to help the living?

Commentaries on Isaiah 19:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3They 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 debynouris, 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 Deuteronomy 18:10, etc.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3And the spirit of Egypt - (see Isaiah 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 - (נבקה nâbeqâh ). Margin, Be emptied.‘ The word means, literally, “to pour out, empty, depopulate.” Here it means that they would become disheartened and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3People called upon idols, spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead to try to prevent destruction (see Isaiah 8:19–22; 47:12–13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. spirit--wisdom, for which Egypt was famed (Is 31:2; 1Ki 4:30; Ac 7:22); answering to "counsel" in the parallel clause. fail--literally, "be poured out," that is, be made void (Jr 19:7). They shall "seek" help from sources that can afford none, "charmers," &c. (Is 8:19). charmers--literally, "those making a faint sound"; the soothsayers imitated the faint sound which was attributed to the spirits of the dead (see on Is 8:19).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 19:3

• Charmers and Charming
• Familiar Spirits
• Sorcery
• War

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Charmer
• Idol
• Wizard
• Communion With Demons; Devils
• Divination
• Evil
• Ezekiel
• Familiar

Commentaries on Isaiah 19

• 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