Isaiah 19:18

Isaiah 19:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.
• New International Version (NIV)In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.
• English Standard Version (ESV)In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.
• New Living Translation (NLT)In that day five of Egypt’s cities will follow the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. They will even begin to speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan. One of these cities will be Heliopolis, the City of the Sun.

Context of Isaiah 19:18

16In that day Egypt will be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He waves over it. 17And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts which He has determined against it. In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction. 19In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. 20And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them.

Isaiah 19:18 word by word

בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֡וּא יִהְיוּ֩ חָמֵ֨שׁ עָרִ֜ים בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם מְדַבְּרוֹת֙ שְׂפַ֣ת כְּנַ֔עַן וְנִשְׁבָּע֖וֹת לַיהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת עִ֣יר הַהֶ֔רֶס יֵאָמֵ֖ר לְאֶחָֽת׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• In that dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• shall fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
• citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• the languageשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lip: languageH8193
• of Canaanכְּנַ֫עַןkena‛an · CanaanH3667
• and swearשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
• to the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
• oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• shall be calledאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• The cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · City (of On)H5892
• of destructionהֶ֫רֶסheres · (City of) DestructionH2041

Cross-references for Isaiah 19:18

• Isaiah 19:19In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border.
• Isaiah 2:11The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
• Zechariah 2:11“Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
• Isaiah 11:11It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea.
• Isaiah 27:13So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
• Psalms 68:31Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
• Zephaniah 3:9“For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him with one accord.
• Genesis 11:1Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
• Isaiah 45:23I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.
• Deuteronomy 10:20You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.
• Nehemiah 10:29these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes:
• Jeremiah 12:16And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people.

Commentaries on Isaiah 19:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18The city of destruction "The city of the sun" - החרס עיר ir hacheres . This passage is attended with much difficulty and obscurity. First, in regard to the true reading. It is well known that Onias applied it to his own views, either to procure from the king of Egypt permission to build his temple in the Hieropolitan Nome, or to gain credit and authority to it when built; from the notion which he industriously propagated, that Isaiah had in this place…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18In that day - The word day‘ is used in Scripture in a large signification, “as including the whole period under consideration,” or the whole time that is embraced in the scope of a prophecy. In this chapter it is used in this sense; and evidently means that the event here foretold would take place “somewhere” in the period that is embraced in the design of the prophecy. That is, the event recorded in this verse would occur in the series of events that the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-25Verses 18-25 The words, "In that day," do not always refer to the passage just before. At a time which was to come, the Egyptians shall speak the holy language, the Scripture language; not only understand it, but use it. Converting grace, by changing the heart, changes the language; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So many Jews shall come to Egypt, that they shall soon fill five cities. Where the sun was worshipped, a place infamous…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18five cities in the land of Egypt: This likely means "a number of cities" (see also Isaiah 17:6; 30:17). Jews living in Egypt after Jerusalem's destruction spoke Hebrew, referred to here as the language of Canaan. Heliopolis was dedicated to Re, the sun god. When Judah resisted the Lord, Isaiah imagined the Egyptians following the Lord.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2218-22. In that day, &c.--Suffering shall lead to repentance. Struck with "terror" and "afraid" (Is 19:17) because of Jehovah's judgments, Egypt shall be converted to Him: nay, even Assyria shall join in serving Him; so that Israel, Assyria, and Egypt, once mutual foes, shall be bound together by the tie of a common faith as one people. So a similar issue from other prophecies (Is 18:7; 23:18). five cities--that is, several cities, as in Is 17:6; 30:17; Ge…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 19:18

• Egyptians

In the dictionaries

• Canaan
• Egypt
• City of Destruction
• Lord of Hosts
• That Day
• Canaan, the language of
• Destruction, City of
• Heres
• Irhaheres
• Astronomy

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