The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.
Parallel translations
- WEB The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
- BSB The bulrushes by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the fields sown along the Nile, will wither, blow away, and be no more.
- NKJV The papyrus reeds by the River, by the mouth of the River, And everything sown by the River, Will wither, be driven away, and be no more.
- NASB The bulrushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile And all the sown fields by the Nile Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
- NLT All the greenery along the riverbank and all the crops along the river will dry up and blow away.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The fertile fields along the Nile dry up and vanish. It matters because Egypt's renowned abundance is shown to depend wholly on God's provision.
Overview
The meadows and sown fields bordering the Nile, normally lush and productive, are pictured as parched and swept away. Egypt's famed fertility, the basis of its wealth and influence, collapses when the river fails. Isaiah presses home that prosperity is a gift that can be withdrawn. The judgment exposes the false security of trusting in natural plenty rather than in God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Isa 32:20Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.
- Joel 1:17–18The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.
- Ezek 19:13And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
- Jer 14:4Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
- Isa 23:3And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 19:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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