Limitless Word
Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
Isaiah 19:9 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Moreover those who work in combed flax, and those who weave white cloth, will be confounded.
  • BSB The workers in flax will be dismayed, and the weavers of fine linen will turn pale.
  • NKJV Moreover those who work in fine flax And those who weave fine fabric will be ashamed;
  • NASB Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax And the weavers of white cloth will be utterly dejected.
  • NLT There will be no flax for the harvesters, no thread for the weavers.

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

Those who worked Egypt's prized linen industry are put to shame. It matters because even Egypt's celebrated craftsmanship collapses under God's judgment.

Overview

Egypt was famous for its fine flax and white linen, a source of trade and pride. Here that industry is confounded as the raw materials and markets fail. The judgment reaches the skilled trades, showing that no sector of Egypt's economy is exempt. Human achievement and craftsmanship offer no shelter when God acts against a people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Ezek 27:7Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee.
  • Prov 7:16I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
  • 1 Kgs 10:28And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 19:9YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 19:9 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

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.