Bible Strands
Isaiah 19:1
This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah delivers an oracle against Egypt, announcing Yahweh’s imminent arrival to confront the nation.
The words — מַשּׂ֖א (maśśāʾ) means "oracle" or "burden," establishing the passage as a weighty divine pronouncement, while רֹכֵב עַל־עָב קַל (rōkēḇ ʿal-ʿāḇ qal) literally reads "riding on a swift cloud."
The thread — The announcement of Yahweh’s approach links to the judgment of Egypt’s gods in Exodus 12:12, the visible return in Revelation 1:7, and the psychological collapse described in Joshua 2:11.
Why it lands — The text asserts that divine intervention will trigger political fragmentation and psychological defeat in Egypt, requiring the reader to acknowledge that human institutions cannot withstand God’s direct action.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
Cross-references
- Exodus 12:12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
- Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
- Joshua 2:11 When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.
- Ezekiel 30:13 This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in Egypt, and I will instill fear in that land.
- Joel 3:19 Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.
- Deuteronomy 33:26 “There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, and the clouds in His majesty.
- Psalms 104:3 laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind.
- Isaiah 13:1 This is the burden against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz received:
- Jeremiah 50:2 “Announce and declare to the nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’
- Jeremiah 51:44 I will punish Bel in Babylon. I will make him spew out what he swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him; even the wall of Babylon will fall.