Bible Strands
Isaiah 19:2
“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian; brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet delivers Yahweh’s declaration against Egypt at the opening of an oracle, just as the Lord approaches the nation to confront its idols. The speech addresses the Egyptian state and its leadership, marking the beginning of a judgment sequence.
The words — The verb sikh.sakh.Ti (H5526) translates literally as “I will provoke” and describes Yahweh’s direct agency in triggering internal conflict. This lexical choice frames the subsequent civil strife as divinely initiated rather than merely political.
The thread — The motif of God turning people against each other appears when He sets Israel’s camp against itself in Judges 7:22 and 1 Samuel 14:20, and Jesus later cites the same mechanism of household division in Matthew 10:36.
Why it lands — The text reports that Yahweh incites Egyptian against Egyptian, fracturing society from brother to kingdom. It requires the reader to acknowledge that national collapse originates from divine action and to recognize God’s sovereignty over human institutions.
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
And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Cross-references
- Judges 7:22 And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
- 1 Samuel 14:20 Then Saul and all his troops assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword against his neighbor.
- Matthew 10:36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
- Ezekiel 38:21 And I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s sword will be against his brother.
- Matthew 10:21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death.
- Matthew 12:25 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
- Revelation 17:12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings along with the beast.
- 2 Chronicles 20:22 The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.
- Isaiah 9:21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- Isaiah 19:13 The princes of Zoan have become fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. The cornerstones of her tribes have led Egypt astray.