Bible Strands
Isaiah 19:8
Then the fishermen will mourn, all who cast a hook into the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on the waters will pine away.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah pronounces economic collapse on Egypt following the withering of Nile vegetation in verse 7 and preceding the distress of linen workers in verse 9.
The words — The Hebrew dāyyāgîm (fishermen) and ʾānû (they will lament) describe professionals who will weep, while mashlikê chakkâh (those who cast a hook) and pōrśê (those who spread out) specify the exact fishing methods rendered useless.
The thread — This image of fishing collapse contrasts with Ezekiel 47:10's vision of abundant catches, echoes the hostile use of hooks and nets in Habakkuk 1:15, and recalls the remembered fish of Egypt in Numbers 11:5.
Why it lands — The text states that national prosperity tied to a specific industry is vulnerable to divine judgment, requiring readers to assess how economic dependence shapes communal resilience.
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 fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 47:10 Fishermen will stand by the shore; from En-gedi to En-eglaim they will spread their nets to catch fish of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.
- Habakkuk 1:15 The foe pulls all of them up with a hook; he catches them in his dragnet, and gathers them in his fishing net; so he rejoices gladly.
- Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
- Exodus 7:21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.