Bible Strands
Isaiah 19:9
The workers in flax will be dismayed, and the weavers of fine linen will turn pale.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Isaiah pronounces this oracle concerning Egypt, placing it directly between judgments on the Nile’s fishermen and the nation’s textile laborers.
The words — בֹ֛שׁוּ (Vo.shu) translates literally to “they will be ashamed,” while חוֹרָֽי (cho.Rai) denotes “white cloth” or fine linen produced by Egyptian weavers.
The thread — This textile imagery echoes Ezekiel 27:7 and Proverbs 7:16, which both cite Egyptian fine linen as a marker of regional wealth and trade.
Why it lands — The text declares that Egypt’s prized manufacturing will collapse into dismay, demanding recognition that human industry cannot withstand divine judgment.
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
Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 27:7 Of embroidered fine linen from Egypt they made your sail, which served as your banner. Of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah they made your awning.
- Proverbs 7:16 I have decked my bed with coverings, with colored linen from Egypt.
- 1 Kings 10:28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.