Isaiah 19:5
Isaiah 19:5 in Multiple Translations
The waters of the Nile will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty.
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and become dry.
And the waters of the sea will be cut off, and the river will become dry and waste:
The waters of the Nile will fail, and its riverbed will be sunbaked and dry.
Then the waters of the sea shall faile, and the riuers shall be dryed vp, and wasted.
And failed have waters from the sea, And a river is wasted and dried up.
The waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry.
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the rivers shall be wasted and dried up.
And the water of the sea shall be dried up, and the river shall be wasted and dry.
Some day the water in the Nile River will dry up, and the riverbed will become very dry [DOU].
Berean Amplified Bible — Isaiah 19:5
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Isaiah 19:5 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
וְ/נִשְּׁתוּ
מַ֖יִם
מֵֽ/הַ/יָּ֑ם
וְ/נָהָ֖ר
יֶחֱרַ֥ב
וְ/יָבֵֽשׁ
וְ/נִשְּׁתוּ
yâbêsh
H3001
to wither
Conj | V-Niphal-3cp
מַ֖יִם
mayim
H4325
Water (Gate)
N-mp
מֵֽ/הַ/יָּ֑ם
yâm
H3220
West
Prep | Art | N-ms
וְ/נָהָ֖ר
nâhâr
H5104
river
Conj | N-ms
יֶחֱרַ֥ב
chârab
H2717
to dry
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms
וְ/יָבֵֽשׁ
nâshath
H5405
be dry
Conj | V-Qal-3ms
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Isaiah 19:5
וְ/נִשְּׁתוּ
yâbêsh
H3001
"to wither"
Conj | V-Niphal-3cp
This Hebrew word means to wither or dry up, like a plant without water. It can also mean to be ashamed or disappointed. The Bible uses it to describe things that have lost their freshness or vitality.
Definition: 1) to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be dry, be dried up, be without moisture 1a2) to be dried up 1b) (Piel) to make dry, dry up 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to dry up, make dry 1c1a) to dry up (water) 1c1b) to make dry, wither 1c1c) to exhibit dryness
Usage: Occurs in 62 OT verses. KJV: be ashamed, clean, be confounded, (make) dry (up), (do) shame(-fully), [idiom] utterly, wither (away). See also: Genesis 8:7; Jeremiah 6:15; Psalms 22:16.
מַ֖יִם
mayim
H4325
"Water (Gate)"
N-mp
This word means water, referring to a liquid or a source of refreshment. It appears in the Bible as a literal and figurative term, including references to wasting or urine. The word is used in various contexts, such as in Genesis and Leviticus.
Definition: This name means water, refreshment
Usage: Occurs in 525 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)). See also: Genesis 1:2; Leviticus 14:9; Joshua 18:15.
מֵֽ/הַ/יָּ֑ם
yâm
H3220
"West"
Prep | Art | N-ms
Refers to a large body of water like the Mediterranean Sea or a sea in general, sometimes specifically the west or seaward direction.
Definition: This name means sea, seaward, westward Another name of eph.ron (עֶפְרוֹן "(Mount )Ephron" H6085H)
Usage: Occurs in 339 OT verses. KJV: sea ([idiom] -faring man, (-shore)), south, west (-ern, side, -ward). See also: Genesis 1:10; Joshua 17:10; Psalms 8:9.
וְ/נָהָ֖ר
nâhâr
H5104
"river"
Conj | N-ms
In the Bible, a river symbolizes prosperity, like the Nile or Euphrates, and is often used figuratively. It appears in Genesis and Exodus, describing the life-giving waters of the Promised Land. This word is also used to describe underground streams.
Definition: 1) stream, river 1a) stream, river 1b) (underground) streams Aramaic equivalent: ne.har (נְהַר "river" H5103H)
Usage: Occurs in 108 OT verses. KJV: flood, river. See also: Genesis 2:10; Psalms 93:3; Psalms 24:2.
יֶחֱרַ֥ב
chârab
H2717
"to dry"
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms
To slay or destroy is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which can also mean to dry up or desolate something. It is used to describe fighting, attacking, or laying waste.
Definition: 1) to be dry, be dried up 1a) (Qal) to be dried, be dried up 1b) (Pual) to be dried 1c) (Hiphil) to dry up 1d) (Hophal) to be dried up
Usage: Occurs in 38 OT verses. KJV: decay, (be) desolate, destroy(-er), (be) dry (up), slay, [idiom] surely, (lay, lie, make) waste. See also: Genesis 8:13; Isaiah 50:2; Psalms 106:9.
וְ/יָבֵֽשׁ
nâshath
H5405
"be dry"
Conj | V-Qal-3ms
To dry up or be parched, often used to describe a lack of water or nourishment. In the Bible, it is used to describe the consequences of disobedience or neglect, as seen in Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Definition: 1) to be dry, be parched 1a) (Qal) to be dry, be parched 1b) (Niphal) to be dried up
Usage: Occurs in 3 OT verses. KJV: fail. See also: Isaiah 19:5; Isaiah 41:17; Jeremiah 51:30.
Study Notes — Isaiah 19:5
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Isaiah 19:5 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Isaiah 19:5
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 19:5
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
- Trapp's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
- Ellicott's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
- Cambridge Bible on Isaiah 19:5
- Barnes' Notes on Isaiah 19:5
- Whedon's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
Context — The Burden against Egypt
3Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead, to mediums and spiritists.
4I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a harsh master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.
5The waters of the Nile will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty.
6The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither. 7The bulrushes by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the fields sown along the Nile, will wither, blow away, and be no more.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah 51:36 | Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance on your behalf; I will dry up her sea and make her springs run dry. |
| 2 | Ezekiel 30:12 | I will make the streams dry up and sell the land to the wicked. By the hands of foreigners I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have spoken. |
| 3 | Zechariah 14:18 | And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in, then the rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. |
| 4 | Zechariah 10:11 | They will pass through the sea of distress and strike the waves of the sea; all the depths of the Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will depart. |
Isaiah 19:5 Summary
Isaiah 19:5 tells us that the Nile River, which was essential for Egypt's survival, will dry up, leaving the riverbed empty and parched. This verse reminds us that God is in control of all things, including the natural world, as seen in Psalm 104:14-16. Just as the Nile was crucial for Egypt's physical survival, we need spiritual nourishment from God to truly thrive, as Jesus teaches in John 4:14. By trusting in God's provision, we can find true satisfaction and fulfillment, even in times of uncertainty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of the Nile River in Isaiah 19:5?
The Nile River was the lifeblood of ancient Egypt, providing water and fertile soil for their crops, as seen in Exodus 1:22 and Ezekiel 29:3, so its drying up would have a devastating impact on the nation.
Is the drying up of the Nile River a literal or symbolic event?
While the verse can be interpreted literally, it may also symbolize God's judgment and the disruption of Egypt's economic and social systems, as mentioned in Isaiah 3:1 and Revelation 16:12.
How does this verse relate to God's sovereignty over the nations?
Isaiah 19:5 demonstrates God's power and control over the natural world, as well as His ability to judge and discipline nations, as stated in Psalm 135:6 and Daniel 4:35.
What is the spiritual significance of the Nile's drying up in this context?
The drying up of the Nile may represent the spiritual dryness and emptiness that result from turning away from God, as seen in Isaiah 55:1 and Matthew 5:6, highlighting the importance of seeking spiritual nourishment from God.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways in which I rely on worldly sources of comfort and security, rather than trusting in God's provision?
- How can I apply the lesson of the Nile's drying up to my own life, recognizing the fleeting nature of earthly resources and the importance of seeking eternal spiritual sustenance?
- In what ways can I trust God to provide for my needs, even in times of uncertainty or scarcity, as seen in Philippians 4:19 and Matthew 6:33?
- What are some spiritual 'rivers' in my life that may be drying up, and how can I seek renewal and restoration from God, as promised in Isaiah 58:11 and John 7:37-38?
Gill's Exposition on Isaiah 19:5
And the waters shall fail from the sea,.... Which Kimchi understands figuratively of the destruction of the Egyptians by the king of Assyria, compared to the drying up of the waters of the Nile; and
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 19:5
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up. The waters shall fail from the sea - the Nile.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
The waters shall fail from the sea; which may be understood either, 1. Metaphorically, of the taking away of their dominion or commerce, &c.; or rather, 2. Properly, as may be gathered from the following words and verses. For as the river Nilus, when it had a full stream, and free course, did pour forth a vast quantity of waters by its seven famous mouths into the sea; so when that was dried up, which is expressed in the next clause, those waters did truly and properly fail from the sea. So there is no need of understanding by sea either the river Nilus, or the great lake of Moeris, which, after the manner of the Hebrews, might be so called. The river, to wit, Nilus, upon whose fulness and overflow both the safety and the wealth of the land depended, as all authors agree; and therefore this was a very terrible judgment. Dried up, not totally, but in a very great measure, as such phrases are commonly used.
Trapp's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
Isaiah 19:5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.Ver. 5. And the waters shall fail from the sea,] i.e., Their sea traffic shall be taken from them, to their very great loss. Historians testify, that by frequent navigation out of the Bay of Arabia into India and Trogloditiae, the revenue of Egypt was so increased, that Auletes, the father of Cleopatra, received thence yearly twelve thousand and five hundred talents. And the river shall be wasted and dried up,] i.e., The river Nile, which watereth Egypt and maketh it fruitful. See Deuteronomy 11:9-10 Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 29:9. “ Creditur Aegyptus caruisse iuvantibus arva Imbribus, atque annis sicca fuisse novem. ” - Ovid. Art., lib. i.
Ellicott's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
(5) The waters shall fail from the sea.—The “sea,” like the river, is, of course, the Nile (Homer calls it Oceanus), or, possibly, indicates specially the Pelusiac branch of the river. So the White and Blue Niles are respectively the White and Blue Seas (Bahr). The words that follow seem to describe partly the result of the failure of the annual rising of the Nile, partly of the neglect of the appliances of irrigation caused by the anarchy implied in Isaiah 19:2 (Herod. ii. 137).
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
Verse 5. The river shall be wasted and dried up.] The Nile shall not overflow its banks; and if no inundation, the land must become barren. For, as there is little or no rain in Egypt, its fertility depends on the overflowing of the Nile.
Cambridge Bible on Isaiah 19:5
5–10. The material and industrial ruin of Egypt.
Barnes' Notes on Isaiah 19:5
And the waters shall fail - Here commences a description of the “physical” calamities that would come upon the land, which continues to Isaiah 19:10.
Whedon's Commentary on Isaiah 19:5
5. Waters shall fail from the sea — The Nile river, the life of Egypt, is still called el Bahr, the Sea. But little rain falls in Egypt, and that only near the Mediterranean.