Isaiah 19:16
in Isaiah 19In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble with fear beneath the uplifted hand of the LORD of Hosts, when He brandishes it against them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
In that day shall the Egyptians be like unto women; and they shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of Jehovah of hosts, which he shaketh over them.
KJV
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
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This verse in Isaiah 19
Commentary
10 notes on this verseShall Egypt be “The Egyptians shall be” - יהיו yihyu, they shall be, plural, MS. Bodl. Septuagint, and Chaldee. This is not proposed as an emendation, for either form is proper.
This site's exposition
the Egyptians will be like women
on Isaiah 19:16-17
"In that day the Egyptians will be like women", and "The land of Judah will bring terror to Egypt". Clarke and Henry observe that Egypt, usually the power Judah feared, now trembles "whenever Judah is mentioned". The phrase "In that day" marks a turn from judgment to a longer horizon.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Verse 16, 17.) On that day, Egypt will be like women, and it will be astonished and afraid because of the shaking hand of the Lord of hosts, which he will bring down on it. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who thinks of it will fear because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he has determined against it. At that time, which is now, as we have frequently mentioned, it signifies the day when the Lord will send the spirit of error and confusion, so that Egypt will vomit out the wine of dragons and the incurable madness of asps, understanding its own error and its former drunkenness. Egypt will be afraid like a woman, not with the usual fear that anyone may experience, whom Egypt does not love but suffocates and kills; but with a feminine fear, for Egypt alone does Pharaoh desire to live. But when the commotion, or raising up, of the hand of the Lord, by which punishments are demonstrated, moves and lifts up, in order to strike Egypt. Then the land of Judah, that is, the knowledge of the Scriptures, the law and the prophets, the Gospels and the Epistles of the Apostles, will be a cause for celebration for Egypt, if they recognize them: or a cause for fear, if by comparing their teachings and truths, they understand that they have held falsehood. All who remember this land will tremble with the fear that leads to life: For the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Prov. 9:10). And not only in the consummation of the world, but also in the present time, we can receive this; which, every heretic should fear and be frightened by, as it is a teaching of a man knowledgeable in heavenly doctrines. But he will fear and dread the counsel of the Lord, which he has conceived upon Egypt of this world. We briefly go over each thing, in order to move on to the rest.
(Verse 16, 17.) On that day Egypt will be like women, and they will be astonished and afraid because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he will bring against them. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who mentions it will fear because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts, which he has planned against it. I think it is better to correct one's own mistakes than to persist in error while being embarrassed to admit one's ignorance.
The Medieval Church1 voice
In that day. Here he threatens fear of the strong. And first, he places the fear itself, like unto women, feeble and weak: their strength has failed, and they are become as women (Jer 51:30).
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
); they shall be frightened and put into confusion by the least alarm; even those that dwell in the heart of the country, in the midst of it, and therefore furthest from danger, will be as full of frights as those that are situate on the frontiers.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
That at length God's holy religion should be brought into Egypt, and set up there, in part by the Jews that should flee thither for refuge, but more fully by the preachers of the gospel of Christ, through whose ministry churches should be planted in Egypt in the says of the Messiah (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), which will be both an evidence of a universal decay and a means and presage of utter ruin. Two things will put them into this fright:-- 1. What they hear from the land of Judah; that shall be a terror to Egypt,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women - Timid; fearful; alarmed. The Hebrews often, by this comparison, express great fear and consternation Jer 51:30; Nah 3:13. Because of the shaking of the hand - The shaking of the hand is an indication of threatening or punishment (note, Isa 10:32; Isa 11:15).
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בַּיּ֣וֹם | baiyom | in the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֔וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יִֽהְיֶ֥ה | yihyeh | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מִצְרַ֖יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| כַּנָּשִׁ֑ים | kanashim | like <the> women | H802 → | 781 times |
| וְחָרַ֣ד׀ | vecharad | and it will tremble | H2729 → | 39 times |
| וּפָחַ֗ד | ufachad | and it will be in dread | H6342 → | 25 times |
| מִפְּנֵי֙ | mipenei | of <the face of> | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| תְּנוּפַת֙ | tenufat | [the] brandishing of | H8573 → | |
| יַד־ | yad- | [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְבָא֔וֹת | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| ה֖וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| מֵנִ֥יף | menif | [is] brandishing | H5130 → | 37 times |
| עָלָֽיו׃ | ʾalav | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
בַּיּ֣וֹםin the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֔וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
יִֽהְיֶ֥הit will be
yihyehH1961 →3559 times
מִצְרַ֖יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
כַּנָּשִׁ֑יםlike <the> women
kanashimH802 →781 times
וְחָרַ֣ד׀and it will tremble
vecharadH2729 →39 times
וּפָחַ֗דand it will be in dread
ufachadH6342 →25 times
מִפְּנֵי֙of <the face of>
mipeneiH6440 →2123 times
תְּנוּפַת֙[the] brandishing of
tenufatH8573 →
יַד־[the] hand of
yad-H3027 →1618 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְבָא֔וֹתof hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
ה֖וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
מֵנִ֥יף[is] brandishing
menifH5130 →37 times
עָלָֽיו׃on it
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 51:30The warriors of Babylon have stopped fighting; they sit in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become like women. Babylon’s homes have been set ablaze, the bars of her gates are broken.
it leads to
- Nahum 3:13
Look at your troops—they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 50:36–37
A sword is against her false prophets, and they will become fools. A sword is against her warriors, and they will be filled with terror.
- Lamentations 2:9
Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets find…
- Isaiah 13:7–8
Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt.
- Nahum 3:13
Through
Nahum 3:13Look at your troops—they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 51:30
The warriors of Babylon have stopped fighting; they sit in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become like women. Babylon’s homes have been set ablaze, the bars of her gates are broken.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 51:30
Through
Isaiah 11:15The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men…
it leads to
- Revelation 16:12
And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.
- 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…
- Isaiah 50:2
Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold,…
- Revelation 16:12
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.
