Isaiah 19:3
in Isaiah 19Then 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
KJV
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
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This verse in Isaiah 19
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And the spirit of Egypt - (see Isa 19:1). They shall be exhausted with their long internal contentions and strifes; and seeing no prospect of deliverance, and anxious that the turmoils should end, they shall seek counsel and refuge in their gods and necromancers, but in vain. Shall fail - (נבקה nâbeqâh). Margin, ‘Be emptied.’ The word means, literally, “to pour out, empty, depopulate.” Here it means that they would become disheartened and discouraged.
This site's exposition
the LORD rides on a swift cloud
on Isaiah 19:1-3
The burden against Egypt opens as "The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him", the language the Exodus used of the plagues against the gods. Civil collapse follows, "Egyptian against Egyptian", and a people will "resort to idols". Barnes traces the internal wars to the dynastic strife of the period.
This site's exposition
I will frustrate their plans
The spirit emptied out is the wisdom Egypt was famous for, and Acts 7:22 says Moses was educated in all of it. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the Hebrew verb means poured out. Their counsel runs dry before their river does.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Verse 3) And the spirit of Egypt shall be destroyed in its bowels, and I will overthrow its counsel: and they shall inquire of their idols and their diviners, and their pythons and soothsayers. When a rebellion arises in Egypt, whether those desiring to serve Babylon, or those unwilling to submit their necks to its yoke, or others believing in Christ while others resist, the spirit of Egypt shall be destroyed and divided, not the same for all who desire it, and all their counsel shall be reduced to nothing. Then they will go to their statues; and they will question the divine beings, the soothsayers, the prophets, and those skilled in magical arts, why these things have happened.
And the spirit of Egypt was disrupted in their hearts, so that they would not feel equal; but separated by a spiritual sword against themselves, they would recognize that all their plans had been thrown away: and nevertheless, remaining in their previous error, those who had refused to accept the truth of faith would consult idols and their gods, and Pythonesses, and soothsayers.
The Medieval Church1 voice
He sets out the diversity of wills: the spirit, that is, the will, shall be broken, that is, divided, in the bowels thereof, that is, in the inhabitants of the land: every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate (Matt 12:25). Fourth, as to …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The militia of Egypt, that had been famed for their valour, shall be quite dispirited and disheartened. No kingdom in the world was ever in a better method of keeping up a standing army than the Egyptians were; but now their heroes, that used to be celebrated for courage, shall be posted for cowards: The heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it, like wax before the fire (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — 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
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), by taking away wisdom from the statesmen ( Job xii. 20 ), or setting them one against another (as Hushai and Ahithophel), or by his providence breaking their measures even when they seemed well laid; so that the princes of Zoan are fools: they make fools of one another, every one betrays his own folly, and divine Providence makes fools of them all,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
spirit--wisdom, for which Egypt was famed (Isa 31:2; Ac 7:22); answering to "counsel" in the parallel clause. fail--literally, "be poured out," that is, be made void (Jer 19:7). They shall "seek" help from sources that can afford none, "charmers," &c.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
They shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards - And thei schul asken their symulacres, and their debynouris, and their devyl clepers, and their devyl sacristers. - Old Bible. The import of the original words has already been given where they occur in the Pentateuch. See Deu 18:10, etc.
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנָבְקָ֤ה | venavekah | and it will be disturbed | H1238 → | 9 times |
| רֽוּחַ־ | ruach- | [the] spirit of | H7307 → | 378 times |
| מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ | bekirbo | <in> within it | H7130 → | 227 times |
| וַעֲצָת֖וֹ | vaatzato | and plan its | H6098 → | 89 times |
| אֲבַלֵּ֑עַ | ʾavalea' | I will confuse | H1104 → | 49 times |
| וְדָרְשׁ֤וּ | vedareshu | and they will consult | H1875 → | 164 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָֽאֱלִילִים֙ | haelilim | the idols | H457 → | 20 times |
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָ֣אִטִּ֔ים | haitim | the mutterer | H328 → | |
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָאֹב֖וֹת | haovot | the necromancers | H178 → | 17 times |
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַיִּדְּעֹנִֽים׃ | haiyideonim | the soothsayers | H3049 → |
וְנָבְקָ֤הand it will be disturbed
venavekahH1238 →9 times
רֽוּחַ־[the] spirit of
ruach-H7307 →378 times
מִצְרַ֙יִם֙Egypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ<in> within it
bekirboH7130 →227 times
וַעֲצָת֖וֹand plan its
vaatzatoH6098 →89 times
אֲבַלֵּ֑עַI will confuse
ʾavalea'H1104 →49 times
וְדָרְשׁ֤וּand they will consult
vedareshuH1875 →164 times
אֶל־<to>
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָֽאֱלִילִים֙the idols
haelilimH457 →20 times
וְאֶל־and <to>
veel-H413 →5510 times
הָ֣אִטִּ֔יםthe mutterer
haitimH328 →
וְאֶל־and <to>
veel-H413 →5510 times
הָאֹב֖וֹתthe necromancers
haovotH178 →17 times
וְאֶל־and <to>
veel-H413 →5510 times
הַיִּדְּעֹנִֽים׃the soothsayers
haiyideonimH3049 →
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
Isaiah 8:19When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
it leads to
- Leviticus 20:6
Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Chronicles 10:13
So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
- 2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking…
- Leviticus 20:6
Through
1 Chronicles 10:13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
it leads to
- Leviticus 19:31
You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 19:31
Through
Proverbs 21:30There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
it leads to
- Acts 5:39
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
- Proverbs 19:21
Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
- Jeremiah 9:23
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
- Isaiah 14:27
The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back?
- Acts 5:39
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); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.