What is the meaning of Isaiah 19:10? The workers in cloth Isaiah singles out the linen artisans of Egypt, the people who turned flax into the fine fabric for which the nation was famous. Their trade depended on the Nile’s waters and the prosperity of the court and temples that bought their wares. Earlier in the chapter the Lord says, “The waters of the Nile will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty” (Isaiah 19:5). With the river failing, the flax harvest dies (v. 7), so the whole supply chain collapses. We have seen similar shocks before: when famine hit Egypt in Joseph’s day, every profession felt it (Genesis 41:55-56). Scripture consistently shows that when God withholds a resource, even skilled workers cannot overcome it—think of the craftsmen who “could not stand” when the Lord’s glory filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:35). Will be dejected The Hebrew text pictures them bowed down, drained of spirit. Dejection follows when livelihoods disappear and confidence in false gods crumbles. A few verses later Isaiah notes, “The spirit of Egypt will fail within them, and I will confuse their plans” (v. 13). Similar language appears in Joel 1:11: “Wail, O farmers… for the harvest of the field has perished.” When the Lord dismantles an economy, discouragement is inevitable, yet He does it to expose every rival security. Bullet points showing why they are dejected: • Nile drought means no raw material. • Economic domino effect touches artisans, merchants, and households. • Their idols (v. 1) offer no help, revealing spiritual bankruptcy. And all the hired workers The blow is not confined to one guild; “all the hired workers” embraces day-laborers, porters, servant staff—everyone paid by the job. Exodus 1:14 reminds us that Egypt once “made their lives bitter with hard labor,” a pattern that returns upon their own heads. James 5:4 echoes the principle: “Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen… are crying out against you.” When a society’s leaders defy God, that sin filters down, hurting the most vulnerable first. Will be sick at heart This phrase captures an inner collapse: anxiety, grief, hopelessness. Deuteronomy 28:65-66 foretold such judgment—“The LORD will give you a trembling heart… your life will hang in doubt.” Proverbs 13:12 observes, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” God’s purpose in allowing heart-sickness is redemptive; later in the chapter He promises, “They will cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, and He will send them a Savior” (Isaiah 19:20). Judgment shakes people awake so they can find true healing in Him. summary Isaiah 19:10 paints a literal economic and emotional meltdown in Egypt: from specialized craftsmen to day-laborers, everyone feels the sting of divine judgment. The failure of the Nile withers the flax, emptying wallets and draining hearts. God exposes false securities so that people might turn to Him, the only unfailing source of provision and peace. |
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