Isaiah 19:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

To clarify the meaning of these words, we must closely examine their obscurity. Judah was once delivered by God’s protection, rendering it invincible against the pagan nations surrounding it. Yet, despite this divine assistance, it fell to Roman conquest, with the city laid to waste and its dwellings left desolate. The reason for their captivity was clear: it was the decree of the Lord against them that resulted in their surrender to the formidable might of Rome. Thus, the state of Judah will be one of fear in the face of Egypt.

False prophets attempted to instill hope, suggesting that Judah could triumph over its adversaries. However, the betrayal of Judah, despite its former defender, instilled profound terror. They anticipated submission to those who sought to pillage their land, believing this outcome to be inevitable; this came not from any diminishment in divine strength but rather from God’s own will to bring them under His authority.

Others interpret this passage differently. They argue that once God scrutinized the Egyptians, leading them from darkness into light and allowing them to recognize the true God—the Creator—whom they came to know through Christ and in whom they perceived the Father, the humility and reverence of the Egyptians would then turn the land of the Jews into a source of fear for them. Here, ‘fear’ signifies the reverence arising from their piety. The significance of Jerusalem invokes respect, as it is the birthplace of Christ, who was crucified there for the redemption of humanity, buried, resurrected, and ascended to the Father.

In the past, the Jews were despised by the Egyptians due to their differing religious practices. One nation worshiped created things and their handiwork, while the other served the holy God, governed by His laws and dedicated to a righteous way of life. Thus, a land that was once loathed became a place of awe and reverence, for it was the birthplace of Christ, who called them from the shadows into His glorious light.

In this moment, Egypt, recognizing its folly and past drunkenness, will experience terror akin to that of a woman— not from the sudden fright typically felt by husbands, whom Egypt does not cherish but rather oppresses and destroys, but from the fear characteristic of those whom Pharaoh wishes to keep alive. Yet, he will tremble at the motion of the Lord's hand, which signifies the punishments He will raise to strike Egypt.

Then, the land of Judah—the understanding of Scripture, the law and the prophets, the gospels and the writings of the apostles—will become a source of joy for Egypt if she comes to know them. By comparing the truths therein with her own lies, she will come to recognize her error. Anyone who remembers this land will tremble with a fear that brings life, for the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). This understanding applies not only to the culmination of time but also to the present moment. Indeed, every heretic is fearful of the man of the Church, knowledgeable in the heavenly disciplines, and is alarmed by his memory. He will also be apprehensive and disturbed by the decree of the Lord concerning this worldly Egypt. We briefly touch on these details in order to proceed further.