Isaiah 19:5
New International Version
The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and dry.

New Living Translation
The waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood the fields. The riverbed will be parched and dry.

English Standard Version
And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched,

Berean Standard Bible
The waters of the Nile will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty.

King James Bible
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

New King James Version
The waters will fail from the sea, And the river will be wasted and dried up.

New American Standard Bible
The waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry.

NASB 1995
The waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry.

NASB 1977
And the waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry.

Legacy Standard Bible
The waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry.

Amplified Bible
The waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry.

Christian Standard Bible
The water of the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The waters of the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry.

American Standard Version
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and become dry.

Contemporary English Version
The Nile River will dry up and become parched land.

English Revised Version
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and become dry.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The water in the Nile River will be dried up, and the river will be dry and empty.

Good News Translation
The water will be low in the Nile, and the river will gradually dry up.

International Standard Version
"The water sources of the Nile will be dried up, and the river will become dry and parched.

Majority Standard Bible
The waters of the Nile will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty.

NET Bible
The water of the sea will be dried up, and the river will dry up and be empty.

New Heart English Bible
The waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the rivers shall be wasted and dried up.

World English Bible
The waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And waters have failed from the sea, "" And a river is desolated and dried up.

Young's Literal Translation
And failed have waters from the sea, And a river is wasted and dried up.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the water failed from the sea, and the river will waste and dry up.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the water of the sea shall be dried up, and the river shall be wasted and dry.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the waters of the sea will dry up, and the river will be desolate and dry.

New American Bible
The waters shall be drained from the sea, the river shall parch and dry up;

New Revised Standard Version
The waters of the Nile will be dried up, and the river will be parched and dry;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they shall cut off the water from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they shall cut off the waters from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and shall dry up
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the waters shall fail from the sea, And the river shall be drained dry,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Egyptians shall drink the water that is by the sea, but the river shall fail, and be dried up.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
An Oracle Concerning Egypt
4I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of harsh masters, 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.…

Cross References
Exodus 7:18-21
The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water.’” / And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and all the reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and stone.” / Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron raised the staff and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to blood. ...

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.

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.

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.

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.

Nahum 1:4
He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts.

Psalm 74:15
You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

Job 14:11
As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry,

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, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.

Isaiah 42:15
I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes.

Isaiah 44:27
who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’

Revelation 8:10-11
Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. / The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

Revelation 11:6
These witnesses have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

Exodus 14:21
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,

Joshua 3:13-17
When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.” / So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. / Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ...


Treasury of Scripture

And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

Jeremiah 51:36
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

Ezekiel 30:12
And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it.

Zechariah 10:11
And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.

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Cut Drained Dried Dry Fail Failed Nile Parched River Riverbed Rivers Sea Waste Wasted Waters
Isaiah 19
1. The confusion of Egypt
11. The foolishness of their princes
18. The calling of Egypt into the church
23. The covenant of Egypt, Assyria, and Israel














The waters of the Nile
The Nile River, known in Hebrew as "Ye'or," has been the lifeblood of Egypt since ancient times. It is not merely a geographical feature but a symbol of sustenance, prosperity, and divine provision. In the context of Isaiah's prophecy, the drying up of the Nile signifies a divine intervention that disrupts the natural order. Historically, the Nile's inundation was crucial for agriculture, and its failure would lead to famine and economic collapse. Spiritually, this phrase reminds us of God's sovereignty over creation and His ability to withhold or provide resources according to His will.

will dry up
The Hebrew root for "dry up" is "charab," which conveys a sense of desolation and barrenness. This is not a mere reduction in water levels but a complete cessation, symbolizing judgment and the removal of life-giving resources. In a broader theological context, this drying up can be seen as a metaphor for spiritual drought, where the absence of God's presence leads to a barren and unfruitful life. It serves as a call to repentance and reliance on God rather than on earthly resources.

and the riverbed
The "riverbed" refers to the channel of the Nile, which, when devoid of water, becomes a symbol of emptiness and futility. In the Hebrew context, the riverbed is a place that should be teeming with life and activity. Its emptiness signifies the cessation of normal life and commerce, reflecting the broader theme of divine judgment. This imagery can also be seen as a warning against placing trust in the stability of worldly systems, which can be upended by God's command.

will be parched
The term "parched" comes from the Hebrew "yavesh," indicating extreme dryness and an inability to support life. This word paints a vivid picture of the land's condition when deprived of its essential water source. In a spiritual sense, it represents the condition of a soul without the living water of God's Word and Spirit. It is a call to seek the refreshment that only God can provide, as opposed to the temporary satisfaction offered by the world.

and empty
The word "empty" in Hebrew is "shamem," which implies desolation and abandonment. This final phrase underscores the totality of the judgment pronounced upon Egypt. The emptiness of the riverbed is a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. It serves as a prophetic warning to all nations and individuals about the dangers of self-reliance and the ultimate emptiness that comes from rejecting God's provision and guidance. In a broader sense, it is an invitation to seek fullness in Christ, who promises living water that will never run dry.

(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).

Verse 5 - The waters shall fail from the sea. By "the sea" it is generally allowed that the Nile must be meant, as in Isaiah 18:2 and Nahum 3:8. The failure might be caused by deficient rains in Abyssinia and Equatorial Africa, producing an insufficient inundation. It might be aggravated by the neglect of dykes and canals, which would be the natural consequence of civil disorders (see Canon Cook's 'Inscription of Piankhi,' p. 14). Wasted and dried up; rather, parched and dried up. Allowance must be made for Oriental hyperbole. The meaning is only that there shall be a great deficiency in the water supply. Such a deficiency has often been the cause of terrible famines in Egypt.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The waters
מַ֖יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

of the [Nile]
מֵֽהַיָּ֑ם (mê·hay·yām)
Preposition-m, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3220: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin

will dry up,
וְיָבֵֽשׁ׃ (wə·yā·ḇêš)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5405: To eliminate, to dry up

and the riverbed
וְנָהָ֖ר (wə·nā·hār)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity

will be parched
יֶחֱרַ֥ב (ye·ḥĕ·raḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2717: To parch, to desolate, destroy, kill

and empty.
וְנִשְּׁתוּ־ (wə·niš·šə·ṯū-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3001: To be ashamed, confused, disappointed, to dry up, wither


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 19:5 The waters will fail from the sea (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 19:4
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