2 Kings 18:21

18:21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him.

Isaiah 20:5-6

20:5 Those who put their hope in Cush and took pride in Egypt will be afraid and embarrassed. ¹  20:6 At that time ²  those who live on this coast ³  will say, ‘Look what has happened to our source of hope to whom we fled for help, expecting to be rescued from the king of Assyria! How can we escape now?’”

Isaiah 30:2-7

30:2 They travel down to Egypt

without seeking my will, ⁴ 

seeking Pharaoh’s protection,

and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. ⁵ 

30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,

and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.

30:4 Though his ⁶  officials are in Zoan

and his messengers arrive at Hanes, ⁷ 

30:5 all will be put to shame ⁸ 

because of a nation that cannot help them,

who cannot give them aid or help,

but only shame and disgrace.”

30:6 This is a message ⁹  about the animals in the Negev:

Through a land of distress and danger,

inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, ¹⁰ 

by snakes and darting adders, ¹¹ 

they transport ¹²  their wealth on the backs of donkeys,

their riches on the humps of camels,

to a nation that cannot help them. ¹³ 

30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. ¹⁴ 

For this reason I call her

‘Proud one ¹⁵  who is silenced.’” ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 31:1-3

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ¹⁷ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ¹⁸ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ¹⁹ 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ²⁰ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

31:2 Yet he too is wise ²¹  and he will bring disaster;

he does not retract his decree. ²² 

He will attack the wicked nation, ²³ 

and the nation that helps ²⁴  those who commit sin. ²⁵ 

31:3 The Egyptians are mere humans, not God;

their horses are made of flesh, not spirit.

The Lord will strike with ²⁶  his hand;

the one who helps will stumble

and the one being helped will fall.

Together they will perish. ²⁷ 

Isaiah 36:6

36:6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him!

Jeremiah 2:36

2:36 Why do you constantly go about

changing your political allegiances? ²⁸ 

You will get no help from Egypt

just as you got no help from Assyria. ²⁹ 

Lamentations 4:17

The People of Jerusalem Lament:

ע (Ayin)

4:17 Our eyes continually failed us

as we looked in vain for help. ³⁰ 

From our watchtowers we watched

for a nation that could not rescue us.

[20:5]  ¹ tn Heb “and they will be afraid and embarrassed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their beauty.”

[20:6]  ² tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

[20:6]  ³ sn This probably refers to the coastal region of Philistia (cf. TEV).

[30:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”

[30:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”

[30:4]  ⁶ sn This probably refers to Judah’s officials and messengers.

[30:4]  ⁷ sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta in the north; Hanes was located somewhere in southern region of lower Egypt, south of Memphis; the exact location is debated.

[30:5]  ⁸ tn The present translation follows the marginal (Qere) reading of the Hebrew text; the consonantal text (Kethib) has “made to stink, decay.”

[30:6]  ⁹ tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”

[30:6]  ¹⁰ tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.

[30:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.

[30:6]  ¹² tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[30:6]  ¹³ sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.

[30:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “As for Egypt, with vanity and emptiness they help.”

[30:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Rahab” (רַהַב, rahav), which also appears as a name for Egypt in Ps 87:4. The epithet is also used in the OT for a mythical sea monster symbolic of chaos. See the note at 51:9. A number of English versions use the name “Rahab” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) while others attempt some sort of translation (cf. CEV “a helpless monster”; TEV, NLT “the Harmless Dragon”).

[30:7]  ¹⁶ tn The MT reads “Rahab, they, sitting.” The translation above assumes an emendation of הֵם שָׁבֶת (hem shavet) to הַמָּשְׁבָּת (hammashbat), a Hophal participle with prefixed definite article, meaning “the one who is made to cease,” i.e., “destroyed,” or “silenced.” See HALOT 444-45 s.v. ישׁב.

[31:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ²⁰ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[31:2]  ²¹ sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.

[31:2]  ²² tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”

[31:2]  ²³ tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”

[31:2]  ²⁴ sn That is, Egypt.

[31:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”

[31:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “will extend”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV “stretch out.”

[31:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “together all of them will come to an end.”

[2:36]  ²⁸ tn Heb “changing your way.” The translation follows the identification of the Hebrew verb here as a defective writing of a form (תֵּזְלִי [tezÿli] instead of תֵּאזְלִי [te’zÿli]) from a verb meaning “go/go about” (אָזַל [’azal]; cf. BDB 23 s.v. אָזַל). Most modern English versions, commentaries, and lexicons read it from a root meaning “to treat cheaply [or lightly]” (תָּזֵלִּי [tazelli] from the root זָלַל (zalal); cf. HALOT 261 s.v. זָלַל); hence, “Why do you consider it such a small matter to…”

[2:36]  ²⁹ tn Heb “You will be ashamed/disappointed by Egypt, just as you were ashamed/ disappointed by Assyria.”

[4:17]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Our eyes failed in vain for help.”