19:1 Here is a message about Egypt:
Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud
and approaches Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him;
the Egyptians lose their courage. 1
19:3 The Egyptians will panic, 2
and I will confuse their strategy. 3
They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,
from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. 4
21:9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.” 5
When questioned, he replies, 6
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
30:22 You will desecrate your silver-plated idols 7
and your gold-plated images. 8
You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag,
saying to them, “Get out!”
57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;
they, they are the object of your devotion. 9
You pour out liquid offerings to them,
you make an offering.
Because of these things I will seek vengeance. 10
1 tn Heb “and the heart of Egypt melts within it.”
2 tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”
3 tn The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (bala’, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.
4 tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.
5 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
6 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
7 tn Heb “the platings of your silver idols.”
8 tn Heb “the covering of your gold image.”
9 tn Heb “among the smooth stones of the stream [is] your portion, they, they [are] your lot.” The next line indicates idols are in view.
10 tn The text reads literally, “Because of these am I relenting?” If the prefixed interrogative particle is retained at the beginning of the sentence, then the question would be rhetorical, with the Niphal of נָחָם (nakham) probably being used in the sense of “relent, change one’s mind.” One could translate: “Because of these things, how can I relent?” However, the initial letter he may be dittographic (note the final he [ה] on the preceding word). In this case one may understand the verb in the sense of “console oneself, seek vengeance,” as in 1:24.