Isaiah 19:13

19:13 The officials of Zoan are fools,

the officials of Memphis are misled;

the rulers of her tribes lead Egypt astray.

Isaiah 30:7

30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping.

For this reason I call her

‘Proud one who is silenced.’”


tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”

tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.

tn Heb “As for Egypt, with vanity and emptiness they help.”

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”).

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.