19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; 1
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. 2
Grain from the Shihor region, 4
crops grown near the Nile 5 she receives; 6
she is the trade center 7 of the nations.
1 tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”
2 tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”
3 tc The Hebrew text (23:2b-3a) reads literally, “merchant of Sidon, the one who crosses the sea, they filled you, and on the deep waters.” Instead of מִלְאוּךְ (mil’ukh, “they filled you”) the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads מלאכיך (“your messengers”). The translation assumes an emendation of מִלְאוּךְ to מַלְאָכָו (mal’akhav, “his messengers”), taking the vav (ו) on וּבְמַיִם (uvÿmayim) as improperly placed; instead it should be the final letter of the preceding word.
4 tn Heb “seed of Shihor.” “Shihor” probably refers to the east branch of the Nile. See Jer 2:18 and BDB 1009 s.v. שִׁיחוֹר.
5 tn Heb “the harvest of the Nile.”
6 tn Heb “[is] her revenue.”
7 tn Heb “merchandise”; KJV, ASV “a mart of nations”; NLT “the merchandise mart of the world.”