Isaiah 19:20-21

19:20 It 1  will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt of 2  the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defender 3  who will rescue them. 19:21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and they 4  will acknowledge the Lord’s authority 5  at that time. 6  They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them.

1 tn The masculine noun מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbbeakh, “altar”) in v. 19 is probably the subject of the masculine singular verb הָיָה (hayah) rather than the feminine noun מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “sacred pillar”), also in v. 19.

2 tn Heb “a sign and a witness to the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] in the land of Egypt.”

3 tn רָב (rav) is a substantival participle (from רִיב, riv) meaning “one who strives, contends.”

4 tn Heb “Egypt.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the present translation uses the pronoun (“they”) here.

5 tn Heb “will know the Lord.”

6 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV), likewise at the beginning of vv. 23 and 24.