7:18 At that time 1 the Lord will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. 2
19:4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;
a powerful king will rule over them,”
says the sovereign master, 3 the Lord who commands armies.
19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? 4
Let them tell you, let them find out
what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.
19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; 5
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. 6
30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,
and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.
52:4 For this is what the sovereign Lord says:
“In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt;
Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.
1 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
2 sn Swarming flies are irritating; bees are irritating and especially dangerous because of the pain they inflict with their sting (see Deut 1:44; Ps 118:12). The metaphors are well chosen, for the Assyrians (symbolized by the bees) were much more powerful and dangerous than the Egyptians (symbolized by the flies). Nevertheless both would put pressure on Judah, for Egypt wanted Judah as a buffer state against Assyrian aggression, while Assyrian wanted it as a base for operations against Egypt. Following the reference to sour milk and honey, the metaphor is especially apt, for flies are attracted to dairy products and bees can be found in the vicinity of honey.
3 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
4 tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.
5 tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”
6 tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”
7 tn Heb “he will be entreated.” The Niphal has a tolerative sense here, “he will allow himself to be entreated.”
8 tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).
9 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).
10 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”