“In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 19:16 Mean?
"In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it." Isaiah prophesies that Egypt — the ancient world's other superpower — will tremble like women in labor when God shakes his hand over it. The metaphor reverses Egypt's self-image as invincible. The nation that terrified others will be terrified. The hand of God, merely shaking (a gesture, not even a strike), produces fear in the most powerful nation on earth.
The phrase "shaking of the hand" describes a threatening gesture — like a parent raising their hand to a child. God doesn't even have to strike Egypt. The gesture alone is enough to reduce a superpower to trembling.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'Egypt' in your world seems invincible — and how does this verse rebalance your fear?
- 2.What does it mean that God's gesture (not even a strike) reduces a superpower to trembling?
- 3.Where are you afraid of a power that's itself afraid of God?
- 4.How does the image of God 'shaking his hand' (a raised gesture) reveal the disproportionate power gap between him and earthly authorities?
Devotional
Egypt trembles. Not at a blow. At a gesture. God shakes his hand over the most powerful nation on earth and Egypt collapses into fear. He didn't even have to close his fist.
Egypt's self-image was defined by power: the pyramids, the military, the Nile, the Pharaohs who styled themselves as gods. And Isaiah says: a day is coming when all of that will shake like a woman in labor — involuntarily, uncontrollably, beyond the capacity of willpower to suppress. The trembling is physical. It's instinctive. It's the body's response to encountering a power so far beyond its own that composure is impossible.
The shaking of the hand. Not a fist. A hand. Shaken. A gesture. The way a parent might raise their hand and a child flinches before the hand even moves. That's the power dynamic between God and Egypt. The gesture alone does what Egypt's entire army couldn't prevent. The world's greatest military can't hold steady against the wave of God's hand.
This verse rebalances your view of earthly power. Whatever nation, institution, or system seems invincible to you — whatever Egypt-level authority looks untouchable — is one hand-shake away from trembling. The power you're intimidated by is intimidated by someone else. And the someone else doesn't even need to strike. The gesture is sufficient.
The next time you're afraid of a power structure that seems immovable, remember: God shakes his hand over Egypt and Egypt trembles. The power that terrifies you is terrified by a gesture. Your enemy has an Enemy. And his hand hasn't even closed yet.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women,.... Weak and feeble, as the Targum; fearful and timorous, even their…
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women - Timid; fearful; alarmed. The Hebrews often, by this comparison, express…
Though the land of Egypt had of old been a house of bondage to the people of God, where they had been ruled with rigour,…
The terror of Jehovah on the Egyptians. There is an allusion to the effect of the plagues in the time of the Exodus. See…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture