Isaiah 19:22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and He will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.
The concept of “striking” in the verse is noted consistently with idea of war or battle. The vast majority of times, the word for “striking” is nagaph in the Hebrew. Nagaph is to win the battle. In Ye Olde English… smote or smite. Someone gets smacked. See an example below.
2 Chronicles 25:22 And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home.
Somebody is going to be defeated and in this case it is Egypt. Now the loss is not intended to be permanent. God has purpose and He is the One directing history. The intent is to bring Egypt towards Him.
Twice in Isaiah 19:22, God states He will rapha or “heal” Egypt.
…and they will return to the LORD… The verb in question is“return” or shab in the Hebrew. It means: to turn back, return. So this begs the question, “When was Egypt ever with the Lord?” Return to the Lord? Really…
This is the fulfillment of a promise to Hagar, an Egyptian.
Genesis 16:3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
As the story goes, Abram fathered a son with Hagar, Ishmael. And there was this prophecy from the Angel of the Lord.
Genesis 16:11-12 And the angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
God listened to Hagar. And the name Ishmael means “God hears”. God always reminds us with the name Ishmael, He hears Ishmael. And frequently after God calls Ishmael (God Hears) by his name, He states, “I have heard you…” God always hears Ishmael.
Definitions provided by Strong’s Concordance.
God has always heard and watched over Ishmael, even after Hagar and he were kicked out of their home with Abraham.
Genesis 21:17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
God has never left the descendants of Hagar and Ishmael. He has always watched over them and still has a promise of hope for them today.
Genesis 21:20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow.
God promised to make a great nation from the line of Ishmael. Granted, this is the birth of the Arab people. But, Ishmael is the descendant of an Egyptian.
Genesis 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.
Genesis 21:18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
And Ishmael (half Egyptian) married an Egyptian woman. His offspring were ¾ Egyptian.
Genesis 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
God is not finished with the Egyptian people. He still hears them today. Approximately 4,100 years ago, God made a promise to the Egyptian people. And He always keeps His promises.
…and He will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.
