Isaiah 19:3 Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead, to mediums and spiritists.

◄ Isaiah 19:3 ►

New International Version
The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.

New Living Translation
The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will confuse their plans. They will plead with their idols for wisdom and call on spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

English Standard Version
and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;

Berean Standard Bible
Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead, to mediums and spiritists.

King James Bible
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

New King James Version
The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers.

New American Standard Bible
“Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confuse their strategy, So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead, And to mediums and spiritists.

NASB 1995
“Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy, So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead And to mediums and spiritists.

NASB 1977
“Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy, So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead, And to mediums and spiritists.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied to destruction within them; And I will confuse their counsel, So that they will seek idols and ghosts of the dead And to mediums and spiritists.

Amplified Bible
“Then the spirit of the Egyptians will become exhausted within them and emptied out; And I will confuse their strategy, So that they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, And mediums and soothsayers.

Christian Standard Bible
Egypt’s spirit will be disturbed within it, and I will frustrate its plans. Then they will inquire of worthless idols, ghosts, mediums, and spiritists.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Egypt’s spirit will be disturbed within it, and I will frustrate its plans. Then they will seek idols, ghosts, spirits of the dead, and spiritists.

American Standard Version
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

Contemporary English Version
"Egypt will be discouraged when I confuse their plans. They will try to get advice from their idols, from the spirits of the dead, and from fortunetellers.

English Revised Version
And the spirit of Egypt shall be made void in the midst of it; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Egyptians will lose courage. I will unravel their plans. They will turn to idols, ghosts, mediums, and fortunetellers.

Good News Translation
I am going to frustrate the plans of the Egyptians and destroy their morale. They will ask their idols to help them, and they will go and consult mediums and ask the spirits of the dead for advice.

International Standard Version
The spirits of the Egyptians within them will be drained of courage, and I will bring their plans to nothing. They will consult idols and spirits of the dead, and mediums and spiritists.

Majority Standard Bible
Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead, to mediums and spiritists.

NET Bible
The Egyptians will panic, and I will confuse their strategy. They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead, from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians.

New Heart English Bible
The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst. I will destroy its counsel. They will seek the idols, spirits of the dead, mediums, and spiritists.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of her, and I will destroy her counsel: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

World English Bible
The spirit of the Egyptians will fail within them. I will destroy their counsel. They will seek the idols, the charmers, those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And the spirit of Egypt has been emptied out in its midst. And I swallow up its counsel, "" And they have sought to the idols, "" And to the charmers, "" And to those having familiar spirits, "" And to the wizards.

Young's Literal Translation
And emptied out hath been in its midst the spirit of Egypt. And its counsel I swallow up, And they have sought unto the idols, And unto the charmers, And unto those having familiar spirits, And unto the wizards.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the spirit of Egypt was emptied in its midst, and its counsel I will destroy: and they sought to the vanities and to the mutterers, and to the necromancers, and to the wizards.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the spirit of Egypt shall be broken in the bowels thereof, and I will cast down their counsel: and they shall consult their idols, and their diviners, and their wizards, and soothsayers.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the spirit of Egypt will be ruptured to its very core. And I will cast down their plan violently. And they will seek answers from their false images, and their diviners, and those led by demons, and their seers.

New American Bible
The courage of the Egyptians shall ebb away within them, and I will bring their counsel to nought; They shall consult idols and charmers, ghosts and clairvoyants.

New Revised Standard Version
the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their plans; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead and the ghosts and the familiar spirits;

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And the spirit of the Egyptian shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will blot out their counsel; and they shall inquire of idols and of the sorcerers and of those who have familiar spirits and of wizards.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the spirit of the Egyptian shall be cut off within him, and I shall drown his counsel, and they shall inquire of idols, and of the Magi, and of necromancers and of soothsayers

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the spirit of Egypt shall be made empty within it; And I will make void the counsel thereof; And they shall seek unto the idols, and to the whisperers, And to the ghosts, and to the familiar spirits.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the spirit of the Egyptians shall be troubled within them; and I will frustrate their counsel: and they shall enquire of their gods and their images, and them that speak out of the earth, and them that have in them a divining spirit.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

An Oracle Concerning Egypt
…2“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian; brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead, to mediums and spiritists. 4I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of harsh masters, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Exodus 7:11-12
But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts. / Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.

1 Samuel 28:7-8
Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.” “There is a medium at Endor,” his servants replied. / So Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and he set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I name.”

Ezekiel 21:21
For the king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the liver.

Daniel 2:2
So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to explain his dreams. When they came and stood before the king,

Jeremiah 27:9-10
But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ / For they prophesy to you a lie that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you and you will perish.

Micah 5:12
I will cut the sorceries from your hand, and you will have no fortune-tellers.

Zechariah 10:2
For idols speak deceit and diviners see illusions; they tell false dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

2 Kings 21:6
He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

Leviticus 19:31
You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, / casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. / For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things, the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.

Acts 8:9-11
Prior to that time, a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great, / and all the people, from the least to the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine power called the Great Power.” / They paid close attention to him because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.

Acts 13:6-8
They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, / an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. / But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

Acts 16:16-18
One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling. / This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!” / She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.

1 Corinthians 10:20
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Treasury of Scripture

And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the middle thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

the spirit.

Isaiah 19:1,11-13
The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it…

Isaiah 57:16
For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.

1 Samuel 25:37
But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

fail.

Isaiah 14:27
For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

2 Samuel 15:31
And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

2 Samuel 17:14,23
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom…

destroy.

Psalm 107:27
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

and they

Isaiah 8:19
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Isaiah 15:2
He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.

Isaiah 44:25
That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

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Charmers Confound Conjurers Consult Control Counsel Dead Decisions Demoralized Destroy Effect Egypt Egyptians Emptied Empty Fail Familiar Ghosts Gods Heart Hollow Idols Lose Mediums Midst Necromancers Plans Resort Secret Seek Sorcerers Sounds Spirit Spiritists Spirits Strategy Thereof Turning Void Whisperers Wise Within Wizards

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Isaiah 19

1. The confusion of Egypt
11. The foolishness of their princes
18. The calling of Egypt into the church
23. The covenant of Egypt, Assyria, and Israel

Berean Study Bible

Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out within them
The phrase "spirit of the Egyptians" refers to the inner strength, courage, and resolve of the Egyptian people. In Hebrew, the word for "spirit" is "ruach," which can mean breath, wind, or spirit, indicating a life force or inner vitality. The imagery of this spirit being "emptied out" suggests a profound loss of morale and confidence. Historically, Egypt was a powerful nation, often relying on its military might and strategic alliances. However, this prophecy foretells a time when their inner strength will be depleted, leaving them vulnerable and disheartened. This serves as a reminder of the futility of relying solely on human strength and the importance of seeking divine guidance and support.

and I will confuse their plans
The act of God confusing the plans of the Egyptians highlights His sovereignty over human affairs. The Hebrew word for "confuse" is "balal," which means to mix or confound. This echoes the Tower of Babel narrative, where God confounded human language to disrupt their plans. In the context of Egypt, a nation known for its wisdom and strategic prowess, this divine intervention signifies a humbling of their intellect and schemes. It serves as a cautionary tale about the limitations of human wisdom when it stands in opposition to God's will.

They will seek idols
The Egyptians were known for their pantheon of gods and reliance on idols. The Hebrew word for "idols" is "elilim," which can also mean worthless or vain things. This reflects the futility of seeking help from lifeless objects that cannot provide true guidance or deliverance. The turning to idols in times of crisis underscores a misplaced trust in material and created things rather than the Creator. It serves as a warning against idolatry and the importance of placing faith in the one true God.

spirits of the dead
The phrase "spirits of the dead" refers to necromancy, the practice of communicating with the dead to gain insight or guidance. In Hebrew, this is "oboth," which can mean ghosts or spirits. This practice was common in ancient cultures, including Egypt, as a means to seek wisdom from ancestors. However, the Bible consistently condemns such practices as they divert trust away from God. This highlights the desperation of the Egyptians, turning to forbidden and ineffective means in their search for answers.

mediums, and spiritists
Mediums and spiritists, in Hebrew "yidde'onim" and "qesem," were individuals believed to have the ability to communicate with the spiritual realm. These practices were prevalent in ancient Egypt and other cultures as a way to gain supernatural insight. However, the Bible warns against such practices, as they often lead people away from God and into deception. The Egyptians' reliance on these figures in their time of crisis illustrates their spiritual blindness and the consequences of turning away from God. This serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking God's wisdom and guidance rather than relying on occult practices.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) The charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits . . .--The old reputation of Egypt for magic arts (Exodus 7:22; Exodus 8:7) seems to have continued. The "charmers" or mutterers were probably distinguished, like "those that peep" in Isaiah 8:19, by some peculiar form of ventriloquism. A time of panic, when the counsels of ordinary statesmen failed, was sure there, as at Athens in its times of peril, to be fruitful in oracles and divinations.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - They shall seek to the idols. The Egyptians believed that their gods gave them oracles. Menephthah claims to have been warned by Phthah, the god of Memphis, not to take the field in person against the Libyans when they invaded the Delta, but to leave the task of contending with them to his generals (Brugsch, 'History of Egypt,' vol. 2. p. 119). Herodotus speaks of there being several well-known oracular shrines in Egypt, the most trustworthy being that of Maut, at the city which he calls Buto (2. 152; comp. Isaiah 111). The charmers... them that have familiar spirits... wizards. Classes of men corresponding to the "magicians" and "wise men" of earlier times (Genesis 41:8). (On the large place which magic occupied in the thoughts of the Egyptians, see 'Pulpit Commentary' on Exodus 7:11.) There was no diminution of the confidence reposed in them as time went on; and some remains of their practices seem to survive to the present day.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Then the spirit
רֽוּחַ־ (rū·aḥ-)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

of the Egyptians
מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ (miṣ·ra·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

will be emptied out
וְנָבְקָ֤ה (wə·nā·ḇə·qāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1238: To pour out, to empty, to depopulate, to spread out

from among them,
בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ (bə·qir·bōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

and I will frustrate
אֲבַלֵּ֑עַ (’ă·ḇal·lê·a‘)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1104: To swallow down, swallow up, engulf

their plans,
וַעֲצָת֖וֹ (wa·‘ă·ṣā·ṯōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6098: Advice, plan, prudence

so that they will resort
וְדָרְשׁ֤וּ (wə·ḏā·rə·šū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1875: To tread, frequent, to follow, to seek, ask, to worship

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

idols
הָֽאֱלִילִים֙ (hā·’ĕ·lî·lîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 457: Good for, nothing, by anal, vain, vanity, an idol

and
וְאֶל־ (wə·’el-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

spirits of the dead,
הָ֣אִטִּ֔ים (hā·’iṭ·ṭîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 328: A necromancer, gently

to mediums
הָאֹב֖וֹת (hā·’ō·ḇō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 178: A bottle (made from animal skin), a necromancer

and
וְאֶל־ (wə·’el-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

spiritists.
הַיִּדְּעֹנִֽים׃ (hay·yid·də·‘ō·nîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3049: A knowing one, a conjurer, a ghost

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OT Prophets: Isaiah 19:3 The spirit of Egypt will fail (Isa Isi Is)