Isaiah 19:24 Commentary: Third with Egypt and Assyria

Isaiah 19 belongs to a series of oracles against the nations, but it pivots from judgment to hope. Egypt and Assyria were the two great powers that sandwiched Israel: Egypt to the southwest, Assyria to the northeast. Historically, Israel (especially the northern kingdom) tried to play them off each other, often with disastrous results. Keil and Delitzsch describe Israel as caught “between the two great powers of the earth, the western and the eastern powers”, a painful vise. The phrase “in that day” (used six times in this chapter) signals an eschatological horizon, not a near-term event. The surrounding verses amplify the scandal: Egyptians will worship at an altar to Yahweh (v. 19), a highway will connect Egypt and Assyria so they can worship together (v. 23), and God will call Egypt “my people” and Assyria “the work of my hands” (v. 25). This language deliberately echoes Israel’s own covenant titles. For Isaiah’s original hearers, the idea of their oppressors being adopted into God’s family would have been shocking, and exhilarating. The prophecy looks beyond the exile and the return, to a time when national boundaries no longer define the people of God.

The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 19:24. The critical apparatus in the BHS lists no variants, and the commentaries surveyed do not discuss differences among manuscripts for this verse. The reading is stable across traditions.

Jewish exegesis of Isaiah 19:24, as seen in the Targum and later rabbinic writings, typically interpreted the passage as predicting the conversion of Egypt and Assyria to the worship of the true God in the messianic era. Christian interpreters from the patristic period (e.g., Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho) read it as a prophecy of Gentile inclusion through Christ. The Reformers, particularly Calvin and Luther, emphasized that the blessing once limited to Israel now extends to all nations. In modern times, the verse has been used to support both missionary movements (as a mandate to reach all peoples) and ecumenical visions of global unity in Christ. Some liberation theologians have seen in it a reversal of imperial power. Across traditions, the verse has remained a touchstone for the hope that God’s kingdom embraces former enemies.

Three-point outline

1. Enemies become partners. Egypt and Assyria, once the instruments of judgment, are now joined with Israel. The hostility is gone, replaced by shared worship.
2. Israel becomes a channel of blessing. The nation was created to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2); here that purpose reaches its fullest expression as Israel mediates blessing to its former oppressors.
3. The earth is the stage. “In the midst of the earth” suggests the whole world is the beneficiary of this unity. God’s kingdom is not geo‑political but universal.

Five-point outline

1. The reversal of history: what was a vise becomes a covenant.
2. The inclusive heart of God: former enemies receive covenant titles (v. 25).
3. Israel’s unique role: not replaced but elevated as the “third” partner.
4. Worship as the center: the highway (v. 23) leads to the altar, not to trade.
5. A blessing that spreads: “a blessing in the midst of the earth” echoes the Abrahamic promise (Genesis 12:3).

Illustration hooks

• Two rival families at a reunion dinner: past grievances set aside, a shared meal becomes the first step toward reconciliation.
• A neighborhood divided by old ethnic tensions: then a crisis brings neighbors together to help each other, and the old walls crumble.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Does this mean all religions lead to God? (No; the highway goes to Yahweh’s altar, not to a generic pluralism.)
• If Israel is “third,” is it less important than Egypt or Assyria? (It is a partner, but still the source of blessing.)
• How does this relate to end‑times prophecies about a rebuilt temple or a united Middle East? (Interpretations vary; some see a literal future, others the spread of the gospel now.)

Isaiah 19:24 sits in a passage that begins with judgment (v. 1) and ends with a blessing so sweeping that God calls Egypt “my people.” This study explores how the prophet reimagines Israel’s relationship with its enemies.

Discussion questions

1. Read Isaiah 19:16, 25. What phrases stand out to you as surprising or even shocking for an Israelite audience?
2. Isaiah uses the phrase “in that day” six times in this chapter. What does that repetition tell you about the timing he envisions?
3. Verse 24 says Israel will be “the third” with Egypt and Assyria. What do different commentators suggest this means? (Refer to the scholars’ consensus.)
4. How does verse 25, calling Egypt “my people” and Assyria “the work of my hands”, expand the meaning of “my people” from the Old Testament?
5. What does this chapter teach about God’s character, especially toward those who were once enemies of His people?
6. How does this vision challenge or encourage the way you think about people or groups you consider “outside” the faith today?
7. If the promise is that “a blessing” flows through Israel to the world, how might Christians today participate in being a blessing to those who seem far from God?