Isaiah 19:7 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 19:7 mean?

Isaiah 19:7 pictures the loss of the plants and crops that depended on Egypt’s waterways. The verse shows how the drying of the water would reach beyond the river itself and ruin the growth along its banks.

Following the drying described in verse 6, Isaiah focuses on the “paper reeds” and the land planted beside the water. The reeds were useful for making material to write on, while the sown land provided food. The words “be driven away” picture the dried growth being scattered.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 19:7

• “brooks” — יְאֹר (ye’or): The word often refers to the Nile or its channels. Here, “brooks” points to Egypt’s river system rather than simply to small streams.
• “mouth” — פֶּה (peh): The word commonly means “mouth” and can also describe an opening. Here, it helps picture the place where a water channel opens out.

Why Isaiah 19:7 matters

• The verse connects the fate of wild growth and cultivated land. Both the “paper reeds” and “every thing sown” are caught up in the same loss.
• The damage reaches people who depend on the water for work. The next verses describe fishermen mourning and workers who handle flax and cloth being ashamed.