Isaiah 19:20-22 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

For they shall cry unto the Lord— The prophet here sets forth the causes of this happy change in Egypt, with its immediate effects. The impulsive cause he shews to be their cry to Jehovah, on account of their oppressors; the instrumental some Saviour or avenger; some great one so called, who should deliver them from their oppression, Isaiah 19:20. The immediate effects are said to be, first, true faith, to be produced or confirmed in the Egyptians by this means, Isaiah 19:21.; secondly, the healing of them, as to their external state, and the restoration of their government, Isaiah 19:22. Here it is plainly foretold, that a great prince, sent by God from a foreign country, should deliver the Egyptians from their Persian oppressors, and heal their country, which was smitten of God and afflicted; and who could this be but Alexander, who is always distinguished by the name of the great, and whose first successor in Egypt was called the great Ptolemy, and Ptolemy Soter, or the saviour? Upon Alexander's first coming into Egypt, the people all cheerfully submitted to him; for which reason he treated them with kindness, built a city there called Alexandria, appointed one of their own country for their civil governor, and permitted them to be governed by their own laws and customs. By these regulations, and the gentle administration of some of the Ptolemies, Egypt revived, trade and learning flourished, and for a while peace and plenty blessed the land. But it is more largely foretold, Isaiah 19:21 that about the same time the true religion and worship of the God of Israel should spread in Egypt; and what event was ever more unlikely to happen than the conversion of a people who looked upon themselves as the most learned in the world, to the religion of those whom they despised; and at a time too when these Egyptians were so sunk in superstition and idolatry of the grossest kind? It is certain, that many of the Jews fled into Egypt after Nebuchadnezzar had taken Jerusalem, and carried with them Jeremiah, who there uttered many of his prophesies concerning the conquest of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar (see Jeremiah 43 : &c.). Hence, and by the means above described, some knowledge of God, and some notice of the prophesies, might easily be derived to the Egyptians. By their means the Lord must in some degree have been known to Egypt, and the Egyptians have been known to the Lord; and without doubt there must have been many proselytes among them. With these who came up to the feast of Pentecost, Acts 2:10 there are particularly mentioned, the dwellers in Egypt, and in the parts of Lybia about Cyrene, Jews and proselytes. Nay, from the instance of Candace's eunuch, Acts 8:27 we may infer that there were proselytes even beyond Egypt in Ethiopia. Thus were the Jews settled and encouraged in Egypt; insomuch that Philo represents their number as not less than ten hundred thousand men. Bishop Newton, as above.